Big man TD: Arizona State DL C.J. Fite scores on recovered fumble vs. Mississippi State
Sep 7, 2024, 9:13 PM | Updated: Sep 8, 2024, 1:47 pm
TEMPE — Arizona State defensive lineman C.J. Fite scored a touchdown in a 30-23 win on Saturday after Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen was sacked by Clayton Smith.
Fite, a true sophomore weighing 295 pounds, used his body to block the ball from running out of bounds, recovered the ball and ran it in.
A couple of highlights from Arizona State’s dominant first half against Mississippi State. pic.twitter.com/dKQEH35jL8
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 8, 2024
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The score gave ASU, seeking its first SEC win in program history, a 20-3 lead in the first half.
“In practice, we set a standard on defense: any time the ball comes out, go pick it up,” Fite said. “So I saw the ball, I went and got it.”
The Arizona State defense had racked up a sack and three tackles for loss prior to the touchdown, as the Sun Devils were in the Mississippi State backfield on seemingly every drop back.
“Playin’ out the play, same thing we keep preaching,” ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “We’re gonna play the ball, we’re gonna play hard, we’re gonna play passionate. I think we did that for 35 minutes of the game. I think there was a lull where we got comfortable, and I think that lull was how we practiced on Tuesday for the first 14 periods.
“It was a great lesson for us that you can’t get comfortable in a football game.”
It was the second straight week with a big man touchdown from Arizona State defensive linemen, with Justin Wodtly running in a similar touchdown after a botched backwards pass from Wyoming in Week 1.
“The guys are probably bored of it. We start our team meetings and the only two things I show are effort plays and takeaways,” Dillingham said after the first win. “It’s just to get in their mind that if you play really hard and you win the turnover battle, all of these schemes that you’re about to go do are awesome.”
At the time of Fite’s touchdown, the Arizona State defense had outscored its opponents 21-10 over the season, including Zyrus Fiaseu’s pick-six that began the season.
