Before we get into it, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham understands how football in the south operates. He’s a Phoenix-area boy, but Dillingham has coached from Tempe up to Eugene, from Memphis to Tallahassee to Auburn.
Speaking on logistical lessons learned in ASU’s first Big 12 season in 2024, Dillingham made a seemingly innocent comment about the logistical hurdles of traveling, housing and feeding a team and support staff when visiting smaller towns.
It is, unfortunately for Dillingham, going to be fueling Mississippi State fans’ anger — and cow bells — when the No. 12 Sun Devils visit Starkville on Saturday.
“Interesting is now that we play in a lot smaller towns, we (stay) further away from stadiums, our road games,” Dillingham told reporters on Monday. “So we stay about an hour and 20, hour and 15 minutes away from the stadium this week because that’s the nearest hotel that’s not a casino to stay at. No, that’s the truth. Some teams stay at the casino.
“That wasn’t even a joke. It’s just the nearest hotel.”
Kenny Dillingham on the differences between traveling to small towns and big cities in preparation for Mississippi State:
"We stay about an hour and 15 minutes away from the stadium this week, because that's the nearest hotel that's not a casino." ??@CronkiteSports pic.twitter.com/O4LEPU5zzq
— Max Zepeda (@MaxZepedaSports) September 1, 2025
Dillingham further discussed his “finicky” eaters on the team and prioritizing them getting a solid — and well-digested– meal. He said that around 10 players got sick, presumably from the food, on a trip to play Texas Tech last year. That was notably an ASU loss.
The Arizona State coach then compared the Pacific Northwest cuisine to that of the South.
“When you’re going to like Seattle, the food’s unbelievable,” he said. “But some of the smaller towns, it’s harder to feed 160 guys, so we are just trying to adapt.”
To be fair to Dillingham, he is talking about finding ASU an appropriate hotel and catering situation to support nearly 200 humans, the answers to which are not going to be found by Googling “Starkville hotel” and finding plenty of options like the Hampton Inn, Days Inn or Holiday Inn Express.
Hence, the semi-joke about casinos being a promising option. But we’re guessing gambling and tomfoolery are not things Dillingham willingly wants to expose to a football team.
The local newspaper, the Clarion Ledger, noted that opposing teams often stay in Columbus (a 30-minute drive), Tupelo (hour drive) or Tuscaloosa, Alabama (hour and a half drive) when playing Mississippi State.
With all that as context, the replies to Cronkite Sports reporter Max Zepeda’s video on X got caught in the Bulldogs’ and the Red Raiders’ algorithms. Rival Ole Miss fans even barged in to defend their local cuisine.
Somewhat understandably, they did not like Dillingham’s comments.
Zepeda’s post now has more than 2 million views and 400 comments.
*Brace yourselves for insensitive comments about Arizona cuisine*
1 stay in Tupelo 2 look up local food reviewers 3 learn that some of our current and former gas stations have better food than you do… 4 if a local reviewer says the chicken or BBQ ribs are a 6, then they’re a 9 to an outsider.
Feed up.
— Graham H. (@GrahamHilll) September 1, 2025
I’m an Ole Miss REBEL through and through! But this take from the Arizona State head coach wasn’t JUST a shot at Mississippi State. It was a shot at the state of Mississippi. I’m a Bulldogs fan this week!!! Get’em MSU! Beat the crap out of the Sun Devils!!!!!
— Rodney Ringo (@rodney_ringo) September 2, 2025
I’ll take Southern cooking over AZ cooking any and every day.
— Kelly Penton (@SaintsFanSB09) September 2, 2025
Oh my…. Anyone that’s ever been through Mississippi just spit out their drink. ??
— Kevin Heck ???⛳️ (@kevin_heck4113) September 2, 2025
Caztanza would have booked a proper hotel. pic.twitter.com/98mHGkZTEj
— Wil Webb+ (@LoanNinja) September 2, 2025
What an ignorant and weak-minded thing to say. Have fun with the goofy sammiches in Canton or whatever random excuse of a place y’all’ve decided to stay. Don’t forget to cut the crust off, and make sure to bring some nightlights, blankeys and earplugs for the little guys.
— Thom Guthrie (@thomguthrie) September 2, 2025
Kenny, staying at the Golden Moon Hotel & Casino is the perfect team bonding opportunity. Plenty of table games to choose from as well as some penny slots for the walkons. Plus there are two (2) championship golf courses you guys could start your Saturday on! Hope this helps!
— Henry “Hank” Thomas, PE (@pickleballing69) September 2, 2025
i hope he scouts the team as poorly as he scouted the town.
— Jf C (@jdtlsprts) September 2, 2025
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