A new-look Southern Miss had some sparks on Saturday but not enough to catch fire and take down an SEC team in the first game for head coach Charles Huff.
In front of a packed house in Hattiesburg, Mississippi State turned a three-point game at halftime into a 24-point lead with touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the third quarter. Southern Miss only managed one more score on the day, the final score being 34-17 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Scoring summary
Mississippi State (1-0) quarterback Blake Shapen, back from a season-ending injury in 2024, tossed a 55-yard touchdown pass to tight end Seydou Traore on the opening possession. Southern Miss (0-1) responded with a field goal off the foot of Reed Harradine.
The Bulldogs began to click again on their next possession but were plagued by penalties. Mistakes led to the drive being cut short with coach Jeff Lebby bringing the field goal unit out. Kyle Ferrie knocked one through the uprights from 55 yards out, making for the longest field goal for an away player in M.M. Roberts Stadium history.
Southern Miss countered with a 12-play drive that ended with Marshall transfer quarterback Braylon Braxton connecting with Ole Miss transfer Micah Davis on a three-yard touchdown. Mississippi State then had a touchdown called back, forcing another Ferrie field goal. The halftime score was 13-10 in favor of the Bulldogs.
Coming back out of the locker room, it was apparent Mississippi State made several adjustments to wear down the Southern Miss defense. Three consecutive touchdowns, two of which were by South Alabama transfer running back Fluff Bothwell, and the same number of defensive stands extended the lead to 34-10.
The Golden Eagles scored one more touchdown, a 7-yard connection between Braxton and TJ Johnson, to make the scoreboard a little less lopsided. The final score from Hattiesburg: 34-17 with Mississippi State on top.
What the coaches said
Winning his first road opener as a head coach, especially against an in-state opponent, was fulfilling to second-year Mississippi frontman Jeff Lebby.
“We’ve been talking about August 30 for months and certainly happy that we’re 1-0,” said Lebby, who went 2-10 during his first year in Starkville.
“The early struggle was a lot of what we were doing, but my biggest takeaway was how we ended the half and began the first quarter,” he said. “If we can continue playing complementary football, we should have a chance in every game.”
Huff, who has completely reshaped the Southern Miss sidelines with 80 new players, said before the game that his team would need to play “near flawless” to beat Mississippi State. That was not the case, however, Huff did glean some positives from the loss.
“It’s certainly not the result we want, but we definitely see where we can be,” said Huff, who won the Sun Belt championships a season ago at Marshall before taking over in Hattiesburg. “We certainly played well in the first half, although we did not make enough played to stop the Mississippi State run in the third quarter. Lebby and his staff are a phenomenal coaching staff and are building this thing the right way.”
Numbers never lie
Mississippi State totaled 465 yards on offense with a deep running back corps of Davon Booth, Bothwell, and Johnnie Daniels combining for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
Shapen was efficient from behind center with 270 yards on 26 of 34 passing with one score and one interception. His favorite receiver on the day was Oklahoma State transfer Brenen Thompson, who caught seven balls for 92 yards. Traore had the one score, along with 77 yards on five catches.
Most importantly, the Bulldogs scored each of the four times they made it to the red zone.
Braxton led the Southern Miss offense with 257 yards and two touchdown passes. However, the Golden Eagles only managed 301 yards on the day, meaning the preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year didn’t get much help from the running backs.
Defensively, reigning SEC tackle champion Isaac Smith led Mississippi State with seven stops. Brylan Lanier managed to pick off Braxton once, while Will Whitson had the team’s lone sack of the day. Chris Jones and Joshuah Moten each had 12 tackles for Southern Miss. Michael Montgomery picked off Shapen once.
Next up
Mississippi State: at No. 11 Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Southern Miss: vs. Jackson State on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 4 p.m.
