Texas State rattled off three touchdowns on three first-quarter possessions and never looked back as the Bobcats dominated Southern Miss, 58-3, on Saturday night.
Behind 703 total yards of offense, Texas State (6-4, 4-2 Sun Belt) clinched a second consecutive postseason appearance as Southern Miss (1-9, 0-6) dropped its eighth game in a row while accounting for a mere 194 yards of offense.
Here’s a quick recap of what happened in San Marcos.
Scoring summary
Apart from a second-quarter field goal, Southern Miss was unable to find itself on the scoreboard under a new play-caller. Earlier in the week, the program announced it would be parting ways with offensive coordinator Chip Long weeks after firing head coach Will Hall.
Texas State, on the other hand, had a field day on homecoming as quarterback Jordan McCloud tossed four touchdown passes and Brad Jackson scampered in for another to go up 34-3 at halftime.
The second half was more of the same. After running back Torrance Burgess, Jr., found the end zone from 57 yards out, Texas State tacked a field goal on the board. Jackson connected with Drew Donley on a 60-yard touchdown pass to make for a 51-3 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats sealed the game with a 68-yard touchdown run by Lincoln Pare.
What the coach said
After the game, Southern Miss interim head coach Reed Stringer was visibly disappointed with his team’s performance, pointing to offensive inefficiency paired with the defense’s inability to get off the field.
“It’s disappointing. I knew going into the game this was a tough matchup for us. But we just didn’t find ways to get off the field,” Stringer said. “We have got to stay on the field on offense, but we just don’t sustain drives. And we don’t keep the defense off the field long enough to make it a game.”
Numbers never lie
Southern Miss has now dropped its eighth game in a row this season and eleventh in a row against FBS opponents dating back to 2023.
If there has been any silver lining, the Golden Eagles rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game. The team finished with 124 against Texas State with Dreke Clark leading the way with 66 yards on 15 carries.
Southern Miss only managed two red zone trips, with one ending in a field goal and the other in a turnover on downs. The Golden Eagles were consistently inefficient (4-of-18) on third down.
Defensively, safety Jay Jones recorded his second career interception and first of the year late in the second quarter. It marked the third game in a row Southern Miss has forced the opposing quarterback to throw a pick.
The Bobcats, on the other hand, compiled three sacks, one interception, and 13 tackles for loss.
Next up
Southern Miss returns to Hattiesburg for the final home game of the year. The Golden Eagles will take on South Alabama next Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
