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Rapid reaction: Mississippi State downs Southern Miss on the road

Randy Capps

By Randy Capps

Published:

Here are some quick thoughts on Mississippi State’s 34-16 win against Southern Miss in the season opener for both teams.

What it means: The Bulldogs may have started slowly, but they still managed to come away with a road win against a fired up Southern Miss squad. The Golden Eagles threw onside kicks, reverse passes and flea-flickers at Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs were up for the challenge. The win sets the stage for a home date with LSU next week — with the winner grabbing an early edge in the SEC West.

What I liked: The Bulldogs made plays when it mattered most. Brandon Holloway’s 100-yard kickoff return after Southern Miss opened the scoring with a field goal in the first quarter was a much-needed spark. Dak Prescott was patient in the pocket, where he hit nine different receivers on the night, and with his legs (six carries, 62 yards). The best part of the night may have been the fact that Mississippi State fought off Southern Miss without showing LSU much on tape. There wasn’t any need for anything exotic on offense or defense, and the Bulldogs likely kept a few tricks up their sleeve for next week’s clash with the Tigers.

What I didn’t like: It’s tough to watch a first half with a fumble going into the end zone, a muffed punt and a failure to cover a surprise onside kick and not accuse Mississippi State of looking ahead to next week’s showdown in Starkville. The late start time and an over-matched opponent (on paper, anyway) didn’t help matters, either. Even with a 14-10 lead at the break, the numbers weren’t pretty.

Who’s the man: Who else? Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott broke the school record for career touchdown passes (43) with his third-quarter toss to Gus Wailey. In addition, after a first half where he had no rushing yards on two carries, the Heisman Trophy contender had 51 yards on the ground  during Mississippi State’s opening drive of the second half, which ended with that scoring pass to Wailey. He finished the night with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown while going 20 for 36 through the air with 230 yards and two more scores.

Key play: Leading 14-10 with just over two minutes left before halftime, Mississippi State stopped Southern Miss running back Jalen Richard on fourth-and-goal inside the 1-yard line. That prevented the Golden Eagles from grabbing a lead, which took some of the steam out of a record crowd of more than 36,000 in Hattiesburg.

What’s next: The first big game in the SEC West this season arrives for the Bulldogs next weekend. LSU lost the chance to tune up on opening weekend when its home game with McNeese State was called off due to the poor weather that plagued the southeast on Saturday. Still, for Mississippi State, a somewhat-lackluster performance in Week 1 is better than no performance at all.

Randy Capps

Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.

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