(Photos from HailStateFB, OleMissFB, and SouthernMissFB on X)
- Southern Miss will try again for the first win of the Charles Huff Era.
After both Ole Miss and Mississippi State showed they would be forces to reckon with in the Sun Belt Conference the schedule gets tougher in Week 2.
No. 21 Ole Miss opens SEC play at Kentucky while State has its home opener against a 2024 playoff team, Arizona State. Those teams beat the Mississippi schools last year.
Ole Miss and State were impressive handling Sun Belt foes, with the Rebels winning 63-7 against Georgia State and the Bulldogs 34-17 at Southern Mississippi.
The Golden Eagles, back at home, will try again for the first win of the Charles Huff Era against another in-state rival, Jackson State.
Ole Miss
New quarterback Austin Simmons was impressive in his first start (20-31, 341 yards, 3 TDs), but his two interceptions did enough to remind folks it was his first start.
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin downplayed the first, saying the short throw was the fault of his rebuilding offensive line, a concern heading into Week 2.
For most of the night Simmons looked really good. He got the ball out of his hand quickly and was on target. He showed good pocket awareness and was on target most of the time. He showed really good touch on a couple of sideline throws over the top of coverage.
The awareness was necessary because Georgia State was able to hurry him up more than it should have been.
The Panthers had six tackles for loss, more than the Rebels’ four, sacked Simmons once and had five quarterback pressures.
Stronger tests await starting this week. Kentucky had six tackles for loss and five hurries in a 24-16 win over Toledo.
Kiffin praised his new defensive line throughout camp. There were good moments, but the group didn’t make as many plays in the backfield and gave up 191 rushing yards.
The running game was diverse and impressive, a trademark of Kiffin teams that was missing last year.
Simmons looked especially comfortable throwing to talented tight ends.
Now he goes on the road.
Kentucky was not impressive offensively, attaching its fortune to journeyman quarterback Zach Calzada – Texas A&M, Auburn, Incarnate Word, now UK – whose career started before COVID-19.
The Wildcats had just 305 yards of offense and just one meaningful touchdown drive (12 plays, 79 yards). One other was a short field and the last was one long run.
Calzada was just 10-for-23 passing.
Ole Miss fans remember last year’s heartbreaking SEC-opening loss to Kentucky in Oxford. So do the Rebels, but most of the ones in key roles now were not in key roles then.
Mississippi State
The Golden Eagles couldn’t block the Bulldogs which is something likely never said of State last season.
Jeff Lebby set about fixing his defensive line in the off-season, and the early results were good.
For Southern Miss, there was a new coach, new quarterback, new environment. It was because of that, not in spite of it, I expected more from the Southern Miss offense.
At the end of the day, Southern Miss managed just 301 total yards, just 102 on the ground at 2.9 per rush.
Texas transfer defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe had four tackles and a half tackle for loss. Coastal Carolina transfer DL Will Whitson had four tackles and 2 ½ TFLs.
It was an impressive showing for a Bulldogs unit that ranked last in the SEC in every meaningful defensive statistical category last year.
State gave up 216.9 yards a game on the ground in 2024 to rank No. 129 out of 133 FBS teams.
It will get a big test this week.
Arizona State defeated Mississippi State 30-23 in Tempe last year.
Running back Cam Skateboo, compact and physical, bullied the Dogs with 262 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. The Sun Devils rushed for 346 yards as a team.
Skateboo is with the Giants now. It’s running back by committee for Arizona State, and that includes quarterback Sam Leavitt. ASU rushed for 201 yards in a 38-19 win over Northern Arizona Saturday.
Offensively for State, a healthy Blake Shapen was mostly in rhythm. He completed 76% and was picked off once.
It was the second half before the offense got going, and a diverse running game really helped with that.
Southern Miss
The only game the Golden Eagles won last year was the FCS game, 35-10, against Southeastern Louisiana.
Huff has maintained that the roster he’s put together isn’t last year’s 1-11 team, but it looked similar Saturday, and – unless it doesn’t win the FCS game – will look similar again this Saturday night.
Jackson State opened with a 28-14 win over Hampton, extending its win streak to 11 games.
Southern Miss quarterback Braylon Braxton, the preseason Sun Belt Conference offensive player of the year, looked smooth and confident at times.
But the Golden Eagles didn’t compete well enough in the trenches most of the game. After an 81-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter, State adjusted, and Southern’s next six possessions went 20 yards, minus-1 yard, 2 yards and 9 yards. There was an interception mixed in too.
By the time the Golden Eagles showed a pulse again the game had been decided.
It will be Week 3 at home against Appalachian State before Huff has another chance to show Southern Miss really is different.
Parrish Alford
