Photo Courtesy: Ole Miss Athletics
Week 4 for Mississippi’s major-college football teams was a delight for Ole Miss fans, and a disaster for followers of Mississippi State and Southern Miss.
Most notably, perhaps, MSU lost quarterback Blake Shapen to a season-ending shoulder injury in a homefield loss to Florida. Ole Miss remained unbeaten in commanding fashion and the season seems to be quickly slipping away for Southern Miss.
Ole Miss 52, Georgia Southern 13:
Stop the presses, fifth-ranked Ole Miss (4-0) finally gave up a touchdown, after playing its first three games of the season without that happening – the first time the Rebels had managed that feat since 1961.
Otherwise, it was pretty much business as usual for the home team, which got another night of outstanding performances from its biggest offensive stars on the way to 607 total yards.
National passing leader Jaxson Dart completed 22 of 31 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns, with favorite target Tre Harris snagging 11 of those for an eye-popping 225 yards and two TDs. Henry Parrish Jr. anchored a rushing attack that averaged 6.1 yards per attempt, carrying 13 times for 89 yards and a TD.
All in all, it was just about the best start to the season that Rebels fans could have imagined back in August.
Ole Miss quickly took all the suspense out of this one, with Dart throwing TDs of 35 yards to Antwane Wells and 23 yards to Jordan Watkins on the way to a 17-0 first-quarter lead.
After Georgia Southern scored a touchdown early in the second quarter, Dart found Harris for a 70-yard score and a 24-7 halftime advantage. They would hook up again for a 36-yard TD early in the fourth quarter.
Ole Miss defensive tackle JJ Pegues, a fan-favorite senior from Oxford, got in on the fun with a 1-yard TD run to open the second-half scoring. Hard to stop a 325-pound guy carrying the football at the goal line. He also had a fumble recovery.
Georgia Southern, held to 194 total yards (37 rushing yards on 36 attempts), managed two second-half field goals including one with 1:56 left to play.
Ole Miss did not face a real challenge through its first four games, outscoring non-conference opponents 220-22. If a weakness emerged in recent weeks, it came in the form of penalties. On one scoring drive for Georgia Southern, Ole Miss gave up 45 yards on three personal foul penalties. Against SEC opponents, that kind of play could prove to be more than a nuisance.
The Rebels will be home on Saturday for an 11 a.m. game against Kentucky, their first SEC matchup of the year.
Florida 45, Mississippi State 28:
Two teams desperate to open SEC play with a victory squared off Saturday morning in Starkville. The Gators (2-2), possibly fighting this season for coach Billy Napier’s job, came to play.
Graham Mertz passed for three touchdowns and rushed for another to end Florida’s seven-game losing streak against major-college opposition.
Mertz’s effectiveness was all the more striking as he alternated on some possessions with freshman DJ Lagway. Mertz completed 19 of 21 passes for 201 yards and Lagway hit all seven of his passes for 76 yards.
For Mississippi State (1-3), the plot was all too familiar, falling behind 28-14 at halftime. MSU’s Blake Shapen rallied the Bulldogs to trail just 28-21 on a 13-pard TD pass to Jordan Mosley about halfway through the third quarter, but the Gators flexed after that, including a fourth-down stop from the 1 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Shapen completed 13 of 21 passes for 140 yards and a TD before getting injured in the fourth quarter, while backup Michael Van Buren came on to pass for 100 more. Johnnie Daniels and Davon Booth combined for 152 yards and two TDs on 30 carries.
Florida finished with a 530-480 edge in total offense.
The Bulldogs have been outscored a combined 83-20 in three first halves this season.
Mississippi State hits the road for a Saturday game against top-ranked Texas, which may see Arch Manning – Archie’s grandson – get another start at quarterback for the injured Quinn Ewers.
Jacksonville State 44, Southern Miss 7:
Before the game, it might have appeared on paper that Southern Miss had a chance to get back to .500 with a game at a winless opponent.
The host Gamecocks had other big ideas.
Jacksonville State ran to a 14-0 first-quarter lead and while Southern Miss (1-3) did get closer early in the second quarter on John White’s 2-yard TD run, it was to no avail. Jacksonville State (1-3) scored 23 third-quarter points to put the game well out of reach.
The Golden Eagles were shredded for 509 total yards (273 rushing, 236 passing) and suffered six turnovers, including four interceptions.
Jacksonville State QB Tyler Huff was the model of efficiency, completing 14 of 16 passes for 236 yards with an 85-yard touchdown pass to Brock Rechsteiner. Huff also rushed for 77 yards on 11 carries.
Southern Miss will have an off week to regroup, then Sun Belt rival Louisiana-Lafayette will visit Hattiesburg on Oct. 5. Game time has not yet been set.
