STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State is trying to start the season strong to build momentum for SEC play and eased to a win in its season opener last week. The Bulldogs will try to make it two in a row when they host Southern Miss in their home opener on Saturday.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Mississippi State -17
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Mississippi State is breaking in a new quarterback with transfer Tommy Stevens taking over and did not miss a beat as he threw for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding a rushing score in the 38-28 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in Week 1. "Our focus heading into the game and this season was to increase the efficiency and explosiveness for our pass game, and I thought we took a positive stride there with our completion percentage and number of throws we were able to make downfield and complete accurately," Bulldogs coach Joe Moorhead told reporters. Stevens and company will try to find more explosive plays this week against a Golden Eagles defense that held Alcorn State to 219 total yards and forced a pair of turnovers in a 38-10 opening win. Defensive back D.Q. Thomas keyed that defensive effort and grabbed an interception while recording two tackles for loss in the win.
ABOUT SOUTHERN MISS (1-0)
The Golden Eagles will need to play well in all three phases to have a chance on Saturday and the special teams could be what sets them apart. Southern Miss recorded a pair of special teams touchdowns in week 1, with Jaylond Adams running the opening kickoff back 89 yards for a score and helping to put the game away with an 80-yard punt return TD early in the fourth quarter. "He's a special football player who can make plays," Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson told reporters. "In my opinion, he should be the national special teams player of the week. But just like in football, let's not forget about the guys doing the blocking. It's a team game. I was really proud of those guys for the job they did."
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (1-0)
The Bulldogs did most of the offensive damage on the ground last season with quarterback Nick Fitzgerald not shying away from a rushing attempt but are letting the backs do the ground work in 2019. Kylin Hill piled up 197 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries against Louisiana and is more than a quarter of the way to topping his 2018 total of 734 rushing yards. "I think we saw that in flashes last year," Moorhead told reporters of Hill. "We got him healthy and he's feeling really good. He had an excellent training camp and we talked about a possibility of a 200-yard game in the pregame meal and he was three yards short. I think he's one of the premier backs in the conference and the country and I think he showed that (against Louisiana)."
EXTRA POINTS
1. Mississippi State QB Keytaon Thompson entered the transfer portal after losing out on the starting job in camp but elected to stay with the team earlier this week.
2. Golden Eagles WR Jordan Mitchell recorded seven catches for 133 yards in the opener.
3. The schools are tied 14-14-1 in the all-time series, with the Bulldogs capturing the last four meetings.
PREDICTION: Mississippi State 41, Southern Miss 17