FWtCT Staff Predictions for Mississippi State Football Versus Southern Miss

Week 2 is upon us, as Mississippi State football plays host to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium.

The Bulldogs are coming off of a 38-28 win over the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, while the Golden Eagles opened the 2019 season with a 38-10 win over Alcorn State. Both teams got off to solid starts, as both offenses were clicking.

Bulldogs Senior quarterback Tommy Stevens finished the game with 236 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns, and added 37 rushing yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Kylin Hill had 197 rushing yards on 27 carries. As a team, the Bulldogs compiled 497 yards of total offense, but the defense also surrendered 430 yards of total offense.

Junior quarterback Jack Abraham led Southern Miss with 293 yards and a touchdown. He was also picked off once. His favorite target in the game was senior wide receiver Jordan Mitchell, who finished with seven catches for 133 yards. As a team, the Golden eagles had 389 yards of total offense. The defense held Alcorn State to 229 total yards.

The all-time series between these in-state programs is knotted up at 14-14-1, but Mississippi State has won the last four meetings. The most recent meeting was in 2015 in Hattiesburg, which ended up being a 34-16 win for the Bulldogs.

Now, let’s get into the FWtCT staff picks for this week 2 matchup.

Collin WIlmes: The Bulldogs are the clear favorite to win this game, but I think Southern Miss has a good enough defense to make things tight early on. I expect a pretty balanced attack between the pass and run, and another very good game from Hill. The Bulldogs defense will have to buckle up because Abraham is a talented thrower. In the end, the Bulldogs will pull away late and make it a three-score game in the fourth quarter. Final score: Mississippi State wins 35-17.

Alex Gomez: This game is going to make a couple people’s stomachs hurt, just like it did last week. Southern Miss is no longer the doormat team of Mississippi (Ole Miss took that title), and they are going to put up a fight. Ultimately, I think Mississippi State is going to run the ball well, run them down, and come out with a victory! Final score: Mississippi State wins 45-21.

William Mitchell: Southern Miss has a problem running the ball and relies on the passing game, which plays into our strongest part of our defense. Also, I think the defense will be much better this week with two interceptions. I see Stevens throwing four touchdowns and breaking 300 yards, with Hill breaking 100 yards rushing again. We need more runs from Dixon, especially on goal line offense. Final score: Mississippi State wins 42-17.

Landon Young: Mississippi State has a lot of kinks to fix, but they come out looking much more poised this week versus Southern Miss. Dawgs by 21.

Gil Maneclang: Tommy Stevens completes some longer throws and Kylin Hill has less carries in this game, but is still productive. The Bulldog defense continues its growing pains. And the Golden Eagle defense keeps it somewhat respectable. Final score: Mississippi State wins 37-23.

You can watch this game on ESPNU.