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By Andy Baeuerle
Although Jackson State played on August 26, college football for Mississippi officially started on Thursday, August 31. 2023 has proven to be a crazy year for college football due to conference realignment, with the latest news coming Thursday that SMU, Stanford, and Cal had been accepted to the ACC. In 2024, there will only be four power conferences instead of 5. But for the sake of tradition, 2023 may prove to be one of the most interesting years in college football as at least 11 teams are set to be taken into new conferences following the season. But, let’s get into some Mississippi football
Southern Miss 40, Alcorn State 14
With many new players and staff, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles were eager to start the season off. Facing Alcorn State in Hattiesburg, the Eagles jumped off to an early 14-0 lead over the Braves. By the end of the first, the Eagles still had a 10-point lead after letting the Braves get on the board (17-7.) In the second quarter, the Eagle fever kept burning as USM led 27-7 at halftime. Coming out of the locker room, the Golden Eagles refused to slow down, racking up 10 more in the third quarter, and USM held a 30-point 37-7 lead over the Braves. In Q4, the Golden Eagles slowed down some, as they only racked up 3 points as Alcorn State got 7 more for a USM 40-14 win.
One of the most questioned topics over the offseason was whether or not Southern Miss could supply at the quarterback position. Since the 2017 season, the Golden Eagles have encountered many problems in the pocket, from quick decisions to interceptions. But USM may have found their man (or men.) Three-star transfer from Clemson Billy Wiles started for the Golden Eagles Saturday, completing 21 of 28 passes for 267 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one interception. Houston transfer QB Holman Edwards also completed 3 of 3 passes for 29 yards. USM RB Frank Gore, Jr. also saw very little playing time, as the Golden Eagle offense ran the ball with 10 different players for a total of 145 yards and 1 touchdown. Junior kicker Andrew Stein also made 4 attempted field goals, the longest being a 52-yarder on 4th & 28 in the third quarter.
The Alcorn offense was touchy in some ways. The quarterback position suffered with less than 45 yards in the air and two interceptions. However, on the ground, the Braves were loaded and proved they could drive hard. This drive included a 75-yard rushing touchdown by QB Tyler Macon.
On the morning of September 2, news broke out that 1969 USM graduate and famed singer/songwriter/businessman Jimmy Buffett had died at his home. Tributes poured in for Buffett from all across the world, as well as his alma mater. Before the USM/Alcorn game kicked off, a moment of silence was held in Buffett’s memory. Buffett’s 1977 hit “Margaritaville” was also played in a sing-along type of way during the second quarter. I was there and I can honestly say it sounded like all 30,335 fans were singing for Jimmy Buffett.
#22 Ole Miss 73, Mercer 7
Lane Kiffin has a great offensive mind when it comes to college football. He really showed it off against the Mercer Bears on Saturday. Mercer has been a traditionally weaker FCS team, as they have only had four winning seasons in the last ten seasons. On their first drive of the game, the Rebels got 7 on the Bears, just for the Bears to answer back following. Then, the Rebels had enough, scoring three more straight touchdowns to finish the first quarter 28-7. The difference kept growing slowly in the second quarter, as the Rebels only put up 10 points to take a 38-7 lead at halftime. Coming out of the locker room, the Rebels kept on rocking. Ole Miss kept Mercer from putting up any points in the third and fourth to outscore the Bears 35-0 and win 73-7.
Jaxson Dart and Quinshon Judkins put on quite a show on Saturday. Judkins is considered one of the greatest running backs in the country, while Dart has a chance to be the top QB in the SEC. Dart completed 18 of 23 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns. Quinshon Judkins and Matt Jones scored 3 rushing touchdowns and second-string QB Spencer Sanders also racked up two passing touchdowns.
Other Scores from Mississippi Football
- Mississippi State 48, Southeast Louisiana 7
- Jackson State 10, Florida A&M 28
- MS Valley State 21, Central State 24
- Mississippi College 17, Keiser 14
- Delta State 48, Missouri S&T 20
- Belhaven 47, Millsaps 7
Week 2 Schedule and TV Times
- Saturday, September 9
- #20 Ole Miss (1-0) @ #24 Tulane (1-0), 2:30 PM, ESPN2
- Southern Miss (1-0) @ #4 FSU (1-0), 4:00 PM, ACCN
- MS State (1-0) vs. Arizona (1-0), 6:30 PM, SECN
- Jackson State (1-1) @ Southern (0-1), 6:00 PM, ESPN+
- Alcorn State (0-1) @ SF Austin (0-1), 6:00 PM, ESPN+
- MS Valley State (0-1) @ Delta State (1-0), 6:00 PM
- Mississippi College (1-0) @ Midwest State (0-1), 7:00 PM
- Belhaven (1-0) @ Lyon (1-0), 6:00 PM
- Millsaps (0-1) vs. McMurry (0-1), 6:00 PM
MageeNews.com is an online news source serving Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
