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MS State Pulls Off OT Thriller, While USM Collapses Against Florida State
By Andy Baeuerle
Week 2 proved thrilling for football fans nationwide, especially in Mississippi. From a top-five matchup to old rivals, thousands of fans watched on television and in person as 9 of the 10 NCAA schools in our great state took to the field this weekend.
#20 Ole Miss @ #24 Tulane
In 1932, when the Southeastern Conference was created, Tulane and Ole Miss were two of the SEC’s 13 charter members. However, the rivalry between these two teams started almost 40 years before, when Ole Miss took a 12-4 win over the Green Wave in New Orleans. This rivalry is also the oldest for Ole Miss, while it is the second oldest for Tulane. Tulane’s rivalry with LSU outdates this rivalry by a matter of one week.
Last year, the Tulane Green Wave had one of their greatest seasons, winning 12 games, including a win in the Cotton Bowl over USC. Also, after being in the AAC for nine seasons, the Green Wave won their first AAC Championship. Ole Miss has also had three successful seasons under Lane Kiffin. So far, the Rebels have gathered a 23-13 record under Kiffin and have also been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 24 weeks.
Ole Miss went down to New Orleans with a chip on their shoulder. Following a 73-7 win over Mercer, many feared Ole Miss would let the win go to their head. The same could be said about Tulane, as they pulled off a 37-17 win over South Alabama in week 1. Green Wave QB Michael Pratt was injured in the week one matchup, leaving his spot open for sophomore quarterback Kai Horton. Coming out of the first quarter, both teams were relentless, allowing only one score each. By halftime, Tulane carried a one-score 17-10 lead over the Rebels. But coming out of the locker room, Ole Miss was in fifth gear, outsourcing Tulane 27-3 in the second half. After this 37-20 win, Ole Miss continued their lead in the rivalry, now at 43-28.
This game was weird, however. As Tulane’s offense couldn’t put up more than two touchdowns, the Tulane defense held all-star Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins back. Judkins is one of the top running backs in the nation, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell Saturday, as he only put up 48 yards.
Mississippi State vs. Arizona
In an SEC-PAC-12 rematch from 2022, the Mississippi State Bulldogs hosted the Arizona Wildcats this weekend. In 2022, the Wildcats hosted the Mike Leach-led Bulldogs at home in Tuscon, where State took a 39-17 win back to Starkville. Arizona would finish 2022 with a 5-7 overall record and a 3-6 record in the PAC-12. MS State closed 2022 with a 9-4 record, going 4-4 in the SEC. Since Mike Leach’s death, Bulldogs fans have been anxious to see how Zach Arnett could keep State looking good. Coming into this matchup, both teams were undefeated. In week 1, Arizona took a 38-3 win over Northern Arizona, while MS State got a 48-7 win over Southeastern Louisiana.
Led by third-year head coach Jedd Fisch, the Arizona Wildcats came into Starkville looking to do what State had done the year before. The Wildcats were able to hold the Bulldogs off for about nine minutes into the game, then there was no holding back. The Bulldogs scored two touchdowns on back-to-back drives, giving them a 14-0 lead going into the second quarter. The Bulldogs slowed down however, and allowed the Wildcats to get on the board, making the score 14-7 Mississippi State going into halftime. Going into the second half, Bulldog QB Will Rogers refused to slow down, racking up 7 more points to give the Bulldogs a 21-7 lead. This would quickly be retaliated with Arizona QB Jayden de Laura completing a 17-yard pass to Jacob Cowing to put the Wildcats one score closer to the Bulldogs. In the fourth quarter, Arizona managed a touchdown to tie the game, followed by a field goal by both teams to tie the ballgame 24-24. Since either team failed to score again, the matchup was sent into overtime. All it took was one swift, 2-play drive for MS State to score and take the ballgame 31-24. Mississippi State leads the all-time record versus Arizona 2-0.
Southern Mississippi @ Florida State
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the Florida State Seminoles are two football teams that one could say are very similar. Both are relatively young teams*, and it took a lot to build their names. Now, both teams are among some of the most popular names in college football. And any time these two matchup is sure to be a battle of tradition.
Will Hall has done a tremendous job at rebuilding USM. Since 2020, USM has had recruitment, coaching, and player problems. However, after hiring former Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall, the Golden Eagles have seen many high number recruits and more wins. Mike Norvell at Florida State is also in the same position as Coach Hall. After Jimbo Fisher left FSU to take the HC job at Texas A&M, FSU experienced their first losing season in 2018 since 1976 in Bobby Bowden’s first season. Mike Norvell was hired in 2020, and following two losing seasons in ‘20 and ‘21, the Seminoles found their place in 2022, achieving their first 10-win season since 2016 under Coach Fisher.
Coming into this game, Florida State was #4 in the country and 31-point favorites to win the game. Southern Miss struggled in the first half of the game, allowing the Seminoles to score 31 points. Luckily, the Golden Eagles put up one field goal before the half to make the tally 31-3. Unfortunately, USM also received 13 penalties for 90 yards in the first half of the game. FSU received 3 penalties for 45 yards. The struggle continued through the third quarter as FSU scored three more touchdowns, one of which was a pick-six from USM QB Billy Wiles. USM did get a touchdown in the third as Rodrigues Clark made a 12-yard touchdown run. FSU still held the lead, 52-10. In the fourth, FSU scored two more touchdowns while holding USM to only a field goal. When the clock hit 0:00, the Seminoles sent the Golden Eagles back to Hattiesburg, wearing a 66-13 loss. Florida State now leads the all-time series against USM 15-8-1.
Other Scores From College Football in Mississippi
- Jackson State 27, Southern 14
- Alcorn State 10, Stephen F. Austin 38
- Mississippi College 17, Midwestern State 30
- Belhaven 48, Lyon 15
- Millsaps 2, McMurry 53
Week 3 Schedule for College Football in Mississippi
- Southern Miss vs. Tulane, 3:00 PM, ESPNU
- #20 Ole Miss vs. Georgia Tech, 6:30 PM, SECN
- MS State vs. #14 LSU, 11:00 AM, ESPN
- Jackson State @ Texas State, 7:30 PM, ESPN+
- Alcorn State vs. McNeese, 6:00 PM
- MS Valley State @ Delta State, 6:00 PM
- Mississippi College vs. West Georgia, 7:00 PM
- Millsaps @ Sewanee, 1:00 PM
*FSU’s first season was in 1902 as Florida State College, but then there was a hiatus between 1904 and 1947. 1947 was the first year of the Florida State Seminoles football team.
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