Ole Miss and State Climb While Southern Miss Falls at Homecoming

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By: Andy Baeuerle

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What a week for football in Mississippi. Ole Miss hosted Arkansas in an SEC West battle that is always a dogfight. Mississippi State got a cupcake break in week 6 as they hosted Western Michigan, and Southern Miss hosted Old Dominion in a homecoming thriller in Hattiesburg. These three games were all hard-fought battles, with relatively close scores.

Southern Miss 13, Old Dominion 17

It’s pretty evident Southern Miss is having a disappointing season. Poor playmaking and bad decisions have plagued the Golden Eagles since the Florida State game in week 2. Many in the Golden Eagle fanbase are also questioning what Coach Will Hall is bringing to the table in his third year at the USM helm. The last time Southern Miss played Old Dominion was in 2016, where the Golden Eagles lost 35-51.

The USM defense showed up to play in the first quarter, holding the Monarchs to 0 points, which the Nasty Bunch hasn’t accomplished since the 2022 LendingTree Bowl. Southern Miss led the game 3-0 before Ty Mims ran an Old Dominion punt 82 yards to the house to put USM up 10-0. The Monarchs would finally get on the score with a 2-yard run by Keshawn Wicks. After a failed drive, Old Dominion was forced to punt. Ty Mims ran the ball downfield for the touchdown to give USM a 16-7 lead until this play was reviewed. In a controversial call, officials determined Mims made an invalid fair catch signal, and the ball was placed at the USM 40-yard line. However, rules say the player’s arm must completely be over his head, and in replays, not even Mims’ hands cleared his helmet. Even so, if it was such a call, it probably should’ve been called at the spot instead of letting Mims run it back. Southern Miss held a 10-7 lead at halftime, and the game just became a mediocre fight. Both teams gained a field goal in the third, giving USM a 13-10 lead. Things kept slowing down for the Eagles as Old Dominion scored again in the fourth, and the Monarchs won 17-13.

#16 Ole Miss 27, Arkansas 20

Anytime the Rebels and Razorbacks take the field, it’s sure to be a shootout game. Last Saturday was no different. Dating back to 1913, Arkansas holds a 38-30-1 record over Ole Miss. Recently, the game has depended on where the game as played, as Arkansas typically wins in Fayetteville, while Ole Miss takes the game in Oxford.

Arkansas took an early lead 7-0 lead when the game started. However, the defenses and offenses battled neck and neck for the rest of the game. Arkansas is usually Ole Miss’s kryptonite, and the way Saturday went as one would figure. Both teams couldn’t get many points on the board all game; the scoring technique seemed to be touchdown, then field goal. Ole Miss led the game 17-7 at halftime. However, the Razorbacks jumped back into action, putting up two field goals and a touchdown in the second half to give them a 20-17 lead, and the game looked to be in their favor. But Arkansas’s defense started to slip up in the last 8 minutes of the game, letting the Rebels rack 10 points on the board to win 27-20.

Other Scores from College Football in Mississippi