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By Andy Baeuerle
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Much like last week, Mississippi’s teams struggled. However, a few pulled through and got a win. Ole Miss got a breath of relief in a win over LSU, while State and USM continued to struggle against their in-conference opponents. So, let’s take a look at what happened this weekend with Ole Miss and Southern Miss.
2023 Magnolia Bowl
Ole Miss and Louisiana State have met annually since 1945, though the rivalry dates nearly 51 years beforehand to Baton Rouge, where the Rebels took a 26-6 over the Tigers. Since then, the Magnolia Bowl has become one of the greatest rivalries in the Southeastern Conference. Despite being a highly competitive game, LSU held a 63-41-4 record over the Rebels before Saturday.
The Ole Miss Rebels have had a pretty good season in 2023 so far. Despite a close loss to Alabama, the Rebels have been rockin’ and rollin’ in the Top 25. This weekend, they would face their third ranked opponent, the LSU Tigers. OM quarterback Jaxson Dart has made his name as one of the top SEC QBs, and the same can be said for Tiger QB Jayden Daniels. Both Dart and Daniels had great games, but LSU’s defense couldn’t hold Dart and his men back long enough, which resulted in the Tigers’ falling. LSU drops to 3-1 and 1-1 in the SEC, while Ole Miss climbs to 4-1 with the same 1-1 SEC record. The final score was Ole Miss 55, LSU 49.
The 2023 Magnolia Bowl was such a big ranked game, with Ole Miss at #17 and LSU at #15, a new attendance record of 66,703 was set at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The previous record of 66,176 was set in a 43-48 loss to Alabama. Thousands of Rebels fans proceeded to rush the field following the win as well. This resulted in a $100,000 fine to Ole Miss by the Southeastern Conference.
Southern Miss 36, Texas State 50
In week 1, Texas State took down the Baylor Bears of the Big 12 Conference and it was clear Texas State was a different team in 2023. Southern Miss on the other hand, has struggled since their win over Alcorn State in week 1. Losses to Florida State, Tulane, and a shocker against Arkansas State last week have devastated the Golden Eagles, as well as their fanbase. But it was unclear how the 2023 meeting between the Golden Eagles and Bobcats would end. In 2022, Magee native Chandler Pittman caught a 53-yard touchdown pass in the last minute of the game to win it 20-14 for the Golden Eagles.
From the kickoff, it was clear Southern Miss would have to fight hard when Texas State ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. Southern Miss had a very slow first half, plagued by the dominance of Texas State’s offense. At halftime, Southern Miss trailed 42-10. But the Golden Eagles wouldn’t go down without a fight and came out of the locker room to light a fire. USM would then hang 20 on the Bobcats in the third quarter, and six more in the fourth. It all came down to the last few minutes. Texas State was up 42-36. All it would take was a USM touchdown to give the Golden Eagles the win. However, Texas State used their time wisely to score another touchdown, followed by a 2-point conversion to make it a 50-36 Bobcat ballgame. USM frantically tried to get the ball downfield in the last minute but fell short, leading to their fourth loss of the season.
Other Week 5 Scores from Mississippi
- Mississippi State 17, #12 Alabama 40
- Alcorn State 23, Alabama State 20 (OT)
- MS Valley State 7, Florida A&M 31
- Mississippi College 30, Shorter 7
- Delta State 47, West Alabama 17
- Belhaven 35, NC Wesleyan 14
- Millsaps 14, Birmingham-Southern 8
Mississippi Week 6 Schedule & Times
- #16 Ole Miss (4-1) vs. Arkansas (2-3), 7:30 PM, SECN
- MS State (2-3) vs. Western Michigan (2-3), 11:00 AM, SECN
- Southern Miss (1-4) vs. Old Dominion (2-3), 6:00 PM, ESPN+
- Jackson State (3-2) vs. Alabama A&M (3-2), 3:00 PM, ESPN+
- Alcorn State (2-3) vs. Grambling (3-2), 2:30 PM, ESPN+
- MS Valley State (0-4) @ Prairie View (2-3), 6:00 PM
- Delta State (5-0) @ Valdosta State (5-0), 1:00 PM
- Belhaven (4-0) vs. Huntingdon (4-1), 12:00 PM
- Millsaps (1-4) vs. Rhodes (3-2), 3:00 PM
MageeNews.com is an online news source serving Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
