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By Andy Baeuerle
What a week. That’s it. That’s the introduction.
Mississippi State 7, Arkansas 3
Since Zack Arnett took over as the head coach of the Bulldogs, Mississippi State has not been doing good. Arkansas has also been struggling this year despite reaching bowl eligibility in all three of HC Sam Pittman’s full seasons. On the sunny side, however, Mississippi State has racked up wins over Arizona and Western Michigan. This year was also the first time since 2019 that the Bulldogs scored more than one touchdown against Alabama. But other than that, things aren’t looking too bright in Starkville.
Mississippi State opened up the game with an interception, but the Bulldog defense was ready to play, holding the Razorbacks to only a field goal. Then the punt wars began and both teams were involved in a defensive battle until Mississippi State scored a touchdown on a two-yard pass from Mike Wright to Jo’Quavious Marks just before the half. After this, the defensive battle ensued again and neither team could work up a score. Mississippi State has not had a game with a combined score lower than 20 points since their 2010 10-7 win over Florida. Arkansas hasn’t had a game with a combined score under 20 since 2014, when the Razorbacks beat LSU 17-0.
Southern Miss 3, South Alabama 55
USM is struggling. The Golden Eagles are off to their first 1-6 start since Will Hall’s first season. Even at this point, many fans are calling for Hall to be fired and new blood be brought in to coach. South Alabama has also had troubles until last year, when they went 10-3 under second-year head coach Kane Wommack. South Al, as the Jaguars are known among the Southern Miss fanbase, has also ruled the series over the Golden Eagles 0-2, climbing to 0-3 this past Tuesday.
The Golden Eagle offense and defense did not come to play Tuesday. By halftime, the Jags led USM 31-0. This was the second-largest lead the Golden Eagles have had on them at halftime this year. The sun shone darker on Southern during the second half, as the only points scored for the Black and Gold came from Andrew Stein’s 32-yard field goal in the third quarter. South Alabama continued to rack up points to take down Southern Miss.
Fans have attributed Coach Hall’s playcalling skills to the Golden Eagles’ failure. Thursday, October 19, Coach Hall announced on the SuperTalk Eagle Hour Show that he would be turning all playcalling duties over to offensive coordinator Sam Gregg and QB coach Jordy Joseph. Hall cited he experimented with this during the Old Dominion game, and USM only lost 17-10. So now he is ready to make it a permanent change.
Other Scores from College Football in Mississippi in Week 8
- #13 Ole Miss 28, Auburn 21
- Jackson State 21, MS Valley State 6
- Alcorn State 31, AR-Pine Bluff 7
- Mississippi College 38, Chowan 21
- Delta State 21, West Florida 24
- Belhaven 45, Methodist 10
- Millsaps 20, Centre 59
Week 9 Schedule and TV Times for Mississippi Football
- Southern Miss (1-6) @ App State (3-4) 2:30 PM, ESPN+
- #12 Ole Miss (6-1) vs. Vanderbilt (2-6) 6:30 PM, SECN
- MS State (4-3) @ Auburn (3-4) 2:30 PM, SECN
- Jackson State (5-3) @ AR-Pine Bluff (1-6) 2:00 PM, ESPN+
- Alcorn State (4-3) vs. MS Valley State (1-6) 2:00 PM
- MS College (3-4) @ North Greenville (3-5) 1:00 PM
- Delta State (7-1) @ West Georgia (5-2) 5:00 PM
- Belhaven (7-0)* @ Maryville (5-2) 12:00 PM
- Millsaps (1-7) @ Trinity (6-1) 12:00 PM
*The Belhaven Blazers are now the only undefeated team NCAA football team left in Mississippi.
MageeNews.com is an online news website covering Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
