Bulldogs top Southern Miss in season opener
Sep 5, 2015; Hattiesburg, MS, USA; Southern Miss Golden Eagles head coach Todd Monken and Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen talk at the end of their game at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Mississippi State won, 34-16. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Mississippi State opened its 2015 season in successful fashion, posting a 34-16 victory over in-state rival Southern Miss at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg.
Mistakes and miscues plagued the Bulldogs throughout the game and especially early on. After stopping the Eagles on their first drive, the Bulldogs quickly drove from their 33 yard line deep into USM territory. But Ashton Shumpert fumbled at the goal line and USM recovered in the end zone, stopping the drive.
State immediately forced a punt, but Fred Ross mishandled the punt, setting USM up at the State 20. The Eagles would settle for a 31 yard field goal from Stephen Brachle to take an early 3-0 lead.
The Bulldogs answered on the ensuing kickoff, as Brandon Holloway took it the distance for the touchdown to put State up 7-3. USM then responded with a TD drive of their own on their next possession, capping the drive with a 19 yard TD pass from quarterback Nick Mullens to tight end Jay’Shawn Washington to lead 10-7 after one quarter.
The Bulldogs regained the lead for good in the second quarter, following a blocked punt that gave them the ball at Eagle 20. Five plays later, Dak Prescott hit Justin Johnson with a 5 yard TD to put State up 14-10. The Bulldogs would lead by that score at halftime, in spite of only having ball possession for a mere 6:41 in the first half.
The second half was much better for the Bulldogs. Starting from its own 5 yard line on the opening drive of the second half after yet another miscue in the kicking game, MSU put together its most impressive drive of the game, a 9 play 95 yarder, capped by a 4 yard TD pass from Prescott to Gus Walley. That TD pass by Prescott, the 43rd of his career, set a new school record for career TD passes, eclipsing the old mark set by Tyler Russell.
After USM and the Bulldogs swapped a pair of field goals, Prescott would add later add a 7 yard TD run late in the 4th quarter to close out the game’s scoring.
Despite a somewhat lackluster performance, Prescott was 22-38 passing for 237 yard and pair of touchdowns, while adding 72 yards and a TD on the ground. The Bulldogs outgained the Eagles in total offense 442-413. Another bright spot for State was the placekicking of Westin Graves, who was perfect in two field goal attempts and four PAT tries.
Mississippi State plays its home and conference opener next Saturday with an 8:15 PM kickoff against LSU.