Mississippi State football started the 2025 season on the right foot with a 34-17 win over Southern Miss in Hattiesburg in Saturday. Outside of a 55-yard TD on the sixth play of the game, the Bulldogs had a sluggish first half, particularly on offense. Self-inflicted wounds resulted in just a 13-10 halftime lead.
But things flipped in a big way in the second half. The Bulldogs put up a 21-point third quarter with 200 yards of offense just in that frame to pull away for a comfortable win. The Bulldog offense finished the day with 465 yards. QB Blake Shapen had a good return to action, completing 26/34 passes for 270 yards, one TD, and one INT.
But it was the Bulldog defense that truly shined. They kept Braylon Braxton and the USM offense in check for the majority of the game, with much of Southern Miss' success coming in the 4th quarter with backups in. The Golden Eagles weren't able to find consistent success on the ground, and they didn't have many big plays through the air either.
Biggest takeaways from Mississippi State's win over Southern Miss
While we certainly don't want to overreact too much to Week 1, we can have some takeaways from this performance.
The Bulldog defense is legitimately improved
State fans should be pleased by what their defense showed in this game. While there may not have been as many negative plays as they would have liked to have seen, the defense did a great job of simply limiting what USM could do offensively. They held the Golden Eagles to just 4.07 yards per play, the fewest YPP allowed by the MSU defense since their season-opener a year ago. The DL clogged up space, second level players swarmed to the ball, and coverage was tight outside. And players were in position to make stops throughout. This was a good starting point for 2025.
Mississippi State's cornerbacks were up to the test
Cornerback was the biggest worry for MSU entering the season, and those concerns were amplified by the news that starter Jett Jefferson was out for this game. But the MSU CBs were up to the test against a talented group of USM WRs. Kelley Jones and DeAgo Brumfield played consistently good 1-on-1 coverage on the outside with some nice pass-breakups. We have to acknowledge the level of competition, but it was a good showing to build off of.
The offensive line is a major concern for Mississippi State
There were concerns with OL in the offseason, and those concerns were not lessened against USM. Blocking was inconsistent throughout, even against favorable looks. Penalties were numerous, and pass rush arrived more than you would have liked. Even with some new faces for the Bulldogs that need time to gel, you would expect more dominance against a lesser defensive front. This group needs to get better quickly, or State's in for another long year.
The Bulldogs have to play cleaner football
I mentioned penalties with the OL, but the issues extended beyond them. State committed 14 penalties for 119 yards on the day. Particularly for the offense, those mistakes stalled promising drives and kept points off the board. This game potentially could've been put out of reach in the first half had MSU simply come out playing cleaner football. That's got to be fixed.
Mississippi State's running backs are in for a big year
The position group everyone was most excited for delivered a big game. State's RBs looked the part against USM. Davon Booth and Fluff Bothwell combined for 26 carries for 122 yards and three scores. Johnnie Daniels averaged 7.0 YPC on his opportunities. And several good runs came at times where the blocking in front of them was not ideal. Expect the tailbacks to shine in 2025.