2014 Southern Miss vs Mississippi State

The Mississippi State Bulldogs routed the Southern Miss Golden Eagles 49-0 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville in the first meeting between the two teams in 24 years. The Bulldogs led 28-0 at halftime and extended their lead to 42-0 by the end of the third quarter, eventually sitting most of their starters with the result already decided.

Starting quarterback Dak Prescott was 18-of-26 passing for 284 yards and four touchdowns, setting single-game career highs for yards and touchdowns. He threw one interception in the first half, but it was inconsequential to the final result. De’Runnya Wilson and Fred Ross each had two touchdown catches in the game, and Malcolm Johnson caught a touchdown pass as well late in the first half.

The Bulldogs ran the ball well, racking up 201 yards on the ground in the victory. Tailback Josh Robinson led MSU with 14 carries for 87 yards (6.2 yards per carry), and Nick Griffin added eight carries for 45 yards and a touchdown. Prescott rushed for 25 yards on top of his career passing day.

Mississippi State’s defense overwhelmed Southern Miss all night, holding the Golden Eagles to less than 300 yards of total offense while forcing three turnovers. Preston Smith and Jay Hughes each intercepted passes, and Smith blocked a USM field goal that Hughes scooped up and returned for a touchdown in the third quarter. MSU also forced a Southern Miss fumble. The Bulldogs held USM to 15 first downs and just 4-of-18 on third downs for the game. Despite possessing the ball for 32 minutes to Mississippi State’s 28, Southern Miss was no match for its in-state rival from the SEC.