Rapid Reaction: Mississippi State dominates second half vs. Southern Miss in rout
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Twenty-one unanswered points in the third quarter helped Mississippi State separate from Southern Miss and win on the road to open Year 2 under Jeff Lebby.
The Bulldogs (1-0) totaled 465 yards of offense in a 34-17 victory. Quarterback Blake Shapen completed 26 of his 34 pass attempts for 270 yards and a touchdown. Mississippi State ran for 188 yards and 3 scores as well. They averaged 6 yards per play and held Southern Miss to just 4.1 yards per play.
Things were knotted up at 10-10 until late in the second quarter. Mississippi State kicked a field goal with 3 seconds remaining until half to take a slim lead into the break.
In the third quarter, everything clicked. Fluff Bothwell ran for a 6-yard score and then a 1-yard score. Davon Booth also had a 3-yard score. The Bulldogs’ offense averaged 6.9 yards per play in the third as Shapen connected on 10 of his 13 pass attempts.
The MSU defense forced a turnover, got to the quarterback for a sack, and limited Southern Miss to just 25 total yards on 13 plays (1.9 per) in the frame.
Mississippi State will now turn its attention to the home opener, when it will welcome No. 11 Arizona State to town for a shot at a signature victory in the Lebby tenure.
Mississippi State 34, Southern Miss 17
Here’s the Mississippi State-Southern Miss box score (use the dropdown menu to select team or player stats), followed by the complete play-by-play:
Blake Shapen vs Braylon Braxton
A statistical breakdown of how Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen performed compared to Southern Miss quarterback Braylon Braxton:
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
