Torrential downpours couldn’t damper the spirit and pride of the Mississippi State Bulldog faithful on Saturday, as the Bulldogs hosted in-state rival Southern Miss for the first time in 24 years. Though it was a soggy welcome, a record crowd of 61,889 fans waded out the rain to watch the Bulldogs perform in the newly-renovated Davis Wade Stadium.
Head coach Dan Mullen’s sixth year at the realm of Bulldogs started as well as he could have hoped for as the Bulldogs routed Southern Miss in a 49-0 shutout.
“I’m proud of our team today,” said Mullen after the game. “Proud of the way we came out there in the opening game of the season.”
Mullen takes pride in seeing his team play with clean execution and making the right decisions, and that couldn’t have been more present during the Bulldogs opening drive, as they marched 87 yards in 9 plays, capped off by a 25 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dak Prescott to sophomore receiver De’Runnya Wilson.
Prescott recorded two new career-highs by the time the game was over, both in passing yards (284) and tied his career high in touchdown passes (4).
Expectations are high this year for Prescott, who some experts are calling a possible candidate for the Heisman trophy this year. However, surrounded by hype, Prescott still wants to focus on the little things.
“We just want to do what we know we could,” said Prescott. “We just want to get better at the small things and doing things right, and I think we are headed in the right direction.”
The offense didn’t just look strong through the air, though. The running game also appeared solid as the Bulldogs racked up 201 rushing yards. Leading the way was stand-out running back Josh Robinson, who led the team in rushing yards with 87 yards on 14 carries.
What makes Robinson so special is not only his speed, but his ability to break tackles on a consistent basis. “If you’re getting tackled by arm tackles in the SEC, you’re not the right running back,” said Robinson.
What Mullen and the team took most pride in the shutout was, well the shutout. The defense only allowed Southern Miss a total of 283 yards of offense, and just a mere 71 yards on the ground. This is a defense that, on the night, lived up to its nickname, the “psycho defense.”
Mississippi State controlled the line of scrimmage all night, not allowing many holes to open up for Southern Miss running backs to take advantage of. Wreaking havoc on the defensive line was the powerful combination of defensive end Preston Smith and defensive tackle Chris Jones. Smith was able to knock an attempted screen pass down at the line of scrimmage and into his hands for an interception, while Jones recorded his first sack of the season.
In the secondary, the long-awaited return of Jay Hughes was an excitement to watch. Hughes caught an errant pass in the end zone from Southern Miss quarterback Nick Mullens as the first half was winding down, making sure the shutout was still intact.
Perhaps the most exciting play of the night featured both Smith and Hughes, working together in arms. As Southern Miss kicker Ito Smith attempted a 30 yard field goal to break the scoreless streak, Smith slipped his way through the line, getting a hand up to block the kick, sending it bounding back to an open-armed Hughes, who returned it 68 yards for his first career touchdown.
“I was just trying to get into the end zone,” said Hughes. “I wanted to make sure there wasn’t anyone behind me.”
Although the game appeared to be a grand victory, coach Mullen still offered up areas where there needs to be improvement.
“We had some missed tackles, a few missed assignments,” said Mullen. “We also would like to make a few more negative yardage plays on defense.”
Mullen went on to say he would just like his defense to continue to “wreak the havoc.”
The Bulldogs can enjoy their first opening-day shutout victory since 1998, but will be ready to get back in the swing of practice and film study for the next game. The team that they will be studying, and eventually welcoming to Scott Field on Saturday, is UAB. The Blazers are coming off a blowout win of their fellow in-state rival Troy, beating them soundly 48-10. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m., and will be televised on FSN.