First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Southern Miss

STARKVILLE – A new year of Mississippi State football is here.

The Bulldogs face instate foe Southern Miss down in Hattiesburg at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday to kick off the 2025 season. The beginnings of seasons are always exciting and full of opportunity. This year is no different as MSU looks to take big strides forward in year two of the head coach Jeff Lebby era.

Ahead of the opener, let's have a look at 10 items to be aware of headed into State's showdown against the Golden Eagles:

It might be wise to go ahead and bookmark the roster page on this website for at least the first couple of games so you can get familiar with all the new MSU faces. State overhauled its roster this offseason, adding a total of 65 new players. Of those, 37 came from the transfer portal, nine came from junior college and 19 are true freshmen.
Mississippi State isn't alone in having a new-look team. In fact, Southern Miss' turnover has been even more drastic. Only 23 Golden Eagles remain from last year's USM squad. In all, the Southern Miss roster has a whopping 65 four-year transfers and five more from the JUCO ranks. Twenty-one of those transfers came from Marshall, heading to USM alongside new head coach Charles Huff.
Speaking of Huff, if his name sounds familiar, it should. Huff was the assistant head coach and running backs coach at Mississippi State back in 2018. Other former Bulldogs now wearing USM colors include cornerbacks coach Taveze Calhoun, who played for MSU from 2012 through 2015, as well as three players that transferred from State to Southern Miss – long snapper Luke Beard, running back Jeffery Pittman and linebacker Avery Sledge.
Saturday's game is the first meeting between State and Southern Miss in two years. The last time the two teams faced off, the Bulldogs earned a 41-20 victory in Starkville. MSU is looking to extend its advantage in the all-time series. The Bulldogs enter Saturday 18-12-1 all-time against the Golden Eagles, and MSU has won its last six games against USM.
As State looks to make it a seven-game winning streak against Southern Miss, the Bulldogs will rely heavily upon their offensive front – a position group that was a priority this offseason. Long-time NFL tackle Phil Loadholt was brought in as State's offensive line coach and since he took over the unit, it's gotten much bigger – literally. MSU's offensive line had an average weight of 311 pounds last season. This year, the Bulldogs are averaging 325 pounds. It's the fourth-biggest offensive line in the entire FBS according to Crescent City Sports.
That offensive line will be protecting quarterback Blake Shapen, who returns to game action for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury last September in MSU's fourth game of the 2024 campaign. Shapen enters the year having thrown a touchdown pass in 15 straight games in which he's played. That's the second-longest active streak at the FBS level, behind only Iowa State's Rocco Becht, who has thrown a touchdown pass in 19 consecutive games.
Some of Shapen's best weapons this season will likely be his running backs. It's a deep room, featuring returners such as 2024 All-Southeastern Conference selection Davon Booth as well as Johnnie Daniels. That duo combined to rush for 1,299 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Fluff Bothwell has also been added to the mix. Bothwell earned All-Sun Belt honors as a true freshman last season at South Alabama, where he rushed for 834 yards on just 112 carries. Bothwell also led the Sun Belt in rushing touchdowns with 13.
Shapen, his running backs and the entire MSU offense will be trying to continue its reputation as a quick-strike, score-from-far group. Last season, State scored 12 offensive touchdowns from 30 or more yards away. It was the most explosive-play touchdowns for MSU since 2016 when the Bulldogs had 16 such scores. Even when not finding the end zone from long distance, MSU often gets across the goal line in a hurry. Fifteen of State's offensive touchdowns last year came in less than two minutes of game action. Fourteen of 2024's scoring drives lasted five plays or less.
Considering how State likes to score quickly, transfer wide receiver Brenen Thompson should fit right in. Over the summer, Thompson was clocked at a lightning-fast 23.7 miles per hour – the fastest mark on the team.
Will State score first on Saturday? We'll see, but if Lebby's first year at MSU was any indication, the Bulldogs are likely to have the first chance. Last season, the Bulldogs received every single opening kickoff. In fact, the last time State kicked off to start a game was at Auburn in October of 2023, marking 16 straight times total that MSU has started a game on the offensive side.

Mississippi State University Athletics

First-And-10 To Know: State vs. Southern Miss

Players Mentioned

Luke Beard

Davon Booth

Fluff Bothwell

Johnnie Daniels

Blake Shapen

Brenen Thompson

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