Expectations are low for both teams as Mississippi State visits Southern Miss in the season opener at Hattiesburgh, Miss., on Saturday.
The Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8) finished at the bottom of the SEC last season during head coach Jeff Lebby’s first year, and they’re projected to finish last again.
The Golden Eagles (1-11, 0-8 Conference USA) are starting over under first-year head coach Charles Huff, who guided Marshall to the Sun Belt Conference championship last season.
Huff brought several key players with him, including quarterback Braylon Braxton, the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, but the team is picked to finish fifth in the seven-team West Division.
“I expect four or five starters for Southern Miss coming from Marshall,” Lebby said. “You’d think there’d be some carryover, but Week 1 is always a little bit up in the air. You try not to chase ghosts. You try to prepare for everything without knowing exactly what it’s going to look like on the other side of the ball. The best way to handle that is to keep things simple on both sides so guys can adjust and play fast no matter what happens.”
Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen is back after missing the final eight games of his first season with MSU due to a shoulder injury. The former Baylor transfer has started the last 27 games in which he has played.
As for the Eagles’ quarterback, Huff said the “continuity” that Braxton brings to the offense “is a positive,” but he downplayed any assumptions about Southern Miss this season based on Marshall’s success last season.
“It’s going to be a huge challenge for us,” Huff said of the opener. “We’re just trying to get better. I know everyone’s like, ‘Well, you brought the team from the other place that won the championship.’ It’s not the same team. It wouldn’t be the same team if we were in the same location.
“There are going to be some growing pains when you play the big, bad SEC. You’re going to learn real quick that you’ve got a lot of room to improve.”
The two teams will be meeting for the first time since 2023, when Mississippi State emerged with a 41-20 victory in Starkville. Overall, the Bulldogs hold an 18-12-1 edge in the history of the rivalry.
