Weekend Watch: Bulldogs vs. Golden Eagles

This Saturday, a beleaguered Mississippi State team will take on a similarly weary Southern Miss. Neither team had a standout 2024 season, with the Mississippi State University Bulldogs trailing other SEC football teams and the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles hitting the Sunbelt’s rock bottom. If you love an underdog, you might have a hard time picking which team to root for.

Mississippi State’s 2024 football performance (they went 2-10 last year) is unusual in both the SEC— arguably the best sports conference in the world— and in their own athletics department.  MSU competes on a national, and in some cases global, scale in sports like track and field, tennis, and soccer. But football has not been their strength in nearly a decade. In 2014, MSU’s football team was one of only nine teams to ever be ranked #1 in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings. So, what happened? 

MSU’s superstar head coach Dan Mullen left in 2017 for the University of Florida after an eight- year tenure with the Bulldogs. Currently serving as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ head coach, Mullen continues to excel. His overall coaching record stands at an incredible 104-61.  

It makes sense, then, that Mississippi State struggled to fill Mullen’s shoes. That is, until the Bulldogs brought on Mike Leach in 2020. His sudden passing in 2022 at only 61 left the Bulldogs adrift once again. An internal promotion, Zach Arnett’s succeeding role as head coach seemed like a natural fit. However, after a less-than-stellar performance, Arnett was let go after less than a year. Trying to pull up from their nosedive, MSU brought on Jeff Lebby for the 2024 season. As we saw from their 2-10 record, Mississippi State didn’t exactly flourish under Lebby’s tutelage.  

Lebby is still in the head coach hot seat, and we’ll see if his coaching gels with his players this season. The Bulldogs have been through numerous tumultuous changes in the past 8 years, so it’s possible that last season was just a serious case of the growing pains. 

This Saturday’s game between MSU and Southern Miss is closer than SEC elitists might think. Southern Miss isn’t in the SEC, but that doesn’t count them out. MSU lost games to non-SEC teams, including a home game against Toledo last season (17-41). And since this weekend’s game will be a home game for the Golden Eagles, Southern Miss will come into this season with an edge. 

Mississippi State and Southern Miss are both badly in need of redemption arcs. Tune in this Saturday, August 30th at 11 a.m. to watch the Bulldogs and Golden Eagles fight to rewrite their narratives.

Author contributor Faith Ellington