HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) A sluggish first half didn’t deter Mississippi State Bulldogs in its season opener on Saturday afternoon.

After the Bulldogs struggled to a 2-10 record a season ago, things looked dire again in the first half. A rejuvenated State team would come out in the third quarter and put together three-straight scoring drives to rectify that and defeat Southern Mississippi 34-17.

“We’ve talked nonstop about August 30, winning the opener and being 1-0. I’m proud of that. Proud of being able to come down here on the road and it really was a good environment, and finding a way to win,” Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby said. “The struggle to me was what we were doing from a penalty standpoint. The biggest takeway was how we ended the first half and started the third quarter.”

A dominant third quarter cleared the way for the Bulldogs to take full control of the contest. State outgained USM 199-25 in the quarter and outscored the Golden Eagles 21-0 to take a 31-10 advantage.

The Bulldogs sputtered on both sides of the ball for most of the first half. MSU had two touchdowns called back on penalties and instead had to settle for field goals. A field goal from Kyle Ferrie made it 13-10 at the half.

Ferrie hit two field goals in the first half with the first being true from 55 yards to break the school record that was set in 1985.

Quarterback Blake Shapen made his return to the field for the Bulldogs for the first time since last September when a shoulder injury ended his season after four games. He was 26 of 34 for 270 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

“I haven’t played in a long time so just getting out on the field there’s going to be some jitters. I was just excited to get out there and play with these guys. That’s something that I’ll never take for granted again," Shapen said.

MSU outgained the Golden Eagles 462-301 with 185 yards on the ground on 40 carries. Brenen Thompson led the receivers with seven catches for 92 yards receiving and Seydou Traore had a touchdown on five catches and 77 yards.

Marshall transfer and 2024 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year Braylon Braxton was 26 of 39 for 199 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and rushed for 58 yards on 12 carries for the Golden Eagles. He got a touchdown in the final minute of the ball game to close the gap to 17 points, but the Bulldogs had neutralized him for most of the second half.

Mississippi State: Confidence was waning among Bulldog fans in the first half. A little order was restored as MSU had a much better second half to give the Bulldogs momentum heading into a huge matchup against No. 11 Arizona State.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles: Having replaced well over 70 players from last year’s roster, the Golden Eagles had some rusty moments in Charles Huff’s first game, but some promising moments, too, ahead of a season in the Sun Belt.

Mississippi State hosts Arizona State on September 6.

Southern Miss hosts Jackson State on September 6.

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