College Sports

Hill Leads Mississippi State Past Southern Miss 38-15

Posted September 07, 2019 7:00 am

By PAUL JONES

Mississippi State running back Nick Gibson (21) rushes for a touchdown as Southern Mississippi linebacker Terry Whittington (47) defends in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) The Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Kylin Hill rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown to lead Mississippi State to a 38-14 win over Southern Miss Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

Hill was injured late in the first half but returned in the second half and totaled 67 yards and his touchdown run in the second half. The Bulldogs (2-0) finished with 386 yards of total offense and collected 210 yards on the ground.

Southern Miss (1-1) was held scoreless in the first 40 minutes of action. The Golden Eagles got their first touchdown on a Jack Abraham 28-yard touchdown pass to Jaylond Adams. Abraham also connected with Jordan Mitchell in the final quarter on a 65-yard scoring toss.

Mississippi State was efficient in the first half on offense and held a 21-0 lead at halftime. Quarterback Tommy Stevens opened the game 9-of-9 passing before being injured late in the second quarter. Stevens had touchdown passes to Osirus Mitchell and Stephen Guidry before exiting the game.

The Bulldogs added a Nick Gibson 13-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left in the first half. But the first half was costly for Mississippi State as Stevens did not return to action in the second half.

THE TAKEAWAY

Mississippi State's defensive showing was much better on Saturday against Southern Miss compared to the opener. The offense was also balanced again but the status of quarterback Tommy Stevens remains unclear. Stevens exited the game late in the second quarter due to an upper-body injury. Head coach Joe Moorhead said Stevens is day-to-day.

Southern Miss struggled to exhibit any kind of running game for the second straight outing. The Golden Eagles collected just 95 yards rushing in the opener against Alcorn State and managed just 110 yards rushing on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Southern Miss opens the road schedule with a trip to Troy.

Mississippi State continues a three-game homestand and hosts Big 12 foe Kansas State.

Southern Mississippi wide receiver Tim Jones (5) scrambles away from Mississippi State cornerback Tyler Williams (13) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) The Associated Press

Southern Mississippi quarterback Jack Abraham (15) scrambles away from several Mississippi state defenders in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) The Associated Press

Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens (7) throws a pass in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Southern Mississippi Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) The Associated Press

Mississippi State wide receiver Osirus Mitchell (5) catches a pass for a touchdown as Southern Mississippi defensive back Ty Williams (7) tackles him in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) The Associated Press

Mississippi State wide receiver Osirus Mitchell (5) congratulates wide receiver Stephen Guidry (1) on a first half touchdown catch against Southern Mississippi during their NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Jim Lytle) The Associated Press

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