The football seasons for both Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss.) and Alcorn State finally kick off with a matchup on Saturday evening at Roberts Stadium. Fans of each side have been waiting months to see their team take the gridiron. Both teams are likely studying the film from their last meeting in 2019. That one ended in a 38-10 win for Southern Miss.
Southern Miss. (7-6 Overall in 2022)
The Golden Eagles will enter this season after a 7-6 campaign last year. They averaged 25.3 points and 349 offensive yards per contest in 2022. Defensively, the Golden Eagles conceded an average of 23.5 points per game.
It’s the first game of the season for Southern Miss. Players in all three phases: offense, defense, and special teams, will be looking to start the season off right.
Last season, Southern Miss.’s offensive play selection split was 42% pass, 58% run.
Southern Miss. went 7-6 in 2022. They’ll want to capitalize on this opportunity against Alcorn State, as this is the first time they’ve had home field advantage all year. This is Southern Miss.’s only game against an FCS HBCU opponent.
Alcorn State (5-6 Overall in 2022)
The Braves will come into this season after securing a 5-6 record in 2022. They averaged 20.7 points and 339 offensive yards per contest in 2022. The Braves’ defense allowed an average of 24.9 points per game.
It’s the first game of the season for Alcorn State. Players in all three phases, offense, defense, and special teams will be looking to start the season off well in this one.
Last season, Alcorn State’s offensive play selection split was 36% pass, 64% run.
Alcorn State enters after putting up a 5-6 campaign in 2022. They’ll want to capitalize on this opportunity, as this is the first time they’ve been on the road all year. This is Alcorn State’s only game against a Sun Belt opponent this season.