Mississippi State Blasts Southern Miss, 49-0, in Easy Opener

It's always hard to take too much away from playing a team that's gone 1-23 over the last two years. Generally, Mississippi State looked great against Southern Miss -- 550 yards of offense, 30 first downs and a 49-0 lead. Overall, Dak Prescott put up gaudy numbers -- 18-of-26 for 284 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.

But there are also quibbles. The Bulldogs' offensive line struggled at times against the Eagles, allowing two sacks in the first quarter and being unable to push the ball into the end zone on four straight runs on a first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. All of that happened early in the game, before the talent differential started to show up in a bigger way -- the very talent differential that Mississippi State won't be able to count on when they move to SEC play.

Again, quibbles. Josh Robinson looked great running the ball, ending up with 87 yards on 14 carries. As a team, the Bulldogs churned out 201 yards on 44 carries. Seven receivers caught multiple passes. The defense came up with two interceptions. Mississippi State will have to do well against much better teams before the season is done, but they did about all they could against the team they played in the first week.