On September 5, 2015, The University of Southern Mississippi hosted Mississippi State in football for the first time since 1989. It was a beautiful sight to see. Tents were set up for tailgating as far as the eye could see, and over thirty-four thousand fans packed, at maximum capacity in M.M. Roberts stadium; a sight that Southern Miss had not seen in quite some time. Many predictions were made about this rivalry and how the score would turn out, and as most people expected Mississippi State did come out on top, with a final score of 34-16. However, Southern Miss did not lose without a fight, a fight that many were not expecting.

Southern Miss was the first team to get points on the board, and just so happened to win the first quarter; keeping the rest of the game very interesting. By the fourth quarter, over 80% of the USM student section was still present cheering on the Golden Eagles, although Mississippi State had passed USM on the scoreboard by the second quarter. At the end of the game many MSU fans were heard to have said how impressed they were with the Golden Eagles and that they were quite surprised and slightly disappointed that MSU had not extended the lead by more points.

I believe I speak for all USM fans when I say the energy of Southern Miss football has proven to have intensified from solely watching that game. No one really knew what to expect, playing MSU as our season opener. At the end of the day USM might have lost, but we beat “the talk". We overcame the doubt. We went beyond what was expected. So on behalf of the student body, I’d like to commend the players and the coaching staff for their dedication to the game, the early mornings, and endurance throughout the criticism.

As always, Southern Miss To The Top!