It was another tough week for college football teams in Mississippi with one exception. Last week was SWACtastic for Mississippi as all three SWAC teams won this past weekend.
This season started with such hope and promise but seems to be ending with disappointment. All the colleges and universities that are Division II and lower finished their seasons after this week.
Southern Miss (0-10) continued its historic losing season with a 34-6 defeat to SMU. The Golden Eagles have two more chances to get a win this season against UTEP and Memphis.
How bad is USM’s season? The Southern Miss former record for most losses in a season was eight back in 1976.
I bet you are wondering when the last time USM didn’t win a game in a football season. You have to go all the way back to 1925 when the Golden Eagles finished 0-6 and the only other winless season was 0-3 in 1916.
Mississippi State (7-3) lost for the third straight week with 37-17 to LSU. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 7-0 in the first quarter lead, which just angered the Tigers.
LSU went on to finish the first half on a 20-3 run to take a 20-10 halftime lead and cruised to a win. MSU has just two games left against Arkansas and Ole Miss.
Jordan Rodgers and the Vanderbilt Commodores 27-26 win denied Ole Miss (5-5) its second chance to reach six wins. Rodgers threw the game-winning touchdown while his brother Green Bay quarterback Aaron watched from the sidelines.
The Rebels once again blew a late lead and found a way to stanch defeat from the jaws of victory. Ole Miss has just two more chances to reach the magical six wins for bowl eligibly against LSU and Mississippi State.
Jackson State (6-4) jumped out to a 28-7 lead over Alabama A&M and held on for the 35-21 victory. The win moved the Tigers into first place in the SWAC East division.
JSU already owns the tiebreaker over Alabama State so a win this weekend against Alcorn State puts the Tigers into the SWAC championship game. If Jackson State wins they will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff who has already clinched the SWAC west division.
Alcorn State (4-6) was in a seesaw battle against Texas Southern. The Braves trailed 24-21 in the fourth quarter before exploding for 13 points to close out the game for a 34-24 win.
ASU now can play spoiler for its main rival Jackson State. A win this weekend by the Braves would deny their in-state rival a spot in the SWAC Championship Game.
Mississippi Valley State (4-6) continued to show improvement with a 22-20 win over Prairie View A&M. The Delta Devils entered the fourth quarter down 20-10 before rallying for the victory.
Last time MSVU finished with more than four wins in as single season was back in 2006.
A disappointing season for Delta State (3-7) came to an end with a 32-21 loss to Shorter University. The Statesmen had tied the game 14-14 before Shorter kicked a field goal to end the first half and never looked back.
Belhaven (6-5) entered its final game of the season with a chance to win a Mid-South Conference West Division title. The Blazers were denied that title when Bethel University stopped Belhaven on their one-yard line late in the game for a 21-17 win.
The loss broke the Blazers’ four-game winning streak.
Millsaps (7-3) had a chance to win the Southern Athletic Association conference title outright with a win over Birmingham Southern. The Majors instead fell 35-21 to the Panthers, which makes both teams co-champions.
Two regular season games remain for Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss. Jackson State, Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State will close out their seasons this weekend.
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