Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State football teams secured week one wins over FCS opponents. However, the competition will get a bit stiffer in week two.
The No. 6 Rebels will welcome their first FBS opponent of the year, Middle Tennessee State, to Oxford for a Saturday matinee. Now led by former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason, the Blue Raiders narrowly won their season opener over Tennessee Tech, 32-25.
Even with Middle Tennessee noticeably having its hands full with an FCS school, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin isn’t doubting the coaching ability of Mason and the staff he’s compiled for his first year in Murfreesboro.
During his weekly press conference, Kiffin pointed out the success Mason has had as both an assistant and head coach with power conference schools. The Rebel frontman also gave a nod to Brian Stewart, the Blue Raiders’ defensive coordinator who has spent stops in the NFL with the Detroit Lions (2018-19), Philadelphia Eagles (2009), and Dallas Cowboys (2007-08).
“Middle Tennessee came back and had a heck of a win the other night,” Kiffin said, recalling the 2023 Blue Raiders nearly upsetting Missouri in week two.
“Just last year, they had Missouri down to the wire, so these guys have been in these types of situations. They’re very well-coached with an SEC head coach and NFL defensive coordinator. They’re sound in what they do, so we’re going to need to prepare really well this week and play really good at home.”
The two schools have only played once since the Blue Raiders moved up to FBS in 2000. One year after the jump, Middle Tennessee was defeated by Ole Miss 45-17 in what would eventually turn into their second winning season as an infant FBS program.
The Rebels go into this year’s contest as 40.5-point favorites, as of Tuesday morning. Saturday’s kickoff is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. CT.
Over in Starkville, Mississippi State is preparing for a long road trip to Tempe, Ariz., where they will face off against a seemingly recalibrated Arizona State. The Sun Devils, in year two under head coach Kenny Dillingham, got through a poor 2023 campaign and started 2024 with a 48-7 trouncing of Wyoming.
First-year Bulldog head coach Jeff Lebby told reporters this week’s game will be a “great measuring stick” to see how talented his team is.
“If you look at Arizona State [and] the way they played in all three phases Saturday night, it really was just an incredibly dominant performance over a very well-coached, tough Wyoming football team,” Lebby said. “You watch the tape, and you see that these guys are a completely different team than they were a year ago.
“For us, having the mentality and the mindset to be able to go in and play with great detail, effort, physicality, and execution is what will, at the end of the day, give us the opportunity to win. I think, for us, it’s a great measuring stick to see exactly where we’re at.”
While this will be the first time the two teams have played on the gridiron, Arizona State and Mississippi State are in similar situations with trying to revive historic programs. The Bulldogs went 5-7 in 2023 while the Sun Devils went 3-9. Both showed major improvement in week one of 2024 but hope to find out more about their trajectory in week two.
Arizona State opened as 6.5-point favorites on Tuesday morning. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CT.
