Southern Miss seeks its third consecutive victory. Greg Knox begins a second stint as Mississippi State interim coach after the school fired Zach Arnett on Monday following a 4-6 start. The Bulldogs aim to halt a three-game slide and possibly become bowl eligible over the final two games. The teams are meeting for the first time since 2019.

It’s unknown whether record-setting Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers will return from a shoulder injury, freshman Chris Parson makes his second consecutive career start or Mike Wright calls signals. The goal is reviving an offense that has combined for just 455 yards the past two weeks. There’s an opportunity against the Sun Belt Conference Golden Eagles, who are allowing 424 yards and 35.3 points per game. On the other hand, they’ve won consecutive games by holding ULM to just 260 total yards and Louisiana to 130 rushing.

Southern Miss quarterback Billy Wiles and running back Frank Gore Jr. have been a strong offensive combination. Gore rushed for 158 yards and two touchdowns on a career-best 33 carries last week against Louisiana. He also caught a touchdown pass. Gore has 970 yards rushing and nine TDs. Wiles has completed 54% of his passes for 1,851 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions while starting every game.

Mississippi State linebackers Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson remain the SEC’s top tacklers with 99 and 95 stops, respectively. They are two of just three conference players with 90-plus stops and are close to making history as the only ones to finish 1-2 in tackles in consecutive seasons.