Mississippi State entered the game against Southern Miss as heavy favorites. Southern Miss was still trying to emerge from the mess Ellis Johnson had left behind. Adding even further intrigue to the game was Barrett Sallee’s declaration the Southern Miss game was the most likely trap game for the Bulldogs as they entered 2015, which Mississippi State fans did not find amusing.
The game didn’t start until slightly after 9:00. It was televised by Fox Sports, and they had an MMA undercard fight they were showing at 8:00 that night. So Mississippi State and Southern Miss kicked off after 9 and didn’t end until somewhere close to 1:00 a.