College football, week 2: Kamario Taylor is impressive for MSU, Ole Miss secondary needs to improve ...Middle East

Mississippi’s college football weekend in review…

Let’s start with Mississippi State since the Bulldogs had by far the best showing and most important victory with a 38-13 whacking of Minnesota on the road. This one was every bit as one-sided as it sounds.

This won’t be the first time you have read this in this column, but Bulldog sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor may well be State’s next Dak Prescott. The Big Ten Conference Golden Gophers learned it the hard way.

Taylor led the Bulldogs to touchdowns on their first four possessions. At times, he made it look exceedingly easy. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. He ran 13 times for another 86 yards. He could have run and thrown for a lot more had the need arisen.

Said Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck of Taylor: “In that first half he was having his way with us. That’s what great players do.”

Of State, Fleck said: “They spread you out so well, they can run the ball really well. They’re big up front. … Every one of them can run. Oh and by the way, their quarterback is one of the most dynamic runners in college football.”

Taylor doesn’t turn 20 until next February. He stands 6 feet, 4 inches inches and looks even taller In the pocket. He weighs 230 sculpted pounds. He possesses poise that belies his age. He reminds me of the great Reggie Collier as a runner and Prescott as a thrower.

Don’t just take it from me. Take it from Nick Saban who thus far has described Taylor in at least three different ways: “the best kept secret in college football,” “the truth and the light” and “the real deal.”

That will do for starters, and that’s not exactly breaking news to anyone who saw him play sparingly as a freshman or watched him grow up at Noxubee County. The news this September is that he is surrounded by more and better athletes.

State coach Jeff Lebby overhauled his roster with more than 60 new players. The improvements in the offensive line and at wide receiver are most dramatic.

That’s not all. State now has a healthier version of running back Fluff Bothwell, who was banged up much of last season. Bothwell ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries against the Golden Gophers.

Defensively, State appears bigger, stronger and faster, certainly far too fast for Minnesota, which ran for only 13 yards on 15 carries.

The 2-0 Bulldogs step up in competition this Saturday, playing at South Carolina, 2-0 and un-scored upon. But the Gamecocks have played their two games at home against Kent State and Towson, neither of which has an athlete as dynamic as the quarterback they will face this Saturday.

Ole Miss 41, Charlotte 9

We won’t spend a lot of time on the Rebels’ conquest of the 49ers, who in no way, shape or form resemble the 49ers who play in San Francisco. Charlotte, an overtime loser to The Citadel in its opener, was no match for Ole Miss, nor is it supposed to be.

The stars shone for Ole Miss, as expected. Trinidad Chambliss completed 23 of 26 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Some guys don’t go 23 for 26 in warmups. Kewan Lacy, who appeared fit after an injury scare six days earlier, ran 13 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Deuce Alexander caught eight balls for 76 yards. That was the good.

Now, here’s the bad: The Ole Miss secondary, porous against a good Louisville team in the opener, made some of the same mistakes against Charlotte, a bad team. Make those same mistakes this Saturday in the long-awaited showdown with LSU and he who shall not be named, and the Rebels will be in for a long night. Say what you want to about he shall who not be named, he knows how to pick apart a team’s weakness. Currently, the Ole Miss secondary, which does have some health issues, is a clear and present weakness.

Pete Golding, a former defensive safety himself, is frustrated. Ole Miss needs a healthy Antonio Kite and Sharif Denson back for LSU. Both were missing Saturday. Both didn’t play in the second half against Louisville when the Cardinals torched the Rebel secondary.

Meanwhile, after some early struggles, LSU took care of Louisiana Tech 45-14 after leading only 10-7 at halftime.

Two stats stood out to me: One, Louisiana Tech, which scored 80 in its opener, had negative yards rushing against LSU. Two, Sam Leavitt, the quarterback LSU is paying $5 million, threw three interceptions, including a pick-six against Tech.

LSU’s defense has allowed a not-so-grand total of 37 yards rushing through two games. Ole Miss has to find a way to run for far more than that Saturday night. Both teams enter the rivalry weekend 2-0, with LSU at No. 7 and Ole Miss at No. 8 in the AP Top 25.

Auburn 45, Southern Miss 8

Hard to measure these Golden Eagles, who feature 72 new players after two games. Both were mismatches. Southern Miss was vastly superior, talent-wise, to Alcorn State, whom they swamped in their opener. Auburn was every bit as vastly superior to the Golden Eagles. 

A nightmarish start – an Auburn pick-six on the first scrimmage play of the game – set the tone. Auburn was bigger, stronger, quicker, faster and clearly more ready to play. What else is there?

The talent level should be much closer this Saturday when UConn comes to Hattiesburg for a first-ever meeting.

UConn’s season thus far is pretty much a mirror image of USM’s. The Huskies out-manned Lafayette 56-7 in their opener and then dropped a 38-14 decision at home to Maryland of the Big Ten Conference in their second outing.

Southern Miss offers a better and far more fair test for UConn, as does UConn for Southern Miss.

Jackson State

Jackson State, 2-0, was off last weekend. The Tigers return to action this Saturday at home against the 1-1 Golden Tigers of Tuskegee.

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