Expectations are low for both teams as Mississippi State visits Southern Miss in the season opener at Hattiesburgh, Miss., on Saturday.The Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8) finished at the bottom of the SEC last season during head coach Jeff Lebby’s first year, and they’re projected to finish last again.The Golden Eagles (1-11, 0-8 Conference USA) are starting over under first-year head coach Charles Huff, who guided Marshall to the Sun Belt Conference championship last season.Huff brought several key players with him, including quarterback Braylon Braxton, the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, but the team is picked to finish fifth in the seven-team West Division.”I expect four or five starters for Southern Miss coming from Marshall,” Lebby said. “You’d think there’d be some carryover, but Week 1 is always a little bit up in the air. You try not to chase ghosts. You try to prepare for everything without knowing exactly what it’s going to look like on the other side of the ball. The best way to handle that is to keep things simple on both sides so guys can adjust and play fast no matter what happens.”Bulldogs quarterback Blake Shapen is back after missing the final eight games of his first season with MSU due to a shoulder injury. The former Baylor transfer has started the last 27 games in which he has played.
