Mississippi State Football: 3 takeaways from win over Southern Miss

NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 31: Wide receiver Austin Williams #85 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter of their game against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Mercedes Benz Superdome on August 31, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - AUGUST 31: Wide receiver Austin Williams #85 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter of their game against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Mercedes Benz Superdome on August 31, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
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NEW ORLEANS, LA – AUGUST 31: Running back Kylin Hill #8 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates with quarterback Tommy Stevens #7 after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of their game against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Mercedes Benz Superdome on August 31, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – AUGUST 31: Running back Kylin Hill #8 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs celebrates with quarterback Tommy Stevens #7 after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of their game against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Mercedes Benz Superdome on August 31, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)

2. Kylin Hill is really good

Yes, Southern Miss is a C-USA school, but a good one and the Golden Eagles always have a solid defense. However, Kylin Hill had his way with Southern Miss as he had several long runs while showing his ability to make defenders miss.

One of his most impressive runs was a play that he hurdled a Southern Miss defender and kept running for an extra few yards. I’m sure someone has posted it on twitter by now as it was one of the plays of the game.

Hill finished with 14 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Before halftime, he had a mini scare as it looked like he injured his lower leg, but he was able to come back in and continue with his impressive performance.

True freshman Garrett Shrader had to play the majority of the game with Tommy Stevens being out. Having a running back like Kylin Hill to rely on is something that doesn’t go down in the box score, but has a huge impact on the game. Hill being in the huddle is a presence the young freshman quarterback was fortunate to have.