Jordan McCloud threw four touchdown passes as Texas State amassed 703 yards of offense and scored on nine of 11 possessions to defeat Southern Miss 58-3 on Saturday night at UFCU Stadium.
McCloud, a transfer from James Madison, completed 23 of 28 passes for 335 yards and connected with Ismail Mahdi for two touchdowns. Brad Jackson also contributed with a touchdown pass and a rushing score for Texas State (5-4, 3-2 Sun Belt Conference).
Kole Wilson led Texas State receivers with six catches for 116 yards, while Konner Fox, Jaden Williams, and Drew Donley each added a touchdown reception. Lincoln Pare’s 68-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter capped off the scoring for the Bobcats.
Southern Miss (1-9, 0-6) struggled offensively, managing just 194 yards. The team’s only points came from a 39-yard field goal by Connor Gibbs in the second quarter. Gibbs remains perfect on the season, making all eight of his field goal attempts.
Golden Eagles running back Dreke Clark led the team in rushing with 66 yards on 15 carries.
“It’s disappointing. I knew going into the game this was a tough matchup for us,” said USM Interim Head Coach Reed Stringer. “But we didn’t find ways to get off the field. We have to stay on the field on offense, but we don’t sustain drives, and we don’t keep the defense off the field enough to make it a game.”
Stringer also addressed quarterback Tate Rodemaker’s performance.
“We had already planned to get him in early,” Stringer said. “Tate’s been practicing well. He did some good things, and Ethan [Crawford] is a little banged up, so we’ll see how he is for next week.”
Looking ahead to the final home game against South Alabama, Stringer emphasized the need for improvement.
“Tonight is not acceptable,” Stringer said. “We’re going to get back to work this week and figure out how to get better for South Alabama. There were opportunities we missed. If we hit a few plays, it’s a different game.”
Despite the loss, Southern Miss extended its streak of rushing over 100 yards to five consecutive games, finishing with 124 yards on the ground. Wide receiver Larry Simmons continued his consistent play with a four-yard catch in the second quarter, extending his streak to at least one reception in all 10 games this season. Dreke Clark tied his season-long with a 27-yard run in the third quarter.
On defense, Jalil Clemons recorded a season-best third sack on Texas State’s opening drive, while Jalen Owens registered his first career pass breakup in the second quarter. Jay Jones also secured his second career interception late in the second quarter, marking the third-straight game Southern Miss has collected an interception.
Southern Miss returns to Hattiesburg for its final home game of the season against South Alabama on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m.
