Jason Munz

Hattiesburg American

Southern Miss and Mississippi State are set to get reacquainted on the gridiron.

The two schools announced Tuesday a deal that will send the Golden Eagles to Starkville on Sept. 7, 2019, for a guarantee game. They also announced a home-and-home agreement that pits Southern Miss at Mississippi State on Sept. 23, 2023, and the Bulldogs in Hattiesburg on Sept. 14, 2024. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Southern Miss was originally set for a road date with Troy on Sept. 7, 2019. That away game will instead be played on Sept. 14, 2019.

The new deal marks the second scheduling arrangement the Golden Eagles have made with a desirable opponent in close proximity to Hattiesburg since Jon Gilbert took over as athletic director. In April, the school announced it had agreed to a four-game, home-and-home series with former Conference USA rival Tulane. That series is set to begin in 2022.

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In an interview with the Hattiesburg American earlier this year, Gilbert made it clear these are the types of games he intends to make the focus of his scheduling philosophy.

“Games that, from a revenue standpoint, people are going to want to buy tickets for,” he said. “Teams they’re familiar with. In general, my philosophy at Southern Miss will be to try to get games, both home and away, that are more regional in nature. I think you have to find the balance of scheduling really good opponents that help elevate your program and are games that your fan base wants to see.”

The last time the intrastate competitors squared off, Mississippi State beat Southern Miss 34-16 at M.M. Roberts Stadium in 2015. That was the second matchup in as many seasons after a 24-year break in the series.

The Bulldogs have won each of the last four meetings between the two teams. The all-time series is tied 14-14-1.

With the announcement of the Mississippi State series, the non-conference portion of Southern Miss’ 2019 schedule is complete. The Golden Eagles are scheduled to host Alcorn State on Aug. 31, before traveling to Mississippi State on Sept. 7, Troy on Sept. 14 and Alabama on Sept. 21.

The Golden Eagles’ non-conference slate is also set for 2018. The Black and Gold will open with Jackson State at home on Sept. 1, before hosting Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 8. Its two non-league road dates are with Appalachian State (Sept. 15) and Auburn (Sept. 29).

A home game versus Tulane (Sept. 16) is the only other non-conference game Southern Miss has scheduled in 2023. The home game with Mississippi State is the first non-conference contest announced for the 2024 season.

Other future dates currently on Southern Miss’ books include South Alabama at home on Sept. 5, 2020, at Auburn on Sept. 26, 2020, at South Alabama on Sept. 4, 2021, at Tulane on Sept. 24, 2022, and Sept. 26, 2026, and a home game with the Green Wave on Sept. 11, 2027.