Oxford hasn't had much luck against Starkville recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Chargers will be playing at home against the Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Starkville will be up against a hot Oxford squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. The Chargers blew past Murrah 42-0 on Thursday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Chargers' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Mustangs are ranked 157th).
Oxford got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Demar Jamerson out in front who rushed for 16 yards and three touchdowns. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamarion Pegues, who rushed for 58 yards and one TD on only six carries.
Meanwhile, Starkville entered their matchup against Madison Central on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Yellowjackets fell just short of the Jaguars by a score of 38-35.
Oxford will have to contain Kingston Johnson as he made an impact in Starkville's last game. He rushed for 33 yards and three scores, and also threw for 220 yards on 12 of 37 attempts. 86 of Johnson's passing yards were hauled in by A'Braylen Jenkins.
While Starkville came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for Madison Central: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 43.3%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from four players: Kylin Boyd, Kennith Morgan, Joshua Wilson, and Graham Hancock, who each logged one passes deflected. Starkville wasn't nearly as limited: they posted one of 31.6%.
Starkville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Boyd and Kaei'Ylan Williams. Boyd has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last four times he's played. Tylan Paty was another major factor on D, making 11 total tackles (5.0 for loss).
Starkville's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Oxford, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.
Oxford came up short against Starkville in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, falling 14-9. Can the Chargers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
