HATTIESBURG, Miss. – It’s not looking promising for the Golden Eagles heading into Homecoming weekend, with Southern Miss entering Saturday’s game as a 10.5-point underdog against the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana.
Despite that, Southern Miss has the opportunity this weekend at The Rock (Renasant Stadium) to give its fanbase a much-needed win. The last time the Golden Eagles lined up in victory formation was against Alcorn State in Week 1 of the Blake Anderson Era.
Since then, there hasn’t been much to get excited about, but in the past five straight losses, the Golden Eagles have shown promising flashes on both sides of the ball. None of that has led back to the win column yet, but the only thing holding them back is getting all three phases to click in the same game.
As we approach kickoff on Saturday, Southern Miss must do three things to stay competitive and have a chance to pull off a homecoming win and upset over a very good Ragin’ Cajuns team.
Contain Lunch Winfield & Louisiana’s Ground Game
The Ragin’ Cajuns have rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 22 touchdowns through seven games this season. Quarterback Lunch Winfield has accounted for 463 of those yards on the ground with eight touchdowns, making him a concern even when Southern Miss is in pass coverage.
Southern Miss defensive coordinator Joe Bolden’s defense will have to come with an "unrecognizable to your mother" mentality that he spoke of early in the week at Monday’s press conference if they want a chance to contain one of the Sun Belt’s most versatile QBs. The defense will need to wrap up and make key tackles while also keeping Winfield in check so that his legs don’t extend drives. The Golden Eagles' defense must force Louisiana in third-down passing situations while maintaining the QB spy on Winfield.
Turn Passing Production Into Touchdowns
Landry Lyddy has averaged 255.7 passing yards in his three starts this season, but the Golden Eagles only scored just 13 points against Arkansas State Last Saturday. For an upset to happen, the Southern Miss offense has to produce more and finish drives in the endzone. That will be a tough test at home, as Louisiana has only allowed 19.3 points per game.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have scored on 26 of 27 red-zone trips this season. Southern Miss cannot afford to go three-and-out when the offense takes the field Saturday. Southern Miss has to start out the game fast and give the defense enough help to keep the game within reach into the 4th quarter.
Protect the Football & Sustain Drives
An intriguing number I found while researching the game on Saturday is that the Ragin’ Cajuns offense averages 33 minutes, 27 seconds in possession per game. Southern Miss needs to sustain its own drives to keep its defense rested and keep Louisiana from controlling the game.
Protecting the football, limiting penalties, and converting third downs will matter more than ever for the Golden Eagles this weekend. An errant turnover here or there, and penalties can wipe away all the progress the Golden Eagles have made to sustain the drive or get the defense off the field.
Still, you never know what could happen on any given night in the Sun Belt. With Anderson, defensive coordinator Joe Boden, and offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo preparing the Golden Eagles for a key home Sun Belt matchup at home on Saturday, we’ll see what this team can put together after a week of practice and film study.
One thing is for sure: all three phases must come together and play an outstanding game against Louisiana for the Golden Eagles to pull off the upset and give the Southern Miss faithful that long-awaited win. That includes special teams doing their part with field position and the FG attempts.
We’ll know more when kickoff gets underway at 4 p.m. on Saturday at The Rock.
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