Southern Miss did not play a perfect game by any means, but they did just enough to secure their first win of the season with a 35-10 victory over Southeastern Louisiana.
“Good to get a win at home,” Southern Miss head coach Will Hall said. “I thought our kids never panicked. I thought we kept the faith…where we weren’t functioning as well as we would like, obviously.”
Hall described the game as “herky-jerky.”
A pick-six by Dylan Lawrence eventually put the game out of reach for Southeastern Louisiana, which fought hard for most of the night.
“Great to see Dylan Lawrence step in and get that pick-six,” Hall said. “I know MJ [Daniels] is smiling with that.”
The team has dedicated the season to Daniels, and Lawrence, one of his best friends in the safety room, now has an interception in two straight weeks.
“It’s been nothing short of amazing,” Lawrence said. “I’m glad I had a chance to do that for MJ, and I know if he had been here, he would have been making those plays.”
After forcing a punt on Southeastern’s first drive, Southern Miss fumbled on their first play from scrimmage. Ti Mims took a jet sweep from Tate Rodemaker, was hit from behind, and fumbled on the Golden Eagles’ 10-yard line.
Southern Miss’s defense held, forcing the Lions to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Riley Callaghan, putting Southeastern up 3-0 early.
After the teams traded three-and-outs, Southeastern Louisiana muffed a punt, and Josh Bledsoe recovered it at the Southern Miss 13.
Rodemaker took advantage of the short field, connecting with Kyirin Heath for the team’s first touchdown of the season. The nine-yard pass marked the first touchdowns for both Rodemaker and Heath as Golden Eagles, making the score 7-3.
Hall was pleased with Heath’s performance at tight end.
“I thought Kyirin Heath showed off his talent again for the second week in a row,” Hall said.
The Golden Eagle defense forced another punt, leading to the team’s longest scoring drive. Rodemaker led an 11-play, 88-yard drive, highlighted by a 49-yard pass to Larry Simmons on third-and-long.
With Dannis Jackson unavailable for the game, the Golden Eagles needed another player to step up in the receiving group. Simmons answered the call, finishing with five receptions for 100 yards, becoming the first Golden Eagle to reach 100+ receiving yards since Ti Mims caught ten passes for 141 yards against App State last season.
“Larry is great,” Hall said. “He had over 100 yards, and he had that deep post that got called back. It’s great to get him back at Z; that’s really his natural position.”
Simmons agreed, expressing his satisfaction with the position change.
“I was at X last game, and I was kinda frustrated because I wasn’t getting the ball, but I’m a team player,” Simmons said. “Once they moved me back to Z, I was like, ‘I already know what I’m about to do.'”
Rodemaker connected with Davis Dalton for a five-yard touchdown pass after the play to Simmons, putting Southern Miss up 14-3.
Dalton, who was injured for most of fall camp, returned to action towards the end of camp. The touchdown was his first as a Golden Eagle and the first of his career.
“Davis Dalton and JJ Butler have really come along as well,” Hall said. “They are playing at a high level.”
Southeastern Louisiana put together a scoring drive late in the half, going 10 plays for 69 yards in just over three minutes. Anthonio Martin Jr. ran in a 10-yard score, cutting the lead to 14-10 at halftime.
Southern Miss was outgained in the first half, 133-127, with just nine rushing yards. It was a sluggish opening half, and Hall recognized it.
“All in all, on offense, we just have to execute better,” Hall said. “We have a lot of things that are going to make us sick when we wake up and watch the tape tomorrow.”
The Golden Eagles extended their lead with a one-yard touchdown run by Rodrigues Clark, making it 21-10.
Lawrence sealed the victory with a 63-yard pick-six late in the third quarter, his second interception of the season.
Despite the win, Southern Miss still has questions after this performance against an FCS team. The Golden Eagles finished with 121 rushing yards, with little push from the offensive line. Andrew Stein missed two field goals, and without a muffed punt, they might have trailed at halftime.
Seventy of the 121 rushing yards came from a garbage-time touchdown by Kenyon Clay.
“[The run game is] something we’re not proud of,” Hall said. “It’s something we have to address and get fixed.”
They’ll need to clean up several areas before South Florida comes to town next week. The Bulls took Alabama to the fourth quarter in Tuscaloosa.
The defense was a bright spot for Southern Miss, holding Southeastern to 172 passing yards and a 54% completion rate. Twenty-two players registered a tackle for Southern Miss, including seven who recorded a tackle for loss.
Southern Miss (1-1) will host USF (1-1) next Saturday night at The Rock.
“We’ve got a big game next week, probably the biggest game here in some time,” Hall said.
