Southern Miss couldn’t sustain the fast start they gained against USF, eventually falling 49-24. The Bulls scored 28 unanswered points after trailing 14-0 early to the Golden Eagles.
“We just didn’t play a complete game for four quarters,” Southern Miss head coach Will Hall said. “We came out hot. Great first two drives and a great fourth-down stop defensively.”
Southern Miss started fast and looked like a completely different team than it had in the first few weeks. Quarterback Tate Rodemaker led the Golden Eagles down the field on the opening drive.
The drive began with trickery—Ethan Crawford threw a double pass to himself, racing 42 yards downfield. A few plays later, Rodemaker found Kyirin Heath for a 19-yard touchdown pass, putting Southern Miss up 7-0.
The defense then stopped the Bulls on downs, returning the ball to the Golden Eagle offense.
Rodemaker again drove the ball efficiently, dissecting the Bulls’ secondary and capping the drive with a 37-yard touchdown pass via a screen to Kenyon Clay, giving Southern Miss a 14-0 lead.
“We’re disappointed,” Hall said. “You can see the talent, the flashes, and that we’re improving in many areas. It’s just disappointing we had a chance to win a big game at home against a really good team. But that’s not good enough. We came here to build this program to compete for conference championships.”
USF responded with 28 unanswered points to take control of the game.
How did USF go on a 28-0 run?
After Southern Miss scored on its first two drives, it fumbled the ball and had three straight three-and-outs.
Those four drives opened the door for South Florida to climb back into the game. The Bulls scored touchdowns on their next three possessions.
Southern Miss forced one punt, but USF added another touchdown when Byrum Brown rushed for a 1-yard score, giving the Bulls a 28-14 lead in the second quarter.
“The game really came down to red-zone touchdowns,” Hall said.
He was right. USF capitalized, going 4-for-4 in the red zone, while Southern Miss was 3-for-5.
Southern Miss also hurt itself with penalties, allowing USF to convert several first downs.
“It’s inexcusable,” Hall said. “We’ve got to fix that, and we will. We’ll get it done next week and heading into conference play.”
A quarterback switch in the second half
In addition to defensive issues, Southern Miss struggled offensively. Starting quarterback Rodemaker went down late in the first half with an apparent ankle injury. He had been playing well, completing 10 of 15 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Hall decided to put Crawford in because he felt Rodemaker wasn’t the same after the injury.
“Tate’s ankle got banged up two drives before that,” Hall said. “He didn’t look like himself; he didn’t have good stability, so we felt we needed to go with Ethan.”
Crawford sparked the offense immediately, completing a 56-yard pass to Mims and finishing the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, narrowing USF’s lead to 28-21.
But Crawford threw an interception off a tipped pass deep in the red zone, which ultimately proved to be the turning point for Southern Miss.
“When we’re in the red zone, we’ve got to score,” Hall said. “Those things add up when you’re playing a good team.”
Crawford later left the game with an injury and was helped to the locker room. Hall provided an update on his status.
“He got banged up,” Hall said. “I’m not 100% sure yet. He’s with the medical staff, and we’ll see.”
John White entered late and led the team to a field goal when the game was out of reach.
USF dominated the game on the ground, rushing for 369 yards. Two backs topped 100 yards, and Brown added 72 yards himself.
Southern Miss (1-2) will travel to Jacksonville State (0-3) next Saturday, looking to avoid a 1-3 start.
