The Southern Miss Golden Eagles fell short of eight wins on the season after suffering a 27-16 loss to Western Kentucky in New Orleans.
The first quarter saw both teams struggle to find offensive rhythm, with Western Kentucky capitalizing on a field goal following a turnover on downs by Southern Miss. Later in the quarter, the Golden Eagles struck quickly with a 22-yard seam pass to freshman tight end Shane King. The explosive play set up another deep completion, this time to Tychaun Chapman for a 35-yard touchdown, giving Southern Miss a 7-3 lead.
Western Kentucky responded with another field goal to cut the deficit to one. The Golden Eagles carried a 13-6 lead into halftime.
Western Kentucky quarterback Maverick McIvor relieved freshman Rodney Tisdale Jr. to begin the second half after Tisdale left the game with an injury. The change proved pivotal for the Hilltoppers.
McIvor provided an immediate spark, leading Western Kentucky to its first touchdown of the game when he scrambled for an 11-yard score to tie the game at 13-13. Southern Miss answered with a 41-yard field goal by Creighton Wilbanks to regain the lead, 16-13.
That would be the final time the Golden Eagles would score.
Western Kentucky took control in the fourth quarter behind its running back tandem of George Hart III and Marvis Parrish, scoring 14 unanswered points. Hart capped an 11-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Hilltoppers a 20-16 lead. Parrish sealed the game with a 54-yard touchdown run.
After the game, first-year head coach Blake Anderson took responsibility for the offense’s struggles.
“My job is to put points on the board, and we didn’t do that tonight,” Anderson said.
Anderson cited a lack of execution as the main issue preventing the offense from finding its footing. He also praised the defense for keeping Southern Miss in the game.
“Our defenses played hard and fast,” he said. “They played well enough for us to win this game. The offense just wasn’t able to capitalize on that.”
