To say that this is a must-win game for either team would be an understatement
This matchup, on paper, is a complete reversal from this time last season. Southern Miss is one win away from its best season since going 8-5 in 2017 and its best performance in conference play since finishing 7-1 in Conference USA in 2015.
As fate would have it for the Golden Eagles, they had a six-win improvement overall from 2014 to 2015 — a feet they matched after last week’s victory over Arkansas State.
Texas State, meanwhile, has regressed in the standings. The Bobcats hoped to achieve a first at the Division I level — whether it be FCS or FBS — by recording three straight winning seasons. To make that happen, they will need to win their final three games plus a bowl game. Their only other winning season at the FBS level came in 2014, when they went 7-5, followed by a 3-9 campaign in Dennis Franchione’s final season before his retirement.
To say that this is a must-win game for either team would be an understatement.
Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles got off to a hot start against Arkansas State, with quarterback Landry Lyddy accounting for both touchdowns in the first half. After running for one score, he connected with Elijah Metcalf for a 76-yard touchdown on their first play of the second half.
The Red Wolves mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Braylon Braxton hit Kyirin Heath with a 15-yard touchdown pass to give Southern Miss (7-2, 5-0 SBC) enough of a cushion for a 27-21 victory.
Head coach Charles Huff said he was proud of how his team responded to Arkansas State’s run.
“Our guys really showed unbelievable resilience,” Huff said. “[It] really showed what culture really looks like…what trusting the process really looks like. I say it all the time, man. Good teams find ways to win. Bad teams find ways to lose.”
Defensively, Josh Moten was the star. The redshirt senior, who followed Huff to Southern Miss from Marshall, became the first player with three interceptions in a game since 2002.
Heading into the matchup, Huff said that Moten felt he was letting his team down with only two interceptions on the year. On Thursday night, Huff sent him a Bible verse to help put him at ease.
“I didn’t know that verse would equal three picks or I may send the whole Bible next time,” Huff joked at his weekly press conference.
The victory gave Southern Miss their first 5-0 conference start since 2003, a season that ended with a Liberty Bowl loss to Utah.
Texas State
Texas State kept the contest close in the first half but allowed Louisiana to score 21 unanswered points in the second quarter, being outscored 28-7 to trail 35-17 at halftime. The Ragin’ Cajuns held on to defeat the Bobcats (3-6, 0-5 SBC) 42-39.
Quarterback Brad Jackson went 26-for-33 for 360 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Beau Sparks caught 10 of those passes for 186 yards and a touchdown.
The defense, however, could not contain Louisiana quarterback Lunch Winfield, who accounted for five touchdowns — two on the ground.
The second half was a different story for the Bobcats, who outscored Louisiana 21-7 and scored the final 19 points of the game. The difference in the game was two missed two-point conversions in the fourth quarter.
Head coach GJ Kinne said his team refuses to give up.
“I think the fourth quarter was a good example of that,” Kinne said. “We’re going to keep battling and play every game like it’s the first…We got opportunity to finish it the right way and for me, in my situation, I got time to fix it.”
Players are still buying in to Kinne’s message.
“We have the players to go beat anybody,” cornerback Jaden Rios said. “We just got to kind of take a step back and relook at all the little stuff that we’re missing and do that right.”
Texas State will be without six players for the upcoming game. At the conclusion of the Louisiana matchup, a fight broke out between both teams. Seven Louisiana players were also suspended, including Tyree Skipper for the rest of the season.
“There is no place for this type of behavior in college football,” Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill said in a statement. “This unfortunate postgame incident overshadowed what was a competitive regional rivalry game on the field.”
Texas State at Southern Miss
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Southern Miss Radio Network (Southern Miss), (also on Varsity Network app); KTSW 89.9 (Texas State)
For information on tickets, fans can click here. Texas State fans can email the ticket office at gametickets@txstate.edu with any additional questions.
About The Author
