Southern Mississippi quarterback Billy Wiles (8) is pressured by Tulane linebacker Jesus Machado (99) and Tulane defensive lineman Angelo Anderson (3) during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023, in Hattiesburg, Miss. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Southern Miss suffered a tough loss against rival Tulane on Saturday, falling 21-3 in a game that saw few signs of offensive life.
Coming off a rout at the hands of the Florida State Seminoles, Southern Miss looked to rebound against the Tulane Green Wave. There was cause for optimism–namely the fact that Southern Miss had handed Tulane one of only two losses on its season in 2022.
Another cause for optimism came in the fact that Tulane’s star quarterback Michael Pratt was out for the second week in a row.
None of it mattered. While Southern Miss defense at times looked nasty against the Green Wave, Tulane’s backup quarterback, Kai Horton, was able to piece together a solid performance. Horton accounted for all three of Tulane’s touchdowns, with two through the air and one on the ground.
The outting was more than sufficient against a Southern Miss offense that could not reliably move the ball. The Golden Eagles managed just 213 total yards of offense, and only 36 yards on the ground. Standout running back Frank Gore, Jr. was only able to grind out 16 yards on 13 carries.
Quarterback Billy Wiles went 19-for-33 for 177 yards, but could not sniff the endzone. He had only one pass over 20 yards and averaged just 5.4 yards per completion.
A week prior, the Tulane Green Wave gave the Rebels all they wanted at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. While it is uncertain if the Green Wave can duplicate their 2022 run that saw the team finish 12-2, they appear to have another decent team through three games.
Southern Miss will now head to Arkansas for a game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves. The Red Wolves, like the Golden Eagles, are 1-2 on the season.
James Bryan Harrell
