The last time Southern Miss football played at Kentucky , it mounted a 25-point comeback win in 2016 — the largest come-from-behind victory in program history.
A lot has changed since then. Southern Miss has a different coach in Will Hall , and it has joined a new conference.
Mark Stoops is still the Kentucky coach, though, and remembers that game.
“It will be brought up and certainly the players know,” Stoops said Monday. “They’re not oblivious to all that and they understand that we have to go play well. There’s a lot of teams that could beat us, and we could beat a lot of teams.”
The Wildcats got revenge the next season in Hattiesburg, but can Southern Miss find that same magic on Saturday (6:45 p.m., SEC Network)?
Here’s a look inside the season-opening matchup.
Why Southern Miss will beat Kentucky
The Golden Eagles have 51 new players on their roster this season, tied for the 25th-most in the sport. Many of those newcomers will be starting, particularly on offense. That could be an advantage for Southern Miss because of the uncertainty — not to mention Southern Miss has new offensive and defensive coordinators, too.
Hall has not announced a starter at quarterback. Florida State transfer Tate Rodemaker and sophomore Ethan Crawford are both listed as starters in the team-released depth chart . It’s possible both of them play Saturday because of their differing skill sets.
Southern Miss did lose Frank Gore Jr. to the NFL, but Dreke Clark is an experienced running back who averaged 5.6 yards per carry last season. The passing game also should be upgraded with either of the quarterbacks.
The Southern Miss defense could be key, with the defensive line a strength of the team. The secondary is less proven, but if Southern Miss can force a few turnovers — which new defensive coordinator Clay Bignell has emphasized in a different scheme from last season — it could create a funky game. Rain is in the forecast Saturday.
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Why Southern Miss won't beat Kentucky
Kentucky didn’t add as many new players as Southern Miss, but the ones it did add will be impactful.
Brock Vandagriff is the quarterback, a Georgia transfer who was a five-star prospect coming out of high school. However, he seldomly played with the Bulldogs, amounting for 165 passing yards with two touchdowns in three seasons. According to 247Sports, Vandagriff is one of four four-star transfers brought in by Kentucky, joining wide receiver Raymond Cottrell Jr. (Texas A&M), running back Chip Trayanum (Ohio State) and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson (Georgia).
Deone Walker is the big name to watch, a defensive lineman projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick next spring. He had 7.5 sacks last season and was a first-team All-SEC selection. Southern Miss has four new starters on its offensive line.
Southern Miss score prediction vs. Kentucky
Kentucky 38, Southern Miss 17: Reminder, Southern Miss was supposed to play this Week 1 game at Ohio State. Instead, Akron plays at Ohio State and is about a 50-point underdog. Kentucky is a much more beatable team and Southern Miss should be able to put up a fight for at least two quarters, but I have concerns about Southern Miss’ offensive line in this matchup.
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss football vs. Kentucky: Score prediction, scouting report in season opener
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