Southern Miss football coach Will Hall heard the chants.
They weren't a one-time thing at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Even if Hall didn't hear what emanated from the Southern Miss student section in the first quarter, he had other chances to catch an earful throughout the Golden Eagles' 44-28 loss to Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference) on Saturday night.
"Fire Will Hall. Fire Will Hall. Fire Will Hall."
There were visual cues of fans' displeasure, too. Paper bags. A stadium that emptied out. Some fans are displeased that Southern Miss (1-6, 0-3) has started a second consecutive season 1-6.
"I love these kids," Hall said. "I give everything to these kids. I certainly understand the fans being upset. Nobody is more upset than me. Nobody wants to win more than me."
Hall is 14-30 as USM's coach since taking over in 2021. Postgame, he doubled down on his belief that the program will turn around under his command.
What gives Hall the confidence that winning will come?
"I've been a winner all my life," Hall said. "We haven't won here yet. We're putting everything we've got into this thing. We've fixed every part of this program since we got here except for one thing. That's the most important thing to the fans, and that thing is going to happen. I understand their frustration. I feel it with them. I also want to win as bad, worse, than they do."
USM sophomore quarterback Ethan Crawford heard the chants too.
Crawford had an up-and-down performance on Saturday. He threw for 187 yards on 15-of-23 passing. He rushed for 87 yards and two scores as well, but was sacked six times, threw an interception and lost a fumble on the game's final play. Crawford was making his fourth career start and his second this season. Hall elevated Crawford to No. 1 on the depth chart over Tate Rodemaker before last week.
"We've got a lot of guys like me on the team," Crawford said. "We've got our coach's back for whatever. If (fans) are telling him that (they want him fired), they are basically saying the same thing to us. It's going to make guys like me go even harder on every play, just hearing the people doubt. We've got to prove our doubters wrong."
Hall keyed on freshman linebacker Chris Jones, along with freshman running back Jalen Washington and freshman tight end Reed Jesiolowski, as young players that Southern Miss can build through.
Jones had a team-high nine tackles against Arkansas State.
"We've got to change something," Jones said. "We can't keep doing the same thing and keep expecting a different result. That's in life."
Part of the message Hall delivered postgame was forward looking. He said that Southern Miss is in a rut. Hall directed his team to stack good personal decisions, whether that be attending church on Sunday or getting in early in for film sessions.
"You can never fix wrong with another wrong," Hall said. "You can never get out of a rut by doing what you know is not right."
Sam Hutchens covers sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Southern Miss football coach Will Hall heard fans call for his job. Here was his message
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