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Athlon Sports
Southern Miss Football: 2024 Golden Eagles Season Preview and Prediction
By Athlon Sports,
19 days ago
This is an important year for Will Hall and the Golden Eagles. Consecutive losing seasons are exceedingly rare in Hattiesburg, a place that is used to bowl trips. With two of his three seasons at the helm ending with only three wins, Hall now has the unenviable task of needing to produce a better team without the talent of Frank Gore Jr. in his backfield.
Southern Miss has been plagued by injuries over the last few seasons and will hope to avoid entering any games this season with a depleted lineup. Injuries were a primary reason that the Golden Eagles started last season with a record of 1-7. They were outside the top 90 of FBS in most major categories, including yards per game (353.3).
Arguably the story of Southern Miss’ offseason was the signing of Florida State quarterback Tate Rodemaker. Rodemaker made waves at FSU last season when he made his first start in three years in a 24-15 win over archrival Florida. The 6-foot-4 Valdosta, Georgia, native is the most likely candidate to win the starting job in Hattiesburg after throwing for 510 yards and five touchdowns in limited duty for the Seminoles.
Also figuring to be a key weapon is running back Rodrigues Clark. Clark transferred from Memphis prior to last season, but he split carries with Frank Gore Jr., now pursuing pro football. A healthy Clark would be the Eagles’ featured back this season. He’ll be running behind an offensive line that is being almost totally rebuilt.
Southern Miss wide receiver Tiaquelin Mims caught 39 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns in 2023.
Melina Myers&solUSA TODAY Sports
Previewing Southern Miss’ Defense for 2024
With 51 passing and rushing touchdowns allowed last season, Southern Miss allowed opponents to find the end zone more than any other team in the Sun Belt. The Golden Eagles’ 6.7 yards allowed per play also was the conference’s worst.
New defensive coordinator Clay Bignell is charged with fixing things this season after spending the previous two seasons at FCS Eastern Illinois.
In terms of personnel, a few impact transfer players will be key parts of the equation. Safety Braxton Myers joins the Golden Eagles from Purdue after a high school career that earned him a 4-star rating. Coastal Carolina transfer Tre Pinkney is also intriguing addition given that he posted 50 tackles for the Chanticleers back in 2022.
The 2024 season is an important one for Southern Miss head coach Will Hall, who is just 13-24 with the Golden Eagles.
Melina Myers&solUSA TODAY Sports
Previewing Southern Miss’ Specialists for 2024
The Golden Eagles could have benefited from a better kicking game in 2023. Returning placekicker Andrew Stein connected on 17 field goals out of 23 attempts. Punter Bryce Lofton also returns after landing 13 punts inside opponents’ 20-yard line. Return man Tiaquelin Mims did take one punt return to the house last season and could take over kickoff returns as well in 2024.
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