2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
LendingTree Bowl champion
LendingTree Bowl, W 38–24 vs. Rice
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
	West Division
Record	7–6 (4–4 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Will Hall (2nd season);
Offensive coordinator	Sam Gregg (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Austin Armstrong (2nd season)
Base defense	3–3–5
Home stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium
	Seasons ← 2021 2023 →

The 2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi as a new member of the Sun Belt Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by head coach Will Hall, who was coaching his second season with the team. The Golden Eagles played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

2022 Sun Belt Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Coastal Carolina xy	6	–	2	9	–	4
James Madison* x	6	–	2	8	–	3
Marshall	5	–	3	9	–	4
Georgia Southern	3	–	5	6	–	7
Appalachian State	3	–	5	6	–	6
Georgia State	3	–	5	4	–	8
Old Dominion	2	–	6	3	–	9
West Division
No. 19 Troy xy$	7	–	1	12	–	2
South Alabama x	7	–	1	10	–	3
Southern Miss	4	–	4	7	–	6
Louisiana	4	–	4	6	–	7
Louisiana–Monroe	3	–	5	4	–	8
Texas State	2	–	6	4	–	8
Arkansas State	1	–	7	3	–	9
Championship: Troy 45, Coastal Carolina 26
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

Recruiting class

Sun Belt coaches poll

The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 25, 2022. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the West Division.^[1]

West Division
Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1	Louisiana	95 (12)
2	South Alabama	79 (2)
3	Troy	76
4	Texas State	41
5	Southern Miss	40
6	Arkansas State	37
7	Louisiana–Monroe	24

East Division
Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1	Appalachian State	94 (10)
2	Coastal Carolina	77 (2)
3	Georgia State	68
4	Marshall	62
5	Georgia Southern	35 (1)
6	James Madison	31
7	Old Dominion	25

Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams

Special teams

2nd team

Camron harrell – Right Safety, SR

Schedule

Southern Miss and the Sun Belt Conference announced the 2022 football schedule on March 1, 2022.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	6:00 p.m.	Liberty*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	L 27–29 ^4OT	24,051
September 10	11:00 a.m.	at No. 15 Miami (FL)*	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL	ACCN	L 7–30	46,422
September 17	6:00 p.m.	Northwestern State*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN3	W 64–10	26,202
September 24	6:00 p.m.	at Tulane*	Yulman Stadium New Orleans, LA (Battle for the Bell)	ESPN+	W 27–24	20,422
October 8	6:00 p.m.	at Troy	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	ESPN+	L 10–27	26,017
October 15	6:00 p.m.	Arkansas State	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	W 20–19	27,042
October 22	4:00 p.m.	at Texas State	Bobcat Stadium San Marcos, TX	ESPN+	W 20–14	16,318
October 27	6:30 p.m.	Louisiana	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN2	W 39–24	27,332
November 5	2:00 p.m.	Georgia State	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	L 14–42	22,128
November 12	6:30 p.m.	at Coastal Carolina	Brooks Stadium Conway, SC	ESPNU	L 23–26	16,203
November 19	2:30 p.m.	South Alabama	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	NFLN	L 20–27	24,032
November 26	4:00 p.m.	at Louisiana–Monroe	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	ESPN+	W 20–10	4,465
December 17	4:45 p.m.	vs. Rice*	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL (LendingTree Bowl)	ESPN	W 38–24	20,512
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Liberty

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	3OT	4OT	Total
Flames	0	10	0	14	0	3	0	2	29
Golden Eagles	0	3	7	14	0	3	0	0	27

Statistics

Statistics	LIB	USM
First downs	23	19
Total yards	447	389
Rushing yards	244	252
Passing yards	203	137
Turnovers	3	5
Time of possession	29:06	30:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Kaidon Salter	8/13, 148 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kaidon Salter	9 rushes, 65 yards
	Receiving	Demario Douglas	5 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD
Southern Miss	Passing	Ty Keyes	4/8, 89 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Frank Gore Jr.	32 rushes, 178 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jakarius Caston	2 receptions, 54 yards

At No. 15 Miami (FL)

Game Two – Southern Miss Golden Eagles (0–1) at #15 Miami Hurricanes (1–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	7	0	0	7
No. 15 Hurricanes	3	7	14	6	30

at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida

Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C)
TV announcers (ACCN): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), & Lericia Harris (sideline)
Pregame line: Miami −27.5

Game information

First quarter

(1:39) MIA – Andres Borregales 30-yard field goal (Drive: 16 plays, 68 yards, 6:14; Miami 3–0)

Second quarter

(14:30) USM – Jason Brownlee 32-yard pass from Zach Wilcke, Briggs Bourgeois kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:09; Southern Miss 7–3)
(0:20) MIA – Henry Parrish Jr. 1-yard run, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 2:52; Miami 10–7)

Third quarter

(7:10) MIA – Thaddius Franklin Jr. 7-yard run, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 6:11; Miami 17–7)
(4:56) MIA – Key'Shawn Smith 35-yard pass from Tyler Van Dyke, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:06; Miami 24–7)

Fourth quarter

(9:11) MIA – Andres Borregales 33-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 44 yards, 5:30; Miami 27–7)
(3:34) MIA – Andres Borregales 48-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 14 yards, 3:50; Miami 30–7)

Statistics	USM	MIA
First downs	12	23
Plays–yards	50–240	78–451
Rushes–yards	24–33	49–173
Passing yards	207	278
Passing: comp–att–int	16–27–1	23–32–1
Time of possession	23:00	37:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Zach Wilcke	16/27, 207 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Zach Wilcke	12 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Jason Brownlee	5 receptions, 102 yards, TD
Miami	Passing	Tyler Van Dyke	21/30, 263 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Henry Parrish Jr.	24 carries, 116 yards, TD
	Receiving	Xavier Restrepo	6 receptions, 72 yards

Northwestern State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	0	0	10	0	10
Golden Eagles	13	28	16	7	64

At Tulane

Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2–1) vs Tulane Green Wave (3–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	10	7	10	27
Green Wave	7	10	0	7	24

at Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA

Date: September 24, 2022
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
Game attendance: 20,422
Referee: Kevin Randall
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jack Benjamin (play-by-play), Brian Kinchen (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

(10:14) TUL – Tyjae Spears 8-yard run, Kriston Esnard kick (Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:43; Tulane 7–0)

Second quarter

(11:57) TUL – Tyjae Spears 34-yard run, Kriston Esnard kick (Drive: 6 plays, 87 yards, 3:03; Tulane 14–0)
(6:01) USM – Jason Brownlee 23-yard pass from Zach Wilcke, Briggs Bourgeois kick (Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 1:45; Tulane 14–7)
(2:31) USM – Briggs Bourgeois 36-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 2:03; Tulane 14–10)
(0:03) TUL – Kriston Esnard 28-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 2:28; Tulane 17–10)

Third quarter

(1:53) USM – Jakarius Caston 37-yard pass from Zach Wilcke, Briggs Bourgeois kick (Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 3:06; Tied 17–17)

Fourth quarter

(8:26) USM – Briggs Bourgeois 26-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:50; Southern Miss 20–17)
(7:07) USM – Eric Scott Jr. 35-yard interception return, Briggs Bourgeois kick (Drive: 3 plays, 4 yards, 1:19; Southern Miss 27–17)
(0:19) TUL – Jha'Quan Jackson 25-yard pass from Michael Pratt, Kriston Esnard kick (Drive: 4 plays, 72 yards, 0:37; Southern Miss 27–24)

Statistics	USM	TUL
First downs	13	26
Total yards	253	451
Rushes/yards	27–59	47–204
Passing yards	194	247
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–25–0	19–29–1
Time of possession	23:59	36:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Zach Wilcke	17/25, 194 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Frank Gore Jr.	16 carries, 44 yards
	Receiving	Jakarius Caston	8 receptions, 91 yards, TD
Tulane	Passing	Michael Pratt	19/29, 247 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tyjae Spears	22 carries, 114 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tyjae Spears	5 receptions, 74 yards

At Troy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	7	3	0	10
Trojans	3	7	7	10	27

Arkansas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Red Wolves	7	3	9	0	19
Golden Eagles	0	7	0	13	20

At Texas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	3	10	0	7	20
Bobcats	0	7	0	7	14

Louisiana

Louisiana at Southern Mississippi

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ragin' Cajuns	5	6	6	7	24
• Golden Eagles	20	9	0	10	39

Date: October 27, 2022
Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Game start: 6:35 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 46 minutes
Game attendance: 27,332
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 4 MPH
Referee: Wayne Winkler
TV announcers (ESPN2): Mike Couzens (play–by–play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)

Pregame line	Over/under
LA –2.5	43.0

Statistics	Louisiana	Southern Miss
First downs	17	15
Total yards	439	339
Rushing yards	103	150
Passing yards	336	189
Turnovers	4	2
Time of possession	26:47	33:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana	Passing	Ben Wooldridge	21/46, 336 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Chris Smith	11 carries, 47 yards
	Receiving	Michael Jefferson	6 receptions, 179 yards, 1 TD
Southern Miss	Passing	Zach Wilcke	8/17, 137 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Frank Gore Jr.	23 carries, 87 yards
	Receiving	Jason Brownlee	3 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD

Georgia State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	14	14	7	7	42
Golden Eagles	0	0	14	0	14

At Coastal Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	17	3	3	23
Chanticleers	17	0	3	6	26

South Alabama

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	3	10	0	14	27
Golden Eagles	7	3	7	3	20

At Louisiana-Monroe

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	10	0	0	10	20
Warhawks	0	7	3	0	10

Vs. Rice (LendingTree Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	3	21	0	24
Golden Eagles	7	10	7	14	38

References

^ "Sun Belt Announces Football Preseason Awards & Poll". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
^ Chris Vannini (March 1, 2022). "Sun Belt releases 2022 football schedule with Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss included". The Athletic. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
^ Renaldo Hopkins (March 1, 2022). "USM makes Sun Belt Conference move official with 2022 football schedule". WDAM-TV. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
^ Khari Thompson (March 1, 2022). "Southern Miss releases football schedule with Sun Belt conference games, not Conference USA". Mississippi Clarion Ledger. Retrieved May 19, 2022.

[1] "Sun Belt Announces Football Preseason Awards & Poll". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved July 25, 2022.

[2] Chris Vannini (March 1, 2022). "Sun Belt releases 2022 football schedule with Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss included". The Athletic. Retrieved May 19, 2022.

[3] Renaldo Hopkins (March 1, 2022). "USM makes Sun Belt Conference move official with 2022 football schedule". WDAM-TV. Retrieved May 19, 2022.

[4] Khari Thompson (March 1, 2022). "Southern Miss releases football schedule with Sun Belt conference games, not Conference USA". Mississippi Clarion Ledger. Retrieved May 19, 2022.

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