Saturday, October 8
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Southern Miss
at
Troy
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Football Opens Sun Belt Conference Play at Troy
10/7/2022 8:55:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – A new era officially begins for Southern Miss football when they play their inaugural Sun Belt Conference contest Saturday, Oct. 8, at Troy. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium, and can be seen on ESPN+ as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network by Learfield.
The Golden Eagles (2-2) bring a two-game winning streak into the contest against the Trojans (3-2, 1-1 Sun Belt). Southern Miss defeated Northwestern State 64-10 and Tulane 27-24 during this winning stretch and enjoyed its only idle Saturday during the season last weekend.
Southern Miss and Troy play for the third time in the last four seasons as it will be the 12th meeting overall with the two programs. Southern Miss leads in the series, 8-3, despite falling 21-9 at The Rock last fall. This will be the first conference meeting between the two foes in a series that started in 1935.
Heading into this contest, freshman quarterback Zach Wilcke makes his fourth career start having thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his first three games to account for 503 yards in the air on 42-of-70 throws with four touchdown passes and a lone interception.
Jakarius Caston headlines the receiving corps for the Golden Eagles, who has team highs for catches (20) and receiving yards (262) as well as touchdown catches (3). Caston has a streak of two consecutive touchdown receiving games. Jason Brownlee also has enjoyed a solid start to the season with 11 grabs for 225 yards and a pair of scores.
In the running game, Frank Gore, Jr., continues to push the ball forward for the Golden Eagles as he has posted 314 rushing yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season with three rushing touchdowns.
The offensive line also has not surrendered a sack over the last two games as the team has averaged 420.0 offensive yards over that span.
As for the defense, they continue to pressure the opposition. When Eric Scott, Jr., scored on an interception against Tulane, it marked the sixth game over the last eight that the program had registered a defensive touchdown.
In all, the Golden Eagles have forced seven turnovers over the first four contests and have cut down the number of points allowed to 23.3 per game.
Safety Malik Shorts leads the defense with 36 total tackles and a pair of interceptions, while linebacker Santrell Latham ranks next with 25 stops to go along with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Scott, Jr., also holds a pair of interceptions, both for touchdowns.
On the defensive front, Jalen Williams leads the line with 21 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.
Following the Troy contest, the Golden Eagles return home to face Arkansas State in a 6 p.m. homecoming contest next Saturday, Oct. 15.
The Golden Eagles (2-2) bring a two-game winning streak into the contest against the Trojans (3-2, 1-1 Sun Belt). Southern Miss defeated Northwestern State 64-10 and Tulane 27-24 during this winning stretch and enjoyed its only idle Saturday during the season last weekend.
Southern Miss and Troy play for the third time in the last four seasons as it will be the 12th meeting overall with the two programs. Southern Miss leads in the series, 8-3, despite falling 21-9 at The Rock last fall. This will be the first conference meeting between the two foes in a series that started in 1935.
Heading into this contest, freshman quarterback Zach Wilcke makes his fourth career start having thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his first three games to account for 503 yards in the air on 42-of-70 throws with four touchdown passes and a lone interception.
Jakarius Caston headlines the receiving corps for the Golden Eagles, who has team highs for catches (20) and receiving yards (262) as well as touchdown catches (3). Caston has a streak of two consecutive touchdown receiving games. Jason Brownlee also has enjoyed a solid start to the season with 11 grabs for 225 yards and a pair of scores.
In the running game, Frank Gore, Jr., continues to push the ball forward for the Golden Eagles as he has posted 314 rushing yards, averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season with three rushing touchdowns.
The offensive line also has not surrendered a sack over the last two games as the team has averaged 420.0 offensive yards over that span.
As for the defense, they continue to pressure the opposition. When Eric Scott, Jr., scored on an interception against Tulane, it marked the sixth game over the last eight that the program had registered a defensive touchdown.
In all, the Golden Eagles have forced seven turnovers over the first four contests and have cut down the number of points allowed to 23.3 per game.
Safety Malik Shorts leads the defense with 36 total tackles and a pair of interceptions, while linebacker Santrell Latham ranks next with 25 stops to go along with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Scott, Jr., also holds a pair of interceptions, both for touchdowns.
On the defensive front, Jalen Williams leads the line with 21 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.
Following the Troy contest, the Golden Eagles return home to face Arkansas State in a 6 p.m. homecoming contest next Saturday, Oct. 15.
Players Mentioned
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