Week 9 Preview: Southern Miss @ ULM

After snapping a five-game losing streak against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in front of a packed home crowd, the Golden Eagles will head northwest on Route 20 to Monroe for a showdown with the Warhawks.

Southern Miss

The Blake Anderson era hasn’t gotten off to the most promising start for the Golden Eagles, boasting a 2-5 record just past the halfway point in the season. However, last week’s performance proved that the Golden Eagles aren’t going down without a fight. They knocked off the Cajuns, who sit third in the Sun Belt West, shootout style in front of the homecoming crowd.

The ground game proved to be the difference-maker, with the Golden Eagles outrushing the Cajuns by more than 160 yards, featuring two 100-yard rushers. Leading the charge was redshirt freshman running back Jamarice Wilder, who piled up 154 rushing yards with the go-ahead touchdown to boot. Right behind Wilder was redshirt junior running back Steven Robinson, who banked 145 rushing yards with three touchdowns of his own.

On the other side of the ball, the defense made plenty of clutch plays down the stretch to secure the upset over Louisiana, specifically in the secondary. Leading the Golden Eagles’ defense was redshirt defensive back Michael Robinson III, stacking 12 tackles (four solo), one tackle for loss, one sack, two pass breakups and two quarterback hits. Their biggest moment came in the fourth quarter, with redshirt junior defensive back Kolby Peavy returning an interception 30 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 28.

Despite the win, the Golden Eagles have scored fewer than 20 points in just two of their seven games this season. Two of their five losses during the losing streak have come by 10 points or fewer. There’s plenty of potential up and down the roster for Southern Miss though, as they look to build upon this win in the back half of the season.

ULM

The Warhawks once again find themselves staring up from the bottom in the Sun Belt West. However, ULM secured their first win of the season last week with a 21-14 come-from-behind victory on the road against the Troy Trojans.

ULM found its success through the air, outpassing the Trojans by 102 yards with 149 pass yards. Redshirt senior Aidan Armenta completed 13-of-22 with 147 passing yards and two touchdowns, after taking over for sophomore quarterback Austin Carlisle.

Despite allowing an average of 37 points per game, the Warhawks’ defense held the Trojans to just seven points through three quarters and 14 points overall, forcing a turnover or punt on 12 of Troy’s 14 drives. Senior linebacker Noah Flemmings led the defensive unit with 15 total tackles (three solo), one tackle for loss of 11 yards and a forced fumble.

Tale of the Tape

This will be the 11th meeting between the Golden Eagles and Warhawks all-time. Southern Miss currently leads the series 7-3 and has only lost in Monroe once since these teams first squared off in 1982.

The Golden Eagles average 30.3 points against the Warhawks while ULM averages 23.1 against Southern Miss. Only two out of the ten games have been decided by one score or less, the other eight have been decided by 10 or more.

Both teams are running out of room to make mistakes. For ULM, a win will keep their bowl season hopes and conference title dreams afloat while a loss means the Warhawks would likely sit out of bowl season for the 12th consecutive year. For Southern Miss, a win puts them back in the conversation for the conference title and provides a little more breathing room while a loss would give the Golden Eagles their sixth defeat which will put their bowl season hopes on “do-or-die” status for the rest of the season.

Southern Miss @ ULM

Kickoff: Saturday, October 31, 2:30 P.M. CT (3:30 EST)

TV: ESPN+

Radio: Southern Miss Sports Network (WXRR-FM 104.5 FM)

For more information on tickets and parking, fans can click here. Fans can also contact the ULM ticketing office via phone at (318) 342-4295.