SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.STUDENTPRINTZ.COM • NOVEMBER 2, 2022 | VOLUME 107 | ISSUE 10
FENTANYL PG 3
PARKING PG 4
VOLLEYBALL PG 7
Editorial: Dr. Joe Paul becomes 11th Southern Miss President but how?
SM2 STAFF
O
n Oct. 24, excitement spread on campus as Dr. Joe Paul was named the 11th President of the University of Southern Mississippi. Students, faculty and administration expressed their joy at this announcement, coming together to celebrate and open a widely spread conversation about how this happened. The Board of Trustees and the Faculty Senate started their search for a president earlier on into the Fall 2022 Semester. In July, Dr. Joe Paul was elected as interim President of the University. In most situations, interim presidents are only elected to serve for a short period of time. Yet in this surprising turn of events, USM’s interim president was elected as the actual president. It was a surprise, but a welcome one in the eyes of the campus. Many, however, are wondering why the decision was made so quickly after USM’s Listening Sessions during the search for the president. Candidates for the presidency included Christy Myers, Brian Caldwell, David Ishee, Heather Miller, Brett Blackman, Jill Hendon, Mickey Anderson, and Alan Eichelman. Each candidate had seasoned experience and presented what they desired as president well, but in the end, they were not chosen for the president. Instead, USM stuck with what they already had. Now, no one is saying that Dr. Paul isn’t experienced or not worthy of this position. He was an alumnus, former administrator in student affairs, and
Dr. Joe Paul at the official announcement of his presidency Thursday, Oct. 26, 2022.
was a faculty member for USM’s School of Education and Psychology. And Dr. Paul is obviously a beloved figure on campus. He can be seen frequently in the Thad Cochran Center, at football games, tailgates, speaking at on-campus events for different organizations and simply sharing his love of Southern Miss with the people in the community. There was an outcry of love and happiness at his selection. He was selected for a reason. But many still wonder why the decision was made so quickly. Why host a listening session if they were going to keep Dr. Paul as the president? “During the Listening Sessions held on the campuses in
Hattiesburg and Long Beach, the campus community spoke clearly and passionately about why Dr. Joe Paul is unquestionably the right person to fill the role on a permanent basis,” Co-chair of the Board Search Committee Trustee Gee Ogletree said. “I have known and witnessed Dr. Paul’s exceptional contributions to the University for over four decades. I recognize Dr. Paul’s energy, relationships, affection and years of service to Southern Miss have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the right person to guide the University into its next chapter of leadership and excellence in teaching, service and research in the state and nation.”
Loren Jones | Printz Executive Editor
The question was asked multiple times: Was anyone unhappy with Dr. Paul’s election? There was nothing but support for the president. No one (publicly) said they were unhappy. Everyone celebrated at the official announcement before last Thursday’s televised football game, and campus has made it quickly obvious that Dr. Joe Paul is loved at USM. There’s a reason he became president, and the campus is grateful for it. One thing is clear—Dr. Joe Paul bleeds black and gold. The man is a Golden Eagle through and through, and we officially welcome him to Southern Miss as our President.
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NOVEMBER 2, 2022
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The Student Printz is the student-produced newspaper of the Southern Miss Student Media Center (SM2) in the School of Media and Communication at The University of Southern Mississippi. It is published every Wednesday morning and updated online at www.SM2media.com. The newspaper has been printed since 1927, serving the campus and community with news and information. Today, SM2 student journalists and media producers create and share stories with multiple medias on multiple platforms using the most modern technology housed in College Hall. SM2 includes Southern Miss Radio, Southern Miss TV, Southern Miss, SM2 Creative, and SM2 Strategic Communication.
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The views represented in The Student Printz’s columns and editorials do not represent those of the faculty, staff or administration of The University of Southern Mississippi. We welcome letters to the editor representing similar and contrasting opinions. To be eligible for publication, all submission must include name, class distinction, major, phone number and email address. Submissions should be emailed to printzeditors@ gmail.com by 5 p.m. on the Friday before publication. Please limit them to 500 words or less. The Student Printz reserves the right to refuse publication or edit any material on the basis of clarity, space or journalistic ethics.
THE CONTRIBUTORS
Printz Executive Editor Loren Jones loren.jones@usm.edu
SMTV Executive Director Garret Grove garret.grove@usm.edu
4th Street Sports Producer Charlie Luttrell charles.luttrell@usm.edu
SM2 Photo Editor Sean Smith sean.smith@usm.edu
4th Street Sports Reporter Dima Mixon joshua.mixon@usm.edu
SM2 Reporter Abigail Troth abigail.troth@usm.edu
SM2 Reporter Mya Evens mya.evans@usm.edu
SM2 Reporter Simeon Gates simeon.gates@usm.edu
4th Street Sports Director Austin Lindsey austin.lindsey@usm.edu
SM2 Reporter Brooke Parker cassidy.b.parker@usm.edu
4th Street Sports Reporter Nathan Lee nathan.m.lee@usm.edu
SM2 Reporter Shannon Barbin shannon.barbin@usm.edu
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NOVEMBER 2, 2022
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James Moore helps the fight against substance abuse and overdose
SHANNON BARBIN SM2 REPORTER
J
ames Moore, owner of Moore’s Bicycle Shop in Hattiesburg, lost his son Jeffery Moore in 2015 to a drug overdose. Moore’s son was asked to leave a 90-day program after being there 60 days. He was on his fourth behavioral violation due to smoking tobacco products, which was prohibited. He was picked up from the facility by his devastated father. “I remember going to pick him up, and I was so upset with him because again he had chosen self above family,” said Moore. Jeffery overdosed just eight days after leaving the treatment center on heroin that was laced with fentanyl. Moore was angry because he said no one had told him that his son had a higher chance of overdose being sober for two months should he begin using drugs again. It wasn’t until after his son was dead that Moore saw a television program explaining Narcan and what it was used for. Moore said that someone at that facility should have told him about Narcan and what it can do. “The remedy for an overdose would be Narcan, if given to a person in time. The Narcan goes into the nose and into the bloodstream and knocks the opioids off the receptors of the brain that controls involuntary movements like breathing,” said Moore. “If given in time, the patient is able to begin breathing on their own rather than dying from a lack of oxygen.”
Moore is heavily involved in substance abuse disorders advocacy and helps other addicts who are struggling. Anyone who needs Narcan can go to Moore’s Bicycle Shop with no questions asked. The only requirement is that the person asking watches a six-minute video on how it is administered. Just recently, he has even begam recommending using fentanyl testing strips. A user can scrape a tiny bit of the drug onto the testing strip, and it will be able to detect if it contains fentanyl. However, these testing stripes are deemed illegal because they are classified as drug paraphernal. There has been a steady increase in the drug overdoses associated with the synthetic drug, fentanyl. The way that fentanyl affects the body is by causing relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction and respiratory depression according to DEA. gov. This highly potent drug is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Originally, it was created to treat cancer patients with pain. However, due to the strength of the drug, it is highly addictive. Often it is added to heroin or methamphetamine to increase the “high” associated with the drugs. People are buying these drugs and sometimes are unaware that the drug they are purchasing is laced with fentanyl and can lead to overdoses. According to DEA.gov, fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico. The University of Southern
Rapid Response drug test strips and Narcan nasal spray are resources to help prevent fentanyl overdoses.
Mississippi also offers various alcohol and drug programs, as well as resources such as Eagle Check-up located at the Moffitt Health Center and the Shatterproof Association Organization. “If I could give advice to someone who is battling sub-
Shannon Barbin | SM2 Reporter
stance abuse, would tell them to seek help. It is a very difficult thing to battle by yourself. Your chances of succeeding are greater if you are in a community of like-minded people who know what it’s like to be you and you feel safe around those people,” said Moore.
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NOVEMBER 2, 2022
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USM’s home football game resulted in chaos due to parking
JA’TARRICA WILSON SM2 REPORTER
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ast Thursday, USM’s home football game resulted in chaos due to parking. The parking lots across USM’s Hattiesburg campus were filled with cones to block out cars from parking in certain areas. Additionally, there were traffic directors designated in certain areas to guide cars. An employee of USM’s Parking and Transit Services, who was directing traffic before the game started, was in one of the busiest spots. “It’ll get better,” said the
woman who was directing traffic. “This is one of the busiest spots because of the handicap area here. But I love working it, it is always good, and everybody is nice.” Although traffic seemed to calm down between 2-4 p.m., it became chaotic as the time grew closer to 5 p.m. The football game started at 6:30 p.m., so heavy traffic was to be expected. As the time for the football game to start grew nearer, more and more people began to arrive on campus. USM students that reside in McCarty Hall, Wilbur Hall, Hillcrest and Bolton
Hall were instructed to move their vehicles. Most of the students moved their cars to the Hillcrest Gravel lot and the parking garage. Even though students were at liberty to move their vehicles to the parking garage, the parking garage was still open for visitors to park during the football game. However, this was challenging. By the time that all the resident’s hall students had parked their cars in the parking garage, there was minimum parking area for visitors. Within a matter of minutes, a yellow sign was placed
in front of the parking garage with the words ‘LOT FULL’ on it. “It’s getting jammed packed, we got cars running in and out,” said Landon Scott, the traffic director that was in front of the parking garage. “I just had a car come out a while ago, and he said it was full up in there.” Some students believe that the parking arrangements for big events, such as USM’s most recent football game, should be better organized. For more information regarding USM’s parking, visit the Parking and Transits Services building on campus.
Federal Court blocks student loan forgiveness act from moving forward
MYA EVANS SM2 REPORTER
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he Federal Court blocked Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness from moving forward on Friday. It will stay blocked the next court scheduling. According to CNBC, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted that the states’ petition to freeze the loan forgiveness plan until court rules on the request for a longer-term injunction. This will have to wait until Thursday for
the decision against the states. It is being appealed. The U.S. District Judge in St. Louis ruled that while the Republicans-led states an important and significant debt relief plan. Also, it lacks legal standing to pursue the case. Many other states also think Biden plan circled congressional authority and threatened their tax revenues in the future. The money they earn by their state entities that invest in the student loans. This case had attorneys filed seeking to stop the debt
forgiveness plan. All of this is one of the numbers why this plan is but on hold. In the policy they are benefiting millions of Americans. The U.S. government will give forgive up to $10,000 in student loans debt for people who make less than $125,000 a year and $250,000 for married couples, according to Joe Biden from the CNBC. Biden made a promise that the policy fulfilled during his speech in 2020 to help college and former college students to
get them out of debt with student’s loans. The Congressional Budget office calculated the forgiveness in September. In total, it would cost the government about $400 billion dollars to get everyone who is required out of their debt. Democrats are anticipating that the policy will boost support for them by the Nov. 8 midterm election. Control of Congress is at stake. Many people are distraught about this decision about student loans and hope it can go on in the future.
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NOVEMBER 2, 2022
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PSA: Setting Boundaries NATHAN LEE 4TH STREET SPORTS REPORTER
opening themselves up to intimacy and close relationships.” etting personal Boundaries can be considboundaries is a skill ered like an imaginary line that many people as they are the behaviors have adopted recently as that an individual will accept mental health has taken a about themself. This can be prominent role in our sociphysical, emotional, sexual, ety. It is a lifestyle that has spiritual, financial, time or been popularized through non-negotiable boundaries. self-help books and support Still, self-help is an action groups since the mid-1980s. many people are starting to According to TherapistAid. take very seriously as they com, “Boundaries are the realize, in most cases, it can limits and rules that people only be “you” that sets these set for themselves in relaboundaries and habits. tionships. Someone with Setting boundaries would healthy boundaries can say be considered one of those “no” when they want to, but self-improvement tricks in they are also comfortable that it can create a transpar-
S
ent attempt to ensure that you act as you would like to be treated. According to Wellnesscenter.uic.edu, “As students, boundaries also help to avoid burnout, stress, and anxiety. It can also help prevent financial and emotional burdens.” Students are a prominent group that struggles with setting boundaries due to the implications one can get for saying “yes.” “Clout” is a term used mostly in social media, but people can get caught up in it in real life as well because they are determined to impress those around them whom they believe to
be important. So, how can you set those boundaries to ensure you will not adopt these toxic and unhealthy habits? According to Science of People, the five ways to stay true to your newly set boundaries is to visualize and name your limits, openly communicate your boundaries, reiterate and uphold your boundaries, don’t be afraid to say no, and take time for yourself. This can be as simple as setting a daily schedule, talking to your best friends about your new lifestyle, repeatedly taking time to reiterate your boundaries or saying no to that party with your friends.
Experience Joy, Pain, and Family with “The Addams Family”
SIMEON GATES SM2 REPORTER
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outh e rn M i s s Theat re h e ld t h e openi ng ni gh t of it s lates t p ro d u c t i o n, “T h e Ad d a ms Fam i ly,” on Oct . 28. Th e p lay fol l ow s the s t o ry o f t h e titula r eccent ri c fam i ly as they face new c h all en ges w hen We d ne s d ay Add a ms br ing s h o m e h er f ir s t love. Dram aturge Sa ra h G u i d ro z gave a few w o rd s o n t h e story’s la rger m e s s ag e . T he Ad d a m s Fam i ly f ranchis e began w i t h comic s tr ips c re at e d by C h arles Ad d am s i n t h e 1930s . It w a s ad ap t e d
i nt o a t e l ev i s i o n s ho w i n 19 6 4 . T he ad a p t at i o n m o s t p e o p l e a r e fa m i l i a r w i t h a r e t he l i v e -act i o n f i lm s fr o m t he 19 9 0 s . Th i s p r o d u ct i o n i s b as e d o n t he m u s i ca l w ri t t e n by Ma r s ha l l B ri c km a n a n d Ri ck E l i ce w i t h m u s i c by A n d r ew Li p p a . T he p l o t ce n t e r s o n an o l d e r We d n e s d ay Ad d am s b r i n g i n g ho m e h e r f ir s t l o v e a n d f i a n cé , Lu c as, who co me s fr o m a “ no r m a l ” fa m i l y. T he yo u ng co u p l e d e ci d e t o i nt r o d u ce t he i r fa mi li e s at a d i n n e r p a r t y and wa i t t o r ev e a l t he i r e ngag e me n t . S e cr e t s , lau g ht e r a n d cu l t u r e
cl a s he s e n s u e a s t hey s t r u g g l e t o b r i n g t he i r wo r l d s t o g e t he r. Bot h fa mi l i e s a r e fo r c e d t o r e cko n wi t h p l e a sure , p a i n a n d what i t me a ns t o b e a fa m i l y. G u i d r o z , who di d t he cu l t u r a l r e s e a r ch for t he p l ay, d i s cu s s e d t he st ory i n mo r e d e p t h. “Fo r m e , t he Adda m s Fa mi l y i s r ea lly a ce l e b r at i o n o f t h e odd a n d t he e cce n t r ic , ” she s a i d . “I t hi n k t he Adda m s Fa mi l y, fr o m t he i r cu l t cl a s s i c s t at us wi t h t he o r i g i n a l co m i c s, t o a l l t he t v s ho ws a nd t he mo v i e s , r e a l l y p r ove s t hi s p o i n t o f ho w wo n-
de rf ul o ddne ss a nd e cc e nt ri c s a re .” She hop e s a udi e nce s c a n “ p ull a se nse of joy ” f ro m t he p lay. “ T he Adda ms Fa mi ly at i t s c ore i s a c e le brat i on of love , love o f li fe , lo ve of p e rson… , ” she sa i d. Audi e nc e s we re c e rt a i nly re c e p t i ve on op e ni ng ni g ht . T i c ke t s we re so ld out , a nd t he sho w e nde d i n a st a ndi ng ov at i o n. Sout he rn M i ss’ s sho w i s di re c t e d by Assoc iat e Profe ssor o f T he at re Ca i t ly n He rz li ng e r. I t s ne x t sho wi ng s wi ll be No v. 3, 4 a nd 6 at t he Tat um T he at re .
FEATURE
NOVEMBER 2, 2022
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Student Members of local Catholic Church walk to pray over neighborhood Brooke Parker SM2 Reporter
ly DeVoe, a sophomore at USM and member of Eagle Catholic. osaries in hand During her second seand nothing but mester, she decided to set dim streetlights as her alarm and try the rosary a guide, student walk one more time. Since members of Saint Thomas then, she’s made the threeAquinas Catholic Church mile trek 15 times. have been praying over The first half hour is neighborhoods for years. spent in prayer. The last Every Monday, students half hour is used as time to and faculty of The University spend time with each other. of Southern Mississippi join The community these stuPastor Mark Ropel at five dents and faculty have built in the morning for a rosary is what keeps each other walk. The walk spans nearly awake and walking. three miles and covers an These prayers cover all of entire neighborhood. Hattiesburg, Eagle Catholic, During these walks, Pastor USM, and even the neighMark Ropel leads members bors they pass by in the in prayer, making their way mornings. These prayers are through the entire rosary. always with good intentions, The streets are quiet aside with the hopes that everyone from footsteps and the soft who knowingly or unknowvoices of prayer. ingly receives these blessings The tradition started has a great start to their many years ago, when Pastor week. Mark Ropel invited mem“I love the community, I bers of Eagle Catholic, the love it that we’re getting up student Catholic association this early,” said Kelly DeVoe, on campus, to join him ear- “and we’re setting out inly Monday morning. tentions for people who are “It’s something he’s done probably still asleep and his entire life,” said Nathan have no idea we are praying Lacroix, campus minister of for them.” Eagle Catholic. “He goes to If waking up at five in the walking every five am, every morning isn’t right for you, day of the week. On MonEagle Catholic offers othdays, he invites us to join er forms of fellowship for him to start our week off in students such as bible study prayer and in community.” and game nights. Many students couldn’t “We’re here to serve the imagine waking up that early students,” Lacroix said. and walking through the Eagle Catholic serves as a dark, but with time, some community for Catholics, or have grown to love it. a “home away from home”, “My first semester of for those seeking fellowship freshman year I went once, or a Catholic communiand then I was like, that’s ty. It also serves as a place way too early!” said Kelfor students to learn more
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Rosary on a statue of Mary at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church..
about Catholicism and find the right spiritual journey they may be seeking. The doors of Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church are open to anyone, and students can reach out to Eagle Catholic at usmcatholic@
Brooke Parker | SM2 Reporter
gmail.com or visit their website at www.stthomas-usm. org/eagle-catholic if they have an interest in joining. Student Mass is held every Sunday and Wednesday night at six in the evening with a dinner to follow.
SPORTS
NOVEMBER 2, 2022
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Southern Miss Volleyball sweeps Georgia State in final home series
Austin Lindsey 4th Street Sports Director
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he Golden Eagles won both matches against Georgia State, improving to 16-8 on the season and 8-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. Game One (Courtesy of Southern Miss Athletics) Southern Miss hit .284 as a team to dismantle Georgia State in straight sets to open the series. The Golden Eagles opened the first set with a 4-0 advantage before the Panthers tied it with a run of their own. However, Southern Miss quickly answered a few points later with a 7-0 run to make it 15-8 on Mia Wesley’s hot streak behind the service line. The Golden Eagles then closed out the set on an 11-2 run that culminated in a Liana Guillemaud kill. The second set resulted in the same final score, 25-11, but it was all Southern Miss for the entirety of the frame. Wesley smoked five kills in the set and freshman Cailin Demps had four kills. Kenzie Smith and Atkinson each had three kills in the set, which helped the Golden Eagles hit .433 as a team. Southern Miss took the third set as it halted a Georgia State comeback attempt when Wesley slammed her 13th and final kill of the match. Wesley finished two service aces shy of a triple-double after adding 10 digs with her kill total. Atkinson and Demps each finished with seven kills. Smith finished her night with 27 assists, six kills and four digs. Game Two Southern Miss extended its win streak to four games after deciding the final home match of the season against the Panthers in four sets. Southern Miss honored the following seniors on senior night: Nyanuer Bidit, Lauren Talbert, Liana Guillemaud, Lindsey Legg, Gillian Hidalgo, Madison Bowles and Kenzie Smith. “They have set the standard of what we want to be about as a program and helped assure the culture is what we want it to be, and they have been amazing,” Head Coach Jenny Hazelwood said. Wesley and Atkinson each led the team in points with 19. Wesley led the Golden Eagles in kills with 15 on
Mia Wesley, left, sticks her tongue out, as Cailin Demps, right, smiles while they celebrates a point during their match against Georgia State University on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2022, in Hattiesburg.
three aces, and Atkinson finished with 13 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, four blocks and four aces. “It’s really nice to finish our last home series with a win and see the seniors getting in the mix,” Wesley said. Opening the match, Liana Guillemaud got the crowd rocking on a block at the net. Georgia State then responded with some fire of its own, taking the lead early on at 9-7 on a block. The Golden Eagles attempted to battle back on a 3-0 run at 17-14, but the Panthers answered back on a 4-0 run. Southern Miss once again battled back to make things interesting at 23-21, but a soft touch at the net by Georgia State’s Clara Bednarek closed the first set out 25-22. Early in the second set, Southern Miss grabbed a 7-5 lead on an ace from Wesley. Atkinson then joined the party with two blocks at the net to hold it at 11-9. Wesley then gave Southern Miss a five-point lead at 16-11 and added her second ace of the set to keep the lead at 20-15. The Golden Eagles closed out the second set comfortably on a 5-0 run from a kill by Cailin Demps. Georgia State started hot in the
third set at 5-2 on three straight aces by the Panthers’ Maren Palmer. The Golden Eagles clawed back, tying the set at 12 on a kill by Demps on the edge of the backcourt. After staying knotted for a few more points, a Wesley kill, and an Atkinson ace gave Southern Miss breathing room at 19-17. After trading blows, Southern Miss held on to this two-point lead after a service error by the Panthers for match point at 24-22. Atkinson then closed the set on a kill putting the Golden Eagles up 2-1. Starting the fourth, Wesley exploded as Southern Miss looked to close the game. Jumping out to a 9-6 lead, Wesley hit back-to-back spikes, leading to a Georgia State timeout. Wesely added another kill to the stat sheet on a soft touch over the net at 12-8. “I think the middles [middle blockers] did a great job executing and creating more space for me to hit. They did a good job of establishing themselves and opening up our offense a little bit more in that fourth set, “ Wesley said. Southern Miss maintained this lead later in the set on consecutive aces from Cara Atkinson at 20-15. Nearing the end of the set, Wesley added her
Sean Smith | SM2 Photo Editor
sixth kill, leaping over the net for a spike at 22-19. Closing the set, Cailin Demps got the crowd out of their seats to set up match points. A Georgia State service error then closed the match as the Golden Eagle stook the set 25-20. Smith also finished with 36 assists and 14 digs in her final match at the Wellness Center. Both teams evenly hit on the attack as Southern Miss ended the match by hitting .254 and Georgia State hit .235 as each team posted 48 kills. The Golden Eagles had eight blocks and service aces on the day. Southern Miss now gears up for two more series on the road versus Louisiana and Old Dominion before beginning the Sun Belt Tournament on November 16 in Foley, Alabama. Southern Miss sits third in the Sun Belt West division at 8-4 behind Troy and Texas State, each at 10-2. “We are all right there, and there are tough matches coming down the stretch. We can only control what we are doing, which is our biggest focus, but it is fun to watch how seeding unfolds, because heading into the tournament, anything can happen. That’s how tight this conference is,” Hazelwood said.
SPORTS
NOVEMBER 2, 2022
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Southern Miss uses strong first half to beat Louisiana 39-24 S DIMA MIXON 4TH STREET SPORTS REPORTER
outhern Miss played what head Coach Will Hall said was a “complete” first half, which lifted them to a 3924 victory over defending Sun Belt champions, Louisiana. This marked Southern Miss’s 10th-straight victory over the Ragin Cajuns and the first in the Sun Belt era. “Phenomenal win for our program. I got an unbelievable amount of respect for the team we just beat. They have won over 40 games in four years. Just a tremendous program with great coaches in it…so proud of those kids, they have won a lot of games. But what a night for our program, to beat them is a big deal. Because they are a great football program not just a great team,” Hall said. Southern Miss used a dominant first half, one that has not come so easy for Southern Miss to jump out in front fast early. On Louisiana’s second possession, starting quarterback Ben Wooldridge’s pass was intercepted by Malik Shorts. Shorts took the interception into the red zone, and five plays later, Janari Dean took it in for six. Southern Miss led 6-2 after an extra blocked point and returned for a score. After Louisiana went three and out, Southern Miss scored on a big chunk play. Started running back Frank Gore Jr found Ty Mims on a perfectly placed deep ball for a 52-yard touchdown. It was the first passing touchdown Gore Jr had thrown all season that pushed the lead to 13-2. “I knew it was money,” Gore Jr said when asked about his ball to Mims. After another Louisiana three and out, the Golden Eagles connected on another big play. Wilcke found Jason Brownlee over the middle of the field, and Brownlee outran the defenders for a 76-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 20-2. He said he “looked up and the jumbotron” to see if they would catch him. “We wanted to try and create some explosive plays offensively that’s something we have not been doing. We were able to do that. We were able to hit Ty on a big one, we hit Brownlee on a big one. We were good on third downs. We were able
Head Coach Will Hall celebrates after beating Louisiana, extending the Golden Eagles’ winning streak to three games.
to keep the defense off the field. We were able to get it in the endzone early, which allowed us to play with the lead for the second week in a row. When you have a defense and a kicking game like we do, that’s a huge advantage,” Hall said. Southern Miss did not let up. After holding Louisiana to a field goal, the nasty bunch defense forced an intentional grounding call on Wooldridge, which led to a safety since it was in the endzone. Cameron Harrell got credited with the sack, pushing the lead to 22-5. “There is no secret. It’s just the nasty bunch… That’s who we are. That’s our DNA,” Shorts said when asked if there was a ‘secret’ to being good in the secondary. Wilcke then led the Golden Eagles right back down the field after the safety on an 11-play, 69-yard drive. This drive was capped off with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Wilcke to Brownlee to score 29-5. Louisiana, to their credit, came right back and got a desperately needed score on a Wooldridge pass to Michael Jefferson for a 61-yard touchdown, the PAT was no good, and that made the
score 29-11 at halftime. “All of our wins have been big. All our wins have been hard. When we came here, we said our vision for this place was two things, and we preach it every day. We want to be the best group of five program in America again because Southern Miss has been that before. We think we can do that again, we’re not there yet. Another thing is that we want to develop real men. Real men handle their responsibilities and obligations even when it’s hard. It’s hard for us right now, and our kids do it every day. I’m just so proud of how good they do,” Hall said. It got harder in the second half, as Southern Miss struggled to move the ball on offense, only netting 55 yards in the second half. Louisiana started to be able to move the ball against Southern Miss by almost doubling the yardage they had on Southern Miss. Even though Louisiana was moving the ball, the Golden Eagle’s defense was not breaking. They forced three turnovers in the second half and three turnovers on downs, which in Hall’s mind is six turnovers.
Photo Sean Smith | SM2 Photo Editor
“A lot of times we are smothering you down, so we create tackles for loss and loss yardage plays. A lot of times we don’t get hands on balls because we are tackling people. But tonight, we were able to do that, we did create some turnovers that were big. But now a fourth down stop is really a turnover, and we have done that a lot this year,” Hall said. Southern Miss was plus-2 in the turnover battle and gained 17 points off Louisiana turnovers (four). Louisiana did what it could to get back into the game, going on a 19-3 run in the second half to bring the score to 32-24. Louisiana was driving the ball to try and tie the game, but Natrone Brooks intercepted Wooldridge and returned it 52-yards for a game-sealing touchdown. Southern Miss, in year two of the Hall era, is now one win away from bowl eligibly sitting at 5-3, 3-1. “It’s very exciting. We haven’t seen the grass being green in a long time. I feel like it’s our time and we are ready for it,” Gore Jr said. Southern Miss looks to reach that bowl eligibility next week against Georgia State at home.