SERVING SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI SINCE 1927 • WWW.SM2MEDEIA.COM • AUGUST 31, 2022 | VOLUME 108 | ISSUE 1 Photo by Charlie Luttrell It’s Paul & Hall Time Joe Paul named interim president, Page 3 FootballpreviewPages6-11
Opinions expressed in The Student Printz are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The Student Printz, its publication manager, USM, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the USM Board of Student Publications.
SM2 Sports Reporter Jackson jackson.howell@usm.eduHowell
SM2 Journalist Garret garret.grove@usm.eduGrove
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.
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SM2 News Director Kyra kyra.lampley@usm.eduLampley Printz Executive Editor Loren loren.jones@usm.eduJones
SM2 Sports Director Austin austin.lindsey@usm.eduLindsey
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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 mul tiple 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. @
SM2 Sports Reporter Dima joshua.mixon@usm.eduMixon
4th Street Sports Producer Charlie charles.luttrell@usm.eduLuttrell
SM2 Sports Reporter Nathan nathan.m.lee@usm.eduLee
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KYRA EXECUTIVELAMPLEYNEWS
Joseph Paul officially started his term as interim president at the University of Southern Mis sissippi on Monday, July 18. Surrounded by staff, Paul will be making the Aubrey K. Lucas Administration building his new home as the Mississippi Insti tution of Higher Learning finds a permanent president for the university.Paulserved 40 years as a student affairs administrator at Southern Miss, Dean of Students for ten years and Vice Presi dent of Student Affairs for 21 years. He served these positions through five of the university’s presidencies.Paulhasworked part-time for the University Foundation as a fundraiser (2015-2016), Citi zen Service Coordinator for the City of Hattiesburg (2017-2020), Executive Coach for the Horne Business Advisor Group (20162020) and as an executive coach and strategic advisor for the Blue Hen Consulting Agency since retiring from the university in 2015.“I’ve got a long history with Southern Miss and a very deep affinity for it. So, I was honored and humbled to be asked to serve,” Paul said. “If there’s a need for this university and I can help us kind of energize the place and get some positive change, I’m happy to serve.”
Paul obtained his Ph.D. in ad ministration of higher education from the University of Alabama and was named the university’s Most Outstanding Doctoral Stu dent in the field in 1985.
DIRECTOR
Paul said he wants to focus on student recruitment and re-in venting student campus life. He plans to go out into high schools, communities, and ju nior colleges around the state to increase the school’s reach and visibility.“I’mgoing to be out sort of spreading the gospel. In gener al, Southern Miss has too much
Joe Paul interim president: “I’m Happy to Serve” good news to be hidden under a rock,” Paul said. Paul also says he will closely work with the athletics depart ment in their transition into the Sun Belt Conference. “Even in this brief final chapter for me, I intend to leave Southern Miss better than I found it,” Paul said. “Southern Miss to the top!” USM interim president Joe Paul after conducting the band at Pride Preview Friday August 27, 2022 Sean Smith, SM2 Sean Smith, PrintzUSM interim president Joe Paul speaks with students at USM Student Alumni Association.
The native of Bay St. Louis earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and political sci ence from USM in 1975, grad uating magna cum laude from the University Honors College, and received a master’s degree in communication and management from Southern Miss in 1978. He was inducted into the Uni versity of Southern Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame in 2000. During his time as president,
Rodney Bennett accepts Grand Marshal position for Homecoming. University President Rodney Bennett accepts Grand Marshal position for Homecoming. Cour tesy of Southern Miss. Bennett had not moved to the Hattiesburg area yet, as he was transitioning out of his then posi tion at the University of Georgia. He traveled to Mississippi as soon as he was informed of the devasta tion that the tornado left behind. This turned into his first day serv ing as USM’s president. Bennett led the clean-up and rebuilding of damaged parts of campus. He continuously upholds the phrase that encapsulates the campus of this university, “leave it better than you found it.” Bennett made history by be coming the first African-American president of a predominantly white Mississippi university and the first in Southern Miss’ presi dential lineage. This is the part of Bennett’s legacy that distinguishes him from other presidents. “Dr. Bennett has built a legacy and built onto the strong history of presidents that have come be fore him and he has enlightened and heightened the role of the presidency since his arrival,” Eddie Holloway, retired Dean of Stu dents and former Vice President for Student Affairs, said.“It always brought me great glee to come to the campus to see how beautiful it ways, to peek at the dome and see that Bennett was president so I’m hoping that he fares well and he continues to see the University of Southern Mississippi as a place that he in part helped to build upon all of the years of presidency and administration of the universi ty’sDuringpast.” his time at Southern Miss, he impacted many people in the campus community. One of his first acts of business after com ing to USM was giving the lowest paid campus workers a raise. In July, 2013, he gave custodians and other workers a raise to $10.10 per hour. “It’s the right thing to do and it will have an impact on the economics of the community,” Bennett said at the time. Dr. Bennett stands for a portrait near the south gate of campus on his first official day as the Univer sity’s 10th president on April 1, 2013.
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CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 SM2 EXECUTIVE NEWS DIRECTOR KYRA LAMPELY
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Bennett to USM: “A Special Place in My Heart”
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Mary Alice Truitt/Printz Other memorable acts was the do nation of his pay raise in 2017 to the USM Foundation for student scholarships. “This scholarship will assist students in attending and completing their education at USM, something for which I feel a strong conviction,” Bennett said at the time. “While I am grateful that USM will keep pace with other research universities in this regard. I am sensitive to the fact that this increase comes at a time when so many employees have not received pay increases, have had positions eliminated or have positions in their units remain unfilled.”Dr.Bennett has not only finan cially contributed to his students’ success, but has lended a helping hand to those in need at other institutions as well. After another tornado devastat ed parts of south Hattiesburg in 2017, Bennett extended an invita tion to students at William Carey University after some of their residence halls and classroom buildings were seriously damaged. “In the short term, a small group of William Carey students has moved into Hillcrest resi dence hall, and all William Carey students were invited to dine at no cost at the Fresh Food Company throughout the weekend,” Bennett wrote in an address to campus. “I ask you to join me in welcoming these students as you see them on campus.” William Carey students
n an email sent to the campus community, USM President Rodney Bennett informed faculty, staff and students that his last day in office will be July 15, 2022. In January of this year, he shared his inten tion to explore other professional opportunities in advance of his current contract end date of June 30,“It2023.isvery important to me that the University is able to begin its leadership transition sooner rather than later, in an effort to preserve the institutional momentum we have worked to sustain over the past decade,” Bennett said in the email. “The University of Southern Mississippi will always hold a spe cial place in my heart – and I will always be excited to hear about all the good things I know are still on the horizon for this institution.” His email went on to say, “I continue to be so grateful to each of you for all that you have done to advance The University of Southern Mississippi and public higher education across our state over the past 10 years. I remain confident that our collective work will continue to have a profound impact on the lives of young people throughout the region and beyond, and I could not be more proud of all that we have accomplished, together, during my tenureBennetthere.”has served as president of USM since February, 2013, days after a tornado seriously damaged a large part of campus. Prior to his presidential status, Bennett was vice-president of student affairs at the University of Georgia. Bennett has also served as Dean of Students at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina and Associate Dean of Student Life at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He served as Chair of the University of Georgia Alumni Athletic Association, the NCAA Recertification process and was a member of the on-site committee for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Bennett received a Doctor of Education in Educational Admin istration from Tennessee State University, a Master of Education in Educational Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from Middle TennesseeUniversityState.President
Joel Paul poses with former president and wife Garret Grove, SM2
The Physical Plant, which main tains the physical environment and the academic facilities on campus, worked for ten years to develop a plan to protect the campus’s unique build and environmental assets.The Physical Plant is also work ing with the Mississippi Division of Archives to preserve historical sites on campus that can be saved and restored.ThePhysical Plant drafted a master plan outlining the changes that could happen to the campus, such as the current demolition of a former dormitory.
also attended classes in Joseph Greene Hall and other locations on campus where classrooms wereWilliamavailable.Carey President Tom my King presented Bennett with the honorary doctor of humane letters“Notdegree.onlybecause of his open ing his arms and the arms of his institution to William Carey in our time of need, but for his involve ment in the community in so many ways,” King said. “It’s ironic that Dr. Bennett came to USM immediately after the tornado that ravished their campus in 2013. His first duties were to help clean up and “Underrebuild.”President Rodney D. Bennett’s leadership, the Univer sity of Southern Mississippi has made significant gains in student success, in research and academic opportunities, and in our finan cial stability,” Dee Dee Anderson, USM Vice President of Student Affairs said. “As the President he always fully supported the student experience and the work that we do in Student Affairs to create healthy, connected, learning fo cused students and communities. His commitment and leadership to Southern Miss will be missed.” In one of his more controver sial moves, Bennett ordered that the state flag, which featured the stars and bars of the Confederate flag, be removed from the front of campus on Oct 28, 2015. The move came hours before demon strators were to gather in the front of USM’s Hattiesburg campus to protest the continued flying of the flag. He replaced the state and university flags with two American flags.Auniversity police officer takes down the Mississippi state flag on the Southern Miss campus this morning. Brittany Stewart/Stu dent Printz “I have chosen to raise Amer ican flags on all University of Southern Mississippi flagpoles to remind the university communi ty of what unites us. We have all chosen to work, study and live in a country in which debates like those around the state flag of Mississippi can take place and ideas can be civilly expressed and advanced,” said Bennett in an email to students. “While I love the state of Mississippi, there is a passionate disagreement about the current state flag on our cam puses and in our communities. I am looking forward to a time when this debate is resolved and USM raises a state flag that unites us.”The lowering of the old state flag was met by weekly protests in front of campus by a group of Mississippi residents who believed that state institutions should fly the state flag. Their Sunday after noon protests lasted 356 weeks. The new state flag was raised on Jan. 12, 2021. In 2020, Bennett oversaw an academic reorganization that reduced the number of colleges from six to four. It was believed that the reorganization would help the university by creating heightened efficiencies in process, improved budgetary flexibility for colleges and schools, strengthened climate for research and teach ing collaboration, and increased visibility for unique programs and university identities.
University President Rodney Bennett speaks at the prayer breakfast. (Photo/Garret Grove) Throughout his presidency, Ben nett has encapsulated his vision for Southern Miss. He wanted it to serve as a model for public high er education across the United States. The 6 areas of his vision includes: ensuring student success, expanding enrollment strategies, enhancing academic instruction, fostering greater focus on research, bolstering economic and commu nity partnerships and maximizing human“Everypotential.interaction with a stu dent creates an opportunity for you to say or do something that helps create a path toward com pletion for them. Regardless of your background, once you come to work at Southern Miss, you’re an educator,” Bennett said. “I will expect everybody to see them selves as a part of the mission of Southern Miss and work to create pathways of completion for stu dents.”While cultivating his vision, Bennett managed to achieve more than he could have thought pos sible. More notable achievements include earning the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education R1 designation, securing regional accreditation reaffirmations for a wide variety of academic programs and elevating USM’s role as a $663 million annual economic impact on the state of Mississippi.
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PRINTZLORENJONESEXECUTIVE
EDITOR Roberts Hall, a former dormi tory built in 1968, is now being demolished after standing vacant since 2010. The demolition is just one of many new plans for changes on the University of Southern Mis sissippi’s Hattiesburg campus.
“When we were going through and looking at our different proj ects. We found an opportunity to tear down Roberts Hall in con junction with the Criminal Justice Project,” said Physical Plant Direc tor, Neil DemolitionBohn. began Aug. 15 on the former residence hall. The project is expected to be complet ed by November this year with an estimated 11-week procedure. Throughout the demolition process, the use of machinery will impact pedestrian and vehicular traffic on Eagle Walk and near the project site. Therefore, the demoli tion area has been marked off with a construction fence for safety. “For the safety of all, please re main outside the boundaries of the construction fence,” the Physical Plant said in a statement released to all students and faculty at USM. After destruction is complete, the immediate plan is for the space to become a green area. The green
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Demolition of Roberts Hall Loren Jones | SM2 area will later become a parking lot to address campus parking after renovations to the criminology building are finished. The Southern Miss campus can also expect other renovation and construction projects to come in the following years. For exam ple, renovation of Southern Hall, Hickman Hall (which is currently starting renovations), and FritzscheGibbs are on the docket to be completed.Pleasevisit the USM Physical Plants website for more informa tion on other projects. Bennett from page 4 --
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USM Physical Plant begins Roberts Hall demolition
The academic colleges were reorganized as the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Science and Technology were consolidated into the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Education and Human Sciences is a consolidation of the College of Health and the College of Education and Psychology. The College of Business and Econom ic Development and College of Nursing and Health Professions are the other two colleges.
Prediction: 6-6 (4-4) Jackson Howell, 4th Street SportsDespiteJournalist:going3-9 in 2021, anticipation around campus for the upcoming football season could not be higher. Southern Miss appears to have improved tremendously on offense going into the 2022 season, and the defense appears poised to build off of their strong 2021 campaign. While Southern Miss should certainly be a formidable team this sea son, the question is how do they fare against their opponents? Week 1’s contest against Lib erty is certainly an uphill battle considering the Flames’ recent success. It will be played at The Rock, so Southern Miss will have the home-field advantage. If the Golden Eagles are able to pull off the upset, this could be a huge swing game for the rest of the season. It could be the difference between seven wins and four wins based on mo mentum.Onebenefit of Southern Miss’ schedule is that they face seven teams – five in confer ence play – that had losing records in 2021. The bad news is that many across college football expect these teams to be much improved.
Austin Lindsey, 4th Street SportsSeasonDirector:Prediction: (4-8, 2-6)
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with ten plus years of experi ence with Coach Hall. On the other hand, there is the same unit of guys from the previous season. The question is how much they will have improved; I’m unsure of the answer. This season will be one of patience; there will be lows and highs. Southern Miss could quick ly start the season with a win versus Liberty but has to have ball security. There are a lot of scenarios that could play out this season. If off to a hot start against Liberty, this team will go far, but realistically Southern Miss starts the non-conference 2-2 or 1-3. I believe the Gold en Eagles rattle off three wins on the conference schedule. The Golden Eagles will struggle against Sun Belt powerhouses Louisana, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia State. In contrast, the rest of the matchups will be toss-ups depending on how the Golden Eagles secure the ball on critical drives. The defense will be the team’s backbone, but the offense has to keep their end of the bargain to keep them off the Dimafield.Mixon, 4th Street Sports Journalist: Year number two of the Will Hall era presents no easy task for his Golden Eagles. After a crazy offseason, changing con ferences and adding multiple SEC transfers to this roster, Hall is poised to get his squad ‘back to greatness’ as he likes. Hall is ready for the challenge with a defense that should be stronger than last season, saying something, and an offense that will at least have a QB, unlike last season. Southern Miss has a lot of challenging games on its schedule after moving to the Sun Belt Conference.
Five games in the tossup cate gory (Tulane, Troy, Georgia St, South Alabama, UL-Monroe), Three games in the for sure win category (Arkansas St, Texas St, Northwestern St.) Can South ern Miss take any of the tossup games? I think that they will get it done against Tulane, South Alabama and UL-Monroe, but drop the Troy and Georgia State games.Prediction: 6-6, a shot at a bowl game but a step in the right direction in the Hall era. Charlie Luttrell, 4th Street Sports Show Producer Last season did not go as planned under the first year of Will Hall’s leadership with a 3-9 finish and one of the most bizarre seasons at the quarter back position, with over ten players attempting a pass for the GoldenWhileEagles.theteam suffered injuries and inconsistencies at offense, there were good notes to take from the season that Hall and his staff look to build on during Southern Miss’ in augural season in the Sun Belt Conference.Oneofthose improvements is looking to maintain stabil ity at quarterback. Freshman Ty Keyes showed promise in his couple of starts last season before suffering a season-end ing injury and having him back should be a huge plus for Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles have plenty of weapons at the skill positons and added more this season that shone in fallIfcamp.there is any more stabili ty from the QB position, then the offense should see more production than last year, but it will take a lot more than that to compete in the Sun Belt. Everyone knows receiver Jason Brownlee and running back Frank Gore Jr. can play and their health will be key to the success of this offense. Re ceiver Jakarius Caston has also emerged as a budding star on the team and will look to garner moreThetargets.offensive line allowed 44 sacks last season and their performance this year will de termine whether the offense can operate at its full potential. Defense was certainly the Golden Eagles’ strongest point last season under first-year defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong’s guidance, ranking No. 42 in the nation and No. 2 in first downs defense. The Golden Eagles have plen ty of returning starters on de fense, and while the last scrim mage raised questions about the unit, they showed promise throughout camp. The question lies if the de fense can generate more pres sure and convert that into more sacks, in which they ranked to wards the bottom of the C-USA lastThatseason.being said, defense can only take you so far. It kept Southern Miss in many games last season, but does not trans late to winning games when your offense ranked near to the last in the nation in total of fense.Any improvement in offense should lead to a better season, but that is relying on that same top production from last year’s defense.Inahighly competitive con ference and tough schedule, it is difficult to say with any ounce of certainty that Southern Miss can put a winning season to gether right away. They have pieces and have added more to the equation, but can they figure it out be fore their stretch of conference games?
Southern Miss has its most favorable portion of the schedule in a five-week stretch where they face Northwestern State, Tulane, Troy, Arkansas State and Texas State – all had losing records in 2021. However, they follow that up by facing Louisiana, Georgia State and Coastal Carolina – all with successful seasons in 2021. They host South Alabama, which the Golden Eagles have had no success against in re cent years, and travel to Louisi ana-Monroe to end the season.
The schedule is about highs and lows for the Golden Eagles, and it will be intriguing to watch their first season in Sun Belt play. While their record may not reflect it, Southern Miss should be a strong, competitive team with a chance of going bowling.
Nathan Lee, 4th Street Sports Journalist: The Will Hall era continues this season with much more ex citement and energy than years in the past. The main reason for this is because Southern Miss is starting a new beginning as they just joined the Sun Belt Confer ence over the summer. This has players and fans eager to see the newThecompetition.coachingstaff has ex pressed the major changes in how much healthier they are now compared to last year with some experience on their side. After a 3-9 season last year, the Golden Eagles understand what adversity is and how to handle it better.Looking towards the sea son, Southern Miss starts with a highly anticipated matchup against the Liberty Flames on September 3. This game is an immediate test for a team that wants to show what they have improved on over the offseason. I believe Southern Miss will start this season with an impres sive, gritty win over the Flames to establish a standard early on. Southern Miss does not get it any easier as they will face a No. 16 ranked Miami Hurricanes the week after. While it would be a historic win, Southern Miss will not get it done in the Sun shineSouthernState. Miss will then have a stretch of games against Northwestern State, Tulane, Troy, Arkansas State and Texas State. This is where the Golden Eagles will either make or break their season. I believe they can get out of this 5-game stretch with a 3-2 record with key wins over Northwestern State, Troy and Texas SouthernState.Miss then ends the season with an even harder 5-game stretch against Loui siana, Georgia State, Coastal Carolina, South Alabama and ULM. I predict that the Eagles will lose three straight games then end the season on a 2-game winning streak heading to a possible bowl bid.
Season Predictions from the 4th Street Sports Show Staff
Though entering year two of the Will Hall era after a lacklus ter season with tons of injuries and failures on the offensive side of the ball, the frenzy of excitement for the season has increased ten-fold. The enthu siasm for the year is primarily due to Southern Miss joining the Sun Belt Conference over the summer and the great matchups Southern Miss will participate in in the coming fu ture. The Sun Belt offers tons of talent and notable head coaches being respected nationally as a powerhouse on the group of five level. The skill and coaching philosophy step will be a signif icant adjustment for the Gold en Eagles. Especially on the offensive end, which struggled mightily last season. Now, Will Hall has given the keys of the offense to Ty Keyes, Redshirt’s Freshman Quarterback. Since the spring, Hall has announced Keyes as the guy, but there is a lot of uncertainty on how the young QB will fare. In appearing in just four games last season, Keyes got valuable experience. Though it came with many ups and downs, the QB seems ready to take this season by storm. Keyes has made strides through fall camp but has had some setbacks as a young quarterback. For this season, the biggest question is the offense, will the offensive line protect, will the run game be improved, and will the pass ing game be a factor? On the offensive line, the Golden Ea gles bring back almost the same unit, which finished the season and improved toward the end of it. I think Southern Miss’ offen sive line will improve due to the addition of offensive line coach Sam Gregg and his chemistry
Ty Keyes is the presumed starting quar terback for Southern Miss, and he will be joined in the back field by third-year veteran Frank Gore Jr and a plethora of wide receivers and his disposal. How much better does the offense have to be for Southern Miss to have a fighting chance to pull out some of these toss-up games? Because the reality is the defense, as in years past, will keep them in games, it will be up to Keyes and the offense to respond. This season I put four games on the for sure/likely loss category (Liberty, Miami, Louisiana, Coastal Carolina.)
Prediction: 5-7 (3-5 SBC)
CHARLIE LUTTRELL 4TH STREET PRODUCER
outhern Miss is turning the page from its 3-9 finish from Will Hall’s first year and the focus to improving lie in fixing the of fense’s inconsistencies, something the team has noted. Southern Miss ranked No. 127 out of 130 Divison I programs last season, averaging just 266 yards per game with a national worst 14 fumblesInjurieslost.plagued the offense, notably the bizarre situation that saw over ten players attempt a pass, including one of the only bright spots of the season in the success of the “Super Backs”. The Golden Eagles have indeed addressed the issues at offense, bringing in a new offensive coordinator in Sam Gregg from Liberty and adding depth at the offensive line and skill positions. It’s this added depth and talent at both sides of the ball that Head Coach Will Hall says makes the difference this season in how the team can prepare for their competition, especially for the team’s offensive line that allowed a No.126 ranked 44 sacks last season.“Practice is where it matters most. Now, we’ve got three full groups of o-linemen with some extra, we have three full groups of d-linemen with extra.,” Hall said. “We can practice. There’s a cumulative effect of work that takes place over time… we couldn’t practice the right way all the time last year.” With over two weeks in fall camp and now game preparations for the season-opener against Liberty, the team’s depth and full rotations has been visible. It would be safe to say that the defense outperformed the offense through the majority of camp, but it’s days like the last scrimmage of fall camp that show the potential and firepower that this offense has. The question is if all the puzzle pieces can come together at the right time. At the center of that question is redshirt freshman Ty Keyes. Hall noted the importance of resolving the team’s carousel at the quar S
Freshman Kenyon Clay and Mississippi State transfer Janari Dean impressed in camp and will be certain to see a share of carries in the backfield this sea son. Sophomore Dajon Richard showed what he’s capable of with nearly 500 yards in less than 100 attempts last season. And if the running game can suc ceed, it only opens up the passing game to a set of lethal options for Keyes.Jason Brownlee has been noted as one of the Sun Belt’s premier receivers. While he missed sig nificant time in fall camp, he has since returned to practice and Hall noted that he will be ready to go for the Southernseason.Missadded young tal ent to receivers in freshmen Davis Dalton, Tiaquelin Mims and Jack Johnson, and a transfer in Latreal Jones to add needed depth at the position.Looked to be poised for a breakout season is junior Jakarius Caston, who caught 16 passes for 239 yards last season and shone in fall camp this year.
“He puts a lot of time in and he’s really grown. He’s doing what it takes to be successful. We’re looking forward to putting him out there and coaching him, growing with him, and helping him and those around him to be a really good player,” Hall said.
Keyes showed flashes in his appearances last season before going down with a season-ending injury but has been working ever since on his comeback, emphasiz ing his health and diet during his injury rehabilitation and transi tion back to the field.
Keyes and quarterback play was spotty overall during camp but it also had its highs. Hall noted that a fundamental aspect of Keyes’ game was taken away due to no contact in camp and that he is where “they expected him to be”.
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Southern Miss shows confidence in improving offensive performance terback position last season and returning to stability at the posi tion.“For us to take the next step as a program, we’ve got to get back to being a quarterback-driven program,” Hall said.
Keyes only has a couple of games under his belt at South ern Miss, but his illustrious high school career experience and mentality of coming back this season has other teammates like running back Frank Gore Jr. believing that he can lead the offense to improving. “Ty Keyes is a battler. He got hurt last year, but I feel like that’s a guy who’s going to lead us to the promised land this year and I’m very excited for him and this program,” Gore Jr. said. If quarterback play can im prove, then the talents of South ern Miss’ skill players will also Goreshine.Jr. is an emerging collegiate force himself with 1,509 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in his first two seasons at South ern Miss. It is clear that he will continue to be Southern Miss’ number one running option, but the talent that Southern Miss has added behind him is tantalizing.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Ty Keyes is set to return as the starter for the Golden Eagles this season Charlie Luttrell, Printz Offense Preview
"We just got more dogsthat's really what it is," Shorts said about this season's unit.
Backs: The pass ing defense ranked one of the worst in the country in 2020, and last season, the Golden Eagles aimed to change that. In 2021, they moved up quite a bit and had a better secondary, but this season, they could be set up for a standout secondary. They return Malik Shorts and are adding another key Ole Miss transfer in the secondary in Tylan Knight. Knight has flashed in fall camp, and along with him, Jay Stanley and Natrone Brooks return to the secondary. This is a very talented and experi enced secondary that should propose challenges for the offenses they play.
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CHARLIE LUTTRELL 4TH STREET PRODUCER DEFENSE
ith the
Southern Miss defensive linemen work on a drill during fall camp. Charlie Luttrell, Printz going into this season, this might be the most vital room of the Namesdefense.you'll want to know before game one are senior Swayze Bozeman and senior Ole Miss transfer Daylen Gill. Bozeman accompanied Hall and wide receiver Jason Brownlee to Sun Belt Media Days in July, whom Hall has recognized as a strong leader on the team. Bozeman played a good deal last season and registered 20 personal tackles, but Hall has praised him as a "significantly improved play er."Gill showed he is a force to be reckoned with- his on-field presence during fall camp was felt. It seemed like he was in the backfield on every snap. "[He's] a great football player that plays the game the way it's supposed to be played. [He's a] real physical guy [and] a tough guy. I'm glad he is on our team," Hall said about Gill.Another name you will want to get to know is TQ New some. Newsome has flashed in fall camp enough to get mentioned several times by Hall in his media availability. If the linebackers can be im proved from last season, this could be a nasty front seven. All in all, the linebackers are set up for a great season, even without the blow of losing Maples.Defensive
Thedefense will look differ ent with new faces, but the scheme and coach will look the same. Last season, South ern Miss' depth held them out from being able to compete in games past the first half. The team would run out of gas. "Fans think of that depth as games, but the practice is where it matters most. Now we've got three full groups of o-linemen with some extra to go on top of that. We have three full groups of d-line men with some extra…we can practice the right way," Hall said.The increased depth and the added skill players should enable this team to have the chance to get back the "nasty bunch" mantra.
The defense will have a sig nificant test to start the sea son against Liberty on Sept. 3, but they will be ready to go.
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Southern Miss looks to build on defensive success
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Hall's Golden Eagles look ahead to a brand-new season. But with all the talk of the offense, this article turns the focus to defensive coordina tor Austin Armstrong's bunch and discusses whether or not the defense can return to its 'Nasty Bunch' banner. Armstrong brings back a de fense with six returning start ers, who brought the squad to a No. 42 total defense rank ing in the nation last season. They would have had seven returning starters but lost star linebacker Hayes Maples for the entire Armstrongseason.andHall have praised the linebacker room, touting that if USM had to lose someone out of a room, it would be in that room, so it seems like they will be able to adjust without Maples. Who to Watch for: Defensive line: Hall and company added ten transfer players from the SEC this offseason. Three of those SEC transfers are on the defensive line, with junior Quentin Biv ens from Ole Miss, freshman Armondous Cooley and red shirt sophomore Jalen Wil liams coming in from Missis sippi SophomoreState. Brodarius Lewis has also flashed in preseason camp, and he will be a force to be reckoned with this sea son. The defensive line, most importantly, has three com plete lines of rotation. Last season, Southern Miss tallied just 23 sacks. While that is an improvement from 16 sacks in 2020, Armstrong and defensive line coach Brandon Lacy are set up for better success this season. Linebackers: Obviously, the Maples injury hurt a lot. If Southern Miss had Maples PREVIEW
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Two of the notable players without teams include former star Golden Eagle running back Jalen Richard and Jamie Col lins, who is one of the greatest Southern Miss defenders this millennium.“Jamie[Collins] is probably the guy who’s had the most success since I’ve been here in 2007,” Southern Miss Sports Information Director Jack Dug gan said. “Jalen Richard’s trying to find another home after establishing himself with the Raiders as a solid back who can catch the ball out of the back field. It’s a tough life, and you can’t take any days off.”
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JACKSON HOWELL SM2 REPORTER selected Quez Watkins in the 6th round in 2020, and he has been a vertical threat ever since. He did not see the field much in his first season, but he made 12 starts at wide receiver last season and is poised to be a starter this Defensiveseason.tackle
A Nick Mullens of the Las Vegas Raiders attempts a pass during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 20, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Florida. Tribune News Service
The
Eagles
Miss has five for mer players who are currently on rosters as well as a few oth ers who are still searching for homes.Nick
Rakeem Nunez-Roches remains a mem ber of the Tampa Bay Bucca neers. Nunez-Roches was draft ed in the sixth round in 2015 by the kansas City Chief where he played for four seasons. He is entering his fifth season with the Tampa Bay Bucs where he won a Super Bowl ring in the 2020“We’veseason.[had] 125 NFL Draft picks here. We’ve had 18 players play in the Super Bowl. When we recruit and tell that to kids, those are facts. We’re not selling some made-up dream because most teams in our conference aren’t even close to that,” South ern Miss head football coach Will Hall said. “We have real tradition here, and it really mat ters. It’s great to see those guys really continuing on that tradi tion, and we want to get back to that level again.”
s Southern Miss pre pares for Week 1 of the College Football season, numerous former Gold en Eagles continue their journey in the SouthernNFL.
Former Southern Miss Alummi in the NFL
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“It just goes to show you that Southern Miss football develops folks to go to the next level,” Duggan said. “Those are the kind of kids we have here at Southern Miss. They work hard and they’re just looking for an opportunity… For me… it’s fun to see these guys do bigger and better things at the next level.”
Mullens, who played at Southern Miss from 20132016, was recently traded by the Las Vegas Raiders to be the backup quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. Mullens burst onto the NFL scene with the 49ers following an injury to Jimmy Garappolo. He went 16-22 for 262 yards with three touchdown passes in what was heralded as one of the greatest NFL quarterback debuts. Mul lens returned to the backup role after Garappolo returned, and bounced around the NFL before being signed by Las Ve gas. Since the trade, the Vikings released QBs Sean Mannion and Kellen Mond, Mullens is the clear-cut number two quar terback behind Kirk Cousins. Tim Jones spent the 2021 season on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent, and he has been one of the most efficient receivers for the Jaguars this preseason. In the first three preseason games, he hauled in 14 catches for 219 yards.Tarvarius Moore was draft ed in the third round by San Francisco in 2018, and he has proven himself as a solid player in the professional ranks. His career highlight is intercepting a pass from Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers held a 20-10 lead in the 4th quarter at the time of the interception, though they would fall 31-20 to Mahomes and the Chiefs. Moore, who missed all of 2021 due to injury, made his mark in the third 2022 preseason game by intercepting Davis Mills on a deflected pass. Philadelphia
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Hall and Gregg: Reunited at Southern Miss ome things in life seem destined as if they are already in the stars. But, before they come to fruition, as the saying like father like son, this was the case for Southern Miss Head Coach Will Hall and his dad Bobby Hall. Bobby Hall is one of the most storied head coaches in Missis sippi, with four state titles and over 300 wins in his coaching career.Onthe other hand, it’s unique to come under your dad’s coach ing tree but have one of your best friends since “cup ball” coach on every level as you, working your way up the ranks from Division II to Division I ball.Southern Miss offensive coor dinator and offensive line coach Sam Gregg and Head Coach Will Hall are natives of Armory, Mississippi. If you’ve ever visited Amory, Mississippi, it’s a small town with over 6,000 people, so you see how it’s hard not to know each other. Hall’s father, Bobby, led the Panthers to three state titles (1994, 1995, 1998) as Will was the starting quarterback of the 98’ squad, so it was essentially unavoidable not to know who the Halls were. For how Will met Sam, itwas the classic coach’s kids’ mashup. In the late 80s, Sam and Will encountered each other after Gregg’s father accepted the assis tant football coaching gig under BobbyGregg’sHall.father went on to be a part of the two-state title ap pearances for Amory while also coaching the women’s basketball squad.“Imet Sam around eight, and he was the biggest kid in the deal. We played cup basketball in the hallways and football out in the yard, “ Will Hall said. “During the games as kids, we would get one of those old Coca-Cola red cups and play. We pretty much did that until we were playing sports,” Sam Gregg said.From trading cup basketball in for a football to a drawing board and Will’s classic sweater vest, the two have been with each oth er nearly every step of the way. Sam and Will first reconnect ed at the Division II level in Bolivar, Missouri at Southwest Baptist University (2005-2006) from then on to Arkansas-Mon ticello (2007), and on a run at West Alabama and West Georgia fromThe2008-2017.twowonthree league titles DIRECTOR and earned a No. 1 national ranking in West Georgia in 2015. Now, five years apart, the two are reunited in South Mississippi for their 13th year together.“Iknow what I’m getting, and I don’t have to wonder what’s going to happen. We’ve been to gether so long I know what he is thinking and what to do to get what he wants; it’s comforting,” Gregg“He’ssaid.just a loyal dude. He understands the number one job of an assistant coach is to make the head coach’s job easier. He does that every day. I thank the good Lord he’s with us, “ Hall said. From mini hoops in grade school in the hallways before games to backyard hoops, the two coaches have constantly been battling each other that being on the same team makes things come full circle. “We would always play basket ball. I’d play bully ball in those days, blocking his shot and backing him down under the rim. One day we were playing, I won two-three-four in a row, and he kept nagging and getting upset. I was ready to go in, but he wouldn’t let me. There was this puddle of water outside that day, and I told him if I won, he’d have to drink that water,” Gregg said. “I beat him for a couple more rounds, and he finally won a game, and I had to drink the water. He never gave up that day. It just shows the competitor he is. He’s always been that way he gets after it. I’d say he got me tired that day till he won, “ Gregg said.Now lining up on the sideline together on the Division I level, the tandem looks to take the Sun Belt Conference by storm as they have done once before on the national scale at Division II.
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“Will is a Mississippi boy through and through. He eats, sleeps, and drinks football,” Bob by Hall said in Rick Cleveland’s article Mississippi Today: Missis sippi Boy Through and Through. “Sam is a great coach and great teacher. We both love football, and we’re both junkies,” HallThesaid.Golden Eagles will play Liberty on Sept. 3rd to start the season, where Gregg spent the past three seasons. “We are going to play a team that expects to win. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. Liber ty is going to play hard. I’m really looking forward to playing them, but I’m excited to see what our guys have learned over the past couple of months, “ Gregg said.
Sam Gregg coaches the offensive line during recent practice. Charlie Luttrell, Printz S Nathan Lee, PrintzHead coach Will Hall watches recent practice.
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