September was always going to be critical for Southern Miss football this season.
The Golden Eagles are 1-2, with one final nonconference game to play. A win puts them at a respectable 2-2 before the Sun Belt schedule begins. A loss could trigger an uphill battle for coach Will Hall to reach a bowl game.
Southern Miss plays at Jacksonville State on Saturday (2 p.m., ESPN+). The Gamecocks and coach Rich Rodriguez won nine games in 2023, their first season at the FBS level, but are 0-3 this season.
“They’re 0-3, we’re 1-2,” Hall said. “We’re both very similar from the standpoint that we’re probably a lot better football team than our record shows. We’re both hungry for a win.”
Here’s a look inside the matchup
Southern Miss quarterbacks injury update
Southern Miss left its Week 3 loss to USF with injuries to both Tate Rodemaker and Ethan Crawford. Hall did not give an update on their statuses this week.
Rodemaker reportedly participated in Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s practices. Crawford did not, and was spotted Wednesday with boot on his right foot. Freshman John White got his first game action against USF in the fourth quarter and was 3-of-5 passing for 94 yards.
Jacksonville State’s defense has struggled
Jacksonville State allowed just 21.2 points per game last season. This season, it’s allowed 55 points to Coastal Carolina, 49 to Louisville and 37 to Eastern Michigan.
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Everything you need to know about the Southeastern Conference.The Gamecocks lost Chris Hardie, who transferred to Ole Miss after recording 8.5 sacks last season, plus their two leading tacklers.
“They mix it up,” Hall said. “Over the first three games, they’ve shown a lot of different looks. They’re either wanting to show a lot of different looks or they’re trying to find themselves, one of the two.”
Jacksonville State made a quarterback change
The Gamecocks played two quarterbacks in Week 1, but have stuck with just one since.
Logan Smothers, a Nebraska transfer, hasn’t played since he struggled against Coastal Carolina. Instead, Jacksonville State has rolled with senior Tyler Huff, a Furman transfer. Huff is a dual-threat and coming off his best performance. He completed 24 of 34 pass attempts for 311 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions last week at Eastern Michigan. He ran for 101 yards against Louisville and 80 yards against Eastern Michigan.
Southern Miss allowed 369 rushing yards to USF, 72 of which came from the quarterback.
Southern Miss vs Jacksonville State score prediction
Jacksonville State 28, Southern Miss 27: These feel like two teams on the same tier this season. Southern Miss is 1-for-4 in field goal attempts, and that could be the difference maker in close game.
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