2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

The 2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi as a new member of the Sun Belt Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by head coach Will Hall, who was coaching his second season with the team. The Golden Eagles played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
LendingTree Bowl champion
LendingTree Bowl, W 38–24 vs. Rice
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Division	West Division
Record	7–6 (4–4 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Will Hall (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Sam Gregg (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Austin Armstrong (2nd season)
Base defense	3–3–5
Home stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons ← 2021 2023 →

2022 Sun Belt Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Coastal Carolina xy		6	–	2					9	–	4
James Madison* x		6	–	2					8	–	3
Marshall		5	–	3					9	–	4
Georgia Southern		3	–	5					6	–	7
Appalachian State		3	–	5					6	–	6
Georgia State		3	–	5					4	–	8
Old Dominion		2	–	6					3	–	9
West Division
No. 19 Troy xy$		7	–	1					12	–	2
South Alabama x		7	–	1					10	–	3
Southern Miss		4	–	4					7	–	6
Louisiana		4	–	4					6	–	7
Louisiana–Monroe		3	–	5					4	–	8
Texas State		2	–	6					4	–	8
Arkansas State		1	–	7					3	–	9
Championship: Troy 45, Coastal Carolina 26
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

Recruiting class

Sun Belt coaches poll

The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 25, 2022. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the West Division.^[1]

West Division

Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1	Louisiana	95 (12)
2	South Alabama	79 (2)
3	Troy	76
4	Texas State	41
5	Southern Miss	40
6	Arkansas State	37
7	Louisiana–Monroe	24

East Division

Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1	Appalachian State	94 (10)
2	Coastal Carolina	77 (2)
3	Georgia State	68
4	Marshall	62
5	Georgia Southern	35 (1)
6	James Madison	31
7	Old Dominion	25

Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams

Special teams

2nd team

• Camron harrell – Right Safety, SR

Schedule

Southern Miss and the Sun Belt Conference announced the 2022 football schedule on March 1, 2022.^[2][3][4]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	6:00 p.m.	Liberty*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	L 27–29 4OT	24,051
September 10	11:00 a.m.	at No. 15 Miami (FL)*	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL	ACCN	L 7–30	46,422
September 17	6:00 p.m.	Northwestern State*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN3	W 64–10	26,202
September 24	6:00 p.m.	at Tulane*	Yulman Stadium New Orleans, LA (Battle for the Bell)	ESPN+	W 27–24	20,422
October 8	6:00 p.m.	at Troy	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL	ESPN+	L 10–27	26,017
October 15	6:00 p.m.	Arkansas State	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	W 20–19	27,042
October 22	4:00 p.m.	at Texas State	Bobcat Stadium San Marcos, TX	ESPN+	W 20–14	16,318
October 27	6:30 p.m.	Louisiana	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN2	W 39–24	27,332
November 5	2:00 p.m.	Georgia State	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	L 14–42	22,128
November 12	6:30 p.m.	at Coastal Carolina	Brooks Stadium Conway, SC	ESPNU	L 23–26	16,203
November 19	2:30 p.m.	South Alabama	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	NFLN	L 20–27	24,032
November 26	4:00 p.m.	at Louisiana–Monroe	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	ESPN+	W 20–10	4,465
December 17	4:45 p.m.	vs. Rice*	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL (LendingTree Bowl)	ESPN	W 38–24	20,512
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Liberty

See also: 2022 Liberty Flames football team

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	3OT	4OT	Total
Flames	0	10	0	14	0	3	0	2	29
Golden Eagles	0	3	7	14	0	3	0	0	27

Statistics

Statistics	LIB	USM
First downs	23	19
Total yards	447	389
Rushing yards	244	252
Passing yards	203	137
Turnovers	3	5
Time of possession	29:06	30:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Liberty	Passing	Kaidon Salter	8/13, 148 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kaidon Salter	9 rushes, 65 yards
	Receiving	Demario Douglas	5 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD
Southern Miss	Passing	Ty Keyes	4/8, 89 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Frank Gore Jr.	32 rushes, 178 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jakarius Caston	2 receptions, 54 yards

At No. 15 Miami (FL)

See also: 2022 Miami Hurricanes football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	7	0	0	7
No. 15 Hurricanes	3	7	14	6	30

Game information

First quarter (1:39) MIA – Andres Borregales 30-yard field goal (Drive: 16 plays, 68 yards, 6:14; Miami 3–0) Second quarter (14:30) USM – Jason Brownlee 32-yard pass from Zach Wilcke, Briggs Bourgeois kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:09; Southern Miss 7–3) (0:20) MIA – Henry Parrish Jr. 1-yard run, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 2:52; Miami 10–7) Third quarter (7:10) MIA – Thaddius Franklin Jr. 7-yard run, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 6:11; Miami 17–7) (4:56) MIA – Key'Shawn Smith 35-yard pass from Tyler Van Dyke, Andres Borregales kick (Drive: 1 play, 35 yards, 0:06; Miami 24–7) Fourth quarter (9:11) MIA – Andres Borregales 33-yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 44 yards, 5:30; Miami 27–7) (3:34) MIA – Andres Borregales 48-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 14 yards, 3:50; Miami 30–7)

Game Two – Southern Miss Golden Eagles (0–1) at #15 Miami Hurricanes (1–0)

at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida

• Date: Saturday, September 10, 2022
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C)
• TV announcers (ACCN): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), & Lericia Harris (sideline)
• Pregame line: Miami −27.5

Statistics	USM	MIA
First downs	12	23
Plays–yards	50–240	78–451
Rushes–yards	24–33	49–173
Passing yards	207	278
Passing: comp–att–int	16–27–1	23–32–1
Time of possession	23:00	37:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Zach Wilcke	16/27, 207 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Zach Wilcke	12 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Jason Brownlee	5 receptions, 102 yards, TD
Miami	Passing	Tyler Van Dyke	21/30, 263 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Henry Parrish Jr.	24 carries, 116 yards, TD
	Receiving	Xavier Restrepo	6 receptions, 72 yards

Northwestern State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Demons	0	0	10	0	10
Golden Eagles	13	28	16	7	64

See also: 2022 Northwestern State Demons football team

At Tulane

See also: 2022 Tulane Green Wave football team

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	10	7	10	27
Green Wave	7	10	0	7	24

Game information

First quarter (10:14) TUL – Tyjae Spears 8-yard run, Kriston Esnard kick (Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:43; Tulane 7–0) Second quarter (11:57) TUL – Tyjae Spears 34-yard run, Kriston Esnard kick (Drive: 6 plays, 87 yards, 3:03; Tulane 14–0) (6:01) USM – Jason Brownlee 23-yard pass from Zach Wilcke, Briggs Bourgeois kick (Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 1:45; Tulane 14–7) (2:31) USM – Briggs Bourgeois 36-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 2:03; Tulane 14–10) (0:03) TUL – Kriston Esnard 28-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 2:28; Tulane 17–10) Third quarter (1:53) USM – Jakarius Caston 37-yard pass from Zach Wilcke, Briggs Bourgeois kick (Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 3:06; Tied 17–17) Fourth quarter (8:26) USM – Briggs Bourgeois 26-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:50; Southern Miss 20–17) (7:07) USM – Eric Scott Jr. 35-yard interception return, Briggs Bourgeois kick (Drive: 3 plays, 4 yards, 1:19; Southern Miss 27–17) (0:19) TUL – Jha'Quan Jackson 25-yard pass from Michael Pratt, Kriston Esnard kick (Drive: 4 plays, 72 yards, 0:37; Southern Miss 27–24)

Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2–1) vs Tulane Green Wave (3–0) – Game summary

at Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, LA

• Date: September 24, 2022
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
• Game attendance: 20,422
• Referee: Kevin Randall
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Jack Benjamin (play-by-play), Brian Kinchen (analyst)

Statistics	USM	TUL
First downs	13	26
Total yards	253	451
Rushes/yards	27–59	47–204
Passing yards	194	247
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	17–25–0	19–29–1
Time of possession	23:59	36:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Zach Wilcke	17/25, 194 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Frank Gore Jr.	16 carries, 44 yards
	Receiving	Jakarius Caston	8 receptions, 91 yards, TD
Tulane	Passing	Michael Pratt	19/29, 247 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Tyjae Spears	22 carries, 114 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tyjae Spears	5 receptions, 74 yards

At Troy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	7	3	0	10
Trojans	3	7	7	10	27

See also: 2022 Troy Trojans football team

Arkansas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Red Wolves	7	3	9	0	19
Golden Eagles	0	7	0	13	20

See also: 2022 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team

At Texas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	3	10	0	7	20
Bobcats	0	7	0	7	14

See also: 2022 Texas State Bobcats football team

Louisiana

Louisiana at Southern Mississippi

1 2 3 4 Total Ragin' Cajuns 5 6 6 7 24 • Golden Eagles 20 9 0 10 39 Date: October 27, 2022 Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, Mississippi Game start: 6:35 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 46 minutes Game attendance: 27,332 Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 4 MPH Referee: Wayne Winkler TV announcers (ESPN2): Mike Couzens (play–by–play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 07:29 USM Janari Dean 1-yard rush (Briggs Bourgeois PAT blocked) (5 plays, 19 yards, 2:29) USM 6–0 07:28 LA Trey Amos Defensive PAT conversion (0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00) USM 6–2 04:34 USM Tiaquelin Mims 52-yard pass from Frank Gore, Jr. (Briggs Bourgeois kick) (3 plays, 59 yards, 1:44) USM 13–2 02:36 USM Jason Brownlee 76-yard pass from Zach Wilcke (Briggs Bourgeois kick) (1 play, 76 yards, 0:12) USM 20–2 00:00 LA Kenneth Almendares 50-yard field goal (9 plays, 42 yards, 2:36) USM 20–5 2 10:21 USM Camron Harrell safety (2 plays, -1 yards, 0:45) USM 22–5 05:29 USM Jason Brownlee 12-yard pass from Frank Gore, Jr. (Briggs Bourgeois kick) (11 plays, 69 yards, 4:43) USM 29–5 03:39 LA Michael Jefferson 63-yard pass from Ben Wooldridge (Kenneth Almendares PAT blocked) (5 plays, 75 yards, 1:50) USM 29–11 3 02:34 LA John Stephens Jr. 9-yard pass from Ben Wooldridge (Two-Point pass conversion attempt failed) (6 plays, 85 yards, 2:14) USM 29–17 4 10:30 USM Briggs Bourgeois 25-yard field goal (8 plays, 28 yards, 4:03) USM 32–17 03:12 LA Terrence Williams 1-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (3 plays, 7 yards, 0:51) USM 32–24 01:14 USM Natrone Brooks 52-yard interception returned (Briggs Bourgeois kick) (5 plays, 16 yards, 0:51) USM 39–24

See also: 2022 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team

Pregame line	Over/under
LA –2.5	43.0

Statistics	Louisiana	Southern Miss
First downs	17	15
Total yards	439	339
Rushing yards	103	150
Passing yards	336	189
Turnovers	4	2
Time of possession	26:47	33:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana	Passing	Ben Wooldridge	21/46, 336 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Chris Smith	11 carries, 47 yards
	Receiving	Michael Jefferson	6 receptions, 179 yards, 1 TD
Southern Miss	Passing	Zach Wilcke	8/17, 137 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Frank Gore Jr.	23 carries, 87 yards
	Receiving	Jason Brownlee	3 receptions, 102 yards, 2 TD

Georgia State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	14	14	7	7	42
Golden Eagles	0	0	14	0	14

See also: 2022 Georgia State Panthers football team

At Coastal Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	17	3	3	23
Chanticleers	17	0	3	6	26

See also: 2022 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team

South Alabama

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	3	10	0	14	27
Golden Eagles	7	3	7	3	20

See also: 2022 South Alabama Jaguars football team

At Louisiana-Monroe

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	10	0	0	10	20
Warhawks	0	7	3	0	10

See also: 2022 Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks football team

Vs. Rice (LendingTree Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	3	21	0	24
Golden Eagles	7	10	7	14	38

See also: 2022 Rice Owls football team and 2022 LendingTree Bowl

References

1. "Sun Belt Announces Football Preseason Awards & Poll". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
2. Chris Vannini (March 1, 2022). "Sun Belt releases 2022 football schedule with Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss included". The Athletic. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
3. Renaldo Hopkins (March 1, 2022). "USM makes Sun Belt Conference move official with 2022 football schedule". WDAM-TV. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
4. Khari Thompson (March 1, 2022). "Southern Miss releases football schedule with Sun Belt conference games, not Conference USA". Mississippi Clarion Ledger. Retrieved May 19, 2022.