2022 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
LendingTree Bowl champion
LendingTree Bowl, W 38–24 vs. Rice
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record7–6 (4–4 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorSam Gregg (2nd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorAustin Armstrong (2nd season)
Base defense3–3–5
Home stadiumM. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons
← 2021
2023 →
2022 Sun Belt Conference football standings
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

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.

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

Schedule

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

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 36:00 p.m.Liberty*
ESPN+L 27–29 4OT24,051
September 1011:00 a.m.at No. 15 Miami (FL)*
ACCNL 7–3046,422
September 176:00 p.m.Northwestern State*
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN3W 64–1026,202
September 246:00 p.m.at Tulane*
ESPN+W 27–2420,422
October 86:00 p.m.at Troy
ESPN+L 10–2726,017
October 156:00 p.m.Arkansas Statedagger
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN+W 20–1927,042
October 224:00 p.m.at Texas State
ESPN+W 20–1416,318
October 276:30 p.m.Louisiana
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN2W 39–2427,332
November 52:00 p.m.Georgia State
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN+L 14–4222,128
November 126:30 p.m.at Coastal Carolina
ESPNUL 23–2616,203
November 192:30 p.m.South Alabama
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
NFLNL 20–2724,032
November 264:00 p.m.at Louisiana–Monroe
ESPN+W 20–104,465
December 174:45 p.m.vs. Rice*
ESPNW 38–2420,512

Game summaries

Liberty

1 2 3 4OT2OT3OT4OT Total
Flames 0 10 0 140302 29
Golden Eagles 0 3 7 140300 27

See also: 2022 Liberty Flames football team

At No. 15 Miami (FL)

See also: 2022 Miami Hurricanes football team
Game Two – Southern Miss Golden Eagles (0–1) at #15 Miami Hurricanes (1–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Golden Eagles 0 7 007
No. 15 Hurricanes 3 7 14630

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
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)
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
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2–1) vs Tulane Green Wave (3–0) – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Golden Eagles 0 10 71027
Green Wave 7 10 0724

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)
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)
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 234Total
Ragin' Cajuns 5 667 24
• Golden Eagles 20 9010 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
107:29USMJanari Dean 1-yard rush (Briggs Bourgeois PAT blocked)
(5 plays, 19 yards, 2:29)		USM 6–0
07:28LATrey Amos Defensive PAT conversion
(0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00)		USM 6–2
04:34USMTiaquelin Mims 52-yard pass from Frank Gore, Jr. (Briggs Bourgeois kick)
(3 plays, 59 yards, 1:44)		USM 13–2
02:36USMJason Brownlee 76-yard pass from Zach Wilcke (Briggs Bourgeois kick)
(1 play, 76 yards, 0:12)		USM 20–2
00:00LAKenneth Almendares 50-yard field goal
(9 plays, 42 yards, 2:36)		USM 20–5
210:21USMCamron Harrell safety
(2 plays, -1 yards, 0:45)		USM 22–5
05:29USMJason Brownlee 12-yard pass from Frank Gore, Jr. (Briggs Bourgeois kick)
(11 plays, 69 yards, 4:43)		USM 29–5
03:39LAMichael Jefferson 63-yard pass from Ben Wooldridge (Kenneth Almendares PAT blocked)
(5 plays, 75 yards, 1:50)		USM 29–11
302:34LAJohn Stephens Jr. 9-yard pass from Ben Wooldridge (Two-Point pass conversion attempt failed)
(6 plays, 85 yards, 2:14)		USM 29–17
410:30USMBriggs Bourgeois 25-yard field goal
(8 plays, 28 yards, 4:03)		USM 32–17
03:12LATerrence Williams 1-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick)
(3 plays, 7 yards, 0:51)		USM 32–24
01:14USMNatrone 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.


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