by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm

HATTIESBURG (GG) — No one really knew what to expect on the Southern Miss side, but after four quarters, the UConn Huskies showed their strength with a dominant 48-20 win Saturday, September 19 at the Renasant Stadium in Hattiesburg.  Allowing 436 yards of total offense along with giving up two turnovers, the Golden Eagles (1-2) could find any real rhythm to bring the game within double digits on the scoreboard.  In front of 23,025 fans, the Connecticut Huskies (2-1) used a balanced offensive attack (213 rushing, 223 yards passing) and a stingy defense to embarrass Southern Miss in their home stadium.

Scoring Summary
Similarly to the last game against Auburn, Southern Miss fell behind 14-0 before they could post a score with the Huskies marching down the field in 9 plays with Quarterback Kaleib Osborne tossing a 38-yard touchdown pass to Shamar Porter.  Then, Southern Miss Quarterback Ethan Hampton threw an early interception to UConn’s Rickey Williams, which resulted in a 5-yard touchdown run by Osborne.
 
The Golden Eagles settled down near the end of the first quarter, going on a 10-play drive that resulted in a 47-yard field goal from Southern Miss Placekicker Creighton Wilbanks.  This cut the Huskies lead to 14-3 with 30 seconds left in the first quarter, but this is the closest the Golden Eagles would get for the night.  
 
Although the Southern Miss defense began to play with more confidence, they gave up 17 points (2 field goals, and a 42-yard touchdown run from Cyncir Bowers) while only posting another field goal from Wilbanks.  The halftime score was 27-6 in favor of Connecticut.
 
Southern Miss Head Coach Blake Anderson removed starting quarterback Ethan Hampton from the game after the first half as he stated in the press conference that he re-injured his hand, but he wasn’t sure how serious.
 
Upon backup Landry Lyddy entering the game, Southern Miss gave up two quick scores in the quarter for a 41-6 deficit.  The Golden Eagles opened the second half with a turnover on downs that resulted in a short touchdown pass followed by an interception from UConn’s Defensive Lineman Anas Luqman for a 29-yard touchdown return.
 
Despite the Golden Eagles four play drive resulting in a Steven Robinson score for their first touchdown, Southern Miss fell behind even more after Osborne scored on an 11-yard run with 8:16 left in the game.  With USM bearing down for the final 7 plays, Lyddy tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Himes for the last score.  This left the final as 48-20 UConn.
 
What the Coach said
There wasn’t a lot Southern Miss Coach Anderson could say about the game, but he appreciated the effort from Southern Miss and praised the Connecticut Huskies highly.
 
“Our fan base doesn’t know UConn, but they know them now. That’s a very, very well-built and well-coached football team that did not make a lot of mistakes,” expressed Anderson in his first season as the head football coach. “If you have turnovers and you can’t create them, you’re going to lose. It’s that simple. We had two pretty careless ones, and they just didn’t give us a lot of opportunities.
When discussing where the team was headed before conference play, Anderson stated “It’s one of 12. I just told the guys it’s one of 12. It’s a learning opportunity. Embarrassed, disappointed — not in them, but for them. They did a phenomenal job with their effort and attitude throughout the course of the game.”
The Numbers Never Lie
Outside of Southern Miss Running Back Steven Robinson, no real consistency in the offense. Robinson finished with 73 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.
Lyddy and Hampton combined for 299 yards passing on 28-50, but both had an interception and took a sack. Lyddy tossed the touchdown pass at the end of the game.
UConn transfer Michael Robinson III led the Golden Eagles in tackles while JR Stegall, Nasim Cairo, and Ramon Piernas each had a sack for the Golden Eagles defense.
Osborne was explosive for the Huskies, going 16-22 for 214 yards and tossed two touchdown passes. Additionally he ran for 53 yards on 10 carries and had two more touchdowns on the ground.
Next Up
Southern Miss plays on the road at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans against Tulane for the Battle of the Bell Sunday, September 26. The game begins at 6pm CST and Southern Miss faces former Head Coach Will Hall, who was relieved of his duties for the Golden Eagles in 2024.
(Photos by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press/SuperTalk Mississippi News