Anything and everything about Liberty Flames football. Your comments on games, recruiting and the direction of the program as we move into new era.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke, Class of 20Something

#643284
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University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi



USM Official Site

CSNbbs Sun Belt Board


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M.M. Roberts Stadium aka "The Rock"
Originally Built in 1932 - Seats 36,000



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Will Hall
2nd Season as USM Head Coach



2021 Results

Sep 04 - @ South Alabama ........................ L 7-31
Sep 11 - Grambling State .......................... W 37-0
Sep 18 - Troy ............................................. L 9-21
Sep 25 - @ Alabama .................................. L 14-63
Oct 02 - @ Rice .......................................... L 19-24
Oct 09 - UTEP ............................................ L 13-26
Oct 16 - UAB .............................................. L 0-34
Oct 30 - @ MTSU ........................................ L 10-35
Nov 06 - North Texas .................................. L 14-38
Nov 13 - @ UTSA ........................................ L 17-27
Nov 19 - @ Louisiana Tech ......................... W 35-19
Nov 27 - FIU ............................................... W 37-17



2022 Schedule

Sep 03 - Liberty
Sep 10 - @ Miami (FL)
Sep 17 - Northwestern State
Sep 24 - @ Tulane
Oct 08 - @ Troy*
Oct 15 - Arkansas State*
Oct 22 - @ Texas State*
Oct 27 - Louisiana-Lafayette*
Nov 05 - Georgia State*
Nov 12 - @ Coastal Carolina*
Nov 19 - South Alabama*
Nov 26 - @ Louisiana-Monroe*



Key Players

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#5 Ty Keyes
6' 2" 213 lbs Redshirt Freshman Quarterback
2021 Stats: 33-of-65 for 355 Yard with 3 TDs & 4 INTs + 40 Carries for 55 Yards in 4 Games Played


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#3 Frank Gore Jr.
5' 8" 195 lbs Sophomore Running Back
2021 Stats: 179 Carries for 841 Yards with 5 TDs + 20 Catches for 155 Yards


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#1 Jason Brownlee
6' 3" 203 lbs Senior Receiver
2021 Stats: 46 Catches for 643 Yards with 8 TDs in 12 Games Played


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# Hayes Maples
6' 2" 228 lbs Junior Linebacker
2021 Stats: 60 Tackles inclding 3.5 for Loss + 1.5 Sacks + 2 Forced Fumbles in 12 Games


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#9 Malik Shorts
6' 0" 202 lbs Junior Safety
2021 Stats: Team-Leading 89 Tackles including 1.5 for Loss + 2 INTs
Baybird liked this
#643310
Looks like they had a respectable defense last year and focused almost exclusively on defense in the portal so that could be a challenge for a new QB during the 1st game of the season. Their offense is returning almost everyone from one of the worst offenses in the country. I'm not sure that's something to be concerned about.
#643852
Watching some Southern Miss highlights, our main concern has to be stopping the run. In the games they won, they rushed for over 200 yards. At least one of their RB can take it the distance. If we force them to pass, I am not sure their OL will hold up and their QB's threw a lot of interceptions.
#644169
Clarion Ledger wrote:Three takeaways from Southern Miss football's first preseason scrimmage

David Eckert
Hattiesburg American
August 16, 2022


HATTIESBURG — The pendulum swung back in favor of the Southern Miss football defense during the first full scrimmage of preseason practice after the offense had made progress in recent days.

Most of the headway the Golden Eagles' offense made on the day came with the third-string units on the field, with the first-team highlight coming in the form of a seven-yard touchdown pass from Ty Keyes to Jakarius Caston.

"They really kicked our butt up front for the last two days," USM defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong said. "I was really proud of those guys up front for bouncing back. I thought we played physical. I thought we played tough."
Click Here for Full Story

Cliff Notes:
  • QBs struggling
  • LB Daylen Gill looking good
  • WR Jason Brownlee on crutches as of today
Cider Jim liked this
#644182
This article is confirming my suspicions that their abysmal o line play from last year hasn't improved much and we should dominate the LOS at least on defense. Based on the number of transfers they brought in on defense i assume their d line improved and should be competent enough to give our o line a good test week 1. Speaking of our o line, I really hope they improve from last year with the talent we brought in. It wasn't all bad but I think that was the position group that contributed the most to the regression on offense compared to 2020.

My biggest concern for this game is our offense. We have very capable QBs but salter is inexperienced and we really don't know what brewer we are going to get. The second all time leading passer at Baylor or the guy that lost his job at Utah? Our tight ends are likely to be a weakness after losing our top 2 from last year with only projects to replace them. I am excited about our receivers and especially our running backs. It's nice that we're finally at the point where we have FBS talent up and down the roster and injuries shouldn't negatively affect us as much as it did last year.

Their QB likes to run so I think if we keep him contained he's unlikely to beat us with his arm. We obviously lost a lot on defense from last year but we still have enough talent and returning experience that we shouldn't struggle too much against a below average offense like this. Our defense is probably even more talented across the board than last year but with all of the lost experience it's hard to believe that there won't be at least a small regression from our great defense a year ago.
#644187
Losing your job at a school, picked to win the PAC 12 this year, is not a terrible thing. My worry is he going to be able to pick up the offense quickly enough to be effective.
It always boils down to the trenches anyway. We have some talent there, but playing as a unit, with many new faces, will be a challenge.
#644197
Purple Haize wrote: August 17th, 2022, 12:39 pm LU doesn’t exactly feature the TE. Not sure they can be considered a plus or a negative
We aren't exactly Iowa with the way we use our TEs but we use them frequently enough that it does matter. Especially when we are in the red zone and need a big target to throw too. For example Jerome Jackson had 4 receptions for 14 yards last year but had 2 receiving touchdowns.
#644205
Purple Haize wrote: August 17th, 2022, 12:39 pm LU doesn’t exactly feature the TE.
The founder of The Old Men's Club says you need to be coached up about Coach Freeze's use of tight ends! :nono :oldhag :fineprint
#644209
By the way, I keep reading or hearing the phrase, "toss-up game" with Southern Miss. I think this game is not in the same hemisphere as a "toss-up game". Our defense will rule the day, giving our offense plenty of opportunities to grow and beat Southern Miss into submission.

My early prediction is LU 34 - So. Miss 13
Ill flame liked this
#644227
Cider Jim wrote: August 17th, 2022, 10:51 pm
Purple Haize wrote: August 17th, 2022, 12:39 pm LU doesn’t exactly feature the TE.
The founder of The Old Men's Club says you need to be coached up about Coach Freeze's use of tight ends! :nono :oldhag :fineprint
Yeah. They are tearing it up… :roll:

https://www.fantrax.com/newui/NCAAF/sta ... sition=157
#644448
Getting close to game day!
KXXV wrote:Southern Miss football ready to speed up timeline

August 31, 2022
Jeff Haeger


It wasn’t too long ago that Southern Miss football had 18 straight winning seasons, now opening up its 2022 campaign against a Liberty program that has something similar to what USM used to have, 16 straight seasons with six or more wins.
Click Here for Full Story with Video Interview
#644449
Hattiesburg American wrote:Three unanswered questions for Southern Miss football as Week 1 arrives

David Eckert
Hattiesburg American


It’s officially a Southern Miss football game week again.

The Golden Eagles begin their 2022 season at home against Liberty on Saturday in an intriguing game between two programs that have witnessed plenty of turnover this offseason.

That makes Southern Miss a difficult team to predict heading into 2022, with numerous variables at play that will decide whether this season is a success or failure for the Golden Eagles.
Click Here for Full Story
#644450
Hattiesburg American wrote:Three takeaways from Southern Miss football's first depth chart of the season

David Eckert
Hattiesburg American


The first Southern Miss football depth chart of the season came out Wednesday ahead of the Golden Eagles' season opener against Liberty on Saturday.

Here are three takeaways from the depth chart.
Click Here for Full Story
#644451
Saturday Down South wrote:Southern Miss players deliver hilarious spot-on impressions of their head coach: 'I know I talk country'

Keith Farner | 4 days ago


Will Hall has one of the best Southern accents in college football, and his players know it, and apparently love it.

The Southern Miss coach admits to everything about his accent, and how it comes across, and he’s OK with it, and shared that sentiment with Taylor Curet, the Sports Director at WDAM in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

“They won’t do it around me as much, I don’t know why, because I think it’s funny,” he said. “I know I talk country. I know I’m overly energetic.”
Click Here for Full Story

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