The Southern Miss football fanbase enjoyed a collective sigh of relief when the fourth quarter clock reached 0:00 to conclude a disastrous second half for the Golden Eagles, but one that the team managed to survive. Despite being outscored 28-10 in the final 30 minutes of action, Charles Huff’s team (4-2, 2-0 Sun Belt) was able to escape its first conference road matchup of the season with a win, defeating the Eagles (2-4, 0-2 Sun Belt) 38-35 on Thursday.
In what Charles Dickens would literarily coin “A Tale of Two Halves”, the Golden Eagles carried a 21-point advantage into the midway break, but surrendered four touchdowns and 300 yards total offense in the second half. However, the team ultimately maintained its composure and staved off a valiant, yet unsuccessful attempt by Georgia Southern.
Scoring summary
In its opening offensive series, Georgia Southern scored on a one-yard touchdown run to conclude a seven-play drive. David Mbadinga scored with 8:23 left in the first quarter, and a 7-0 lead for the Eagles. Southern Miss quarterback Braylon Braxton countered the home club’s opening score by tossing a 50-yard touchdown pass to Tychaun Chapman to tie the game 7-7 with 4:42 remaining in the first quarter.
Shortly after, on the first play of the second quarter, Golden Eagle running back Jeffery Pittman punched the ball into the end zone from two yards out to give the black and gold its first lead of the night with 14:51 left in the second quarter.
Following an ensuing interception by Southern Miss linebacker Michael Montgomery, Braxton tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Carl Chester to put the Golden Eagles up 21-7 with 5:06 left remaining until the intermission. But the points kept piling on the scoreboard for the visitors. Pittman, with a little over one minute left in the second quarter, reached the end zone on a two-yard run to give Southern Miss a 28-7 advantage when the halftime buzzer sounded.
Then the other birds found their wings and began to soar. Coming out of the gates, Georgia Southern scored on a five-yard touchdown run from quarterback J.C. French IV to cut its deficit in half. The Golden Eagles countered, as Ole Miss transfer Matt Jones capped an eight-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run to rebuild his team’s lead with 4:24 left in the third quarter.
Georgia Southern rebutted with a 39-yard touchdown pass from French to Marcus Sanders Jr. with 1:19 left in the third quarter. The back-and-forth scoring continued with Southern Miss placekicker Creighton Wilbanks knocking down a 42-yard field goal to put his group up 38-21 with 10:24 left in regulation.
A 14-point swing in favor of the home Eagles underscored a refusal by Clay Helton’s squad to concede defeat. Following an untimely Southern Miss fumble, Georgia Southern scored on a 26-yard touchdown pass from French to Camden Brown. Frenched put more points on the board courtesy of a two-yard keeper to cut what was once a three-score disadvantage to a three-point deficit with 2:13 left in the game.
A failed onside kick attempt by Georgia Southern and a personal foul penalty that occurred simultaneously landed the visitors in a favorable field position as the two-minute timeout loomed. A strong run by Pittman to move the chains found Southern Miss kneeling out the remainder of the clock, and walking away 38-35 victors.
What the coach said
Charles Huff has not had a lot of recent success in Statesboro as his Sun Belt Champion team in 2024, Marshall, lost to Georgia Southern on a last-second score. Nonetheless, he acknowledged how important the road victory was for his new team, while expressing gratitude for the effort his group gave on the field.
“Got a huge amount of respect for Coach Helton, not only what he’s done at Georgia Southern, but what he’s done in his career,” Huff said. “Paulson Stadium is one of the best college football atmospheres in all of college sports. They do a really good job, especially on a Thursday night.”
Huff added that having this past weekend off helped him ignite a spark in his team — one in which they recognized the value of winning conference games.
“I think the more you get to know your team, the more you go through the season with your team, you kind of know what they need,” Huff continued. “I think the bye came at a good time, because they came back with a different type of snap in their eyes. Obviously, everyone knows this is a conference game, you know, so it matters just a little bit more to me.”
Numbers never lie
The Golden Eagles have forced 13 turnovers this season, including 11 interceptions, ranking No. 8 in the nation in turnover margin per game. Along with five sacks and seven tackles for loss, the defense proved solid at times throughout the game. Linebacker Chris Jones led the Golden Eagles defensively with 12 tackles and a pair of sacks.
Southern Miss quarterback Braylon Braxton completed 19 of 28 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Braxton has thrown multiple touchdown passes in all six games this season. The unsung hero of the night was Jeffery Pittman, who ran for 140 yards, two touchdowns, and moved the chains in crucial moments of the night.
Georgia Southern’s J.C. French IV threw for 313 yards and two second-half touchdowns, but had three costly picks. Wideout Camden Brown caught 12 passes for 158 yards and a score for the Eagles.
Up next
Southern Miss will remain on the road, with a matchup against Louisiana being the next test. The Golden Eagles and Ragin’ Cajuns will square off on Saturday, October 18. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. CT, with the game being broadcast on ESPN+.
