HATTIESBURG, Miss. – On Saturday night at Renasant Stadium, Southern Miss finally got to enjoy the feeling it had been chasing. Then the coaches turned on the film and found several reasons to get right back to work.
The Golden Eagles' 35-31 Homecoming win over Louisiana provided a much-needed breakthrough, but Blake Anderson and his coordinators agree that the result did not erase the mistakes. Heading into a road trip to ULM, several of those corrections could determine whether Southern Miss can build on its success.
"We have to [continue] to learn how to find a way to win," Anderson said. "There's still so much to fix that we cannot be comfortable at all."
More Consistent Quarterback Play
Landry Lyddy didn't need anyone to tell him that the Golden Eagles' passing game could've been better on Saturday night.
"I watched the tape yesterday and today and was very critical of myself, and I have to play better if we're going to win games down the stretch," Lyddy said.
His list of things to improve on included staying in the pocket a little longer, making the correct reads, and knowing when to throw the ball away. Anderson also mentioned confidence, saying he wants Lyddy to trust himself without becoming afraid of making a mistake.
Southern Miss protected the football against Louisiana, which mattered a great deal in what ended up being a four-point win. The Golden Eagles' offense will now just need to find a way to have more production through the air while continuing to avoid turnovers.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo said decision-making hasn't been a constant issue at quarterback, but it's an area where the offense can still improve. He also put some of that responsibility on himself.
"I always say 'we' when talking about a quarterback because it's my job to coach him and put him in situations to be successful," Cefalo said.
Better Blocking on the Perimeter
For fans wondering why Southern Miss continues to throw screens, Cefalo gave a straightforward explanation: When the offense has three players outside against two defenders, it should be able to make something good happen.
The issue is finishing blocks to cash in on those opportunities. Cefalo said technique and identifying the correct defender are the areas that need improvement this week.
"They're not hard fixes, but they need to get fixed because we're taking not just efficient plays from ourselves, we're taking explosive plays away from ourselves," Cefalo said.
For an offense that's trying to build on its run game that tallied nearly 300 rushing yards Saturday, getting the passing game kinks worked out will go a long way toward finding a balance that makes life more difficult for opponents. Getting the ball outside can produce another way to move the chains, but only if the blocking gives the ball carrier room to work with.
Better Awareness and Discipline in Coverage
Defensive coordinator Joe Bolden, although happy with how his defense played overall, sees some areas for improvement going into Saturday's game at ULM.
On second-and-long, for example, allowing a short completion and making the tackle can put the defense in a favorable third-down situation. The coverage should reflect what the opposing offense needs to accomplish.
"Yeah, I think it's awareness," Bolden said when asked about where his defense needs to be better going forward. "It's down and distance awareness, really by the entire defense."
Bolden also criticized the defense’s eyes in man coverage and said communication also needed to improve. There were a handful of times on Saturday night where it was noticeable that guys weren't on the same page pre-snap.
The biggest challenge for the Southern Miss defense is maintaining that aggression we've witnessed over these last two weeks while still recognizing when a play requires them to get depth and account for a receiver.
Eliminate Mistakes That Stall Drives
Southern Miss found a way to finish against the Ragin' Cajuns, but its third-quarter offensive struggles showed how quickly momentum can be lost.
Cefalo says penalties and self-inflicted mistakes remain the biggest reasons for the offense stalling out at times.
"We struggled to find much consistency," Cefalo said. "Really, penalties and just self-inflicted wounds got us off track and got us off schedule a few times in the third quarter, which we continuously need to eliminate."
After how well the running game did on Saturday, Cefalo says the plan is to stick with that gameplan. However, when defenses eventually adjust, the passing game will still have to step up in big moments.
"Obviously, it’s always good to run the ball. You can kind of dictate the tempo and control the pace of the game when you can do that. So it was a great job by the O-line, the running backs, everybody involved in that," Cefalo said.
“So we’ll keep running the football like that. It’s a quarterback’s best friend. But there are going to be times where we are going to have to push the ball down the field, we’re going to have to uncover, and we got to make great decisions at quarterback."
The Golden Eagles will be back in action this Saturday at ULM. The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
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