Transcript
Speaker: Welcome everybody back. It's another edition of Warm Weather Fans. Zeke Palermo here, Brian Stone, as always, your hosts on this here show. ah We're here joined by Dima Mixon.
Speaker: He's going to help us preview the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, a team that's been through like a roller coaster of kind of two and a half, three years. Dima, how are you? Welcome to the show. And I'm still finding like a polite way to ask this question, but like, who are you? Why why should folks listen to you as a voice of authority?
Speaker: ah well thank you guys for having me on and yeah doing good um august now so obviously football just around the corner fall camp here at southern miss at least starts on tuesday um just had my first um child uh had a daughter a month ago so that's certainly been uh change in my life um my wife and i welcomed to esther a month ago so really Really excited about that. but yeah um um I'm the sports editor at the Pine Belt News in Hattiesburg. I've covered Southern Miss since 2021. I'm also on the Super Talk Giggle Hour, which is a statewide radio show ah centered on Southern Miss Daily Show on Southern Miss. so i ah I would consider myself pretty well-versed in Southern Miss athletics. Well-versed on this football team, I'm not very sure because I don't think anybody really knows who these guys are getting out on here. So you guys probably know about as much as I do outside of I watch spring training. yeah But ah that's certainly ah would consider myself pretty knowledgeable on Southern Miss athletics. Probably not the most knowledgeable, but I am pretty knowledgeable. So that's probably why you should listen to me. I don't know. I hope that answers the question. i don't, I tried to set do it where it didn't sound arrogant because I'm not an arrogant guy. Well, you said you're local, right? You're from Hattiesburg.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So I um was born in Russia, Moscow, Russia, which was ah where Dima comes from. So that's short for Dimitri, but was adopted when I was younger. But then I lived here in Haysburg ever since i was adopted. So been in at almost every Southern Miss game that I can remember. But now that I'm a journalist, I always did put that you know fandom aside. But um ah but certainly I've been covering the team since 2021. So I've been through the three head coaches now. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: Obviously, two years ago, Southern Miss, kind of in the depth of the conference, we're talking, could not find a quarterback. No, go. Can I ask Demo a question? All right. So this sort of has to do with where where Zeke is going.
Speaker: what What are your initial thoughts on Will Hall getting hired at Tulane? Because that, like, I know this is a Southern Miss preview, but that to me seemed like... Tulane was on a pretty good track of hiring guys with like Summerall and Fritz. Like they were, they were building momentum and this just seems like they just rode straight into a brick wall by hiring Will Hall. Am I wrong on that?
Speaker: Well, I'll tell you what, that, you know, I'm i'm a huge sports fans, a huge sports fan. And I, I don't think I've ever audibly gassed. Yeah.
Speaker: Or audibly been, what? i remember it was early in the morning and I was still lying in bed. And, um you know, the Twitter notification goes out or whatever.
Speaker: And I just went, what? And, you know, my wife shoots up and goes, what's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong? And I said, Will Hall just got hired at Tulane. And she said, who's that? So that was a joke.
Speaker: No, i'm just kidding. see she She knew who it was. But um no, I mean, it was obviously the most shocking result out of all of last year's coaching cycle. um You know, certainly Will, you know, after the three or four years I got to know him as a person, you know, couldn't want more for that guy. i mean, that guy is a tremendous human being, a tremendous guy, tremendous friend to me, you know. But um You know, it's just hard to look at what happened here at Southern Miss and and not, you know, think about that when you're thinking about taking over a team who just made the playoff last year. I mean, it's just, right it was it it was a shocking development.
Speaker: I will say, though, I mean, if he he should have a pretty talented roster this year. i mean, most of that team is returning. So, I'm not really sure what's going to happen. So, I've kind of said it a lot when people have asked me this question. I'm not really interested to see what happens this year. I'm more interested to see what happens, you know, in next year or the next, if he's there. um because I want to see him recruit because that was the problem that he ran into here that he really recruited great players at Southern Miss but just the development he made horrible coaching decisions just you know never could find a quarterback as you said and um so certainly want to see that aspect of his coaching at Tulane more necessarily than this season because actually a lot of that roster from last year returns on this season so I'm not really sure how much he has to do you know but
Speaker: It was certainly the most shocking hire that I've ever, er so probably shocking sports moment that I've ever seen, that I've ever been a part of that I like i kind of felt, because there's a lot of shocking sports things that happens like nationally. You're like, oh, well, that's cool or whatever. But like that was something that was like personal, like what? it You know, so it certainly a was crazy. And I would say is that most of the Southern Miss community um just simply can't believe it, you know, so. Yeah. and Obviously, everybody's looking ahead to September 26th when Southern Miss plays at Tulane this year. And actually, funny note, you know, we talked a lot about this year's game at Tulane for Southern Miss. Next year.
Speaker: If Charles Huff is still at Memphis, two weekends – so it's it's the first – it's this week two and week three versus Tulane is week two. So Will Hall's homecoming to Hattiesburg. And then week three at Memphis to play Charles Huff.
Speaker: Certainly would be the most insane back-to-back weeks that I can remember in Southern football history. But – But yeah, it was that was a very long-winded answer. I apologize. but that No, that's that's all good.
Speaker: To your quarterback point, we used to have a running joke on the podcast like when we started this like in 2023. We were like, the best quarterback they have is Frank Gore Jr. yeah I mean, it was like nobody else could even do any anything. like They were like a net negative anytime they touched the football. So we were just like, yeah, just roll wildcat. When they pulled a graduate assistant who had been coaching all year and put him in a roster on the roster and started them at quarterback, and was like, yeah yeah, they're insanely cooked.
Speaker: That was in 2021, and then in 2022, to your point, you know Frank Gore Jr. was back, and – it You know, their quarterbacks keep getting injured, but also they weren't very that that good either. So it was just kind of like a situation. then they just ran Frank Gore out there for multiple games and then brought back the one of the quarterbacks at the very end. And all they had him do was hand the ball off, basically. Frank Gore, he threw, you know, maybe eight passes a game. So actually won a bowl game that way, which is crazy. But they were playing a five and seven rice team in 2022. Yeah.
Speaker: um And then in 23, you know, that's ah Billy Wiles came over from Clemson and everybody thought, you know, he was the savior of Southern Miss football or whatever. And, you know, he was just not good. And it was not it was not only his. um his abilities, but there's also kind of some mental things, you know, going on ah up there. So then they had to go to a true freshman in Ethan Crawford at the end of that season. And that he was honestly probably their best quarterback that we'll all had, you know, over his time. And, you know, he, he Southern Miss was only down six to Mississippi state, like in a late game in the fourth quarter before kind of a long touchdown run there. And that was with Ethan Crawford. He burned his red shirt just so he could play in that game.
Speaker: Um, And so, and then then in 2024, they brought over Tate Rodemacher from Florida State. He just never turned out to be anything. And then they went back to Ethan Crawford, but then he got hurt and then Will Hall got fired. And then, you know, then you're on inter interim coach, then all teams given up by that point. so That's kind of the quarterback train they've gone on. And then last year, you know they pulled in on All-American to be their quarterback. And I just remember like the first pass that Braylon threw in a game, it was almost like, what is that? That has not been at the Rock him through four years.
Speaker: And now this year, you know you're back to a kind of a questionable mark there at quarterback. And I know we'll get into that. But yeah, that's the history of quarterbacks at Southern Miss. I mean, I can't remember the last bona fide starter outside of Braxton other than maybe Jack Abraham in 2019. Yeah.
Speaker: That's a long time. yeah all common yeah Yeah. So getting into last year a little bit, you know, you, you have both Braxton and Charles Huff is sort of like one and dones with the program. You know, unfortunately, like I was very, I thought that Southern Miss wasn't getting enough hype heading into last season. Like I was like,
Speaker: Yeah, this isn't the same Marshall team. like You don't get Mike Green and like some of these big contributors from the 2024 Marshall team, like A.J. Turner, even though he ended up at Oklahoma State, so he probably wishes he ended up at Southern Miss instead. But ah yeah, I was just like...
Speaker: I think the over-under last season was like four and a half wins. And I was like, I'm way – I was like, I'm over on that like that. I looked at the state of the West and was kind of like, I don't know, man. like I can run down all these West quarterbacks, and Braxton is better than all of them. So like I'll just take the team that's got the best quarterback in the division. So take us through a little bit of last season – you know you You start out with ah you know the loss to Mississippi State. like it It is what it is. It's an SEC school. You kind of got to take your lumps and just collect a paycheck at that point.
Speaker: But you know to to beat Jackson State at Jacksonville State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, ULM, Arkansas State, it felt like they were Southern Miss was on the track to play in the title game and represent the West. And then you know what When the Braxton injury hit, was that just sort of the nail in the coffin for the season? Because it felt like it really kind of turned on a dime starting in that ah Texas State game when he wasn't able to go.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, I wrote a story about it that week, and I said, you know, Southern Miss finally got their quarterback, and he gets hurt. And so I kind of made – I made the joke in my column that week, like, is is the m M.M. Roberts Stadium like the death of quarterbacks or something? things Because, you know, the past four years they couldn't find one, and then you finally get one, you're 7-2 and 5-0 in conference, and he literally falls on the turf in a weird way. Like, that's literally how that happened. It wasn't even he got hit.
Speaker: It was literally he was sliding, and he, you know, tore something in his knee while on a slide. Like it was just it wasn't even a contact injury, which one of those were end up being the worst. And he, and you know, Huff said he could play and then, you know, he put him back out there, which I thought was the mistake, you know, in that Arkansas State game when he got hurt um because I think it it aggravated a little bit more. And, you know, then they said he could play against Texas State, but then he ended up didn't didn't play.
Speaker: And then the game at South Alabama, which was week 11, 11th game, it was not a game they had to win at all, like at all. And it was all going to come down to that Troy game at the end of the year at home. And i remember asking Huff, like, you do you even if Braxton is 70%, I mean, there's just, i mean, I remember saying like, either are you going to play him? I mean, it is it better to give him another week, you know, for the next week's game, which is much more important? And, you know, they he kind of, you know, obviously non-answered that, but yeah,
Speaker: ah you know, they ended up playing him in that week 11 game and it was just obvious he wasn't the same quarterback. And, ah you know, so there was some, I thought that there were some mistakes late last season as far, you know, but for the overall season, you know, it was certainly a change and it was certainly, you know, something that some of his fans hadn't had here in a while, which is meaningful football in November, which was the whole goal. You know, that was what Huff came in saying, we're going be playing meaningful football November. And they did.
Speaker: And certainly I thought they were the best team in the West when they were fully healthy. You thought about Braylon Braxton. You also look at the running back with Jeffrey Pittman, you know, transfer Mississippi State. He was really good physical runner. They also had three incredible wide receivers, Micah Davis, you know,
Speaker: Metcalf, you know, they had multiple receivers last year that were just Chapman, who's now at Memphis, you know, slot and in the slot. You know, their offensive line was, it wasn't like great, but it would but it but it was fine, you know.
Speaker: And then, you know, the defense had two 100-plus tacklers, and Michael Montgomery and Chris Jones are both now transferred out and really good secondary. Also, Josh Moten, everybody knew who he was. You know, you had really good defensive linemen. So it was a really good roster last year. And, you know, just kind of,
Speaker: like you said, just kind of flailed out when Braxton got injured and he was the the whole team, the soul of the team. And it just really felt, you know, it was just a different team when when he wasn't out there and, um you know, to no fault on the team. I mean, I guess that would be anybody, how much leadership Braxton carried. So,
Speaker: but But, I mean, it's just – I think some the Miss fans, like, look at last year and kind of just feel like it's a wash, right, because you had basically Marshall's team here. You can know, you had 40 transfers from Marshall and a bunch of other transfers from other places, and all of them are gone Like, I hope everybody – every single player on that team from last year has gone other than other than two. There's two players back from last year's team.
Speaker: And so like it was like everybody liked that team, but now they're not all here. So like there's no connection to them anymore. And the coach isn't here. you know And ah so I don't really know like if you look at 2025 and say, like if Southern Miss fans, like did you enjoy that? like Did you enjoy you know going seven and five and losing all your players? like is that Is that inherently good for the program? like I don't know, you know, and I think that was kind of the the thought coming out of ah at least that I had out of that bowl game when they lost Western Kentucky, because, you know, I posed the question on my on a podcast that I do.
Speaker: you know Was the 2025 season like a failure? Because like in a way, yes, you know, you won games, but like, did you really turn this program around like Huff was saying he did? And, you know,
Speaker: All the preseason you know predictions coming into this year would say no, because you left Blake Anderson with completely bare cupboard. He had three players from last year's team on and no returning starters on the either side of the ball.
Speaker: In December, you know signing day is obviously not as big as it is as it as it is ah or as it was a couple of seasons ago, but you only signed eight players on signing day.
Speaker: And so you know Huff, his whole goal was to do that two-week transfer portal window and bring a bunch of players in here. But also he was retaining players that he had on this roster. you know There was players coming back. so So then Huff leaves. OK, so now you have eight signees.
Speaker: You have all the transfers that he takes, which I think almost 30 off of Southern Miss, and he takes to Memphis with him. So then you have 40 seniors. So that's 70 players leaving.
Speaker: You have two starters on both or one starter on either side of the ball coming back. And he really only started like two games. i don't even know if you really call him a starter. um And then the kicker back. So I guess that's great. You get your kicker back. But. um But like, so you leave Blake Anderson with two weeks to legitimately build a football team. Like it's like dynasty mode, you know, in any college football 25, you're like practically, you know, pressing buttons, trying to make sure you fill out your roster. Like that's literally what Blake Anderson had He had to literally buy a football team. So all of these players are all transfers are all graduate, all signees, you know, all these things. so
Speaker: So I guess people came out of 2025 thinking like, oh, that was a good season, but like, what did it leave us? And now you're like, oh, no I don't know what's going to happen to Blake Anderson's first year because all these players never played football really at Division I level. So, yeah, so I feel like I'm rambling. is there Are these good answers? You know, I feel like you ask a question that I just talk about some of his football history. Well, I have one other question that's connected to last at the end of last season.
Speaker: Are the fans like upset at Charles Huff for bouncing after one season? okay I thought so. it's It's very funny that he's on his third team in three years. He's left two pissed off fan bases behind him.
Speaker: That's just very funny. I mean i would say Marshall's probably more pissed off at him than Southern Miss fans are. But, I mean, when he came here, I mean, everybody knew, like, he didn't want to be at Southern Miss. You know, he just he just wanted one more year with Braylon Braxton and Marshall basically said, you're not doing it here. I mean, that's basically how that went down. ah You know, it's not very – it's not obviously very popular when a ah ah coach wins the Sunbelt championship and then the next day is asked to leave. So, um you know, he wanted another year with Braylon and Southern Miss obviously it was kind of that –
Speaker: bridge for him to get that and so now i will say when he came here and i knew he'd be gone within a year or two but i just did not i didn't expect him to be gone in one year um but kind of with all the coaching changes at the end of last year was kind of a foregone conclusion you know he had ah obviously what happened at you know lsu auburn you know ah Florida, Arkansas. I mean, there's just so many coaching opens like openings last year that – and I didn't think he was going to get one of those big-name jobs like in Auburn, even though he interviewed there stuff like that. but um
Speaker: But I certainly thought he was going to get one of those ripple-down jobs that, like, whoever Memphis head coach left to, like, he might get there. or I really thought he was going to be Tulane, to be honest. but um Me too. Yeah. So, you know, when – what's Tulane's head coach's name, John Summerall left. you know I was like, oh, yeah you know he's yeah, Huff is gone and then ended up going to Memphis. but So that's where I thought once all those openings opened up i was like, i man, i mean it's just too it's just too much good. you know Comes into Southern Minnesota, went 1-11, and he flips the whole team. you know He's already shown to the financial portal to his advantage. you know that's That's just two really big coins in his pocket. so
Speaker: um So once once all those openings opened up, I knew it was a foregone conclusion. So I don't want to say the Slamis fans are like necessarily that angry with them as much as Marshall fans are, but they definitely don't like them right now. so sure it's all It's almost like someone that renovates a house and then sells it immediately. you know they They buy like a a dilapidated... Have you ever seen that show? Yeah. yeah like they buy They buy this house that's falling apart for $40,000, even in this market, and then they totally refurbish it, and then within a year, it's like on the market at $245,000, and you're like...
Speaker: All right. Well, that was the way he handled his football team in 2025. Yeah. And if you watched AAC Media Days, he's doing the same thing at Memphis. You know, he said, I'm going to be a Power 4 coach in two years. don't know if that's going to be here or another team. I'm like, dude, that guy's a goober, honestly.
Speaker: That's funny. ah And then, so then after Huff leaves for Memphis, you get Blake Anderson, esteemed Sunbelt coach, two titles with Arkansas State, had some off-the-field stuff.
Speaker: ah Previously the offensive coordinator here, what's the vibe around Blake Anderson? Yeah, I mean, it was pretty, it just seemed like the foregone conclusion when he came to be the offensive coordinator with Huff because he was like the only coach that Huff brought here who didn't have any ties to him. So it was always like, huh, that's a little strange, you know, OCI hire. And then obviously like he was here already, you know, in 2009, 2011. And, nine two thousand and eleven and um ah So everybody was like, well, if Huff leaves, you know, obviously Anderson is going to be the court the new head coach. um I would say like.
Speaker: 60% of the fan base probably didn't want it to happen, maybe even more than that. And so I would say like he's probably got to win the fan base over right now and because at least the fan base here at Southern Miss, you know, the the mantra at Southern Miss is like, you know, everybody just hires within, nobody like makes any bold, you know, any bold coaching decisions, stuff like that.
Speaker: Now at baseball, for example, like that works, you know, you know you had Corky Palmer, then you went to, you know, Scott Berry and then to Christian Ostrander, you know, you you had this train of coaches in baseball who have just been incredible.
Speaker: So it certainly worked in baseball. And then – but at football, you know, a lot of people wanted Jeremy McClain, who's the athletic director, to, you know, kind of go out and go get somebody who's a young coach who, you know, kind of would maybe bring some fire into the university, such as, you know, one of the – the Mercer head coach was something that was ah kind of circulating. a lot of people, you know, threw out Hugh Freeze, you know, ah stuff like that that – I don't think you want to get in the Hugh Freeze business. yeah Like I said, sometimes some of those fans are a little crazy. But the point is they wanted some to bring some juice. you know And I think you know when Jeremy McClain went out and hired Huff, he was kind of like, home whoa, you know that's ah that's a bold you know move right there. That's a strong move. And then you know he leaves, then you're just like, all right, Blake Anderson, here you go. And um I kind of think the thought was like,
Speaker: because Huff left on like the 8th of December, I think, and they announced Anderson like the 13th or 14th. So it was very quick. So everybody kind of thought like they didn't even interview anybody else. So it was just kind of like oh everybody thought it was walk. So that's why I think most of the fan base didn't want it to happen. And, um,
Speaker: You know, personally, just knowing Blake Anderson and getting to know him over the last year and and several conversations we had, i I really think he might be the guy for Southern Miss, you know, going forward. And I don't necessarily think this year, you know, he's going to – Turn some heads, but, um you know, he's a very honest guy. he's He's really been through a lot. I mean, if you do not know his story, it is very moving. And just as a guy of faith and religion of myself, like I'm very moved by his story. So I guess I just like in my head, I'm like, oh, i want him to win, you know, whatever. But ah but just as a person. But.
Speaker: you know he He's done this before. This is certainly the hardest you know turnover he's probably ever done. um But i i think what what makes me confident that he's going to be good for Southern Miss going forward is that he's not looking to leave. And and I think that that's a big change. you know he's and This is going to be his – I don't know how many years in coaching, but he's been coaching a long time. He's he's not he's not like a young guy, if that makes sense.
Speaker: and um And so I asked him at Sunbelt Media Days and I said, like, you know, you're the third Southern Miss head coach here in the past three Sunbelt Media Days, you know, between Will Hall, Huff and him. And I said, like, what do you say to fans? They're like, man, i I just want a guy who's going to be here for two years. even You know, I don't even ask him for and two years.
Speaker: ah ah Every job I've ever taken, i'm I'm planning to stay here until I die unless, you know, the the Lord has another option for me. So i think that's just good for Southern Miss to know that, like, even if they went, let's just say they went and and I'm not pretending this to be the case, by the way. This is just.
Speaker: oh If everything was perfect, they went 10-2 and won Sunbelt or something, you know crazy like that. um He would be here next year, I think is the point that I'm that i'm trying to make here. And so i think that's really encouraging Southern Miss because they they've got to have some longevity. They just can't keep affording one-and-done coaches and and coaches that are getting fired. so yeah and And I think that's why this is going to be good in the long run.
Speaker: um I think the question for me, and like this is still yet to be answered, is like as a head coach, what version of Blake Anderson are you getting? Because it seemed like, and I understand that he had like you know the thing with his wife and everything toward the end of his Arkansas State tenure, but it was like from 2014 to 2019, he had them humming. i mean They were always in contention for the West. Like you said, when did he win the conference? Twice at Arkansas State? Yeah. yeah so it was like And then
Speaker: he goes at you know he he leaves Arkansas State they go four and seven in 2020 and then that's the end of his tenure he goes out to Utah State has one really strong season to start and then kind of just goes 12 and 14 the rest of the way and I'm like I get that the off the field stuff is the reason why he's not coaching there anymore but it's also like the on the field results outside of like one season since 2020 have not been great so like Again, this is like rhetorical. You can't answer this yet. You'd have to be able to look into the future. But I'm just like, what version are they going to get? Are they going to get the one that ran the Sun Belt West for five years? Or they going to get the guy who... It's like peaks and valleys where it's like, you'll have one great season, but then there will be like two 6-7 seasons with two bowl losses thrown in the mix. So like that's the thing that just remains to be seen for me, I think.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, overall, it's I mean, so it's not like... I wouldn't say that's like a slam dunk record, obviously, but I mean, and don't know. It's just three and seven in bowls. I mean, I think that's the reason, you know, why people were like, you know, it it looks good on paper. And, you know, Southern Miss, at least the athletic department kept going, you know, look, he won two Sunbelt titles at Arkansas State, you know, all these things. and but Like you said, I mean, 10 years in college football changes a lot.
Speaker: We are yeah vastly different in 2026 than we were in whenever he won those titles, 2016 or whatever. you know Vastly different. So you're right. I mean, that's a very, very obvious and a good thing to bring up. But I will say, you know when you look at his resume, 38 and 18 in Sunbelt play, I mean, that's just hard for any athletic director to know that he's already on your staff to to dismiss. so yeah But we'll see. We'll see what happens. I'm like you. I mean, we'll see what happens. We'll see.
Speaker: Yeah. An interesting parallel with Blake Anderson here kind of matches the situation. Is the inverse, but also the same situation as it was when he took over Arkansas State because Arkansas State had just churned through ah Brian Harsin, Gus Malzahn, Hugh Freeze in like three years. They were on coach for five and as many years.
Speaker: Obviously, those guys, the reason they left was by better opportunities happening for them as opposed to kind of here at Southern Miss where Well, for Charles Huff, he left on his own volition, but Will Hall finally got shown the door. um so it's a I don't know. that's ah That's a parallel I drew.
Speaker: i do want to start talking about position stuff, and I think obviously it starts at the quarterback. Blake Anderson saying this is the deepest he's ever gone in an offseason without a clear-cut quarterback.
Speaker: Who's in this room? Who do you like? Is there a favorite to win this job, or is it really completely even? Yeah, um they have John White, you know, who's Mississippi's all-time leading passer in high school. And he's been here for a a while, for three or four years now. um Never really seen the field. He's kind of a smaller guy. um One thing about him was they really wanted to get his arm strength better, such as those to-the-boundary throws.
Speaker: um and And he really has done that. I thought in the spring, you know, he's probably looked the best version of himself. um that You know, in the in the time that I've seen him here. And then Landry Littie's back. He was Barry Lynn's backup last year. He'd started one game, which was that Texas State where um they lost 41-14. Not really to his fault. you know It was kind of just a ah wash.
Speaker: They weren't prepared for losing Braxton and things like that. But then they brought in you know a sixth-year guy out of Illinois and previous quarterback at Northern Illinois in Ethan Hampton out of the transfer portal. You know, a lot of people remember him from beating Notre Dame in Northern Illinois. He was on that team to beat Notre Dame, all those things. And so, you know, seeing all three, i don't really see a huge difference in all three of them. I'm kind of agreeing with Blake Anderson. So, you know,
Speaker: like I think John White, you know, is kind of like the fan favorite just because he's like been here longer and stuck it out in the Mississippi guy. I think Hampton's going to start just because I don't know why you would bring in a six-year guy with, a you know, playing experience and not at least start with him. Even if it he doesn't finish the season, I don't know why you just wouldn't start with him. You know, and Liddy is interesting. I just don't think he has the the arm strength that the other two have. So, I mean, if I had to like rank it, I'd say Hampton, White, and then Liddy.
Speaker: um But I mean, I do agree with him that you know you could really play all three and probably still be able to run the offense that they want to try to run this year. But but i I just don't know why you would bring a six-year guy in and then not start, not at least start with him. You know what I'm saying? so But I do think they're gonna we're going to see all three, honestly. so Sure.
Speaker: This has been a recurring theme throughout all of our episodes. it's It's projecting not to be a banner year at the quarterback position for the entire Sunbelt, almost. It's like, Zeke and I talked about this during the Marshall episode. It's like, when Carlos Del Rio Wilson is your preseason player of the year or whatever, I'm just sort of like, don't know about that.
Speaker: Good luck. Yeah. No, I agree. Yeah. um One of the things last season that kind of caught my eye, I don't know if this was the feeling around the team or even among the fan base. It it it very seemed much seemed like the running game wasn't it it was inconsistent. Like, you know, ah you go look at it across the entire season. It's like as a team, you average three point eight yards per carry.
Speaker: not not fantastic. I know Pittman was good, um but it seemed to me like a lot that they were putting a lot on Braxton and last year, and that was why it felt like when he got hurt and wasn't 100% anymore, they just weren't the same team. I mean, it was like Arkansas State did the same thing with Jalen Rayner. like They just didn't have a running game that really mattered like at the end of the day. So do do you anticipate there to be an improvement at that area? Because last year it just seemed like I mean, you you go back and even look at the splits. It's like, I think they averaged 266 passing yards per game and then only 130 rushing yards as a team. So it was just, it was very pass heavy. And with this new like quarterback competition, do you anticipate them being a little bit more even in the way that they call plays?
Speaker: um You mean as far as like quarterback running as well? or Just running the ball in general because it was like Pittman was your leading rusher, but then everybody else was just sort of like hovering around 300 yards or so.
Speaker: Yeah, I mean, I think it's all going to – and I know this is kind of the – cop-out answer, I guess, if you will. But um it's really going to depend on what this offensive line is able to do. i mean, they have to replace everybody up there. So, i mean, if they're not able to block or run block, I mean, it really doesn't matter who's running the ball. you know so But I will say they bring back Robert Robert Briggs, he played a little bit last year. Didn't start, obviously, but you know backed up Jeffrey Pittman. They also brought in a guy from Coffeyville Community College and Steven Robinson. Probably ah like more like a combination back, if you will.
Speaker: um He's got like kind of that burst in speed, but he also you know has that strength to kind of run but in between the tackles. you know So those are the kind of the two guys that are going to be rotating the most there between Briggs and and Robinson.
Speaker: um They also bring in a freshman from the Louisville area in Jamarius Wilder. I think he's probably the fastest running back on the field, but, you know, he's only – he's 5'9", 190, you know. So that's going to be kind of tough for him to beat out the other two guys. he's you know So they're probably going to work with him over this year, but also over the offseason next year and trying to, you know, beef him up a little bit. and But I do think he's probably the fastest on the on the ah on the roster. So, you we'll see what happens there. but But I just think, you know, it really depends on the offensive line.
Speaker: has um Has Anderson said anything about play call duties? um Is it going to be his offense still? I know he brought in a guy that he had worked with at Utah State.
Speaker: like is Is this still Blake Anderson's offense that we're going to run? Yeah, it's going to be a mix. um I know that Cephalo's running plays. I'm pretty sure calling plays. And that that is a change from last year because I think Anderson called plays in the bowl game.
Speaker: um So we'll see what happens there. And, yeah, so yeah yeah so Cephalo called plays, but ah I think Anderson is still to have a pretty big role to play in the offense. Sure.
Speaker: um As far as weapons go, what are we looking at as far as pass catchers? Because you don't return a single receiver that notched a a stat in that category from last season. Just i mean, just in general recurring theme with this team, it's like yeah the right guard is the only guy that's returning from last year's team. So what what do the the the pass catchers profile as ah going into this season?
Speaker: Yeah, um it's probably gonna start with 63208 Grant Page. He probably looked the best in the spring. He's gonna play outside receiver. He played with Andrew, well, he was on Utah State's team in 2024, suffered a knee injury. He was in a brace this spring, but I think they expect him to be kind of full strength going into the fall. Jalen Hines, you know, he he was an FCS All-American, you know, 1,100 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns. He was really good in the spring too, so kind a slot guy for them. They bring in Caden Saunders from Penn State.
Speaker: He's got some power 4-4 experience. Didn't play a lot for the Nittany Lions, but you know it looks good on paper, I guess, for them. Elijah Singleton's another guy you know they look for. Came in from East Central Community College. Davis Dalton, you know kind of a veteran guy here, but he's been kind of injury prone. He's actually who's almost brought to Southern Sunbelt Media Days.
Speaker: Hasn't played a lot just because of how many injuries he's had, but he's Yeah, so it's going to heavy rotation. And like I said, I've never really played much Division I football, so really don't know what you're going to get from any of them. But they do have some options. They are deep there, you know.
Speaker: And one thing Blake Anderson told me is, like, I don't know how good they're going to be, but they're all about the same, so at least we know we have depth. that's right fair i Yeah, I feel bad for bringing you on at this point because we're just bringing you on here to say, i don't know, I've never seen him, ah which is the case for you know so much of the conference, but especially this team.
Speaker: Offensive line, um Broderick Roman, outside him. yeah Anyone catch your eye? Yeah, I mean, for Brock...
Speaker: He's probably ah the only one who's like penciled in a starting role, if you will. um Like where you're like, I think he's going to be starter, but i don't even know if you will or not. Larry Edwards, he he's probably one of the more athleticists. athletic offensive linemen. He's a junior, you know, six four but just 275. So that's that's obviously a a big concern.
Speaker: um They did bring in some size from Louisiana Tech, you know, between Toby Miller. um He's a redshirt freshman transfer from Louisiana Tech. um he He was recruited by powerful players, but obviously he doesn't really have any snaps, but 6'5", 333. So that's pretty good size right there to have.
Speaker: um Luke Rogers, he'll be under center, played a little bit last year, but not much. And then, like you said, brought Eric Roman senior off the office line. He's going to be the leader. Jameer Davis, he's a redshirt freshman they brought in.
Speaker: um he Huff actually brought him from Marshall, and he's one of the few players who didn't go to Memphis with Huff. um So at this juncture, we don't know if it's because Huff didn't want him or he wanted to say it's other mission. yeah So we'll see. But, you know, 6'5", 305 there.
Speaker: um That was kind of the first team that they ran out in in spring. So between Edwards, Mueller, Rogers, Roman and Davis. So that was kind of like your first team in the spring that they had.
Speaker: um so They have some big bodies there, but from what we so what I at least saw in the spring, it didn't look like they were able to really move anybody. So we'll see what happens when they're playing somebody else.
Speaker: Some other names to be note, Braden Kane Jr., 6'3", 300. They also have a guy at left guard, a junior transfer from the Division II ranks, Liam Cassidy, 6'4", 345. So they have good size. We just don't really know the – the depth and the athletic ability of all these players yet.
Speaker: You know, probably theirre their biggest player on the offensive line, Casey Gene Baptiste. He came from Coffeyville Community College as well. Ready for the 6'6", 355 on line.
Speaker: Big boys, you know, soon as can they move, I guess is what everybody's kind of waiting and seeing now. You know, we we use kind of Phil Steele's magazine as like a ah backdrop on like trying to figure out. And yeah it's been interesting because like the players that you've named were not listed in the starting lineup that he's projected. So I'm like Phil's two out of five on this offensive line. He's got Roman and Davis as starters. And then the rest of the guys are people you didn't even talk about, which is kind of crazy. And I'm not saying that against you. I just mean you have a better perspective as somebody who's like around the program all the time than... right
Speaker: you know phil who we like but he talks to coaches once and then that's how he kind of builds out the magazine yeah um i'm just going on based on like who was rotating in spring so no and that's great yeah he might have changed it certainly but like i said i mean all these guys have not played a lot so i mean yeah you could really see a five six rotation offensive line which is insane Do you ah we've talked about this again, if you're a regular listener of the show, this is something we've talked about in every episode. So you're bored of it by now. um
Speaker: It looks like Southern Miss is targeting guys with tools, ah with physical standouts as opposed to guys that have played. Is that a fair assessment maybe as we look at like their portal strategy? And then as a follow-up to that, is that something you like? how Is that something that you think is going to bode well for them?
Speaker: Yeah, I would agree with that. You know, as far as, you know, skill position players go, I would probably say they did look for a little bit more on the production side because they they went in and got a lot of guys who had a lot of production in the junior college and division two ranks. You know, they didn't go because what one thing that, you know, we talked about Will Hall, but one thing he'd like to do is go to these Power Four programs and get players who didn't have a lot of playing time on these Power Four programs and say, like, listen, we got this guy from Clemson. You know, he's going to be our savior or whatever, but he only had one reception in two years. And you're like, oh, Well, I don wonder why. And then you watch him, youre like, oh, that's why. but but ah but But I think what they did is went and got production you know in ah in these Division II ranks and kind of based this team on that. yeah.
Speaker: But on the offensive line, and especially on the offensive line, you know, they went out and tried to get bodies. You know, they they I think the mantra was like, even if they can't move, 355 pounds is still hard to move. You know, regardless of the athletic ability, 355 is tough. So, you know, you can stand there and if I ran into a 355-pound line, you know, I would fall over and break like a twig. So, yeah, so they went out got size on this offensive line. And we'll see it pays off for them.
Speaker: i Yeah, but i think I think Zeke and I have come to the opinion, at least on the offensive line, that like game action matters more than... Because i i think, and we talked about this on a previous episode, but I think what I've found is more often than not, these teams can't really don't really develop offensive linemen. You know what i mean? So like when you get a bunch of toolsy guys who are like, oh, this guy has the size we're looking for, and then they throw him out there, it's like he doesn't know who to block, like technique is bad. So it's just like,
Speaker: yeah Yeah, I think it's Zeke and I's like official opinion that like I would rather grab an FCS guy who played 12 games last year and maybe is not the not the prototypical size that like a P4 program would look for versus like a guy that has sat on Georgia's bench for the last three years and never touched the field.
Speaker: um So, yeah, I mean, i think we've seen it pay off more when you do get guys that have game reps in. so um And then transitioning to the defense.
Speaker: What what does this defense project to look like? Because again, this is like all new faces. um What what did you say that there was one returning player on the defense that started like a couple of games last year? So what what do we anticipate this def defense to look like like? I guess we could start with the defensive line and then work our way back.
Speaker: Yeah, um I would say this is probably going to be the weakness of the team. I mean, and and I'm just going to say that. I mean, I really think the offense has the ability, you know, with their speed and with Blake Anderson's mind, you know, to probably score some points off people.
Speaker: um This defense is absolutely the biggest question mark defense defense that I've ever covered. Well, you start a defensive coordinator. um Joe Bolden was named defensive coordinator. He was a special teams coordinator last year, right? So they they moved to DC. And then this is his first time ever calling defensive plays, first time ever coaching a defense. And he's got to do it with, you know obviously, replacing a whole defense.
Speaker: um There was a lot of times in the spring, you know, they had missed assignments, busted coverage, lots of stuff like that. So, you know, fall camp starts this week as of when we're recording this. And certainly want to see how this defense has grown over the summer since what I what i saw in spring was did not look good. Starting on the defensive line, Amari Wilson seems like they're probably the best player.
Speaker: 6'6", 265. So, you know, not very big, I guess, if you will. But, you know, if they're going to consistently pressure quarterbacks, it's probably going to begin with him. You know, he was pretty disruptive in a lot of a lot of those players. Naysom Cairo, senior transfer from Southeast Missouri.
Speaker: 273. So you know again, not very big defensive lineman, but he was a little he was quick. He was able to get between those tackles a little bit on the offensive line. Nose guard was J.R. Stegall, 6'2", 330. He's from Towson. Jeffrey Rush was kind of that in edge player. He was from Ole Miss, transferred from Ole Miss. He was a former four-star prospect, actually.
Speaker: But ah you like I said, 6'1", 265 is your defensive So you know ah I'm not an expert, but that that's just not something you would want to have on your defensive end. So some other players to note.
Speaker: um Did I already mention Jeffrey Rush? i don't know if I did or not. but um Yeah, a little bit. Okay, okay. So another player would be Cameron Cypren, 6'3", 250.
Speaker: and Josh Johnson, you know, he was he came over from Nichols, probably one of their bigger bodies as far as, like, size on the defensive line, 325. So I would say that this front seven, and when we get to linebackers in a minute, you know probably is one of the weakest front sevens that I've seen in the Southern Miss in some time.
Speaker: um And just with the size and unproven production, um and I'm not trying to dog the team by any means, but I mean, it's just the way it is. you know And this is what happens when you have to go buy a whole new roster. Yeah. um Will you go to linebacker? y'all are ready to move on to linebacker. No, please. Yeah. I love the long exhale. Let's talk about that. I would say linebacker was probably just the worst position in spring. And it's something that I asked Blake Anderson actually on Friday when we got able to talk to him.
Speaker: He was like, if there's any if there's any ah room that I just want to see significant improvement from from the spring, it's got to be a linebacker. Obviously, you're you're you're having to replace Chris Jones and – Michael Montgomery, who were both 120 tackle players last season. But then also, Huff took three of the other good linebackers with them who didn't play as much who were looking to be your guys this year.
Speaker: um So when we start with linebacker, we start with Melvin Spriggs. He's ah from Akron. The problem is he dealt with a lot of injury stuff in the spring, so we really didn't get to see much of what he was able to do, but he was pretty good at Alkeren. Mathis Haygood, who was you know at Sunbelt Media Days, he appeared in all 13 games last year, so he played in every game. He wasn't a starter. He had 44 tackles, so you know if you look for a guy to maybe be the captain of the defense, it's going to be him. And he was came from Marshall and did not go with Huff. on to Memphis. They brought in Mario Williams from Snow College. um
Speaker: You know, he he had good numbers there, 104 tackles, you know, but obviously that's just, you're just playing a different game here at Division I rather than Snow College. Avery Sledge comes over from Mississippi State, didn't play much last year, really at all actually, some injury issues.
Speaker: So really don't know what to expect from him. you know A couple other players that look to be interesting is Tyler Lasseter. Hutchinson Community College didn't really play much there. he's probably gonna be like your third option and and linebacker in the linebacker room.
Speaker: A couple players in development, Caleb Triplett, 6 feet, 225. He was actually in the Mississippi Alabama All-Star Game MVP. He was the MVP of that game. So it's like they have guys on this roster who are like interesting, but just there's just not any experience in actual games. you know So you're just like,
Speaker: Are they going be able to like tackle a guy on third and three when you know you're one-on-one with an experienced running back? you know You're going able to read the quarterback's eyes when he's trying to you know throw you off. and And in the spring, at least they weren't. So that that front seven is certainly going to be the biggest question question mark on the team. And really, if they run into any any team with any kind of running game or good offensive line, you know it's probably going to be a really long day, at least on the ground or defending the ground for the Golden Eagles on defense.
Speaker: When you go to the secondary, you know you look at safety. Michael Robinson, he came over from Kansas, probably their best player out of the portal, 6'2", 205. He brings that size and physicality that you know you want in the middle.
Speaker: um So I expect tend him to be pretty decent back there. Landon Sylvie came over from southeastern Missouri. He's kind of going to be that weak safety you know that they they run a lot.
Speaker: I didn't think he looked particularly great in spring camp, was kind of beat a lot. They brought over in a Texas A&M transfer. Jordan Pride didn't play much at Texas A&M.
Speaker: he was He was decent, I guess, in the spring, you know so he's something to watch. you know They also have that nickel position, which Jair Brown is going to be most likely going to be in that position. Redshirt Jr. from UCF.
Speaker: um that's That's the position that you know Ian Foster was last year for Southern Miss. He went to Memphis and probably the most important part part of the part, of the probably the most important position in a 425. And I thought he was fine in that for for what they were doing in the spring. So yeah, that's pretty much the secondary. A couple players from pushing for starting roles and then cornerback.
Speaker: I think if there's one position you know that you're a little bit more confident in on the defense is probably a cornerback. I wouldn't say they're perfect, but that they just have some pretty decent size there. So Champ Lewis, 6'2", 190. It's going to be kind of your boundary corner.
Speaker: Field corner, probably going to be um Ishmael Ibrahim. He transferred from Marshall. He he was going to play last year, but then got injured, and and Huff didn't take him to – didn't take him to Memphis. So he's healthy again. So I would look for him to be pretty decent. Some rotational pieces, Jonah Martinez, Hiroshi Carr, you know, kind of there. So certainly going to be a huge question mark in defense, but that is, I guess that's kind of a 30,000 feet above and some names that people can look for to be, you know, in the rotation. Cause none of these guys, you know, though that, that, that starting 11 is going to be changing probably the every single week over the first three or four weeks.
Speaker: So I hope that was good on the defense side. No, no. no Yeah. You just, you paint a very uncertain picture, which I mean, I mean, but if you're reflecting what we're actually seeing um Southern miss, no,
Speaker: Sunbelt preseason ah nominees at all. um Blake Anderson did give his own team the first place vote. ye Congratulations. Give yourself a pat on the back, Blake. um wi Like, what...
Speaker: I guess we should just kind of go through the schedule and talk through, you know. can tonight Can I just say one more one more thing about the defense? I don't know, because sometimes the the measurements in the Phil Steele magazine are not correct. I think the one thing that struck me when I was looking through this is, like, how undersized some of the linebackers are, at least in in the way that they're listed. I mean, he has Andrew Martin as one of the starting linebackers who is listed at 12".
Speaker: That does not seem like, I mean, I weigh more than that guy. Like he shouldn't be trying to tackle running backs on Saturday. And then there's ah that Avery Sledge. This could be wrong too, but he's listed at 201.
Speaker: Yeah. Weight-wise? And know I'm like, oh my gosh. They're small for linebacker. if that's That can't be accurate, though. He put on some pounds, but I think he's about 215. So, i't I mean, it's not much more.
Speaker: But, I mean, when you mention size, I mean, look at the defensive line. Like, I just, like, I was worried. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Look at this. I i mean, 6'2", 273 for your nose tackle. I mean, that's that's scary. I mean, I'm i'm sorry. i'm I'm not trying to talk to the team. That's scary. you know Then you look your defensive end, and I mentioned them, 6'1", 260.
Speaker: I mean, that I think in power force, 260 is like – a nickel roll or something like that. you know, and he's your defensive end, you know, so, and and certainly he'll bring speed, but i mean, can he move a 330 pound offensive lineman? don't know. We'll see. So certainly, I mean, this is a very undersized defense and a lot of question marks. I mean, not on top of all that, you have a defensive coordinator who was the special teams guy last year, who's never called defensive plays. So it's, it's going to be wild. I mean, I still can say it's going to wild. Right. Is there like a public sentiment? Cause that's something that,
Speaker: feels kind of crazy you go with a guy who's been a coordinate a special teams coordinator for the past four years at a couple different spots are fans good with that promotion what's i i if that was my team i'm going crazy i'm going like what are we doing of course fans i mean that that was probably the the the least liked move the anderson made i think everybody was pretty okay with cephalo um and a couple other the hires he made but that one was certainly the most shocking one out of them all and um we'll see if it pays dividends. The previous head coach, Will Hall, you know made a lot of mistakes and in coordinator hires and you hope that Anderson didn't make one right out of the gate. But you know talking to Bolden a couple of times, he he seems like he's wanted of this his whole life. And you know you I guess you know the thought was you got to start somewhere. You got to be a d DC somewhere first. so And he did coach linebackers last year as well and as well as special teams. So it's not like he's just completely
Speaker: you know inept on the defense side of the ball you know that would be certainly something else to talk about but um it'll be interesting i mean i would say like confidence level in him is pretty low but we'll see yep
Speaker: Zeke, do you want to get into the schedule? Yeah. All right. Just kind of run through it. Start the the season four games versus Alcorn State at Auburn versus UConn and then at Tulane.
Speaker: That's a pretty interesting mix of teams where you've got like Alcorn State. You can maybe hopefully pencil in as a win. Auburn, um you probably pencil a loss there. But then like Connecticut,
Speaker: That's another game you probably went to. Tulane, though, I think is a really interesting test. They're another team that's going to be in some sort of flux. um Is there, like, first of all, why are so many teams playing UConn? This is the third team in the conference that's going to play UConn.
Speaker: um well I guess, what is a successful record after four games? um Well, two and two would, I would i think, be the... Be really good. You know, if you could get two out of four, that'd be great.
Speaker: um Yeah. ah The UConn game just was put on the schedule like in January because Southern Miss was playing Louisiana Tech in the non-conference this year. You know, so it went to Louisiana Tech last year and then Louisiana Tech was returning that trip this year. So that UConn game was kind of thrown in there at the end. So they they didn't want to do another power forward, you know, for sure loss, if you will. And they wanted to try to get some and they ended up getting Connecticut. And Alcorn State, obviously, in-state game there. So that's always interesting. Alcorn State will bring a ton of fans. you know And I will say, you know you said Pimple in a win. And I would think that as well. But I mean, when you think about how new this team is and Alcorn State, you know they they're
Speaker: compete for the Swank pretty much every single season. So if there was ever a time for that game to be close, I would think that it would be this year. But um ah yeah, Auburn, like you said, just I would say pretty much been little lost there, especially with this defense. i just i don't I don't know how you would stop power four teams in your second week. but um Maybe they can. I don't know. Yeah, that Connecticut game is interesting. um Probably the biggest litmus test of like how good this team is, you know, past the FCS game than the SEC game. And then obviously everybody's looking at that Tulane game going, wow, that's going to be crazy. you know, to see Will Hull on the opposing sideline there and Tulane, like I said, returns a lot.
Speaker: So, you know, obviously I think the winnable games would be your home games against Alcorn State and Connecticut. Probably if I had to think about it right now, pencil in losses at Alberta Tulane. So two and two would probably be your goal or not goal. It would probably be best case scenario. And then if you can just find a way to win that Connecticut game. But, you Connecticut should be pretty good. So I wouldn't be shocked if they're one and three coming out of that either.
Speaker: sure I'm glad you gave Alcorn State their just due because the most mad that we had on YouTube commenters last year was people us glossing over Jackson State as a win for Southern Miss. And multiple people in the comments were like, we won the national championship at Jackson State. And everybody kept going, what championship?
Speaker: Like, what was that? And so I'm glad you gave it their just due so they don't jump down our throat. Like when we post this, they're going to be like, you're not talking about us enough. Yeah, HBCU is really big Mississippi. so Oh, yeah. Certainly a very passionate fan base. There'll probably be 20,000, 30,000 people there.
Speaker: Probably not big. 15,000, 20,000 probably. That's crazy. ah So you get a bye week the week of October 3rd. That'll be you know good to kind of refocus and get ready for conference play. You guys drew, Southern Miss drew like a pretty tough conference schedule. I mean, the West as a whole is not as good as the East, but you play presumably the top key two teams in the east as your yeah as your draw so at Troy on a Tuesday October 6th um is your opener obviously Troy is the defending west champion uh they have some continuity at the quarterback position with Goose Crowder they've got Donnie Smith so they've got some some pieces in there they should be pretty competitive once again Arkansas State Louisiana ULM after that
Speaker: Arkansas State is going to be, I think, a true litmus test because it's like that. Those are these are two teams. Southern Miss and Arkansas State. It's like we we don't know what either of these teams project as we have nothing to go off of. They both lost their quarterbacks. ah Arkansas State, we had a guest on. We talked to Kara Ritchie and she was like, yeah, we had this great defensive line and they're all gone. So all of the guys that were, you know, we were one of the leading sack getters in the conference last year, especially in the second half of the season. And now we don't have any of those guys back. So I think that's going to be an interesting barometer for both teams because Arkansas state's a little bit like Southern miss this year where it's like, we have no idea what they're going to bring. We, I don't even know if they had like an entrenched starter at quarterback, like heading into when we recorded that either. so Yeah. So what are your kind of thoughts on that? That four game stretch of like at Troy, Arkansas state at home, Louisiana at home, and then ULM on the road.
Speaker: Yeah. ah Well, Troy, I don't, Off top of my head, I don't think Southern Miss has beaten them since they joined the Sun Belt. So um certainly that that's going to be a really tough game at Troy right there. and And weird game, too, on a Tuesday. So, you know, you mentioned that you get the bye, but it's kind of like a fake bye you're playing on the Tuesday after your bye. Right. Yeah.
Speaker: so it's it's kind of like almost like an extended week but um yeah so then you got arkansas state like you said i think ethan crawford which is as actually in in line to compete for that starting job over there for the red wolves which he's you know one of the former quarterbacks here uh kenyon clay you know their running back was here at southern miss as well so um i actually i i was somewhat interesting i'm interested to see what arkansas state looked like this year because i thought the defense would be a little bit better than last year's which could prove dividends so they could find a quarterback maybe you know we'll see um You know, Louisiana week in that third game and that you mentioned, in the preseason media poll, I put them as winning the West. So I think they're going to be to win the West. So I'm really high on them this year. I think they're gonna be really good. So that's going be tough game. And then ULM on the road, you know, i kind of view ULM and Sermon as kind of in the same, you know, at least this season. So that game's pretty 50-50 to me. i know i don't really know. I've been to ULM once, and I told myself, you know, to cover a game there, and and I told myself I wasn't going back. You weren't charmed by ah Monroe. When wasps are crawling into the press box and there's a box TV showing the game on on the top, I'm like, yeah, think I watched this.
Speaker: don't like dogging ULM or anything. They're great people over there, I guess, but just didn't like the profile. no so Louisiana is going to be interesting as well because I i think everybody was very ready to like crown them last offseason as like, they're the new team in the West, and then they just crumbled. like I know that they dealt with a lot of injuries on the offensive line, but they didn't even really make it through week one looking that great, and so the injuries hadn't really like accumulated yet, so I was like,
Speaker: ah We had one of our ex co-hosts came on and did the Louisiana preview with us and he was like, I'll take the under on wins this year. He was like, I he was like i think everybody needs to really pump the brakes on Louisiana heading into this season because he was like, outside of lunch, it's like...
Speaker: None of the running backs that there have played. I think they all have they have like straight freshmen at all of the running back spots. and he was like they They're just turning over a lot as well. like they They do have some guys coming back on the offensive line, but the offense is is a wait and see for them. so I just am very reticent to trust them with the way that we got like kind of fooled last year heading into 2025.
Speaker: And then the last four game stretch again, this is going to be a tough one. ah James Madison at home on a Thursday, November 5th. ah James Madison projects is once again, you know, Billy Napier now coaching them.
Speaker: They're in the middle of a quarterback competition as well. It it truly seems like a three-person race on on that side. um we had a we We already filmed that. We had a guest on, and he was like, I don't he was like i truly don't know. like It could be any one of these three guys. um Louisiana Tech on the 14th. Louisiana Tech, I think, has some pretty...
Speaker: not lofty but they have expectations that they're going to come in and be competitive in year one in the in the sunbelt and i kind of told him i was like the the guests that we had on i was like i don't know i think it's a good year for louisiana tech to get in in the west because it feels like there is a much easier division than the east projects to be heading into this year uh and then the last two games of the season south alabama at home on the november 21st and then old dominion on the road that's gonna be another tough one because again old dominion's They're bringing back most of the defense, and I think that that's going to be a problem for a lot of Sunbelt teams to have to solve. The offense is, ah again, they're turning that entire unit over. But defensively, they've got some really nice pieces. So what are closing out the last four games of the season, you know what are your kind of overall thoughts on those four games?
Speaker: Yeah, I would say you're probably double-digit underdogs in all those games, maybe outside of – South Alabama, cause just because it's a home. i mean I would not be surprised go and for or for them to go 0-4 in that stretch. um you know Obviously, James Madison is what it is. you know Tough to pull both of the top two teams in the East. you know yeah But James Madison on a Thursday night, you know um i guess I'm not as high on James Madison as a lot of people have been. you know i actually ah think I picked James Madison to win the East, but you know just because they –
Speaker: They have Marshall and ODU at home. That's the only reason why it is just short beat them there. um But you know we'll see what they're like. At Louisiana Tech, it's going tough. I actually think Louisiana Tech, like you said, is entering in a good year, and I think they're going be really good. I think they can maybe compete to win the West. i don't know if they will win it, but you know certainly have one of the better defenses in the West, in my opinion. so Oh, yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, South Alabama, Southern Miss fans, you know they make the joke like you know the the Lord you know just conjures up demons when they play them and they still never beat them in football somehow. So um yeah, so that'll be weird. That should be interesting senior day there and then obviously Old Dominion on the road to end the season. So wouldn't be surprised for an 0-4 there to close out the year.
Speaker: especially you know with this newness this team but you know i am interested to see what something looks like that late when they are able to see you know when able to have all these players gel a little bit more than they are you know to open the season so i wouldn't be surprised if they jumped up and and got somebody i just don't think it's going to be any for those teams sure so like four and eight ish this season three and nine maybe um I haven't done my official predictions yet, but i'm anywhere between two and four.
Speaker: So right now. Okay. That's a, that's, ah that's tough I mean, it's a tough year to be in that position because the West is so open. It's like outside. I mean, if you could beat a Troy and you can beat a Louisiana, it's like the West is yours if you really want it. So this is um tough timing is, you know, let's say you said your upper end is kind of four wins.
Speaker: How does the fan base feel about that? Are they going to be understanding of the situation or or are we calling for his head? um Well, kind of going back to what I was saying. um One second, sorry.
Speaker: um When I was saying that a lot of the fan base kind of wasn't all in on Blake Anderson, um you know, getting the job. I do think that like a lot of us in the media, you know, think like, well, you know, this year is kind of a wash and he's going to, it's going to take a year or two. I don't think the fan base will feel that way. And I would not be surprised if it's a rough year, you know, they're calling for his job personally.
Speaker: Dang. Which I don't agree with, but I'm just saying that that's just the way it's going to be. Yeah. Did they did they have the same or ah do they have the same level or or more patience when the Will Hall thing was happening? Because I remember, what was it, at the end of the 23 season? At the end of one of the seasons, he's walking off the field after the last game, and like the AD rushed him almost, and everybody was like, is he going to get fired on the field like before they walk off? And so, like...
Speaker: When he was going, you know, let's say you start with 2021 when he has one winning season from 2021 to 24. Like what was the fan base like?
Speaker: Yeah, we need we need to get this guy out of here like two years ago or were they just sort of like, I don't know, like he needs time to kind of get his guys in and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, they definitely wanted him gone after that 2023 season. It was really a shock that he came back in that 24 season. So, yeah, no, for sure. I don't really know about Blake Anderson. You know, I think it just depends on how good they look, really. I mean, if it's like they compete in a lot of these games, you know, then I think that'll be different. But if it's like, you know, 44 to 45 to 14 every single week, I think that's going to – it really is going to be on their level competitiveness in a lot of these games.
Speaker: Sure. You can't do like what old dominion was doing last year, where you either win by 25 or you lose by 25. Right. right yeah Yeah. Feast and famine. All right. Well, as we close out here, ah Dima, if you want to just plug, you know, where can, where can folks find your your content? And um then we'll go ahead and just kind of wrap it up here.
Speaker: Yeah. um Yeah. You can find me on Twitter at Dima underscore Mixon. Got a pretty good following over there for some weird reason. I don't really know why. um Yeah. So if you want to follow me there, I write for the Pine Belt News in Hazzler, local paper. So you can follow there, Pine Belt Sports. And like I said, i also co-host...
Speaker: I co-host the Eagle Hour, which is a weekly Southern Miss show or daily Southern Miss show that goes off all throughout Mississippi. And then I also host my own podcast called A View from the Press Box with my good friend Glenn Dyer at 247 Sports. Shout out to him. So, yeah, we have a ton of um a ton of ways you can find me and hear Southern Miss coverage. And I also run the southern the Sunbelt Media Poll. um I did that this year. So nice you can find that there as well. So.
Speaker: ah Should be a lot of fun to cover this year, the Sun Belt in general. And, you know, so thanks for having me on. I really do appreciate it. No, thank thank you so much for having us. I think you you might be a little more optimistic about covering the Sun Belt this year than we are. if We think it's going to be a pretty ah bland year across the conference. Well, it's going to be better than basketball, guys, so that should be good. Well, anything's better than basketball. yeah How many days of baseball season? I'm just kidding.
Speaker: uh Troy and Coastal are back out there yeah yeah uh as always you can find the show on tiktok and x at warm weather fans you can find me on x at watch the stone Zeke is at Zeke Palermo Dima thanks again for your time and uh you know we'll we'll see what Southern Miss ends up kind of boring out this year okay sounds good all right this has been another episode of warm weather fans
