Southern Miss football hopes to return key players early in C-USA play
After surviving one of the nation’s toughest non-conference slates with a 2-2 mark, the Southern Miss football team starts Conference USA competition with a 6 p.m. tilt against UTEP on Saturday in Hattiesburg.
While USM has fallen short of expectations on defense with an average of 35 points allowed per game, it remains one of the favorites to make a run at the C-USA West title thanks to an offense that has proven to be potent at times under first-year coordinator Buster Faulkner.
USM head coach Jay Hopson said Monday that he takes some comfort in knowing that his team’s best performance has yet to come.
“I think that you’re going to see the team get better, better and better as this season goes on,” Hopson said. “I think you can see glimpses of some really good stuff out there. Offensively, we have the capability to be explosive and I think defensively you’re going to see the team get better and better each week. I’m excited about this upcoming conference stretch. We can’t talk about it. We’ve got to go out and play.”
Redshirt junior quarterback Jack Abraham and a talented receiving corps give USM hope that can it can put up big numbers in the passing game against C-USA competition.
Possibly the most promising aspect of where USM stands is that it is not overwhelmed with a litany of injuries after finishing up a three-game road stretch at Mississippi State, Troy and Alabama. Sophomore running back Trivenskey Mosley and freshman guard Coker Wright are among the players sidelined at the moment, but Faulkner indicated Saturday that he hopes to have a full complement of weapons early in the C-USA schedule.
“We’re close,” Faulkner said. “Coker Wright is out. He’s a guy that was playing fast for us and provides depth. Mosley is still not 100 percent. Once we get him back, we’ve got them all at our disposal. We’re excited about where we’re at. We’ve just got to continue to get better and continue to protect the football, really stay committed to the run game.”
On defense, redshirt junior linebacker Racheem Boothe’s status remains unclear after sitting out the 49-7 loss at Alabama on Saturday. However, it appears that he is not expected to be out for an extended period of time.
Mosley left the season-opening win over Alcorn State with an injury to his right leg. Wright has been out the last two weeks since suffering an undisclosed injury against Mississippi State.
With Mosley out, USM has worked with a trio at running back — senior De’Michael Harris, redshirt junior Kevin Perkins and redshirt sophomore Steven Anderson.
Harris had the most productive day of the three backs in Saturday’s 49-7 loss at Alabama, running eight times for 34 yards and pulling in three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.
“The No. 1 thing he brings is versatility,” Faulkner said. “He’s a highly intelligent kid that you can line up in a bunch of different spots. You’ve seen what we’ve done with him the last couple of weeks as far as motioning him out of the backfield. Mosley kind of fit that same mold. Hopefully, we’ll get him back soon and we’ve got two of those guys that can do that. I’ve really been pleased with the way De’Michael has played.”
Harris, who sat out the season opener, leads USM in rushing with 28 carries for 114 yards. Perkins has 23 rushes for 102 yards.
UTEP is 1-2 with its only victory coming in a 36-34 victory over Houston Baptist, an FCS squad, in the season opener. Saturday’s game will be shown on ESPN-plus.
More playing time for DB
Redshirt junior safety Tyler Barnes, a D’Iberville product, saw action at the end of the Alabama contest and has a shot to receive more playing time going forward.
Barnes filled in late for Shannon Showers and defensive coordinator Tim Billings liked what he saw.
“Shannon was struggling with some things so I brought Tyler in and he did a good job for us,” Billings said. “I’m going to roll him in with (the first string) this week and kind of let it play out. We’ve got to get some depth back there anyway. It was an opportunity for Tyler to play and he’s healthy. He did a good job for us on Saturday.”
Billings also mentioned redshirt sophomore linebacker Santrell Latham as another player who could earn increased snaps against UTEP.
USM loses player to transfer
Southern Miss sophomore defensive back Nicario Harper announced in a Sept. 18 tweet that he is entering the transfer portal to find a new school.
The Atlanta native was on track to play a role in the USM secondary this season, but he suffered a setback with an injury during fall camp.
Harper played in nine games in 2018, seeing time mostly on special teams.
This story was originally published September 23, 2019 at 3:42 PM.