What we learned: Southern Miss football suffers several key injuries in loss to WKU
The Southern Miss football team’s hopes of a Conference USA West title took a major blow on Saturday, suffering what appeared to be a significant injury to starting quarterback Jack Abraham in the process.
USM fell 28-10 to Western Kentucky, dropping to 7-4 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
Along with injuries to several key players, the loss was made more painful for Southern Miss after Louisiana Tech, the team tied with USM for first place in the West, fell 20-14 at UAB on Saturday. If the Golden Eagles had somehow beaten WKU, they would have traveled to Florida Atlantic for the regular season finale with a shot to clinch a bid to the C-USA title game with a win.
However, USM remains in the chase in the C-USA West, sitting in a three-way tie with La. Tech (8-3, 5-2) and UAB (8-3, 5-2). USM will try to beat FAU and hope that Tech loses to UTSA next week to take the West title.
Even with the deflating loss, Southern Miss still has a meaningful game to play.
“It certainly gives you something to wake up and play for,” USM head coach Jay Hopson said. “They got all the breaks today. We didn’t get very many. It seemed like every ball bounce went against us today. You give Western Kentucky credit. They did what they had to do, but that was a close ball game. Certainly there were a few plays that swung the pendulum in their favor pretty good.”
As for the Hilltoppers, they built on the momentum they started with a 45-19 win at Arkansas on Nov. 2.
While WKU rolls into the regular season finale against Middle Tennessee, the Golden Eagles will limp to Boca Raton, Florida, with several key players banged up.
Not only was Abraham hurt, but the quarterback of the USM defense, redshirt junior linebacker Racheem Boothe, went down to an injury in the first quarter.
Abraham was hurt on a scramble up the middle with about 8:30 remaining. He was tackled from behind by WKU defensive lineman DeAngelo Malone and appeared to land awkwardly on his left leg.
Abraham writhed in pain on the field before being helped off the field with a trainer under each arm. He put little to no pressure on his left leg as he left the field.
Starting right tackle Khalique Washington was injured on the exact same play, eventually walking slowly off the field.
Abraham sat on the bench with his knee wrapped in ice and his head in his hands for the rest of the game.
Hopson didn’t comment on the extent of Abraham’s injury after the game.
“We’ll see. I don’t know if it’s that bad, but we’ll see,” Hopson said. “The bottom line is we’ll find out. I probably won’t say anything about it all week because that’s just the way it is. I feel like we’ve got two good quarterbacks. (Sophomore Tate Whatley) has started for us. We’ve got more than that, actually. Tate has played a lot of football.”
Boothe left the contest with what appeared to be an injury to his right leg. He was helped off after being injured trying to get in on a tackle well down field.
USM also lost its other starting linebacker, Swayze Bozeman, early in the game to an unspecified injury. He stood on crutches on the sideline at the end of the game.
USM senior safety D.Q. Thomas admitted that he’d never played in a game before where so many key players were lost to injuries.
“We lost Swayze, lost Boothe, lost Jack. Sometimes adversity is going to strike you,” he said. “You’ve just got to overcome.”
WKU’s defensive front seven repeatedly put pressure on Abraham. The Hilltoppers managed to sack the Oxford native three times and get three more quarterback hurries.
Abraham, who was replaced by sophomore Tate Whatley, completed 16 of 31 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. In about eight minutes of action, Whatley completed three of seven attempts for 65 yards.
Abraham’s WKU counterpart, Ty Storey, proved steady behind center. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 225 yards and two touchdown.
WKU marched down the field on the game’s opening drive, going 75 yards on 14 plays to take a 7-0 lead on on a 21-yard touchdown run by Jacquez Sloan at the 9:03 mark of the first quarter.
One turnover that proved critical in the outcome came in the second quarter when Abraham hit Quez Watkins on a pass near the the WKU 2. Watkins appeared on his way into the end zone, but the ball was batted out of his hands by Dionte Ruffin just shy of the goal line.
Trae Meadows recovered the fumble and returned the ball 46 yards to the WKU 47. After an unsportsmanlike penalty was called on USM offensive lineman Bryce Foxworth, the Hilltoppers were set up at the USM 38.
Four plays later, WKU quarterback Ty Storey hit Quin Jernighan for a 21-yard touchdown in the left corner of the end zone, giving the Hilltoppers a 21-7 lead with 5:02 left in the first half.
“That’s a 14-point swing,” Hopson said. “That was pretty much the score of the game.”
USM had plenty of time to get back in the game as the Golden Eagles’ defense held up their end of the bargain.
WKU didn’t get in the end zone again until the 9:34 mark of the fourth quarter when Abraham was sacked and fumbled inside his own 10, allowing WKU defensive lineman DeAngelo Malone to run five yards for the touchdown. The score was 28-7 with 9:34 remaining.
Filling in
Redshirt sophomore receiver/return man Jaylond Adams missed his second consecutive game after failing to make the trip for the 36-17 victory at UTSA.
Adams, who is being held out with an unspecified injury, was on the sideline Saturday, but he was not dressed out.
With Adams out, USM rolled with several options on the outside at receiver. Redshirt senior Neil McLaurin got the start and another redshirt senior, Jordan Mitchell, saw his first action since being injured on Sept. 28 against UTEP.
Six-foot-4 junior Marquis McCoy also got some snaps for the second consecutive game.
Redshirt freshman Malik Shorts got the start at safety for USM, filling in for Shannon Showers, who did not play on Saturday. Showers was ejected in the second half of the UTSA game for targeting.
Fake punt
Hopson took a chance on a fake punt near midfield with 6:40 left in the third quarter, but it came up short.
On fourth and nine at the USM 48, punter Zac Everett took the snap and passed the ball to the upback, cornerback Rachuan Mitchell. WKU’s A.J. Brathwaite quickly changed direction after trying to rush the punter, and scrambled back to trip up Mitchell for just two-yard gain and a turnover on downs.
“It was like six inches away from being a touchdown,” Hopson said. “Guess what, it’s a game of inches so we didn’t get that inch. They got that inch. That’s one you’ll look at film and if you get a inch away from him, the next person you see is (USM mascot) Seymour in the back of the end zone. Today certainly wasn’t our day.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 6:36 PM.
