Southern Miss likely to be without a couple of key players for bowl vs. Tulane
The Southern Miss football team should have most of its top players to work with in Saturday’s Armed Forces Bowl against Tulane, but there will be at least one notable absence for the Golden Eagles.
Redshirt sophomore receiver/return man Jaylond Adams will not be on the field due to an unspecified injury, according to head coach Jay Hopson.
Adams has been unavailable since he didn’t make the trip to San Antonio for the 36-17 victory over UTSA. That will make Saturday’s 10:30 a.m. kickoff in Fort Worth, Texas, the third consecutive game he will have missed for USM (7-5).
It’s unclear what injury is holding Adams out. He stood on the sideline for USM’s final home game against Western Kentucky, but he wasn’t dressed out and had a simple sleeve on one knee — no crutches or brace needed.
Adams’ production had gradually dropped off leading up to the UTSA game with just 38 yards on eight catches over the previous two games. In 10 contests, he has 48 catches for 483 yards and two TDs.
Adams is also one of the nation’s most dynamic kick returners with one 80-yard punt return for a touchdown and two other kickoff returns for scores this season. It’ll likely be up to Quez Watkins and De’Michael Harris to fill those roles against the Green Wave (6-6).
Also, it seems unlikely redshirt junior linebacker Racheem Boothe will be playing on Saturday. He suffered an injury to his right leg in the WKU game and didn’t touch the field against FAU. The unquestioned leader of the USM defense has 49 tackles and 2.5 sacks in nine games.
Quez Watkins’ status
Watkins, a redshirt junior, is one player who will have a decision to make after the season is over when it comes to the NFL Draft. He proved this year that he was the best receiver in Conference USA, catching 55 passes for 1,024 yards and five touchdowns over just 10 games.
While he dominated at times, he’ll have to rely on feedback from NFL scouts to determine if it’s worth it to give up his senior year.
He has OK size at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and he’s always flashed good speed, but Watkins is likely not a guaranteed selection in the 2020 draft at this point.
Watkins should look to former USM receiver Korey Robertson as an example in this situation. He had a breakout junior season in 2017 with 1,106 yards and 12 touchdowns before deciding to forego his senior year and enter the NFL Draft.
Robertson did receive an invite to the NFL Combine before going undrafted and picking up a free agent contract from the Minnesota Vikings, who cut him prior to the start of the season. The same thing happened to him with the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football. He is currently listed on the roster of the Seattle Dragons in the XFL, which starts competition in February.
Watkins has taken part in bowl practices in a good sign that he doesn’t plan on skipping the bowl game. He could be helped by a nice showing against Tulane, and I’m sure he’d like to erase the memory of the three-catch, 13-yard performance he had against Florida Atlantic in the regular season finale.
QB situation for USM
With so much time to prepare for this game, it’s a fair assumption that USM offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner will get creative with his game plan for the Green Wave.
Whether it’s a double-pass involving senior receiver Neil McLaurin or some other product of Faulkner’s imagination, it’s worth going deep in the playbook in a game where USM has nothing left to lose against an old rival.
USM starting quarterback Jack Abraham, a redshirt junior, didn’t play very well down the stretch in losses to Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic. Abraham, who has hit about 70 percent of his attempts over two years at USM, completed 58.5 percent of his passes for 405 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions over those two critical Conference USA defeats.
It would be a big surprise if he’s not the starting quarterback for Saturday’s game, but it also makes sense for coaches to take advantage of one last opportunity to have a close look at sophomore backup Tate Whatley.
Hopson made an early season call to redshirt Whatley when Abraham got off to a hot start. Whatley can play on Saturday and still receive his redshirt after appearing briefly in a pair of games - Alcorn and WKU.
USM had success getting both quarterbacks on the field late in the 2018 season so there’s a chance to work in a package for the more athletic Whatley and give him a chance to build some momentum for 2020 headed into the spring.
When you consider that Abraham has 15 interceptions to go with his 18 touchdowns, those are numbers that fall short of what USM needs to make a run at a Conference USA championship.
If Abraham has hit his ceiling, Whatley deserves a shot next year. Also, freshman QB Jaden Johnson will be given an opportunity in the spring to show what he’s learned from a season of sitting and watching from the sideline.
This story was originally published January 1, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
