‘I’m embarrassed.’ Southern Miss interim coach apologizes for 66-24 loss to Tulane.
Southern Miss interim head coach Scotty Walden and the three players who spoke with the media after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Tulane echoed each other in their embarrassment.
Tulane (2-1) throttled USM 66-24 Saturday at M.M. Roberts Stadium, leaving the Golden Eagles reeling badly at 0-3.
“I want to send an apology to our fans, to our players and our coaching staff and everybody who came to the game,” Walden said. “I truly appreciate the support and I was surprised how many people stayed around late.
“I’m embarrassed. The team is embarrassed. That’s not the way we want to lose.”
Less than 10 months ago, Tulane topped the Golden Eagles 30-13 on Jan. 4 in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, in a game that USM led 13-0 after one quarter.
USM jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Saturday following an 88-yard touchdown toss from Jack Abraham to Jason Brownlee at the 10:31 mark of the first quarter, but the Golden Eagles could only manage 10 points the rest of the way while the Tulane offense piled up 572 yards on offense.
Tulane’s 66 points were the most ever scored against USM at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
The previous high was 63 by Marshall in 2013.
“We’ll have to see if it was an effort issue, an assignment issue or a scheme issue,” Walden said. “You have to give Tulane credit, but we’re not as bad as what the scoreboard said. That team is not that much better than we are. It got out of hand. I’m in shock. I take full responsibility.”
A week after suffering a heartbreaking 31-30 loss to Louisiana Tech on a last-minute touchdown, the Golden Eagles took it on the chin in nearly every phase of the game.
Saturday’s contest was Walden’s second as interim head coach. He replaced Jay Hopson following his resignation after a 32-21 defeat to South Alabama in the season opener.
Even in defeat against Louisiana Tech, there was reason to be encouraged about the level of energy that the Golden Eagles showed.
On Saturday, that early zeal evaporated in the first half.
“The energy was there when we were up,” Brownlee said. “As things started going the opponent’s way, things started going down. It just wasn’t the same.”
USM’s defensive woes
Redshirt junior linebacker Santrell Latham was ejected on a targeting call late in the first quarter when he hit Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt up high as he scrambled out of the pocket.
The absence of Latham, who has been one of USM’s best players on defense through the first three games, was a significant blow for the Golden Eagles.
The Green Wave had 55 yards total in the first quarter with Latham on the field.
From that point forward, USM struggled badly against a Tulane ground game that piled up 430 yards.
“We were not getting a great punch at the line of scrimmage,” Walden said. “Their offensive line was coming off the ball and getting movement immediately. Their running backs did a great job of finding cuts.
“I’m very disappointed in our physicality at the point of attack. Any time a team rushes for over 400 yards, there’s no excuse.”
Walden said the defense’s game plan was to force Tulane to beat them in the passing game, and he admitted that the defense was “not even close” to meeting that goal.
“We’ve got to go back and reassess,” Walden said. “They’re a running team and they did a great job. They have very few schemes, but they executed at a high level. We know we’re better than that. We’ve got to get off blocks and get to the point of attack.”
Tulane’s big day on the ground took place despite the Green Wave’s starting running back, redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears, going down with an injury following his second rushing score of the day — 15-yarder with 14:01 left in the second quarter.
Will Hall makes a case to be USM head coach
Tulane easily set a record for the program’s most points ever against the Golden Eagles. The Green Wave hit the previous high mark of 35 points in wins in 1984 and 1986.
Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall, a former head coach at Div. II West Georgia and West Alabama, has been regularly mentioned as a potential candidate to be the next USM head coach.
He is the son of former Amory and Biloxi head coach Bobby Hall, who is considered one of the best high school coaches ever to walk the sideline in Mississippi.
The record for most points ever scored against a Southern Miss team was 71 by Kentucky in 1949.
Keon Howard returns to Southern Miss
Former Laurel star Keon Howard, who spent his first two college seasons at Southern Miss, didn’t last long in his third consecutive start.
The redshirt senior left the game midway through the first quarter and was replaced by Pratt.
Howard attempted only three passes, completing one for no yardage.
For the season, Howard has completed 25 of 58 passes for 299, no touchdowns and one interception. His completion percentage stands at 43.1 percent.
Pratt completed 8-of-18 passes for 142 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran seven times for 40 yards and a TD.
For USM, Abraham completed 23 of 38 passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He relied heavily on DeMarcus Jones, who caught 11 passes for 77 yards.
Brownlee finished with three receptions for 110 yards and a TD.
USM next travels to North Texas for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Oct. 3. Tulane plays next at Houston on Oct. 8.
This story was originally published September 26, 2020 at 6:42 PM.
