One group has the edge in the battle of the trenches early in Southern Miss fall camp
When you listen to Southern Miss coach Will Hall and defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong talk about the competition between the offensive and defensive lines during fall camp, it’s apparent that the offensive side of the ball has the edge after seven practices.
Hall said Friday that he likes how the D-line is getting to the quarterback, but there are other areas where they have to improve.
“We’ve seen a lot of twitch, a lot of good movement (out of the D-line),” Hall said Friday after practice. “We’ve gotten knocked back a little bit, but our offensive line is big and physical so we don’t know if that’s necessarily a positive or a negative.”
Through transfers and players who chose to return for an extra season, offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau seems to have a deeper group to work with than USM has had in the past.
Hall points to senior right tackle Khalique Washington as being the stalwart of this year’s group. He’s been the 6-foot-5, 339-pound lineman’s biggest fan since spring practice, saying he believes that the NFL is in his future.
“Khalique Washington is one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” Hall said. “He needs to be in the mix for (the Senior Bowl).”
At left tackle, Hall likes what he’s seeing in the battle between junior Tykeem Doss (6-5, 379) and West Virginia sophomore transfer Briason Mays (6-3, 300).
“They have two totally different styles, but they’re both really good kids. They care about their teammates,” Hall said. “Briason is a little more athletic, moves around better. Tykeem is bigger, more powerful. He brings a little better element there. They bounce back and forth. The first few days, Briason was up, and then I thought Tykeem played well.”
Hall says there are three spots on the offensive line where things seem settled.
▪ Center — Arvin Fletcher, senior (6-3, 313)
▪ Left guard — Gerquan Scott, redshirt freshman (6-4, 331)
▪ Right tackle — Washington.
At right guard, Hall has two players with starting experience battling for a starting job — sophomore Coker Wright and senior Bryce Foxworth.
“Those are two guys I’d go down a back alley with,” Hall said. “Coker Wright and Bryce Foxworth, those are two guys that wake up every day and bathe in toughness. They play the game the right way. I love both them, and they’re competing every day.”
Southern Miss demanding more toughness
Armstrong and Hall echoed each other when discussing the situation on the defensive line, but Armstrong is hopeful that everything will fall into place up front.
“The impressive thing is we’re rushing the passer really well right now,” Armstrong said. “With that group, the biggest thing we have to find is … the toughness of our team is based off our defensive line. Their approach, their effort, their toughness … everybody feeds off that. We have to find some consistency there.
“In our room, we define toughness as performing at a high level regardless of circumstances.”
Armstrong and Hall pointed to junior defensive end Dominic Quewon as one of the standouts along the defensive line in fall camp.
“Dom is as improved a player as any on our team,” Armstrong said. “He’s gained a bunch of weight. He’s 265, pushing 270. He’s jacked up.”
USM adds late transfer
Southern Miss made an addition on the defensive line in the form of former Southeastern Louisiana defensive lineman Josh Carr, who played for USM defensive line coach at SELA. He had six sacks for the Lions during the 2019 season.
“He’s a versatile player who can do a lot of stuff, play with a high motor,” Armstrong said. “You can coach someone technique to someone like that. He’s a really good addition to the team.”
Carr, who has two years of eligibility remaining, was listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, at Southeastern Louisiana.
Corners stepping up at USM
Armstrong rattled off several players who have had strong fall camps so far, but he said he’s been most impressed by the play of his top cornerbacks.
“I think the most consistent group has been our corners,” Armstrong said. “Natrone Brooks, Eric Scott, (Rachuan) Mitchell, and we’ve had young guys step up, including Brendan Toles.”
Southern Miss is currently thin at linebacker, but Armstrong is confident that will be remedied when Hayes Maples, Santrell Latham and Swayze Bozeman return from injuries.
“It’s a negative thing, but it’s an opportunity for other guys, and it creates value on the team. It’s an opportunity for me to coach.
“Anybody can coach Hayes Maples. He’s a smart guy who will get lined up. Some guys have responded slowly, but they’re surely getting better.”
