Clemson transfer Billy Wiles leads Southern Miss over Alcorn State to open season
Will Hall’s third opening-week starter in three years debuted with a bang.
Billy Wiles threw for more than 250 yards in Southern Miss’ 40-14 win over Alcorn State.
The Clemson transfer won the quarterback battle — one that waged through spring and well into August — over Houston import Holman Edwards.
Wiles tossed a trio of touchdowns to three different targets throughout the night. His lone blemish was an interception in the end zone that was the result of a miscommunication with receiver Brandon Hayes.
“I thought Billy came out sharp, I thought he played really, really well,” Hall said after the game.
Wiles completed 21 of his 28 pass attempts, connecting on more throws than USM quarterbacks did in the previous two season-openers combined.
His performance represented a page flipped in Hall’s rebuild — now in its third year — and a shift in how Hall’s offense operates.
“We’re just way better at quarterback than we used to be,” Hall said. “He’s a good player that pours everything he has into it.”
Southern Miss scored on its first four possessions and found the end zone on three of those drives. Wiles completed eight of his 11 pass attempts in that stretch to six different targets.
According to Wiles, it’s the variety of playmakers the offense keeps on deck that unlocks the system.
“Depth at receiver is huge deal for us and it’s a big strength for us,” Wiles said. “It’s not just depth, but it’s depth with guys that can all make plays in different ways. That’s huge. We had a bunch of guys catching passes for us today and that’s awesome for us coming into the season.”
Jakarius Caston led the way with five catches for a career-high 104 yards and a score.
Nine different players caught a pass by the end of the night and Wiles and Edwards combined for 296 passing yards. It was just the third time the team hit the 290-yard mark during Hall’s tenure.
“It feels good to know you have more than one quarterback, but to have depth like that and the quarterback can actually throw the ball, everybody’s calmer,” Caston said.
Impact of new offense
The star of the Golden Eagles’ show and cultural center point of the program was used sparingly against the Braves. Frank Gore Jr. touched the ball only nine times but found the end zone twice in the first half.
Hall elected to use the breadth of a running back room he’s called his best-ever behind an offensive line that he praised for an “awesome” outing against Alcorn State.
Along with the receiving corps, the depth of the units within the offense underscored where Hall sees his team’s potential in the coming weeks.
“I think we’re good enough now, within the Group of Five level, where we can control our destiny,” Hall said. “If we come out and we play Southern Miss football, and we protect the football and we force takeaways and we win the kicking game, we can play with anybody now.
“That’s a good feeling.”
While the focal point of USM’s showing against Hall’s favorite to win the SWAC was centered around Wiles’ performance, it was the defense that tied together the win as it had on several occasions a year ago.
The Golden Eagles held ASU to just 44 passing yards and forced two turnovers, both of which were interceptions by All-Sun Belt select Jay Stanley.
The win marks the first time the Golden Eagles opened the season 1-0 since 2019, when USM defeated this same Braves team.
Southern Miss will hit the road next week for a game at Florida State.
This story was originally published September 2, 2023 at 9:22 PM.
