Southern Miss football overmatched in 66-13 loss to No. 4 Florida State
Tallahassee wasn’t kind to its visitors from Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss failed to find any footing in a 66-13 loss to No. 4-ranked Florida State on Saturday.
The Seminoles outgained the Golden Eagles 554-258 and the difference was compounded by a litany of penalties that plagued Will Hall’s USM team.
Southern Miss was flagged 11 times in the first half and 13 times total for 90 yards. The resulting impact was a sputtering offense that struggled to string together long possessions.
The Golden Eagles didn’t convert a third down until the third quarter, and didn’t find the end zone until more than 40 minutes into the contest.
Dreke Clark scored USM’s lone touchdown, a 12-yard dash up the middle for the Memphis transfer.
Quarterback Billy Wiles completed just 11 of his 34 pass attempts. Pre-snap penalties led to an average third-down distance of 10.5 yards and a conversion rate of just 23 percent.
Florida State’s Jordan Travis struggled to find open windows early. It was his play on three first-half fourth-down conversions and backfield mate Trey Benson’s three touchdowns that created quick separation on the scoreboard.
The 53-point margin represents the worst loss suffered by USM since losing to Boise State 60-7 in 2013.
Southern Miss returns home next Saturday to face Tulane in the Battle for the Bell.
This story was originally published September 9, 2023 at 11:17 PM.
