Southern Miss ends dreadful skid, beats FCS-ranked Jackson State for first win
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- Southern Miss snapped 11-game skid with 38-20 win over Jackson State at home.
- Quarterback Braylon Braxton threw 3 touchdowns, first USM QB to do so since 2022.
- Special teams and defense contributed early lead with blocked punt and interception.
The burden of 11 straight losses has been lifted.
Southern Miss pulled away from FCS No. 14 Jackson State at home Saturday, 38-20, snapping a losing skid that dates 364 days to its lone win of 2024 against Southeastern Louisiana.
The Golden Eagles reached midfield on each of their first nine possessions and cracked open what had been a tight game for two quarters with three consecutive touchdown drives in the second half.
“It was a really good opportunity to show what we can do,” USM coach Charles Huff said after the game. “I think there was a lot of points left out there. Probably could have scored close to 60 today if we had executed consistently. But I thought the guys responded well... But I’m really proud of the guys. We get to celebrate this for a few hours and then get back to work.”
Braylon Braxton threw a trio of touchdown passes, each to a different target, in guiding USM to its highest scoring output since a 48-38 loss at Appalachian State on Oct. 28, 2023.
But Braxton and his offense were on the sideline when the Eagles took their first lead. Safety Ahmere Foster blocked a punt on JSU’s opening possession, and true freshman Zach Ruffin returned the ball 30 yards for a touchdown.
Foster stepped up again late in the first half by ending a promising Tigers drive with an interception.
Braxton would finish the game with 214 passing yards. He’s the first USM quarterback to throw three touchdowns without an interception since Ty Keyes against Northwestern State in 2022.
Offensive weapons emerging
Two weeks ago it was largely a blind guess as to who the go-to playmakers would be out of the busload of skill players brought in through the transfer portal.
Some of the favorites are beginning to stand out, but one in particular has been a surprise. Senior Tight end Kadinn Morris played in 27 games during his four-year stay at Western Michigan. In all that time he hauled in three receptions as a Bronco.
In two games as a Golden Eagle, Morris is already up to four catches. He replaced an injured Kyirin Heath last week against Mississippi State and caught two passes. The second one was a 28-yard contested grab on third and long to extend a drive that would end with the Eagles’ first touchdown of the game.
Morris added another two catches against the Tigers and scored his first career touchdown when he caught a 10-yard throw from Braxton on the first play of the fourth quarter.
“I did what I was asked to do at my old school and that was my job,” Morris said. “In high school I played receiver so I’ve always had that ability. I never really got a chance to showcase that but here they’re asking me to catch the ball a little bit so I might as well catch it.”
The rise of Morris has coincided with the emergence of Carl Chester, Bralon Brown, Elijah Metcalf and Micah Davis at wide receiver. Chester, Brown and Metcalf are all Marshall transfers and have made a number of difficult catches in traffic through two games, already. Davis arrived from Ole Miss and has been a lateral favorite in the screen game.
The quartet combined for 14 receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns Saturday.
“I’ve been with Carl for four years now since we were in Tulsa and this is my second year with most of the other guys, so the chemistry is there, and the trust is there,” Braxton said. “We spent every single day together this summer whether it was 7-on-7, extra work or the mandated work we have, but my trust in those guys is through the roof. I know if I put the ball up it’s not 50/50, I like my guys 70/30. Those guys are playmakers.”
All three of Braxton’s red zone pass attempts were touchdowns. The first to Brown in the back of the end zone late the first quarter, the second a tunnel screen to Davis and the third to Morris.
Braxton has completed seven of nine pass attempts in the red zone through two games for 45 yards and five touchdowns. Just a season ago USM quarterbacks altogether totaled only nine such completions in 21 attempts for 59 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in 12 games.
Tackling problems surfacing early
Southern Miss had a difficult time slowing down the Tigers’ tandem rushing attack in the first half. Jackson State covered 132 yards in rushing over the first 30 minutes of the game.
This one week after the film charted 20 missed tackles against MSU, according to Huff.
“We missed 20 tackles last week, I don’t think we missed 20 today,” Huff said. “I think, again, it’s game two, and we have to continue to rep it. We don’t tackle in practice. That’s a choice of mine... I think there’s some opportunities where we can be a little bit more technically sound with some of the blitzes and stunts we’re running.”
Jackson State had six runs of 10-plus yards a week after MSU had seven such runs. Southern Miss has already allowed 377 rushing yards between the two games, but did make seven stops in the backfield against JSU.
With Huff’s no-tackle policy at practice, the opener and each subsequent game will serve as defense’s tackle drills for the year.
“Tackling is going to get better each week,” Foster said. “For game one we don’t usually go live. For game two we got a little bit better from the previous week. We’re just going to keep getting better and better every week.”
Conference play begins for Golden Eagles next week when Appalachian State arrives in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss has lost 10 straight games within the Sun Belt and all have come by double digits.
It’s another opportunity to lay another dubious streak to rest. That game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. kick next Saturday and will be aired on ESPN+.
This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 7:36 PM.
