Southern Miss football vs. Troy: Scouting report, score prediction
Southern Miss football is set to make its Sun Belt Conference debut.
The Golden Eagles (2-2, 0-0 SBC) travel to take on Troy (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN+) for their first game in their new conference home.
Here's what to know ahead of kickoff.
Picture at quarterback unclear for Troy
Troy comes into this game experiencing something Southern Miss understands well: a lack of clarity at the quarterback position.
Starter Gunnar Watson was injured in the Trojans' game against Western Kentucky last weekend and was replaced by Jarret Doege, who ultimately led Troy to a key win. Doege is hardly a conventional backup. In five seasons at Bowling Green and West Virginia, he racked up more than 10,000 passing yards.
Troy coach Jon Sumrall was optimistic about Watson's status for Saturday's contest when he spoke Monday on the Sun Belt media call but wasn't certain that he would play. Watson has 1,451 yards passing to go with five touchdowns and six interceptions through five games this season.
Asked about his team's defensive preparations amid the uncertainty, Southern Miss coach Will Hall indicated the Golden Eagles won't make major changes to their game plan based on who's at quarterback.
"I think both kids are similar in style," Hall said. "I don't think their offense changed much last week when Doege came in. We've got great respect for both kids. Both kids have played a lot of football, so they're experienced. I don't think you'll see their offense change much regardless."
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Fearsome pass-rushing units go head-to-head
It could be an uncomfortable day to be a quarterback at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Southern Miss and Troy are two of the best teams in the nation at rushing the passer.
The Golden Eagles' mark of 3.5 sacks per game is the best in the Sun Belt and ranks eighth nationally. Troy's pass rush comes in just behind at 3.4 sacks per game — tied for ninth in the country.
Defensive lineman TJ Jackson spearheads the pass rush for Troy, with 4.5 sacks already this season. Dominic Quewon's 3 sacks lead the Golden Eagles, who have 10 players on the roster with at least 0.5 sacks four games in.
Southern Miss looking to start a streak
It has been nearly three full years since the Golden Eagles last went on a three-game winning streak.
That happened most recently in 2019, when Jay Hopson's Southern Miss team beat Rice, UAB and UTSA en route to a loss to Tulane in the Armed Forces Bowl.
With two consecutive wins under their belt, the Golden Eagles have a chance to equal that Saturday.
Doing so also would snap a skid of three consecutive Southern Miss losses against Sun Belt opposition. The last victory for USM over a Sun Belt foe came at Troy in September 2019.
Score prediction
Troy 24, Southern Miss 21. The Golden Eagles are 6.5-point underdogs on the road in their first conference game as Sun Belt members. That feels like too many points considering Southern Miss' defensive strengths, but an outright victory here might be asking too much of the Golden Eagles. Give Troy and its two veteran quarterbacks a slight edge.
David Eckert covers Southern Miss for The Hattiesburg American. Contact him at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss football vs. Troy: Scouting report, score prediction
