HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The first week of fall camp appeared to catch up with Southern Miss for a few minutes Saturday morning. In the unrelenting heat, the Golden Eagles weren't practicing with the same energy head coach Blake Anderson had seen earlier in the week, prompting him to stop practice and get his team's demeanor back where it needed to be.
The response was exactly what Anderson wanted to see. The fact that it took him to spark it, however, wasn't. That became one of the biggest takeaways from Saturday's practice, along with Ethan Hampton continuing to trend toward winning the three-way quarterback competition , an encouraging update on running back Robert Briggs and the big men on both sides of the ball still looking to get to where they need to be before opening night gets here.
Josh Hous
As previously mentioned, the Golden Eagles were feeling the effects of a long, hot first week of fall camp early in Saturday's practice. The guys didn't have it early, but they corrected it within about 10 minutes of practice starting.
"You want to see a response," Andson said. "That's why you take the time to bring 'em up. You're gonna get one or the other: they're either gonna do what you ask, or they're gonna go right back to dogging it. And they picked it up. That's really all you can ask."
Although it was good to see his team pick it up a couple of notches after a brief intervention, Anderson is looking for more leadership growth and recognition from his players so the coaching staff won't always have to be the ones to correct the issue. He wants his players to take ownership.
"I told them at the end of practice, what would've really been perfect... had they recognized that we had not come with the right energy, guys in the group, without me having to say a thing. Guys in the group say, 'hey man, y'all pick it up.' I would've been fine if they'd said, 'hey coach, can we have a minute?' Would've been great. We just didn't get that. That's where we're missing that true, very comfortable-in-his-skin leader. They responded to me, but if I'm the leader every day, we're only going to get so far. I need those guys to take ownership of this."
As much turnover as the Golden Eagles had this offseason, they can't afford any laziness in practice. Anderson believes if his guys are bringing the correct attitude and effort on a daily basis, they can close the experience and talent gaps that might currently exist on this roster.
"They know me," Anderson said. "We're not going to have lazy practices. We're not good enough to practice lazy. Our work ethic and our energy has got to be better than anybody we play. We've got to try to bridge the gap somehow. The experience gap, maybe a talent gap at times... but definitely the experience gap. We've got to bridge it out, and that comes with attitude and effort, things that we can control. Hot or cold, rain or shine, it does not matter."
Anderson has officially issued the challenge. Now it's time to see which players accept that challenge and take that next step by taking on a larger leadership role.
Southern Miss offensive line coach Sean Coughlin gives instructions during Saturday's fall camp practice. | Josh House
Starters on the offensive and defensive lines are still being evaluated and sorted through, but one big thing that stood out during Saturday's practice is that these position coaches are going to have those guys ready to compete at a high level. The only real question is: how long will that take? Anderson says it will take those guys longer than the rest of the team, mainly due to their size and the tempo the team is operating at.
"Man, it's hard," Anderson said when asked about his front seven. "Quick whistles... We popped a couple runs that were good. I thought up front we were sloppy, honestly, kind of on both sides. It was just too many guys on the ground. They were fatigued. They're supposed to be, but didn't manage that real well. But when you're 320, 330, you know, carrying what we're doing at the tempo we're going, it's going to take them longer than anybody else.
"I'm pleased with the group as a whole," Anderson said. "But I still think there's a ton of room for us to improve, and we need to stay ahead of the chains and do what we want to offensively. So we've got ways to go there in terms of lining up and in terms of communication, and then finishing and staying on our feet and really being athletic. I mean, every practice we get is going to be critical for us."
Anderson is happy with the offensive linemen that were brought in over the summer. Although different guys will be on different development timelines, they've all contributed to raising the competitiveness in the offensive line room across the board, and that should pay dividends, not just as this season progresses, but going into next year as well.
Earlier this week, Southern Miss defensive coordinator Joe Bolden said he wants the Golden Eagles' defense to be "fast and violent ." Although Bolden was strictly talking about defense, the team as a whole could probably benefit from taking on that same mindset.
Offensive line coach Sean Coughlin and defensive line coach Jerone Steckel are making sure their individual groups adhere to those guidelines. They've still got a long way to go, but progress is being made. It's slower progress than some of the other position groups on the team, but it's progress nonetheless. One thing that stands out, though: the size and the talent appear to be there on both sides of the ball. Now, it's just about continuing to get everyone in game shape and nailing down schemes.
Notes: Sophomore offensive lineman Jahmir Davis was at practice on Saturday but did not participate. It seems as if he may have sustained a knee injury earlier in the week. This could be an injury that keeps him sidelined for a while. Redshirt-junior defensive lineman Josh Johnson made a couple of eye-catching stops in the middle of the line during his live reps.
Southern Miss QB Ethan Hampton in between drills during Saturday's fall camp practice. | Josh House
As of now, it appears that redshirt-senior Ethan Hampton remains the leader in the Golden Eagles' three-man starting quarterback competition, as he's still receiving the first-team reps in practice through one week of fall camp.
Anything can happen when the team goes full pads starting next week, but Hampton's overall experience has given him the edge. If he can take the next step and become the "comfortable-in-his-skin" leader that Anderson said this team really needs, that would go a long way toward Hampton solidifying the starting job sooner rather than later.
Southern Miss running back Robert Briggs catches a pass during Saturday's fall camp practice. | Josh House
One week into practice, every group is working hard, of course, but it appears the running back room might end up being one of the most competitive positions on the team for potential starters and playing time this season.
Although shoulder pads were put on for these last two practices, full pads won't happen until next week. Even with that being the case, one thing that caught my eye was sophomore running back Robert Henderson 's physicality during Saturday's practice. He appears to be a guy who refuses to go down on first contact. As good as that skill is, though, Anderson says he'd like to see Henderson's maturity continue to grow going into his sophomore year.
"He's got really good contact balance," Anderson said of Henderson. "I think he's a guy that's just made steady improvements. Frustrated with him last year at times, just how young he was and he acted young. He still does at times, but he's got a good skill set. He's got good balance, and you made a good point: he has really good contact balance. So he's still got to grow up. He's still a kid.
"And luckily, I think we've put together a pretty talented [running back] room, so everybody's going to have to really call to get reps. Pretty similar to what we just talked about at safety, very likely that we play multiple guys, and he could factor into that. And I think maybe the place he could help us the most might be on special teams."
Although he hasn't participated in contact drills just yet due to a shoulder injury he sustained in the spring, we'd still expect redshirt-senior Robert Briggs to be the starting running back when the season opens, given his ability to stretch the perimeter and the fact that he's the most experienced back in the room. Anderson gave an encouraging update on Briggs' status going into Week 2 of fall camp.
"I don't know if you noticed, but he was out there today in a red jersey," Anderson said. "He'll start contact next week. Structurally, [he's] completely solid. He's had a great summer. He's ready to go right now. We're just holding him back just out of caution. But he's had as good of summer as anybody. He's mature. He's very comfortable in himself and what the offense has become. Pretty solid leader for us."
Health permitting, Anderson sees a big year ahead for Briggs due not only to his talent, but also to his long-lasting battery and "home-run speed."
"I hope and pray he's able to stay healthy, because I think he's got a great year ahead of him," Anderson said. "He's a guy that honestly can carry the torch a little bit. He can go. He can last. He doesn't get tired. ... He's got home-run speed."
Josh House
With Week 1 of fall camp now in the books, Southern Miss has started to get some answers, but plenty of questions remain. Those answers should become much clearer next week when the Golden Eagles put on full pads and the competition, intensity, and physicality all move up another level.
Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more fall camp coverage throughout the weekend and all throughout next week, including our "Way-Too-Early" starting lineup projections and more.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/southernmiss as Southern Miss Fall Camp Report: Hampton Leads QB Battle, Briggs Nears Full Return, Anderson Wants Leaders .
