HATTIESBURG, Miss.- We already knew that Southern Miss redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Hampton wouldn't be able to practice or play this week due to a hand injury he suffered in the Golden Eagles ' 48-20 loss to UConn last weekend. What we didn't know, though, was the severity of the injury, as head coach Blake Anderson noted earlier this week that Hampton was still getting X-rays on his hand to determine that.
According to a report from ESPN's college football insider Pete Thamel, those results came back, and they unfortunately weren't good. Hampton suffered a fracture in his throwing hand and is expected to miss between four and six weeks before returning, meaning he won't be able to jump back into action until the tail end of the season.
QB Ethan Hampton dropping back against UCONN. | Josh Hous
By the time Hampton returns, though, the starting quarterback job might already be locked up. Hampton won the job initially, but Anderson and offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo were forthcoming from day one about redshirt senior Landry Lyddy being right there neck-and-neck with him in the Golden Eagles' quarterback competition.
With Hampton sidelined, Lyddy is now the starting quarterback as Southern Miss travels to New Orleans to take on Tulane and former Golden Eagles head coach Will Hall at Yulman Stadium on Saturday night.
Lyddy started the second half of the UConn game when Hampton got injured and threw for 194 yards, one touchdown and one interception over those two quarters. Although his performance was self-admittedly not perfect, it showed some potential for the Golden Eagles' offense to air out the ball a little more at times when needed.
Southern Miss quarterback Landry Lyddy (18) with teammates Davis Dalton (11) and Steven Robinson (14) during Saturday's game against UConn at The Rock. | Josh House
Lyddy has been in a similar situation, as he had to fill in for an injured Braylon Braxton during a big road game at Arkansas State last season and performed well for more than two quarters until Braxton eventually returned. Southern Miss won that game, and it wouldn't have without Lyddy stepping in. The Louisiana native will be making just the second start of his Golden Eagles career and is looking for his first win as a starter.
For Hampton, though, even if we don't see him on the field for the rest of his time at Southern Miss after this injury, there's no doubt that he will continue to be one of the most encouraging teammates in that locker room. The Golden Eagles' quarterback competition was tight, but so are the relationships between all of the guys who have been in it.
That could make for a seamless transition when Lyddy takes over the offense this weekend.
Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more football, live from New Orleans over the weekend. Southern Miss and Tulane will kick off at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/southernmiss as Southern Miss Football Injury Update: QB Ethan Hampton to Miss Significant Time .
