HATTIESBURG, Miss.- No matter how the game between Southern Miss and Louisiana went on Saturday night at Renasant Stadium, Golden Eagle fans had already had a great Homecoming day filled with excellent weather, tailgating, and catching up with friends and family before kickoff. But head coach Blake Anderson and his players made sure the party kept going into the night.
Behind a huge night from running backs Steven Robinson and Jamarice Wilder, a timely defensive touchdown and one final stop, Southern Miss rallied for a 35-31 victory over the Ragin' Cajuns. Wilder scored the winning touchdown from 16 yards out with 58 seconds remaining, helping the Golden Eagles snap a five-game losing streak and improve to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt play.
For a team that has been desperately searching for a way to finish games, Saturday finally provided a much-needed breakthrough. Southern Miss trailed entering the fourth quarter, fell behind again with less than three minutes remaining and still found a way to send its fans home happy on homecoming.
"Just beyond proud of everybody," Anderson said. "To get to this point has been really, really hard, and it was a very frustrating process. I cannot give them enough credit for how they have continued to come to work and fight through just a grueling stretch of disappointment on top of disappointment, on top of disappointment. And then to put, obviously, our most complete game together tonight against a really good team."
There's still plenty for Anderson's team to work on as they head to Monroe next weekend, but finding a way to break through was big for these guys.
"I'm real grateful and just beyond proud. Just proud of the guys, grateful that God just keeps giving us opportunities to keep learning and growing, and growing together in the locker room," Anderson said. "Could not be more excited for them. And so, there's still plenty to fix. We did not play perfect. A lot of things that could have gotten away from us tonight, but they found ways to finally win again, late."
Southern Miss RB Jamarice Wilder runs agianst the Louisiana defense. | Josh House
Robinson did the scoring early, and Wilder delivered the finishing blow late. Together, they helped the Southern Miss offense keep the chains moving even when the passing attack struggled.
Robinson rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries, with all three scores coming before halftime. Wildler added 154 yards and a touchdown on 13 attempts, averaging 11.8 yards per carry. Southern Miss finished with 286 rushing yards and outgained Louisiana's offense 450-417 overall.
"It's an unreal feeling," Robinson said. "This is amazing. I'm just happy. I can't even explain it to you. ... It says a lot more just about the team, about how bad we wanted it. Y'all know we've been losing a couple of games. ... We got it fixed and came out executing."
The passing game never found the same rhythm in this one. Landry Lyddy finished 21 of 38 for 164 yards without a touchdown or interception, while Mario Sanders led Southern Miss with six catches for 77 yards. But with Robinson and Wilder producing, the Golden Eagles had another way to move the ball, and they made the Cajuns pay.
"Ran all over them," Wilder said. "On the line, completely dominated the line. I just told them, 'I need you to help me get past the front seven. I got the rest.' ... I was ready to send them home."
Southern Miss DB Michael Robinson III sacks Louisiana QB Lunch Winfield. | Josh House
For the second consecutive week, the Southern Miss defense showed a lot of life, and they were rewarded for it on this night.
Louisiana took a 28-21 lead on Winfield's 31-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Reagan Jr. with 2:16 left in the third quarter. Southern Miss went scoreless in the period and only had the final 15 minutes to respond.
Kobly Peavy provided it.
His interception return for a touchdown tied the game at 28-28 with 10:05 remaining, giving Southern Miss a much-needed spark while the offense worked through a rough stretch.
Southern Miss DB Kolby Peavy (20) had a massive fourth-quarter pick-six to help the Golden Eagles tie the game at 28-28. | Josh House
"Coach always preached opportunities," Peavy said. "I looked back, I saw the quarterback throw it. I was like, 'gotta go get it.' Caught it. 'Gotta go score it.' It's just a great feeling. ... Actually, that was my first pick-six. So it's crazy because I know how much work it took to get here and just the opportunity is just... man, it's just awesome."
Louisiana responded with a 17-play, 74-yard drive that chewed up 7:08 off the game clock. But after the Cajuns reached the Southern Miss 8-yard line, the defense held them to a 22-yard field goal. Landon Sylvie broke up a third-down pass in the end zone, keeping the deficit at 31-28 with 2:51 left.
That defensive stand set up the Southern Miss offense for its ensuing eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Wilder's game-winning touchdown run.
The Southern Miss defense pressures Louisiana QB Lunch Winfield. | Josh House
After claiming the 35-31 lead, and before the defense got the chance to close out the win, BJ Mitchell made one of the biggest plays of the night. Louisiana's Ja'Corian Norris broke loose on the kickoff, and Mitchell was the last line of defense. His tackle at Louisiana's 46-yard line stopped a 46-yard return and prevented what would have been a go-ahead touchdown for the Cajuns. Wilder scored the winning touchdown, but Mitchell's tackle helped make sure it stayed that way.
Needing just one more defensive stand with less than a minute remaining, the crowd at The Rock got as loud as it has been in a long time, contributing to a Cajuns delay-of-game penalty to start the final sequence. After that penalty and a short completion, Joe Bolden's defense forced three incompletions. Sylvie broke up the third-down throw, and Malakai Murphy knocked away Windfield's fourth-down attempt with 26 seconds remaining to seal it.
Michael Robinson III led Southern Miss with 12 tackles and a sack, while Wesley Edison arguably played his best game of the season with 10 tackles and several timely stops. Sylvie finshed with sven tackles and four pass breakups.
With the win, the Golden Eagles move to 44-12-1 all-time against the Ragin' Cajuns. As we mentioned in our game preview , no matter where these teams are record-wise, it seems as if Southern Miss has Louisiana's number more often than not.
The Golden Eagles will travel to ULM next Saturday, Oct. 31, for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. One win doesn't completely erase the frustrations of the previous five games, but Southern Miss finally has a conference victory and a significant moment of growth to carry into the remainder of this season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/southernmiss as Southern Miss Rallies Past Louisiana for Homecoming Win Behind Robinson, Wilder .
