Southern Miss’ season opener will have the unusual honor of starting football in the FBS world.
The college sports world will likely have all eyes watching Southern Miss and South Alabama on Thursday at 8 p.m. and aired on the CBS Sports Network.
According to head coach Jay Hopson, the national stage is a rare opportunity for both the program and the school.
“It’s exciting; it really is,” Hopson said. “You’ll pretty much have all eyes on you, and I think that’s a great opportunity for our program and our university. I think our kids are excited for that too. It’s just good to get the 2020 college football season started.”
Despite being just an hour and a half apart, it is the first-ever meeting between the schools in football.
“We are excited to get the season started,” Hopson said. “It’s been an interesting spring and an interesting summer, so I think everybody is ready to get the season kicked off and get into some type of normalcy. I think it’s always good to play local teams. I think it’s something we have done pretty good the past few years. It’s the game that fans want to come to see even though there is a limited crowd.”
In addition to the national stage, Southern Miss will also play in the first FBS game that features a limited crowd and no band, which, according to Hopson, is something his team has been preparing towards.
“I think that’s something where you have to bring your own juice,” Hopson said. “I think that’s something all coaches are talking to their players about. It’ll be a different feel. You are used to running out with the band, the music is going, everything is loud and the setting will be different this year. I think our kids have watched enough TV to see how the professional teams are doing it. It’s a little bit different, but the great thing is that they get an opportunity to compete and play the game they love. I think we’re trying to get back to normalcy, and I think this is the first step.”
The Jaguars finished last year 2-10 as the team averaged 30 points per game while the Jaguars mustered 18 points per game.
Even though South Alabama is a new opponent for Southern Miss, the Jaguars are a familiar team for offensive coordinator Matt Kubik. Last season at Louisiana-Monroe, Kubik’s offense helped defeat South Alabama 30-17. Kubik even coached against South Alabama coach Steve Campbell when they were both in the Southland Conference.
“I have coached against Coach Campbell all the way back to the Southland Conference when I was at Stephen F. Austin,” Kubik said. “They are tough. They try to keep it fairly simple. I think they would tell you the same thing at South Alabama. They play really hard, and they put a lot of stock in their 3-front. They are an odd front. I know they lost guys from last year. It was actually comforting to know that some of those guys on tape aren’t back from last year.”
South Alabama notably returns its top tackler, Nick Mobley, who racked up 91 tackles. According to Kubik, South Alabama places much of its defensive success on its defensive line and linebackers. The Jaguars also bring back notable returner Riley Cole, who had 59 tackles.
“They put a lot of stock in being really good upfront with their defensive line and linebackers,” Kubik said. “They don’t get too crazy in the secondary. A couple of guys who stick out to me is Riley Cole is what we call our wolf position: a hybrid defensive end and outside linebacker. He is back and is definitely going to a problem. On the inside is Nick Mobley, who is a returner and does a good job.”
South Alabama’s offense main priority was running the ball last season as the Jaguars averaged 171 rushing yards per game. South Alabama’s top returning back is Carlos Davis, who ran for 269 yards and two touchdowns last season.
“They are a very good team,” Defensive Coordinator Tony Pecoraro said. “They run the ball a lot. They are trying to get the box crowded and take shots. We have to be really good on the back end to ensure that when they take shots, we don’t give up the big play. That’s a huge emphasis this week.”
The quarterback position was a shaky position for South Alabama until Desmond Trotter took over the job with four games left in the season and helped provide stability with the offense. Trotter, who is a dual-threat quarterback, threw for 820 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for 280 yards.
“I think his mobility (was a difference),” Pecoraro said. “He’s a guy who can move a little. He does a good job of throwing the ball on the run, especially in situations. He throws a good deep ball. He opened up the playbook for them.”
South Alabama also returns its top two wide receivers in Kawaan Baker and Jalen Tolbert, who combined for 67 catches, 1,095 yards and nine touchdowns.
With Trotter under center in the last four games, South Alabama averaged 26 points per game to end the season.
