Execution was the word that echoed in Southern Miss' postgame conference after the Golden Eagles' 21-3 loss to Tulane.
In each crucial moment against the Green Wave, USM failed to come up with timely execution, resulting in a lackluster night for its offense.
"We are better than what we played today," Southern Miss coach Will Hall said. "We have to execute better. We have to make plays when they are there, and I have to do better as the leader."
MISSED FIRST HALF OPPORTUNITIES
Southern Miss' game was highlighted by missed opportunities, with the Golden Eagles missing out on 10 points in the first half.
The Green Wave scored quickly on the opening drive by needing just seven plays. The drive finished with backup quarterback Kai Horton scoring on a 7-yard keeper.
The Golden Eagles nearly responded on their first drive as they drove to Tulane's 40-yard line. After failing to convert on third-and-one, USM switched to the Superback offense and opted to have Frank Gore Jr. throw the ball on fourth and short. But Gore just missed a wide-open Justyn Reid, who would have scored if he had come up with the ball.
On the next drive, Southern Miss (1-2) successfully moved the ball but again failed to come up with points as Andrew Stein missed a 48-yard field goal.
"It was big not getting any points," Hall said. "If we get 10 right there, then the game is probably different, but it's not. That's the reality of it.
"We just never made the play to get us over the hump and break it open."
From there, defensive play took control of the game, with both sides having their next two drives end in punts. Notably, each team's offense averaged just under two rushing yards per carry through the first two-quarters of play.
UNTIMELY PENALTIES
Southern Miss opened the second half with a promising drive after picking up 15 yards on a targeting call and then a 15-yard pass to Gore to place USM on Tulane's 45-yard line. But on the next play, quarterback Billy Wiles was called for intentional grounding, killing the drive. On the ensuing punt, Michael Carraway hit Tulane's returner, resulting in a 15-yard penalty. The Green Wave took advantage of the favorable field position and quickly scored on a 5-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Horton connecting with Jha'Quan Jackson for a 35-yard touchdown to extend their lead to 14-0. Horton finished 12 of 19 throwing for 186 yards and two scores.
Southern Miss' run game failed to find any life as it accumulated just 25 yards by the end of the game and kept the Golden Eagles' offense one-dimensional. Wiles finished the game 19 of 33 and threw for 177 yards.
After Tulane's score, Southern Miss managed to respond after a 39-yard pass completion by Wiles helped set up the Golden Eagles' on the 8-yard line, but USM was called for a 5-yard penalty because an illegal formation, which placed them on the 13. USM failed to get into the end zone and settled for a 28-yard field goal by Stein to narrow the score to 14-3.
"It was a lack of execution," Hall said. "The penalty in the red zone was one of our best players, and he knows better than that. That's what we are doing, and it's on me as the head coach. Tulane didn't give us a lot of opportunities to make explosive plays, and when the play was there, we just didn't make one.
"We never caused a turnover. We never made an explosive (play) in the kicking game. Offensively, we had one explosive (play) to Jakarius Caston, but outside of that (Tulane) did a great job of giving us yards underneath. We didn't break a whole lot of tackles."
However, the Green Wave responded with a 9-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown pass that ultimately sealed the win.
"We are not going to throw in the towel right now," Hall said. "We are 1-2 and haven't played a conference game yet. Our eyes are on winning the Sun Belt West. We knew that we were going to play two Top 25 teams in Week 2 and Week 3 and need to play really well to beat them. Both of them played well, and we did not play well. I'm more concerned that we did not play as well as we could."
Southern Miss travels to Jonesboro to play Arkansas State for the Golden Eagles' Sun Belt opener. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
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