Southern Miss is officially headed back to the postseason — and into a moment of uncertainty at the same time.
The Golden Eagles will play in the New Orleans Bowl, a source told the Pine Belt News. The apperance marks the program’s first bowl appearance since 2022. The bowl berth also comes just one day after reports surfaced that head coach Charles Huff had accepted the head coaching position at Memphis, bringing a sudden close to his brief but transformative tenure in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss finished the regular season 7-5 and came just one game short of winning the West Division in the Sun Belt Conference. The New Orleans Bowl will mark the program’s 24th bowl appearance, where the Golden Eagles are 12-11 all time.
Southern Miss is 1-2 in its previous three bowl games.
A look at Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky finished the regular season 8-4 and narrowly missed the Conference USA Championship Game after a 37-34 loss to Jacksonville State in the season finale.
The Hilltoppers ranked fourth in Conference USA in total offense with 405.4 yards per game and ranked eighth in the league defensively, allowing 402.8 yards per game.
They are led by head coach Tyson Helton, who is in his seventh season at Western Kentucky. Helton owns a 56-36 overall record with the Hilltoppers and is 4-2 in bowl games, reaching a postseason game in every season he has served as head coach.
Western Kentucky opened the season with quarterback Maverick McIvor as the starter, but an October injury shifted the job to redshirt freshman Rodney Tisdale Jr.
Tisdale has thrown for 1,367 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games.
The Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles share two common opponents this season: Louisiana Tech and Jacksonville State. Western Kentucky defeated Louisiana Tech 28-27 in overtime and lost to Jacksonville State 37-34.
The biggest questions surrounding Southern Miss now are what the team will look like in the bowl game and who will be on the sideline coaching it.
The Pine Belt News will continue to track all developments surrounding the program.
The New Orleans Bowl is Tuesday December 23, at 4:30 on ESPN.
