HATTIESBURG – Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson did what he said he was going to do with his quarterbacks, which was play both sophomore Keon Howard and redshirt junior Kwadra Griggs in Saturday’s 24-17 Week 1 loss to Kentucky.
He did just that, as Howard played all but one snap in the first half, while Griggs finished the game. Griggs entered the game on the very last snap of the first half with 15 seconds left and the ball on the Southern Miss 1-yard line.
It was odd timing, to say the least.
“Bottom line was, we had already told him he was going in,” Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson said. “We didn’t know the ball was going to be on the 1, and sometimes when you put your word out there that he’s going in, you don’t want to not put somebody in once you told them they’re going in.
“We told him he was going in the next series, and the ball was on the 1. It could have been on the 50, the 1 or the inch, he was going in.”
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His next two snaps, which were in the second half, he lined up at wide receiver in a wildcat, running back direct snap formation then a flea-flicker was called, which fell incomplete. But, there was no denying the Southern Miss offense was better with Griggs in the ball game once the final horn blew.
Griggs finished the game with 222 yards through the air and two touchdowns on 15-of-26 passing, as the Golden Eagles outgained themselves 235 yards to 129 in the second half compared to the first.
“I tried to stay positive with Keon the whole game,” Griggs said. “I told him, ‘Just stay calm, stay relaxed and we’re going to do this together.’ I knew I was going to get in the game, and I was just trying to lead the team the best way possible.
“I’m not a selfish person. I try to do what I have to do for this team.”
Howard’s night ended just before halftime, and he finished with 87 yards on 7-of-14 passing. Reports began to surface Friday afternoon that Howard would get the start, but Hopson made it clear both quarterback would play at Monday’s weekly press conference.
“(Howard) was probably the healthiest the whole summer, and he had really been solid toward the end there, so we decided to go with him there,” Hopson said.
Hopson said he would go back and look at the film before making a quarterback decision.
Griggs played eight full drives, not counting his one snap to end the first half, and he led the offense to two touchdowns and a field goal. Griggs also had a fumble on a read-option play, and a solid hit by the Kentucky defensive player jarred the ball loose.
Trailing 14-3 at the beginning of the third quarter, Griggs and his teammates moved the ball 85 yards on six plays to cut the Kentucky lead to 14-10. Griggs completed passes to senior running back Ito Smith for 9 yards and Korey Robertson for 8 yards, and a couple of quarterback draws for 3 and 8 yards set up a 42-yard touchdown to Robertson.
The pass wasn’t the prettiest, but Robinson made an adjustment to come back to the ball. Once he caught it, he fought off a would-be tackler and battled his way into the end zone.
“Get to the end zone,” Robertson said of his mindset in the open field. “When I catch the ball, that’s the only thing I’m thinking about.”
Griggs and Robinson both grew up in Greenwood, and they’ve also played together since peewee football, so the connection between the two was nothing new. Robertson finished the night with nine receptions for a team-high 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Kentucky scored 10 straight points on two straight drives to end the third quarter to take a 24-10 lead, but Griggs and company put together an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open up the final quarter.
That drive ended like the last scoring drive, with a Griggs to Robinson touchdown, but this time for 26 yards to make it a 24-17 game.
Kentucky would punt on its ensuing two possessions, giving Southern Miss some opportunities. Hopson gambled a couple of times on fourth down near midfield in the first half, converting one and failing on another, but with five minutes left in the game and the ball at the Kentucky 45, Hopson decided to punt.
“It was fourth-and-5, and I almost went for it,” Hopson said. “But, I just decided with five minutes to go we’d punt it and play defense.”
The Southern Miss defense held Kentucky to a potential fourth down, but a defensive holding on third down gave the Wildcats an automatic first down.
“I have to watch the film to see,” Hopson said. I didn’t see it, and I was kind of looking down field. Maybe it is there, or maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know, but I have to see it. I hate to say anything till I really look at it and evaluate it. It was a critical call, I know that.”
Southern Miss would receive the ball at its own 4-yard line – after a couple of penalties on the punt return – with 1:37 left, but Southern Miss would throw four straight incompletions to end any hope of a 96-yard game-winning drive.
“We lost. It’s a bad feeling,” Griggs said. “I wish we could have won it. We left some plays on the field, but we’re going to continue to get better.”
