Battle of the Bell Preview: Can Southern Miss Shock Tulane in New Orleans Once Again?

Coming off another lackluster game, Southern Miss is preparing to face one of its most-played rivals this weekend, the Tulane Green Wave.

QB Ethan Hampton dropping back against UCONN. | Josh Hous

Southern Miss’ 48-20 loss to UConn revealed many holes and issues in the Golden Eagles’ hopes for bowl eligibility for the 2026 season. Entering the season with 70+ new players was a big enough issue, but after allowing 40+ points in their past two games, it’s clear head coach Blake Anderson and his crew have some more work to do. They know that better than anyone, and they aren't running from the challenge.

This week, the Golden Eagles look to bounce back in the Battle of the Bell against their 47-year rival, Tulane. This season’s matchup, however, shares a storyline somewhat similar to that ever-so-popular LSU-Ole Miss game from last weekend: one team’s former head coach is now leading their rival. Is it completely the same? No, because Will Hall didn't leave Hattiesburg the same way Kiffin left Oxford, but it's still something that took up most of the spotlight heading into game week.

Hall was hired as Tulane’s 43rd head coach over the offseason, following Jon Sumrall's departure for Florida after leading the Green Wave to a College Football Playoff appearance. That is just one layer to this week's game between Southern Miss and Tulane. Here's everything else you need to know going into Saturday.

Game Information

Jan 4, 2020; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Southern Miss Golden Eagles quarterback Tate Whatley (6) is sacked by Tulane Green Wave linebacker Lawrence Graham (35) in the fourth quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

• WHO: Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. Tulane Green Wave
• WHERE: Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana
• WHEN: 6:00 P.M. CT, Saturday, September 26, 2026
• WEATHER: Mostly Cloudy, 0% Chance of Rain, 83 Degrees
• WATCH: ESPN+
• LISTEN: Southern Miss Sports Network
• RECORDS: Southern Miss 1-2, Tulane 1-2
• BETTING ODDS (DraftKings): Tulane -17.5, O/U 52.5, ML USM +650, ML Tulane -1000

What You Need to Know About the Green Wave

Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Tulane Green Wave head coach Will Hall looks on during the fourth quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tulane is led by a man who is familiar to Southern Miss Athletics. Hall was hired at Southern Miss in 2021 after former coach Jay Hopson resigned in 2020. Hall coached the Golden Eagles to one winning season in 2022, capped by Frank Gore Jr.'s 300-yard rushing performance against Rice in the Lending Tree Bowl. His other two full seasons combined to a 6-18 record (14-30 overall through his entire time at USM).

Hall was then let go seven games into the 2024 season after a disheartening 44-28 homecoming loss to Arkansas State. In 2025, Hall was hired as Tulane's pass game coordinator and later elevated to head coach after Jon Sumrall's departure for Florida after the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Tulane currently sits at 1-2 on the season, with one of those losses coming against a team they beat last year, the Duke Blue Devils. Tulane bounced back from its loss to Duke by defeating South Alabama in Week 2 action. Ironically enough, while at Southern Miss, Coach Hall was 0-3 against South Alabama. In Week 3, the Green Wave suffered a heartbreaking 31-20 loss to Kansas State and is now looking for a bounce-back game to give their fans a more optimistic view of Coach Hall's hiring than his past record.

Matchups That Could Decide The Game

Hall Ball vs. Anderson's Schemes

Southern Miss Head Coach Blake Anderson and Tulane Head Coach Will Hall | Andy Baeuerle

Will Hall played quarterback all throughout high school, college, and even the semi-professional leagues. He understands what a quarterback needs. But in his four seasons at Southern Miss, Hall rotated between eight different quarterbacks, clouding what fans could tell about his QB expertise. However, in 2025, as the pass game coordinator at Tulane, Coach Hall helped lead Jake Retzlaff to become one of the top quarterbacks in the American Conference and one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation.

Now at the helm, Hall's quarterback work is still a work in progress, but the Golden Eagles can't afford to take anyone lightly.

At a press conference leading up to the Battle of the Bell, Will Hall praised Coach Anderson and his offense. "I've got a lot of respect for Coach Anderson and his offenses," Hall said. "Blake's been a really good coach for so many years. Like me, he's been a head coach at a lot of different places and been successful."

So far this season, the Southern Miss passing game has been, to say the least, disappointing. Three touchdowns, five interceptions, and five sacks have really hurt the Golden Eagles in their past two games. But the run game has been more of a bright spot. Southern Miss has totaled 469 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns, led by redshirt junior Steven Robinson.

Both teams have proven they can run the ball, but this game could come down to who has the better quarterback play when it's said and done.

Can Landry Lyddy Deliver the Goods?

Southern Miss quarterback Landry Lyddy (18) with teammates Davis Dalton (11) and Steven Robinson (14) during Saturday's game against UConn at The Rock. | Josh House

Speaking of quarterback play... Southern Miss will have a new starter behind center Saturday.

After an ugly start to the UConn game, quarterback Ethan Hampton suffered a hand injury, and Landry Lyddy was brought in to start the second half. While the Golden Eagles still fell short of victory, Lyddy still put on a showing good enough to earn him the starter role for the Tulane matchup. He finished with 194 yards, one touchdown and one interception in two quarters of action.

“I felt super confident out there," Lyddy said this week. "There was a ton to clean up, for sure, up front and on the perimeter, and then definitely with my decision-making, too. I got to learn when to throw the ball away. But I was definitely super confident out there, and I'm looking forward to this coming week. … This is year five, and it's not at all how you draw it up, coming to be the starter, but here we are, and I'm super excited, and going back to my home state, so it's going to be a good opportunity.”

Lyddy's past experience includes playing the 2025 season with Southern Miss as a backup for Braylon Braxton. Lyddy tallied 406 yards and two touchdowns in 2025 and was sacked only once. He also ran for twelve yards and a touchdown, proving that, while playing a temporary role, he could come back in when needed. This game at Tulane will be interesting for Lyddy. Southern Miss hasn't really tried to stretch the field vertically as much in these first three weeks, but we saw glimpses of how offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo could change that with Lyddy under center, given how the second half of the UConn game went.

The Golden Eagle Defense vs. Anybody

UConn Huskies running back Cyncir Bowers (23) runs the ball during the college football game between the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the UConn Huskies at Carlisle-Faulkner Field at Renasant Stadium in Hattiesburg. Photo by Matt Bush. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Southern Miss has been outscored in their first three games 77-94. Those 94 points are the most allowed by the Nasty Bunch since 2024, when Southeastern Louisiana, Kentucky, and South Florida scored a collective 90 points. Southern's defense has also allowed 612 yards through the air, and five touchdowns. The ground defense has been slightly better, but there are still too many leaks in the cracks to win a game.

Coach Anderson elaborated on the leaky defense in the UConn game with one simple sentence: "We got manhandled." Coach Anderson has said the team will work on bettering themselves at creating a heavier defensive presence, but in the words of William Camden, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating." But if Southern's defense doesn't pull together to intimidate the Green Wave, Coach Hall's guys will march up and down the field much like UConn did.

Golden Eagle Injury Report

• Ethan Hampton (QB): OUT - Hand Injury
• Grant Page (WR): OUT - Dislocated Shoulder
• Greg Nunnery (OL): QUESTIONABLE

Series History

The University of Southern Mississippi and Tulane played in Hattiesburg, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Southern Miss and Tulane first faced each other in 1979 in Hattiesburg, with Tulane winning 20-19 in the Green Wave's first win. This sparked an intense rivalry that would be played almost yearly for the next 31 years. Between Renasant Stadium and Caesars Superdome (Tulane's home field from 1975-2013), fans traveled the short Hattiesburg-New Orleans drive for what became a conference rivalry in 1996 when both teams joined Conference USA.

The final conference game between the two came in a 2010 46-34 win for the Golden Eagles. When Tulane left Conference USA for the American Conference in 2014, the series was put on hiatus, but a candid meeting in the January 2020 Armed Forces Bowl spiked the old flame. Southern Miss and Tulane have faced each other three times since the Armed Forces Bowl, and all-time, Southern Miss holds an impressive 24-10 record against the Green Wave, with two six-game win streaks from 1987 to 1992 and 2003 to 2010 that have helped build this record.

One more fun fact about this series: the Golden Eagles have beaten the Green Wave four consecutive times, dating back to 2004. As ironic as it is, the last win Southern Miss had over Tulane came in 2022, during arguably the Green Wave's greatest season in their program's history, when they went 12-2 and won the Cotton Bowl against No. 10 USC. That win in New Orleans was also arguably Hall's biggest win as head coach at Southern Miss. Funny how these things turn out sometimes.

Staff Predictions

Staff Member	Prediction
Andy Baeuerle (1-2)	Tulane 28, Southern Miss 7
Dalton Trigg (2-1)	Tulane 35, Southern Miss 17
Charlie Lanehart (2-1)	Tulane 31, Southern Miss 14
Josh House (1-2)	Southern Miss 24, Tulane 21
Drew Johnson (2-1)	Southern Miss 45, Tulane 10

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.