Context Matters: A Closer Look at USM HC Blake Anderson’s Postgame Comments at Tulane

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – When first-year Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson was asked following Saturday night’s 24-21 loss at Tulane about his offense’s slow starts over the past three games, two sentences from his response quickly became a major talking point among fans and members of the media. But with more than 70 new players still learning to play together, Coach Anderson’s full answer deserves the same attention.

When asked about how the Golden Eagles could fix those slow starts, Coach A opened his response with this: “Quit playing Auburn and UConn and Tulane. Playing people that look like us might be a help.”

Let’s be honest for a moment. When you read or hear those words by themselves, it could sound like Anderson was saying Southern Miss was not ready or excited to play more talented teams. That was not what he was trying to convey, though. In the same answer, he gave more context and explained how Southern Miss stayed patient against three talented defensive fronts.

Blake Anderson, Southern Miss Football — Coach Anderson fielding questions from members of the media after Southern Miss' 24-21 defeat at Yulam Stadium. | Josh House

“We played some really good defenses, and sometimes you just have to appreciate it, and we did tonight,” Coach A said. “We stayed with the offense. We didn't freak out. Defense helped, kept us in it, and then little by little, we started moving the ball. So, I think a lot of it depends on who you're playing. We weren't going to out-athlete them up front. They're better than us up front, but we managed it and chipped away and got them fatigued and let our conditioning take over. By the last half of the game, we could've won, should've won.”

Taken together, the full answer provides a much clearer picture of what Anderson was trying to say following a gut-wrenching loss to a longtime rival in the Battle for the Bell.

We all sometimes say things that can be misinterpreted, especially after the emotions of competing and coming up just short surface. After the lopsided losses to Auburn and UConn, it was fair to question whether this team could compete. Saturday night showed that it can, and that it can win games in a way we hadn't seen over the previous two weeks.

What some people may not realize is that there is only a 10-minute cooling-off period between the end of the game and the postgame media availability. During that short window, those of us in the media waited outside the locker room while Coach A addressed his team. He then came out to answer questions only minutes after Southern Miss watched a game it believed it should have won slip away. Ten minutes is not much time to process that kind of ending, collect your thoughts, and perfectly put into words everything that happened during a hard-fought game.

I’m not saying people can't question Anderson’s answer, and I can't say for certain the short turnaround is why he responded that way. But I do believe we can show him some grace and consider his comments about Auburn, UConn and Tulane in their full context. Anderson clarified his comments during Monday’s weekly Sun Belt coaches media call.

“Well, number one, the comment was really about why we've had slow starts on offense, and I was answering that question, basically trying to explain we played three really well-built and bought defenses,” Coach Anderson said. “The defensive front in all three of those games is their strength.”

Coach A also made it clear that Southern Miss will prepare to win regardless of the opponent.

“But we're going to play whoever they put in front of us, and we are going to prepare to win,” Anderson said. “If we'd have played the first three weeks like we played Saturday night, in terms of effort and energy and all three phases, we're going to be in any game we play. The standard is to win. I don't care who we play or where; it doesn't matter. It is not an excuse.”

Coach Anderson then directly addressed the way he answered the original question.

“Yeah, I didn't like the way I answered the question,” Anderson said. “I was pissed off when we came off the field that we let it get away, and I just didn't respond in a good way. The reality is we're inexperienced on offense, we're learning on the job, and we played three really, really strong defensive fronts, and it's been a slow start.

“So, we got to we've got to try to get past that as we move forward. But I'm proud of how we finished, you know, from the second quarter on, to give ourselves a chance to win that game offensively as we got going. Hopefully, that answers your question.”

After arriving in Hattiesburg two years ago and now being in my first season covering Southern Miss, I understand the frustration. This fan base wants to win, and it wants to win now. However, I also feel the need to push back a little. Coach A, defensive coordinator Joe Bolden and offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo have worked tirelessly to establish the culture for Southern Miss football and are doing their best with this group.

From being around the team, you can see the players responding to the coaching staff sooner than many expected. If you look back at where this group was in the spring and compare it to where they are right now, four weeks into the season, you'd be amazed at the progress that has been made. Has it translated to the win column yet? No, but if you watched Southern Miss' game against Tulane, you can see how turning that corner might be coming.

The Golden Eagles came ready to play in the Big Easy. They showed fight and grit, and they showed the rest of the Sun Belt that they can compete. If either of Southern Miss’ two field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter had gone through, or if the Golden Eagles had finished their final drive in the end zone, we would be having a completely different conversation. All of those things are worth analyzing further as the team moves into Sun Belt play. Continuing to harp on a quote that was said in the heat of the moment is not.

Southern Miss now has an extended break before traveling to Troy for a Tuesday night showdown on Oct. 6. A lot still must improve, but there are also plenty of positive takeaways from what the Golden Eagles showed in New Orleans. We will keep you updated here at Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI over the next several days as the team prepares for conference play a week from now.

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