Defensive Coordinator Joe Bolden Sees Improvement in Southern Miss’ Defense Ahead of Troy

Bolden saw a more physical Golden Eagles defense at Tulane, but a few explosive plays showed why improved tackling remains a priority entering conference play.

Joe Bolden, Southern Miss | Josh House

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Joe Bolden saw Southern Miss' defense take a needed step forward at Tulane after two straight weeks of giving up way more points than Southern Miss wanted to allow. The Golden Eagles' defensive coordinator also identified five plays this past Saturday at Tulane that showed why that improvement must happen sooner rather than later as conference play opens next Tuesday night.

The Golden Eagles were more physical up front, played faster and competed better at the line of scrimmage, according to Bolden. But a handful of explosive plays gave away too much of the work they did on the other snaps.

“I thought we were more violent, more physical at the point of attack,” Bolden said. If you watched that game at Tulane, you know he's not exaggerating. Southern Miss played like the better team for probably 90 percent of that matchup, but most of that other 10 percent, unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, happened in too many big moments in the fourth quarter.

Here's more from Bolden with Southern Miss' first Sun Belt game against Troy on deck.

Five Costly Plays

Southern Miss' defense gave up a long TD to Tulane in their 24-21 loss. | Josh House

Coach Bolden's review came down to four runs and one pass. He said four rushing plays accounted for 160 yards, while an early post route produced a 47-yard gain. Southern Miss took a clear step forward from the UConn game to Tulane, and cleaning up those few plays could help turn that progress into wins.

“If you eliminate those five plays, that's elite defense," Bolden said. "But we have to eliminate those. There is no other choice."

Southern Miss Defense crashing down on Tulane's running back. | Josh House

He was pleased with the physical play up front and the back-end coverage. The issue was finishing enough of those plays before they became big gains. Bolden acknowledged that neither players nor coaches will get every snap right. He wants his defense to execute better and keep mistakes from turning into big plays.

Tackling Through Contact

Tulan's running back broke through the defensive line for a TD against Southern Miss. | Josh House

The correction starts with how Southern Miss finishes tackles. Coach Bolden described tackling as a combination of body control and leverage. A defender can get his upper body into position and still fail to complete the play if his feet stop moving. “You have to run through contact, not to it,” Bolden said.

He wants defenders to bring their lower body through the tackle, take an extra step and play lower. That gives his defensive staff specific details to emphasize rather than simply telling players to tackle better.

Bolden pointed to tackles at Tulane where defenders kept their feet moving and finished the play. The technique was there on some snaps. The Golden Eagles need it to hold up more consistently, especially when a missed tackle creates room for a long gain.

Limiting The Damage

Southern Miss Defense celebrating a turnover in the end zone. | Josh House

Joe Bolden said offenses involving the quarterback in the run game can create an extra number for the defense to account for. Changing fronts and coverage looks can help, but an offense will still find opportunities. When that happens, he wants the defense to get the ball carrier down and move to the next snap.

“It's our job to play great defense and minimize those explosive plays,” Bolden said.

As Southern Miss turns to conference play, Bolden believes the Tulane performance showed what the defense can do. Now the goal is to build on that progress and give up fewer big plays.

“If you can play with a high level of execution and minimize those even more than we have, I think the scoreboard will read differently,” Bolden said.

Troy head coach Gerad Parker coaches against Alabama State during the their game in Troy Ala., on Saturday evening, September 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Now we wait to see if Coach Joe Bolden’s defense can build on that progress and limit the big plays as Southern Miss travels to Troy on Tuesday night. With a national audience watching on ESPN2, the Golden Eagles have a chance to turn that improvement into a conference win.