Details On Southern Miss Football Home-And-Home Series With UConn

The Golden Eagles have a new non-conference game on their 2026 football schedule.

Oct 16, 2021; Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA; The Southern Miss Golden Eagles mascot and Southern Miss Golden Eagles defensive lineman Kristin Booth (94) lead the team onto the field before their game against the UAB Blazers at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-Imagn Images / Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

As first-year head coach Blake Anderson and Co. continue to build Southern Miss' new football roster for the 2026 season, a new non-conference game has been revealed.

The Golden Eagles were originally scheduled to face Louisiana Tech as a non-conference game on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, but since Louisiana Tech joined the Sun Belt Conference for this upcoming year, a new opponent had to be added.

As first reported by fbschedules.com, Southern Miss and UConn have scheduled a home-and-home series that will begin on Sept. 19 at The Rock. Then, in 2029, the Golden Eagles will travel to East Hartford, CT, to take on UConn once again–this time at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. This will be the first-ever football meeting between Southern Miss and UConn.

Dec 27, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; UConn Huskies running back Mel Brown (7) runs the ball against the Army Black Knights during the first half of the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

From a historical standpoint, Southern Miss should have the advantage in these matchups. The Golden Eagles are No. 51 all-time in D1 FBS with a 616-472 record (.565). UConn, on the other hand, is No. 116 out of 136 teams with a 531-615 record (.465). Despite Southern Miss having had a handful of really disappointing seasons over the last 15 years, the program's tradition of excellence is holding up.

The Golden Eagles' other non-conference games for 2026 include Alcorn State on Sept. 5 for the season opener, a tough SEC opponent in Auburn on Sept. 12 on the road, and long-time rival Tulane on the road as well on Sept. 26. The road game against Tulane will naturally have some extra juice to it, as former Southern Miss head coach Will Hall, who was fired after a 14-30 stint in Hattiesburg, is now the head man in charge for the Green Wave.