From Size To Speed: Southern Miss Defense Faces A New Challenge At Tulane

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The challenge is changing for Southern Miss this week. After facing teams that challenged the Golden Eagles with size and physicality, head coach Blake Anderson and his staff see Tulane bringing something different to the table. Speed.

“These dudes can fly,” Coach A said of the Green Wave. “We may be seeing a couple of the fastest players we'll see all year.”

Here's more about the different challenges the Golden Eagles will face in the Battle for the Bell in New Orleans this weekend.

A Different Challenge For The Defense

Coach Anderson said Southern Miss won't see the same type of size it has dealt with over the previous two weeks. Instead, the Golden Eagles will have to handle a Tulane team capable of creating problems quickly in space. “We're not going to see the size that we've seen the last two weeks, but we're going to see dynamic speed,” Anderson said. “And, so the challenge changes.”

That's a significant challenge for a Southern Miss defense looking for more consistency. Defensive coordinator Joe Bolden said Monday that there have been stretches where the Golden Eagles have played good defense, but those stretches haven't lasted long enough.

Bolden also pointed to explosive plays as one of the biggest areas Southern Miss has to clean up. Against UConn, he felt the defense was in position several times but failed to finish the play or make the necessary adjustment.

Tulane Has Speed Everywhere

Tulane Football — Sep 19, 2026; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Maurice Turner (0) jumps over a teammate after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tulane's offense won't make that turnaround easy. Coach Blake Anderson described the Green Wave's quarterback as a legitimate dual threat who can extend plays, make throws from the pocket, and hurt a defense with his legs. “He can hurt you either way,” Anderson said. “He can extend plays. He can make all the throws.”

And then there are the players around him. “Got tons of weapons, wideouts that can run, all the backs can run,” Anderson said.

Coach A also pointed to Tulane's ability to bring talented players back home to New Orleans.

“They've really benefited from bringing some very talented players back home to New Orleans that can fly,” Anderson said. Bolden sees the same thing. “They got speed,” Bolden said. “And to me, we need to contain the speed, and we need to run to the football.”

Bolden Expects Tulane To Test Southern Miss On The Ground

Before Southern Miss worries about everything Tulane can do with its speed, Bolden believes the Golden Eagles have to prove they can stop the run.

“If I'm anybody against our defense right now, I'm going to run the ball, and I'm going to check how tough we are,” Bolden said.

His message to the defense is simple: play downhill, be physical, and win at the point of attack. “At some point we got to bow our neck, and we got to come downhill, and we got to strike a guy and knock that guy back,” Bolden said.

That becomes even more important against a Tulane offense that mixes its speed with triple-option concepts and multiple capable running backs.

“They got a stable of good backs,” Bolden said. “12's really fast. Quarterback's a good player. Backup quarterback's a good player. They got big, long O-linemen up front.”

Southern Miss Has To Contain It

For both coaches, the challenge comes back to discipline. Tulane has enough speed to turn one missed assignment or bad angle into a big play.

“The way you eliminate speed is, number one, knock the ball out,” Bolden said. “Number two is 11 guys to that football.”

That means fitting gaps correctly, maintaining responsibilities against the option and taking better angles when Tulane gets the ball into space.

“We need to take great approach angles, which we struggled with the other day,” Bolden said. Coach A has seen the same danger on film. “The speed got away from them, and they just couldn't control it,” Anderson said.

After two weeks of dealing with size and physicality, Southern Miss faces a different test in the Battle for the Bell. The Golden Eagles know Tulane can run. Now they have to make sure the Green Wave doesn't run away with the scoreboard.

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