'It's His Offense This Week': Southern Miss Turns to Landry Lyddy at QB Ahead of Tulane

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Landry Lyddy spent the spring and fall competing to lead Southern Miss' offense. The starting job ultimately went to Ethan Hampton, but the hard work and preparation that made it a close decision have the Golden Eagles confident in the redshirt-senior quarterback's ability to take over this week.

With Hampton sidelined by an injury to his throwing hand, Lyddy is set to start Saturday at Tulane for the Battle for the Bell. The fifth-year quarterback returns to his home state of Louisiana with a chance to put his preparation to work as Southern Miss looks to respond to its disappointing home loss to UConn.

"This is year five, and it's not at all how you draw it up, coming to be the starter," Lyddy said on Monday. "But here we are, and I'm excited... Going back to my home state, so it's going to be a good opportunity."

A Close Competition Prepared Southern Miss for this Change

Southern Miss Football, Landry Lyddy — Sothern Miss quarterback Landry Lyddy (third to the right) among the other Golden Eagle QBs during spring camp. | Southern Miss Athletics

Head coach Blake Anderson's decision comes with uncertainty surrounding Hampton's recovery. The injury is near the area that troubled him for nearly two weeks in fall camp, but Anderson said the two injuries are different, and the staff is still waiting for more information.

“He's beat up. He's got a pretty significant hand injury. We do not anticipate him being able to squeeze and throw the football this week," Anderson said of Hampton's status. "Don't know how long this thing will last. It's a little different than last [time]. It's in the same area but not the exact same, and we're still getting some more images back to find out exactly what all is wrong. But clearly, not in the position to play.”

Redshirt sophomore John White will prepare as the backup, and true freshman Hugh Price will be getting ready as the third-string guy in case of an emergency. For Lyddy, taking over means balancing excitement over this opportunity while also showing concern for his injured teammate.

“First off, I have a ton of respect for Ethan. We've had a ton of conversations about the battle, and we room together whenever we go on the road, and I'm super tight with him and pray for his hand daily, and hopefully he gets better,” Lyddy said. “But as far as me going out this weekend, I'm super fired up. I'm really excited to be with this specific group of guys, and I think the Lord has placed these people in this position for this time.”

The coaches' confidence in Lyddy was established well before Hampton's injury. Anderson said the starter decision came down to razor-thin details between two quarterbacks who were both playing well enough to lead the offense.

"This really came down to a very close race. The leadership that we saw from Ethan, his experience, and his confidence really kind of swayed us in that direction. But Lyddy was playing physically at a level that it would've been just as easy to go with him. So not a surprise that he went out and played well."

Anderson was talking about Lyddy's second-half performance in a loss to UConn at The Rock on Saturday, where he completed 14 of 25 passes for 194 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Lyddy's first pass of the game was a 33-yard completion to Grant Page down the left side of the field. Later, he completed a 56-yard catch-and-run pass to Mario Sanders.

Offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo echoed Anderson's assessment of Lyddy when asked how much the play sheet might change this week.

"Landry doesn't affect that too much," Cefalo said. "I feel very confident with him, and we were very open and transparent about the quarterback battle, and it could have gone either direction, and I think we would have felt great [either way]."

That gives Southern Miss a foundation for this week. Lyddy already knows the offense, has worked with the first-string players a good bit and has shown the staff he can operate what it wants to run.

Building on the Good, Learning When to Let a Play Go

Lyddy's second-half performance against UConn gave the coaching staff reasons for encouragement, along with two big teaching points. Anderson liked his processing and pocket presence, but an interception on a covered screen and a sack outside the pocket were plays he needed to avoid.

“Lyddy came in and did a pretty good job in his absence. Made a couple mistakes that he needs back. The interception he can't have. Ball should've been dumped on the ground,” Anderson said. “Well played by the defense, and he's got to put the ball in the dirt. Took a sack on a movement play he should've thrown away, but other than that, he really made really good decisions and got the ball out in space when he needed to, and moved the chains with his feet a couple times.”

Cefalo saw the same comfort in how Lyddy recognized pressure and distributed the football. Getting it to the perimeter helped take pressure off the offensive line, and there were opportunities downfield that showed what the passing game could produce.

“I think he saw the field really well. He saw the blitzes. Every time we kick the ball on the edge, we're usually replacing pressure and things like that to take some pressure off the offensive line,” Cefalo said. “So I felt like he went out there, and he operated like he was the guy, and like I said, one [pick-six] that's 100 percent avoidable, and he knows it.”

Cefalo also pointed to that sideline connection with Page and a double-move opportunity for Jaylen Himes as examples of Lyddy giving his receivers chances.

"I thought he was very comfortable," Cefalo said. "I thought he did a good job throwing the football down the field, connected with Grant [Page] down the sideline, threw a great ball to Jaylen Himes on a double move that got lost up in the sky,” Cefalo said. “So he looked confident. He looked comfortable. Afterwards, he felt like he was prepared for the moment and ready for the game plan, the defense, and he'll be ready this Saturday for sure.”

Overall, Lyddy felt good about what he was able to do against UConn while also acknowledging the mistakes that need to be cleaned up heading into a big road game at Tulane.

“I felt super confident out there,” Lyddy said. “There was a ton to clean up, for sure, upfront and on the perimeter, and then definitely with my decision-making, too. I got to learn when to throw the ball away, for sure. But I was definitely super confident out there, and I'm looking forward to this coming week. I’m super excited. 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.”

Chemistry With the Ones, and A Big Opportunity Back Home

Lyddy's connections with the offense go beyond the gridiron. The repetitions in spring and fall gave him time to build trust with many of the guys, especially the receivers, and some of those relationships developed off the field, too.

“Definitely a lot of chemistry, and that started back in fall camp and even back into spring ball,” Lyddy said. “Going fishing with some of the guys like Eli and MJ and AJ who are out there catching balls with me, so I'm really excited.”

Those connections will be tested in the Battle for the Bell against a Tulane team led by former Southern Miss head coach Will Hall, whose tenure with the Golden Eagles ended with his firing in 2024. The coaching storyline adds to the rivalry's significance, but Lyddy's attention is strictly on the defense he will face.

“I’ve had a few opportunities to watch them, and they're going to be big and fast and physical, so we're going to have to bring our A-game,” Lyddy said.

Anderson has seen Lyddy give Southern Miss a chance to move the ball in difficult situations before. He pointed to a couple of last season's performances, including a win at Arkansas State, acknowledging the mistakes in those games while emphasizing the ability that accompanied them.

In a big road game at Jonesboro, Arkansas, on Nov. 8, 2025, Lyddy had to fill in for a hobbled Braylon Braxton for about half the game. He completed four of his six passes for 128 yards and had one touchdown and one interception in the Golden Eagles' 27-21 win that, at the time, put them in sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt West Division. He also ran for one touchdown as well. Braxton eventually returned to finish the game, but Southern Miss would not have won it without Lyddy's contributions.

"It would not surprise me if he goes out and plays lights out this Saturday," Anderson said. "It really wouldn't."

Asked about drawing confidence from that road performance in Jonesboro last year, Lyddy explained why he believes he can rise to this moment. His answer came back to the work that happens before a quarterback even takes the field.

“There's no doubt that I believe that I'm built for the moment, and I'm excited to show it,” Lyddy said. “I think that if you're going to go out there and play well, you have to be confident, and that confidence comes from watching film, talking to the staff and the guys that you're going to be on the field with, and creating that chemistry, so confidence is one thing that I'm definitely going to harp on this week.”

Southern Miss needs that preparation to show up in the decisions, throws and sustained drives to give it a chance to win Saturday in New Orleans. Lyddy has spent months working toward the opportunity to lead this offense, and if he performs well enough to bring the Bell back to Hattiesburg, there probably won't be much debate about who the full-time starting quarterback will be going forward.

"I was glad he was prepared for the moment, and we'll turn it over to him and let him run with it,” Anderson said of Lyddy’s relief appearance against UConn. “I have no doubt he'll do everything he can to be prepared. ... It's his offense this week, and we'll see where things lead from there.”

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