Southern Miss Has One Major Goal in Blake Anderson's First Game as Head Coach

The Golden Eagles' starting quarterback situation has been a hot topic for the last few weeks, but Anderson has a bigger goal in mind for his team in Saturday's opener aside from just who will be taking the snaps under center.

Coach Blake Anderson taking questions from members of the media after Fan Fest. | Josh House

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Kickoff against Alcorn State is almost here, but Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson is still keeping everyone guessing about who will take the first snap Saturday inside The Rock. “We’re just trying to decide between Ethan and Liddy,” Coach Anderson said. “We have a good room that’s really competitive, and we’re trying to make a solid choice.”

Ethan Hampton continues to work his way back and showed encouraging progress during Tuesday’s practice. “He’s looking better every day,” Anderson said. “You saw some pop today, some power. Today was a really good evaluation day just to see where he was and where things are. We’ll go back and watch the tape.”

While Hampton and Landry Lyddy remain in the battle for the starting job, Coach A also praised John White for how he handled the competition. “Man, great attitude,” Anderson said. “I just love the way he approaches whatever the team needs. I’m really pleased with that.” Anderson made it clear that White’s future remains bright.

“I see no doubt that guy can be a two-year starter for us here in the future,” Coach A said. “I think he’s doing a phenomenal job, so I don’t want anybody to dismiss him at all.”

Coach Blake Anderson

Southern Miss QB John White at fall camp. | Josh House

Could Southern Miss play multiple quarterbacks Saturday? That is not the plan. “I’m not a dual-quarterback guy,” Coach Blake Anderson said. “I’ve had to do it out of necessity in the past. We really don’t want that to be our answer.” Instead, Anderson wants to choose the quarterback who is most prepared to lead the offense and give him an opportunity to settle into the game.

“I think you’ve got to give guys some opportunity to get some rhythm and give them a little bit of rope to make decisions,” he said. “We really don’t have a plan on rolling quarterbacks.”

Coach Blake Anderson

The quarterback battle will receive plenty of attention, but Coach A’s biggest concern Saturday has nothing to do with who takes the first snap. It is about how hard the Golden Eagles play. “If you walked away from the stadium and said, ‘Man, those guys play so hard,’ then we accomplished our goal,” Anderson said. Southern Miss will make mistakes. That is expected with an inexperienced roster playing its first game together. However, effort cannot be optional.

“We’ve got to set a standard for how hard we will play, how hard we’ll chase the ball, how many hats we’ll get to it and what kind of tempo we can create on offense,” Coach Anderson said.

Southern Miss running back Steven Robinson (14) works with running backs coach Isaac Reed during a fall camp practice. | Josh House

That is the identity he wants Southern Miss to establish from the opening whistle. “They play hard. They play with their hair on fire,” Anderson said. “The other stuff is fixable, but we’ve got to have that. That’s a choice.”

The Golden Eagles got through a physical and brutally hot fall camp designed to prepare them for those difficult moments in the near future. Anderson believes his team has built a strong foundation, but Saturday will reveal where it truly stands. “I feel like we’re in a good spot,” Coach A said. “We’ve got to get our legs back in the next few days. This has been a physical camp, and we didn’t really pull back until this weekend.”

“The biggest goal coming out of this thing,” Anderson said, “is identifying a group that will play harder than the opponent for 60 minutes.”

Coach Blake Anderson

Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson ahead of the Golden Eagles' first fall camp scrimmage on Saturday. | Josh House

With plenty of heat expected inside The Rock this month, recovery and hydration will be critical leading up to kickoff. “It’s going to be really, really hot, and guys are going to have to push through,” Anderson said. “What happens between now and kickoff is really important, too.”

Saturday begins a new chapter for Coach A and Southern Miss football. The quarterback decision will eventually be revealed, but the standard has already been set. The Golden Eagles want to play fast, play physical, and play harder than their opponent for all 60 minutes.