Southern Miss Offense Still Searching for Consistency as Tulane Test Awaits

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – For three games, Southern Miss offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo has watched his Golden Eagles' offense show flashes of what it could be. Then comes the penalty, the poor decision or the missed opportunity that makes everybody wait a little longer to see it.

In a 48-20 loss to UConn, the Golden Eagles opened with a couple of promising runs, moving the ball with relative ease. Four plays into the game, though, an ill-advised interception knocked them off course. It was a very similar outcome in Week 2 at Auburn, as self-inflicted mistakes hurt Southern Miss early. Even in a 49-3 season-opening win over Alcorn State, early penalties and missed opportunities kept Southern Miss from moving the ball downfield. The Golden Eagles want to start fast, but so far, they haven't been able to.

Now comes a road trip to Tulane for the Battle for the Bell, with former Southern Miss head coach Will Hall being in his first year as head coach of the Green Wave. For a 1-2 Golden Eagles team coming off two consecutive lopsided losses, a quick start at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans on Saturday night would do more than look good on a script. It could give an offense still finding its footing the confidence to believe it can win this game.

The First Drive Has to Count

Southern Miss Football — Southern Miss will look to get off to a fast start for the first time this season in New Orleans against Tulane on Saturday night. | Josh House

"I want to get off to a good start," Cefalo said this week, "for the kids to build some confidence. Week one, we march down the field, and then we have a penalty, and that gets us off track. And then this past week [against UConn], we march down the field, a couple of great runs to start, and then we make a poor decision at quarterback, and that causes us to throw the ball up in the air [for an interception]."

After two straight weekends of sloppy football, Cefalo wondered whether the message needs to change or the execution simply needs to catch up for a group of players who are still learning on the fly. What happened at the start of the UConn game, he said, was "a very day-one-type mistake, unfortunately."

"I'd love to march down the field. I'd love to put points on the board, get in the end zone, kick an extra point, and just get the sideline into it, get everyone really excited," Cefalo said. "[If] we execute, we do what we're supposed to do, put the guys in positions to be successful, I think we can start fast."

That sounds simple enough, but doing it against a fast Tulane defense, on the road and with a new starting quarterback, will be a tough challenge.

Lyddy Takes Over as Offense Still Searches for Identity

Southern Miss Football, Landry Lyddy, Davis Dalton, Steven Robinson — Southern Miss quarterback Landry Lyddy (18) with teammates Davis Dalton (11) and Steven Robinson (14) during Saturday's game against UConn at The Rock. | Josh House

Ethan Hampton injured his throwing hand for the second time in a month during the UConn loss, leaving redshirt senior Landry Lyddy to take over in the second half. Lyddy threw for nearly 200 yards with one touchdown and one interception in that half. With Hampton unable to grip and throw the ball this week, Lyddy will make his first start of the season Saturday.

Lyddy has reportedly looked good working with the first-team offense in practice this week, and he's looking forward to getting this big opportunity in his home state and in a rivalry game. Whether he provides the spark Southern Miss needs may depend more on what happens around him than any individual throw he makes.

Despite the offense not performing up to his standards these last two weeks, Cefalo has seen some encouraging signs, including the ground game and increased tempo against UConn. However, he isn't claiming to have solved its identity just yet.

"We're always searching for those things," Cefalo said. "We were able to run the ball and kick the ball on the perimeter this past Saturday, which I thought was great. Established a little bit more tempo than we did week two. ... There's times where it looks good, and there's some confidence, and there's times where it's not nearly as good as it should be."

Tulane's Speed Puts Extra Emphasis on Execution

Tulane Football — Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils tight end Jeremiah Hasley (85) runs the ball against Tulane Green Wave linebacker Jah'rie Garner (48) and Tulane Green Wave cornerback Macho Stevenson (21) during the second half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cefalo, head coach Blake Anderson and defensive coordinator Joe Bolden have all pointed to Tulane's speed this week. Cefalo is particularly concerned about how Southern Miss handles the Green Wave on the edge. Yet he kept bringing the conversation back to what his own unit can control.

"We've got to be ready for their speed. We've got to do a great job handling them on the edge," Cefalo said. "But as much as we've got to focus on Tulane, I can't emphasize enough about how important it is for us to really, truly focus on ourselves, and we need to get better at the things we're trying to do."

He included the coaches in that assessment as well. After a conversation with the offensive staff, Cefalo said they can't take anything for granted and are looking to do whatever they can to help accelerate the growth process of these Golden Eagles.

Competition Continues Up Front

The offensive line could look different again Saturday. Greg Nunnery Jr. had been expected to start at left guard against UConn but couldn't play, forcing Southern Miss to use other options. Although his official status for this weekend is still unknown, he was trending toward being ready to go against Tulane from what we heard on Wednesday evening.

Although the Southern Miss quarterbacks have made some mistakes these first three weeks of the season, some of those mistakes have come from defensive pressure getting through up front. The Golden Eagles will look for a more complete performance from their big fellas in New Orleans.

Cefalo said the staff will keep moving players around and rewarding those who perform. Offensive line coach Sean Coughlin has made those clear ever since fall camp got underway.

"If it's adding a new guy to the mix, we'll do it," Cefalo said. "And whatever it takes to get this thing moving in the right direction, we're not scared to do that. And we're very clear with the kids about that, too, and they know they've got to hold up their end of the deal, too."

That competition matters even more with Lyddy stepping into the starting quarterback role. The Golden Eagles don't need to answer every single question about their offensive identity in New Orleans, but they do need to at least give themselves a chance to find some answers, preferably starting with the opening drive of the game.

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