'We Can Play With Anybody': Blake Anderson Sees Growth in Southern Miss Ahead of Sun Belt Play

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – There is a reason Saturday’s loss at Tulane hurt as much as it did. Southern Miss gave itself a real chance to win, and for much of the night, there was plenty to like about how the Golden Eagles got there.

The defense gave them time. The special teams helped keep them in control of field position. And an offense that struggled to get going eventually found enough answers to take a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter. After two difficult, mostly uncompetitive weeks, Southern Miss offered a glimpse of the team Blake Anderson believes it can become.

Southern Miss Football — Southern Miss wide receiver Davis Dalton (11) makes a contested catch for a touchdown at Tulane. | Josh House

The 24-21 loss in New Orleans was a painful reminder that getting into position is only part of the job. But as the Golden Eagles turn toward their Sun Belt opener at Troy next Tuesday, that performance also gives them something tangible to build on.

Anderson wanted that part of the story heard during his opening statement at Tuesday’s press conference.

“There’s been very little conversation about just how well they played and how much different we looked Saturday night as compared to previous weeks,” Anderson said. “I said it the other night, and it just really got lost in the shuffle. I could not be more proud of what they looked like Saturday night.”

A Response Worth Building On

For Anderson, the encouragement starts with how his players handled the stretch leading into Tulane. Southern Miss had struggled against Auburn and UConn, leaving plenty of questions about how quickly this team could improve. The players kept working, though, and Saturday offered a more convincing example of what that work could produce.

“And even in the midst of really not a lot of positive over a couple of weeks, it was really their work and their attitudes and consistency that we kept getting better, and everybody got a chance to see what they’re capable of on Saturday night,” Anderson said. “And what they did was put us into a position on the road against a good team to win a game.”

Blake Anderson, Southern Miss Football — Coach Anderson fielding questions from members of the media after Southern Miss' 24-21 defeat at Yulam Stadium. | Josh House

That is an encouraging sign for a team still gaining valuable experience by the day and learning how to play at this level on the fly. Difficult results didn't keep the Golden Eagles from showing up with the effort needed to give themselves an opportunity to pull off an upset in New Orleans. Whether they pulled that off or not, at the very least, they had to come out of that game looking competitive, and they did.

Anderson pointed to contributions across all three phases. He praised the defense for coming out strong, the coverage units for limiting Tulane’s return game, and the offense for gradually finding its footing against a challenging defensive front.

Landry Lyddy throws his second touchdown of the game, this time to Mario Sanders. Golden Eagles tie it at 14-14. 👀 #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/jQFtrxuqBh
— Southern Miss On SI (@USMonSI) September 27, 2026

“It was tough early against a good defensive front, and little by little, we got going and actually had more explosive plays than they did, and actually put ourselves in a position to come from behind, get the lead, and be in position,” Anderson said.

Southern Miss now has a performance it can study for the things that worked, like redshirt-senior quarterback Landry Lyddy's electric connection with receivers Davis Dalton, Mario Sanders and AJ Little, along with the moments that need correcting, like the field-goal unit leaving six points on the table late, the defense finishing tackles when having the running back bottled up, and the offensive line not allowing pressure through in critical moments.

Encouragement and a Crystal-Clear Standard

Anderson’s statement Tuesday also addressed the reaction to his frustrated postgame answer about improving the offense’s starts. He acknowledged that he had not communicated well, then emphasized both his pride in the players and his responsibility for the results.

“I’m never okay with a close loss. I’m never okay with a loss period. But, I am very pleased and encouraged at what I saw,” Anderson said. “But I’ve been saying this for a month, if we play our best ball, if we play the way we’re capable of, we can play with anybody. And we showed that Saturday night.”

His optimism comes with expectations. The opponent, location and circumstances do not change what Southern Miss is trying to accomplish.

“We have one standard and one standard only, and that is to find a way to win, regardless of who we play, where we play, when we play, injuries, weather,” Anderson said.

He accepted responsibility for the previous losses and for failing to help the Golden Eagles finish at Tulane.

“We have to be better, and it starts with me at the top,” Anderson said.

The Next Step is Within Reach

Southern Miss Athletics — Southern Miss WR Davis Dalton (11) celebrates a first-down catch against Tulane. | Josh House

The opportunity now is to make Saturday’s level of play repeatable and improve the execution that decides close games. Anderson expects more of those situations this season. He said the coaches must help settle the players, put them in better positions and give them the confidence to finish when another opportunity arrives.

“I’m excited and encouraged as we move into conference play, that if we can get that team [we were at Tulane] week in, week out, there is nobody on our schedule that we can’t play with,” Anderson said. “And we just got to take that next step and learn how to finish when we get there.”

That “week in, week out” is the challenge ahead. One promising performance provides a starting point. Carrying it to Troy and through the Sun Belt schedule would give the Golden Eagles a chance to turn that encouragement into something more. If Southern Miss can find a way to win at Troy, there is a very real path to stringing together a four-game win streak, which would set up an epic showdown against James Madison at The Rock on Thursday, Nov. 7. There is a long way to go before getting to that point, though. The next game is always the most important one.

Southern Miss left New Orleans with a loss that cut deep because a win was within reach. It also left with tangible proof of what its collective effort can produce on both sides of the ball. Next Tuesday brings another opportunity to build on those positives, finish the job and give Golden Eagles fans more reasons to believe that this season can be more than just a rebuilding year.

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