'We Got a Shot': Marchant Kenney Sees Familiar Southern Miss Edge Ahead of Auburn Road Test

Southern Miss couldn't have asked for a much better start to the Blake Anderson era, and one former Golden Eagle who knows a thing or two about "Nasty Bunch" football liked much of what he saw.

Former Southern Miss star linebacker and Southern Miss Athletics Hall of Famer Marchant Kenney joined the latest episode of Nasty Bunch & Beyond to break down the Golden Eagles' 49-3 season-opening win over Alcorn State, what stood out to him in Anderson's debut, and much more. We also turned the page to this coming Saturday's significantly tougher challenge at Auburn and discussed what Southern Miss must do to give itself a legitimate chance to pull off an upset at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

And by the way, it didn't take much convincing to get Kenney to join a podcast that pays homage to those Nasty Bunch days he was very much a part of.

Southern Miss Football, Marchant Kenney — Southern Miss Hall of Fame linebacker Marchant Kenney during his playing days for the Golden Eagles. | Southern Miss Athletics

"I put work away [for this]," Kenney said early in the conversation. "I'm nasty to the core, brother!"

There was plenty for Kenney to like on Saturday, as he came away particularly impressed by Southern Miss' conditioning, calling it the best-conditioned Golden Eagles team he has seen "in a long time." That observation led to one of the more entertaining portions of the episode, as the conversation shifted to strength-and-conditioning coach Matt Shadeed.

"It's like if Red Bull was a person, man," Kenney said of his first impression of Shadeed. "This guy's awesome. It makes me want to run through a wall right now."

Southern Miss Football, Matt Shadeed, Blake Anderson — Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson and Director of Sports Performance/Football Matt Shadeed taking in the Golden Eagles' first fall camp practice on Tuesday morning. | Josh House

Kenney also had plenty to say about Southern Miss' physical offensive line, Kobi Albert's three-interception debut and a linebacker room that naturally caught the former Golden Eagle's attention.

Our conversation eventually shifted toward something Kenney believes has been missing around Southern Miss football for a while: the expectation of going into difficult environments knowing you can win.

That brings us to Auburn.

Kenney recalled the "Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime" mentality that defined Southern Miss football during some of its best years and explained why Anderson's approach to Saturday's road game on The Plains has him fired up. He also broke down several areas that could give the Golden Eagles an opportunity to win, including offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo's play calling and quarterback Ethan Hampton's previous experience winning in a hostile environment as an underdog.

None of that means Kenney is predicting Southern Miss will walk into Auburn and win. But he's certainly not dismissing the possibility.

"We got a shot," Kenney said. That kind of confidence is key if Southern Miss is going to pull off an upset. Talent and depth matter a great deal, but having an unbreakable confidence is half the battle.

You can listen to the entire episode below. Be sure to subscribe to Nasty Bunch & Beyond on all major podcast platforms so you never miss an episode. Also, stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more football coverage live from Auburn this weekend.

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