Southern miss vs louisiana tech predictions

Southern Miss plays at Louisiana Tech Friday night in a matchup between two longtime rivals. The programs have played a total of 52 times, with the Golden Eagles leading the series, 35-17.

Head coach Will Hall is in his first season at Southern Miss, and it has been a challenging one. The Golden Eagles are 1-9, and the offense has been a disaster, mostly due to injuries at quarterback and inconsistent play from the offensive line.

The Golden Eagles have played a total of 10 players at quarterback this season, and last week running back Frank Gore Jr. played under center in their hard-fought loss against UTSA.

Southern Miss is limping to the finish line, but this coaching staff must be pleased with the effort as it looks toward next season.

Louisiana Tech is 3-7, but this easily could have been a bowl-eligible team at this point in the season. The Bulldogs had heartbreaking losses to Mississippi State and SMU, and they went toe-to-toe with North Carolina State for four quarters.

Louisiana Tech has also had injuries under center, with three quarterbacks getting at least one start this season, while the defense has been battered all season.

The Bulldogs will have their streak of seven consecutive bowl appearances snapped, but they do have two winnable games to end the season.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles

The Southern Miss offense has been in shambles all season, and the stats reflect how bad it’s truly been.

The Golden Eagles are 129th in scoring offense, 130th in Rush Success, 130th in Finishing Drives and 129th in sacks allowed. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

It’s anyone’s guess as to who will play at quarterback Friday night. Hall decided to shorten last week’s game against UTSA by playing Gore at quarterback with hopes of controlling the clock. It worked for three quarters before UTSA pulled away for the win. Southern Miss ran the ball 47 times and had the ball for over 37 minutes.

It’s tough to find a bright spot offensively, but Gore has proven to be one of the top players in the conference. He has over 700 yards rushing this season and has averaged 4.5 yards per carry, even with all of the injuries at the quarterback position.

Southern Miss hasn’t been great on defense, but considering the deficiencies of the offense, it’s been pretty good. The Golden Eagles allow 29 points per game, are 57th in the country in total defense and rank ninth in red-zone defense efficiency.

Southern Mississippi has allowed 155 yards per game rushing and held up well against a strong UTSA rushing attack last week.

Louisiana Tech has struggled running the ball for much of the season, so this could be an area that Southern Miss has an advantage defensively.

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Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Quarterback Austin Kendall has missed three games this year, and it’s unclear who will start against Southern Miss. Last week, Aaron Allen started and played great in the win over Charlotte. Kendall, Allen and freshman JD Head are all listed atop of the depth chart.

The offense has played well at times, but inconsistent play under center and the inability to establish a running game have held this unit back. The Bulldogs are 25th in Pass Success, but the quarterbacks have combined for 11 interceptions.

Louisiana Tech has struggled to sustain a rushing attack and averages less than 3.5 yards per carry. The Bulldogs are 113th in Rush Success Rate but had their most productive game of the season last week against Charlotte. Running back Marcus Williams Jr. led the way with 131 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

The Bulldogs returned 10 starters on defense and expectations were high for a unit that struggled a year ago. Unfortunately, it has been a mess all season. They are 112th in scoring defense, 115th in total defense and 113th in red-zone defensive efficiency.

If Southern Miss uses a run-orientated scheme like last week, it will be imperative that the Louisiana Tech front seven plays well. Linebackers Trey Baldwin and Tyler Grubbs are quality players who are tied for the team lead with 78 tackles, and both have a nose for the ball.

Southern Miss has turned the ball over 25 times and is 127th in penalties per game. If Louisiana Tech can play a disciplined game, it will have a great chance to win its fourth game of the season.

Southern Miss vs. Louisiana Tech Matchup Analysis

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech match up statistically:

Offense

Defense

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Offense

Defense

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Data via College Football Data, FootballOutsiders, SP+, PFF and SportSource Analytics.

Southern Miss vs. Louisiana Tech Betting Pick

This is a rivalry game between two schools that don’t like each other.

Louisiana Tech is the better team but is getting too many points in this spot. Southern Miss is playing with great effort, and its run-oriented offense should let it control the clock and shorten the game to keep the Tech offense on the sideline.