South Alabama Jaguars at Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Fri Nov 20 · 11:00 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 5d ago·2 min read
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South Alabama has never lost to Southern Miss. Both programs will show up in Hattiesburg this fall looking almost nothing like the teams that played last year.
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Best BetSouth Alabama
South Alabama has swept all 5 meetings in this series, and while the Jaguars lost quarterback Gio Lopez to the portal, Bishop Davenport already has a full season of meaningful reps and 21 total touchdowns on his resume. Southern Miss, by contrast, returns almost nobody — just 3 starters and the nation's lowest returning-production mark under a brand-new head coach. Betting the Jaguars leans on continuity Southern Miss simply doesn't have right now.
South Alabama
+Leads the all-time series 5-0
+Davenport returns with real starter experience
+Backfield duo Phillips/Martin already established
−Lost 27 transfers, including starting QB Gio Lopez
−Only 3 returning starters on defense
−SP+ projects South Alabama around 115th nationally
Southern Miss
+Blake Anderson has a 75-54 career record, 3 titles
+His offense led the Sun Belt in passing in 2025
+Finished 7-6 in 2025 under the previous staff
−Ranked last nationally in returning production
−Former coach Huff left and took 17 players with him
−Rebuilding nearly the entire two-deep via the portal
Neither of these teams is walking into November 20 with much continuity. South Alabama lost 27 players to the transfer portal off a 4-8 season, including starting quarterback Gio Lopez, who bolted for North Carolina after throwing for 2,559 yards and accounting for 25 total touchdowns. Bishop Davenport steps in after already piling up 21 total touchdowns in extended run last year, so the Jaguars aren't starting from zero at quarterback even if the roster around him looks different.
Southern Miss's turnover makes South Alabama's look tame. Head coach Charles Huff bolted for Memphis after a 7-6 debut season and took 17 players with him, leaving Blake Anderson — the 2025 offensive coordinator whose passing attack led the Sun Belt — to take over as full-time head coach. Anderson's resume includes stops at Arkansas State and Utah State with a 75-54 career record and three conference titles, so there's real pedigree here. He's just rebuilding almost the entire roster to use it.
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Southern Miss enters the year ranked last nationally in returning production, with only three returning starters across the whole roster. That's an extraordinary hole to climb out of by late November, even with 41 incoming transfers restocking the shelves. South Alabama's own defense is thin too — new coordinator Todd Orlando inherits just three returning starters on that side of the ball — but the Jaguars at least kept their offensive identity mostly intact.
South Alabama Jaguars
Nov 13?vs Troy—
Nov 6?@ Louisiana—
Oct 30?vs Louisiana Tech—
Oct 20?@ Marshall—
Oct 8?@ Arkansas State—
Oct 2?vs UL Monroe—
Sep 26?@ Kentucky—
Sep 19?vs Ohio—
Sep 12?@ Tulane—
Sep 5?vs SE Louisiana—
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Nov 13?@ Louisiana Tech—
Nov 5?vs James Madison—
Oct 30?@ UL Monroe—
Oct 23?vs Louisiana—
Oct 16?vs Arkansas State—
Oct 6?@ Troy—
Sep 25?@ Tulane—
Sep 19?vs UConn—
Sep 12?@ Auburn—
Sep 5?vs Alcorn State—
Recent form.
The history here isn't close. South Alabama has won all 5 meetings in this young series, capped by a 42-35 win last November that turned into a track meet. With both defenses rebuilding from scratch again this year, there's no obvious reason to expect a tighter, lower-scoring version of that game.
South Alabama Jaguars
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
SP+ projections have South Alabama sitting around 115th nationally and off a losing Sun Belt campaign, which tells you Applewhite is still fighting for his footing entering year three. Anderson at least gets to install his own program from the top rather than patch together someone else's leftovers, and that continuity in vision — if not personnel — could matter more than record suggests once the season actually kicks off.
