By Jack Kutz

After back-to-back disappointing weeks against App State and Troy, JMU looks to get back into the win column against Southern Mississippi in its third straight Thursday night game.

How to watch

TV: ESPN2

Kickoff time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: M.M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

Weather: A 65 degree temperature plus clear skies will create a perfect night for football in Hattiesburg.

Southern Miss overview

Record: 3-5 (2-2 SBC) After a 1-5 start to their season, the Golden Eagles have stormed back to possibly play in a bowl game. In back-to-back weeks they have beaten Louisiana and ULM. Southern Miss hopes to continue its streak against a JMU team that has struggled immensely the last two weeks.

Coaching staff

Blake Anderson, Head Coach: From 2014-2020, he led Arkansas State to six consecutive winning seasons that included two bowl wins. In 2021, he moved to Utah State where he had a successful first season with 11 wins and a Mountain West championship. However, the next two seasons he had six wins in each season. He was fired for cause in 2024, with Utah State saying in a termination letter that he was fired for “attempting to personally investigate the circumstances of a player’s domestic violence arrest.” After taking a year away from football, he became an assistant coach for Southern Miss and was promoted to head coach after Charles Huff left for Memphis in December of 2025.

Kyle Cefalo, Offensive Coordinator: Brought in by Anderson, Cefalo brings Power 4 experience. He was the wide receivers coach at California last season where he coached a very good passing offense. He coached with Anderson at Arkansas State in the 2010s. This season, Cefalo’s unit is averaging 26.9 points per game.

Joe Bolden, Defensive Coordinator: Bolden coached as a special teams coordinator as well as a position coach at Tulsa. He was hired as the special teams coordinator at Southern Miss in January 2025 by Huff. The Golden Eagles finished third in the Sun Belt in both kickoff returns (22.50) and punt returns (11.47). Bolden was hired by Blake Anderson in December 2025 to be the new defensive coordinator. In his first season as defensive coordinator, his defense is allowing 31 points per game and allowing 462 yards per game.

Key Players:

Landry Lyddy, QB: Lyddy is the backup quarterback who has gotten playing time since Ethan Hampton was injured. The fifth-year player has stepped in very well. He has thrown for 1,326 yards, eight touchdowns, but four interceptions. His best performance was against Troy when he threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns in a loss. He throws well, but Lyddy doesn’t provide a big threat as a dual threat as he’s taken 13 sacks in his six full games.

Two-Headed Beast at RB: Steven Robinson has been great for Southern Miss all season, but Jamarice Wilder has stepped up to the plate to create a 2-headed beast. The two running backs combine for 1,204 rushing yards on the season and 554 in their last two games. Wilder originally committed to JMU out of high school before flipping to Louisville. After spending his freshman season with the Cardinals, Wilder joined Southern Miss as a second-year player this fall.

Mario Sanders, WR: The JUCO product has had a highly productive season in his second at the Division 1 level. After seeing no action for Illinois in 2025, the fourth-year player has 44 receptions for 600 yards and five touchdowns. Sanders is the Golden Eagles’ main threat through the air and could cause havoc on Thursday.

Jameer Lewis, DL: Another former JUCO player, Lewis is in his third year at Southern Miss. He has played consistently but has taken a step forward as the best pass rusher for the Golden Eagles. He has four sacks, 17 tackles, and a forced fumble on the season.

Mathias Haygood, LB: After a season at Marshall, Haygood transferred with Charles Huff to Hattiesburg. After a solid first season, he has taken a step forward as a leader of Southern Miss’ defense. Haygood has 70 tackles. He has racked up at least six tackles in every game this season.

Kobi Albert, DB: Koi Albert versus Corey Scott should be fun as a football fan, but horrifying for JMU fans. The third-year player has three interceptions and five pass deflections on the season. He also adds 28 tackles and a sack. The former SEC player (Kentucky and Mississippi State) could be a problem for a JMU passing game that threw three picks against Troy last week.

Keys to victory

Stop Southern Miss on the ground 

After finding more success on the ground in the last two weeks, Southern Miss is going to try and continue that success against the Dukes. Despite the losses, JMU has stopped the run by holding opponents to under 4 yards per carry in back-to-back weeks. If they continue that, JMU should stop the Golden Eagles offensively.

Take advantage of what’s given on offense

The last two weeks have seen JMU struggle to take advantage of what it’s given. The main culprit has been not using field position to put points on the board. Michael Scott has had multiple solid returns and the defense has gotten stops while the offense can’t produce points. The offense needs to turn these opportunities into points rather than a field position battle.

Coaching

After what has felt like two weeks of head-scratching coaching decisions, Billy Napier needs to adjust. JMU has had the same formula all season to win. Get up early and often. Hold the lead through a strong defense. This worked for seven games, but Napier needs to make adjustments and get this team firing on all cylinders again for closer to a full 60 minutes.

Score prediction

This is an important game for Billy Napier’s perception among the JMU fanbase. If he loses a third Thursday night game in a row, he could lose JMU fans and his locker room for the rest of the fall. This game is huge, and with Southern Miss’ defense being as poor as it has been this year, I think Napier and his team should rally around the moment and finish the season strong.

The Pick: JMU 35, Southern Miss 21

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications