Miami football can expect run heavy Southern Mississippi offense
The Miami football team can expect a run-heavy offense from Southern Mississippi when the teams play on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium. Southern Mississippi ran 54 times for 289 yards and two touchdowns in its season opener 29-27 loss to Liberty in four overtimes on Saturday.
The majority of Southern Mississippi offense is Miami football legacy running back Frank Gore Jr. Gore ran 32 times for 178 yards and both Golden Eagles’ offensive TDs against Liberty. Gore also completed one pass in four attempts for 48 yards against the Flames. The Southern Mississippi pass offense was anemic versus Liberty.
Southern Mississippi quarterback Ty Keyes completed four passes in eight attempts for 89 yards with no TDs and two interceptions versus Liberty. Backup QB Trey Lowe was 0-1. The Miami football team should be able to stack the box defensively and dare Southern Mississippi to throw.
Southern Mississippi was nearly as reliant on the ground under second-year coach Will Hall during his inaugural season as head coach in 2021. The Golden Eagles ran 38.4 times per game last season while attempting only 23.4 passes per game. Southern Miss averaged 145.5 passing yards per game in 2021 and 121.1 rushing.
Miami allowed 239 yards passing and 93 rushing versus Bethune-Cookman in the season opener. The Wildcats averaged 9.2 yards per pass attempt and 3.2 per rush. Southern Mississippi will have to prove it can throw the ball versus Miami. Gore Jr. will be the primary focus of the Miami defense.
Gore Jr. had a breakout game in the season opener after running for 801 yards in 2021. The 178 rushing yards by Gore versus Liberty were a career-high. Gore Jr. can be a dual threat for Southern Miss. Gore Jr. has completed 11 passes in 20 career attempts for 237 yards, four TDs and one interception.
Next. Miami challenge versus aggressive Southern Miss defense. dark
Miami should be easy motivation for Gore after he was not offered a scholarship by the Hurricanes out of high school. The Miami legacy will also have a chance to play in front of Hurricanes’ RB coach Kevin Smith who recruited him while he was in the same position at FAU. Miami should be able to shut down Southern Miss offensively.