The circumstances leading up to the matchup between Southern Miss and Mississippi State couldn’t be stranger.
Neither team has had a memorable season. The Bulldogs (4-6) enter the game on a three-game losing streak, while the Golden Eagles (3-7) have won two in a row. As of Monday, Mississippi State opted to fire Zach Arnett in his first year as a head coach.
INTERIM COACH
According to Southern Miss coach Will Hall, he and the rest of the staff learned of Arnett’s firing after coming off the practice field on Monday.
“It’s a tough profession we are in,” Hall said. “I hate that for Zach. There are a lot of people on his staff that I know. I feel for people when something like that happens.
“You have to address those situations as they come,” said Hall on trying to game plan moving forward. “I’ve had as much time to wrap my hands around it as you guys have. We are in the process of figuring out which avenues we need to change moving forward.”
Taking over as the interim coach will be Greg Knox, who has filled that role on two different occasions. Back in 2017, after Dan Mullen’s departure, Knox led the Bulldogs to a bowl win in the TaxSlayer Bowl. In 2021, Knox led Florida for the Gators’ final two games after Mullen was dismissed. He finished with a 1-1 record, with his loss being in the Gasparilla Bowl.
“I know Coach Knox well, great man,” Hall said. “He was at Ole Miss through the years. Him and my dad are really good friends. I got to know Coach Knox when I was young. He’s always been really good to me and I think the world of him. He’s a college football lifer that’s always treating people with respect and has always been really good to me.”
ETHAN CRAWFORD
Starting quarterback Billy Wiles suffered a hand injury during the Golden Eagles’ 34-31 overtime win against Louisiana.
However, freshman Ethan Crawford has split reps with Wiles the last three weeks, which is also the same time frame that Hall relinquished play-calling duties. Crawford led a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter that resulted in the true freshman finding Jakarius Caston for a 9-yard touchdown pass, the first of his career. He finished the game 6 of 11, throwing for 62 yards.
“He’s an extremely confident guy,” Hall said. “That’s one reason why we put him in there. He believes, and he’s getting better and better. Anytime that you have success in anything in life, it gives you more confidence moving forward, so that was a good moment for him and a good moment for our football team.”
Yet the problem for Southern Miss is that Crawford has played his maximum of four games before having to burn his redshirt, which means that if he plays in one more game, Crawford will use one of his years of eligibility.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” Hall said. “I love Ethan. There is a lot that goes into that decision as the caretaker of this program, but also being the caretaker of Ethan.
“Anytime you make a decision that impacts somebody’s life and future, then all parties should be involved in that decision making.”
Southern Miss will travel to play Mississippi State on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN+ with kickoff set for 11 a.m.
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