Stat Attack - Southern Miss
It’s easy to forget about Louisiana Tech’s lone turnover in their 49-14 blowout victory over New Mexico State.
Up 24–7 after four straight scoring drives, Tech’s offense had been humming. But NMSU had just punched back with a two-play, two-throw touchdown drive that suggested a possible shift in momentum.
Facing 3rd-and-goal inside the 10, Trey Kukuk tried to squeeze a pass over the middle, only for it to land in the hands of an Aggie defender for Tech’s first turnover of the season. NMSU capitalized, stringing together a second straight touchdown drive and cutting the lead to 24-14.
Of course, we now know that Tech responded emphatically and ultimately beat the spread by five touchdowns. But it’s a moment worth keeping in mind, considering how Southern Miss won their conference opener over App State.
After a touchback on the opening kickoff, the Mountaineers drove down the field and deep into the red zone before throwing an interception in the end zone. It was a disaster App State would repeat two more times over the course of the game:
Across all FBS games this season, there have been 250 interceptions, but only 34 of them occurred on snaps inside the red zone. And remarkably, nearly 10% of those red zone picks belong to the Golden Eagles:
But it wasn’t a one-off effort by Southern Miss either. Against Mississippi State, they collected an early interception to keep the game from getting out of hand early. And against Jackson State, the Golden Eagles recorded two picks, including one on the Tigers’ final drive to officially put the game on ice.
Adding it up, Southern Miss ranks 5th in college football with two interceptions per game.
But they won’t be the only ballhawks on the field in Ruston:
So two of the best ballhawking secondaries in college football will take the field on Saturday night in Ruston, but the two defenses might be given a disproportionate number of opportunities in which to ‘hawk:
Tech is far more committed to the run game, regardless of whether it’s a running back or a quarterback carrying the ball. That means Southern Miss’s secondary may see fewer chances to make plays.
In a matchup where both defenses thrive on disruption and both secondaries have proven they can flip a game with one play, the winner might just be the team that avoids the most crucial mistake at the most crucial time.
Because this time, unlike last week, a red zone interception might not be so easy to forget.
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Nathan is also a contributor to gtpdd.dog, a lighthearted Louisiana Tech blog. Be sure to check out @gotechplsdntdie on Twitter.
