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Southern Miss held its first intrasquad scrimmage of the spring practice period today at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
Immediate reaction: the defense played a whole lot better than the offense. Not to say the offense didn’t make plays, because it did. But on the whole, the Golden Eagle defense was well ahead of the offense.
The biggest playmakers on the first-string defense today were safety Jacorius Cotton and defensive lineman Dylan Bradley. Cotton, a senior, sat out last year due to academic issues, and Bradley, who will be a sophomore in the fall, came on strong at the end of last season.
Cotton, who has started 20 games at safety in his career, looks fresh and seems to bring an enforcer-type presence to the secondary that Southern Miss sorely lacked last season. He laid receiver Cooper Harrington out on one play during today’s scrimmage. Harrington left the field under his own power, but did not return.
Bradley made several plays along the line, including the only true sack of the day.
The Golden Eagle offense struggled with consistency and general execution today. Sure, there were times when the offense moved the ball, but overall it struggled. The biggest play of the day came when quarterback Nick Mullens connected with receiver D.J. Thompson for a 40-plus yard gainer.
Jalen Richard and George Payne took the majority of snaps at the running back position. Both looked good, but Payne has shown marked improvement over the fall. He could be in for a big sophomore season.
The first-team offensive line today looked like this: Rashod Hill (LT), Cameron Tom (RT), Fred Moore (RG), Oliver Bates (LG) and Taylor Peterson (C). Other offensive starters today: Mullens (QB), Thompson (WR), Marquise Ricard (WR), T-ManHolmes (WR), Harrington (WR), and Richard (RB).
First-team defense looked like this today: Jaboree Poole (DL), Wil Freeman (DL), Adam Williams (DL), Dylan Bradley (DL), Alan Howze (LB), Terrick Wright (LB), Ed Wilkins (CB), Kalan Reed (CB), Jacorius Cotton (S), Kelsey Douglas (S) and Justin Penn (bandit).
Full story in Sunday’s Hattiesburg American.
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