It’s Year 3 for Todd Monken in Hattiesburg. Time to start showing tangible progress.

By Rich Cirminiello | @RichCirminiello

Monken inherited a wreck from predecessor Ellis Johnson, so he got a pass for winning just one game in 2013. And there were hints of life in 2014 before mounting injuries sapped limited depth and fostered a season-ending five-game losing streak. Now that Monken has had two full seasons to install his systems and recruit his players, though, Golden Eagle fans are expecting no less than a postseason flirtation in November. After three straight years of futility, there’s cautious optimism that Southern Miss will finally unveil a deeper and more competitive product in 2015.

History shows it’s possible to win consistently at Southern Miss. Hattiesburg has been home to Brett Favre, the Nasty Bunch D and 10 bowl games in 11 years under Jeff Bower between 1997-2007. Heck, it was only four years ago that the Eagles won the league championship, went 12-2 and defeated Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. Four years, which feels like a lifetime ago for dedicated fans of the program.

Monken and his staff of assistants have meticulously labored to build a bridge to the past through player development and player recruitment, both the high school and junior college route. There were signs of improvement in 2014, but not enough to avoid ending the year with losses in seven of the final eight games. And so this offseason has been one marked by spirited competition on both sides of the ball, as newcomers try to defeat holdovers for jobs. And while Southern Miss needs assistance everywhere, line play is a particular problem area in Hattiesburg.

The Golden Eagles crawled in 2014. The hope around campus is that they begin to walk this fall, even if it’s slowly. Monken has a lot of work left to be done, but he’s also invested a ton of time and effort to get Southern Miss back on the solid footing with which it’s historically accustomed. The team should be improved from the one that went 3-9 a year ago. But in the one step forward, two steps back world of USM, a return to the postseason still might be a year away.

What you need to know about the offense: Todd Monken was brought to Hattiesburg to innovate the offense. And whereas he certainly inherited a rugged situation, he’ll be expected to show more progress this season. Monken’s first two attacks averaged fewer than 20 points per game, and last year’s growth was nominal, at best. But while the staff is touting its best depth and most competition since coming on board, it’s hard to imagine Southern Miss moving into the top half of Conference USA offenses in 2015. The Golden Eagles are banking on contributions from players who did not contribute last fall. Heralded QB Tyler Matthews is now available after transferring from TCU. Tyre’oune Holmes, the team’s leading receiver in 2013, missed all of 2014 to injury. And RT Drew Peterson leads a contingency of JUCO transfers expected to beef up the offensive line. Monken also plans to make better use of the tight ends for a change, now that Julian Allen and Taylor Marini have transferred from Lackawanna (Penn.) College and Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) Community College, respectively.

What you need to know about the defense: Coordinator David Duggan has declared all jobs as open this offseason. And who could blame him? The Golden Eagles yielded 6.4 yards per play in 2014, ranking 114th nationally, and must replace six starters from that flimsy group. The team was hit especially hard at tackle and safety, a situation exacerbated by the early exit of First Team All-Conference USA DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches. Duggan will pin his hopes, in part, on a young corps of emerging cornerbacks who’ll continue to evolve alongside veteran Kalan Reed. Otherwise? There’s plenty with which to be concerned a year after the team ranked near the league basement in run defense, pass defense, scoring, sacks and takeaways. ILB Brian Anderson will serve as one of the anchors, but it’s incumbent upon players like DE Dylan Bradley to begin reaching their potential. Short of a collaborative uprising, USM will again be one of Conference USA’s most generous defensive units in 2015.

What to watch for on offense: Mullens or Matthews? This is a critical year for Todd Monken, with so much hinging on how well the coach manages a burgeoning quarterback battle. Junior Nick Mullens is the incumbent, but he’s hardly built a firewall around his spot on the depth chart. Pushing him for the first time is TCU transfer Tyler Matthews, one of the nation’s highest-rated pro-style quarterbacks of 2012. At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he has better size, with a fluid release and delivery. Matthews used the spring to narrow the experience and familiarity divide that he has with Mullens.

What to watch for on defense: Sophomore bump. Among coordinator David Duggan’s concerns this offseason is a secondary that lost two quality safeties, Jacorius Cotton and Emmanuel Johnson, to graduation. However, the future is bright in the defensive backfield, because Duggan popped the training wheels off three freshmen a year ago, cornerbacks Picasso Nelson, Jomez Applewhite and Cornell Armstrong. If the trio takes another step forward, it’ll provide the staff with the depth needed to relocate certain players to bolster the safety position.

The team will be far better if… line play improves on both sides of the ball. Southern Miss has issues, with none bigger than an inability to win at the line of scrimmage. The Golden Eagles had just 15 sacks in 2014, while allowing 36, testament to their struggles at the line of scrimmage. Making matters worse, their premier lineman, DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches, gave up his final year to pursue an NFL career. Sustained progress is only possible if USM can become more assertive in the trenches.

The Schedule:
– Southern Miss gets two high-visibility chances to make a national splash, an opening day visit from Mississippi state and a trip to Lincoln to play Nebraska three weeks later.
– In between the games with the Bulldogs and the Huskers, the Golden Eagles get an opportunity to spruce up their record with more manageable games with Austin Peay and Texas State.
– The Golden Eagles will lock horns with Old Dominion and Charlotte, Conference USA’s two newest members, for the first time in school history.
– The team could be gassed by Halloween, with its off week not arriving until a week later on Nov. 7.
– The three most challenging conference games of the year, Marshall, Rice and Louisiana Tech, will all take place outside of Hattiesburg.
– WATCH OUT FOR … Texas State. The Bobcats are an up-and-comer out of the Sun Belt, buoyed by QB Tyler Jones, RB Robert Lowe and an offense that averaged 34 points per game in 2014.

Best offensive player: Senior WR Michael Thomas. Wide receiver is the strongest unit in Hattiesburg entering 2015. And Thomas is at the head of that group. He’s the Eagles’ big-play guy on the outside, and one of the best all-around athletes on offense. And he’s only a year removed from playing at the junior college level. Thomas is capable of really tearing things up in 2015, especially if strong-armed TCU transfer Tyler Matthews is his new battery mate.

Best defensive player: Senior LB Brian Anderson. The USM brass continues to build depth and talent through the JUCO ranks, with Anderson being one of the latest—and best—examples. Had he not missed four games to injury in his debut, he would have easily led the team in tackles. Anderson has also proven to be a valuable Eagle in the locker room and on the practice field, eagerly pitching in with the development of the untested linebackers on the roster.

Key player to a successful season: Senior RT Drew Peterson. Southern Miss must evolve in the trenches. And Peterson, fair or not, needs to be the face of that evolution in his first season out of Kilgore (Tex.) College. The 6-6, 295-pounder, who originally signed with Arkansas out of high school, certainly looks the part. Plus, the team has already been impressed by his strength and his ability to pass protect. If he can cover the right flank, with Rashod Hill on the left, USM might finally put its quarterbacks in a position to succeed in 2015.

The season will be a success if … the Golden Eagles win their most games since 2011. Southern Miss improved by two games in 2014, and wants to do at least that again this season. Plus-three would mean bowl-eligibility, but that might be a reach for this program. USM has more depth and talent than at any point of the Todd Monken era, but transforming depth and talent into victories is often easier said than done. The Eagles must continue in the right direction, or else Monken will begin 2016 without much in the way of job security.

Key game: Oct. 3 vs. North Texas. If there’s a must-win on the schedule, this might be it. September brings a visit from Mississippi State and trips to Nebraska and Texas State, so anything better than .500 to start won’t happen. And after the game with the Mean Green, Southern Miss must travel to Huntington to play Marshall. The Golden Eagles have to hold serve at Roberts Stadium in winnable games, and this kickoff to the Conference USA season is one of those contests.

2014 Fun Stats:
– Scoring after the first quarter: Southern Miss 181 – Opponents 370
– Rushing yards per game: Southern Miss 95.8 – Opponents 216.3
– Sacks: Southern Miss 14 – Opponents 36

Players You Need To Know

1. WR Michael Thomas, Sr.
Thomas was an instant hit in his first season out of Dodge City (Kans.) Community College, catching 41 balls for a team-high 592 yards and a team-high five touchdowns at ‘X’. The 6-1, 186-pound native of Chicago is a smooth operator, gliding and elevating above defensive backs to pluck the ball out of the air. After earning honorable mention All-Conference USA, Thomas will be even better prepared to stretch the field on the outside for the Golden Eagles.

2. C Cameron Tom, Jr.
At the halfway point of his college career, Tom has emerged as the Golden Eagles’ best all-around blocker. He started in each of his first two seasons, earning honorable mention All-Conference USA in 2014. The 6-4, 287-pound Baton Rouge native possesses many of the characteristics of a budding center, from his strength and quickness off the snap to his leadership and calls at the line of scrimmage.

3. RB Ito Smith, Soph.
Smith wasted no time becoming the feature back in the Eagle spread offense, earning the starting nod just a few months after arriving on campus. The 5-9, 182-pound would eventually run out of gas and get dinged up, but not before leading the team with 536 yards and two touchdowns on 136 carries. Smith is a shifty runner who gets north-south in a hurry. And with an offseason to get bigger, stronger and more durable in the weight room, he’s capable of inching closer to a 1,000-yard campaign.

4. OT Rashod Hill, Sr.
While Hill gets overlooked in most circles, NFL scouts are likely to pay close attention to his development this season. With his senior season approaching, he’s capable of playing his way into a pro career. Hill has all of the necessary prerequisites to at least contend for all-league honors. He’s 6-6 and 302 pounds. He’s athletic for a big man. And he’s logged two full years in the lineup, raising the level of his play throughout last fall.

5. LB Brian Anderson, Sr.
Anderson was one of Todd Monken’s best recruits of 2014, a productive find out of Butte (Calif.) College. Before injuring his back, and missing the final four games, he was third in the league in stops per game, having racked up 65 tackles and three stops behind the line. At 5-10 and 248 pounds, Anderson operates with good leverage and functional strength, key traits for a middle linebacker.

6. WR Casey Martin, Sr.
Martin was unable to get many reps at Houston. Lucky, Southern Miss. The undersized senior became the Eagles’ Wes Welker out of the slot, debuting with a program-best 55 catches for 531 yards and two touchdowns. Martin is tough, sure-handed and skilled in his routes. In other words, he’s an ideal security blanket for the quarterback, especially when a play begins to break down.

7. DE Dylan Bradley, Jr.
The Southern Miss staff really likes the potential and natural ability of their third-year Eagle. But the time has come for Bradley to begin parlaying all of his skills into consistent production. He’s a very physical 6-1, 265-pounder, with good instincts and feel for the game. However, he only started half of last year’s eight appearances. And everyone in Hattiesburg knows he’s capable of posting more than 29 tackles, five stops for loss and three. This could be the year that Bradley turns the corner and performs like a star pass rusher.

8. CB Kalan Reed, Sr.
Reed is back as the veteran of the 2015 secondary. He’s begun to approach his high school hype, when he was a three-star prospect from Birmingham, Ala. He’s been a starter the past two seasons, making 34 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high nine pass breakups in 2014. The 5-11, 191-pound must now take his game to a new level to help support a pass defense that continues to be on shaky ground.

9. DB Picasso Nelson, Soph.
Nelson is one of the foundations of the future for the Southern Miss secondary, whether he stays at cornerback or bolsters safety this year. The 5-10, 187-pounder started 10 games at corner as a rookie in 2014, chipping in with 36 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defended. Nelson has the long frame, smarts and coverage skills to continue maturing into one of the program’s top young defenders.

10. WR Tyre’oune Holmes, Soph.
Holmes is a wild card for the 2015 offense after he missed all of last season to an injury. He lost the ability to build on an auspicious debut that was marked by a team-high 53 receptions for 410 yards and two touchdowns. At 5-11 and only 170 pounds, he isn’t very big, but he’s cat-quick and dangerous coming out of the slot. The Golden Eagles will need to find ways to feed Holmes this year, since Casey Martin also plays in the slot, and Michael Thomas is already established as the go-to target.