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Troy vs. Southern Mississippi prediction and game preview. Projecting who wins the game between the Trojans and Golden Eagles.

Troy vs. Southern Miss Game Preview

When: Saturday, September 17 – 7:00 p.m. ET

Where: M.M. Roberts Stadium

TV Broadcast: N/A

The Trojans opened the new season with a dominating 57-17 win over Austin Peay behind the arm of Brandon Silvers, who threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns, and the legs of Jordan Chunn, who rushed for 161 yards and one score. Then, Troy nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the young season when it pushed Clemson to the max in an eventual 30-24 loss. Meanwhile, Southern Miss began its season with a huge comeback win at Kentucky and followed that up with a 56-0 shutout of Savannah State. It is the first time the Golden Eagles are 2-0 since 2009. This will be the first regular-season meeting between the schools since 1977. Troy lost to the Golden Eagles 30-27 in the 2008 New Orleans Bowl.

What To Know About Troy

Neal Brown’s Trojans out-gained Clemson 141-122 and limited the Tigers’ 1,000-yard rushers from last year, Deshaun Watson and Wayne Gallman, to a combined 89 yards. They also forced two Watson interceptions. The experience gained against the College Football Playoff finalists last season will be invaluable for the Trojans in preparation for their Sun Belt schedule. However, taking care of the football and getting better results on third-down conversions are areas to work on. Obviously playing a top-tier team made life a little difficult for Silvers, but he played well in the opener and is in command of an offense that should have success in league play.

What to Know About Southern Miss

Nick Mullens threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and the Golden Eagles’ defense allowed the fewest total yards in C-USA history in a 56-0 win over Savannah State last week. The win came one week after the team stormed back to beat Kentucky on the road. Ito Smith had 128 rushing yards—including an 86-yard scoring run—and George Payne added 116 and a touchdown on 14 carries. It’s a rushing attack that really complements the passing of Mullens very well. And the defense held Savannah State to just 41 total yards and three first downs. Southern Miss has outscored its opponents 90-0 since trailing 35-10 against Kentucky in Week 1.

Advantages

Offense: Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles can run and pass effectively, so it’s a well-balanced offense.

Defense: Southern Miss. Granted, it was against Savannah State, but the Eagles put forth a dominant effort last week.

Special Teams: Southern Miss. Through two weeks of the season, the Golden Eagles have one of the better special teams efficiency ratings in C-USA.

Coaching: Even. Brown had his team ready to play last week against Clemson.

Intangibles: Even. Southern Miss is on a roll right now, but Troy can take a lot from that close loss to Clemson.

Matchup To Watch

Xavier Thigpen vs. Troy O-Line

The Golden Eagles’ junior defensive lineman has two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss in the first two games. Troy used several combinations along the offensive line last season, with only left tackle Antonio Garcia starting all 12 games at the same position. Garcia is an NFL prospect that will need to be at his best so Silvers is protected.

Troy vs. Southern Miss Betting Odds

Spread: Southern Miss -11.5

Over/Under: 64.5

Troy vs. Southern Miss Prediction

Mullens and Smith are Alabama natives, so they certainly took notice of Troy’s strong play in a losing effort to Clemson last week. While the Trojans’ experience against the Tigers will be invaluable as they face less-superior squads moving forward, Southern Miss will eventually pull away because the offense possesses one too many weapons for Troy to contain.

Troy vs. Southern Miss Score Prediction: Southern Miss 36, Troy 24

MORE: 1-128 College Football Rankings – Week 3

Troy vs. Southern Mississippi Prediction, Game Preview