Freshmen Panthers stand out in first win of the season

The losing streak continues!

For Southern Mississippi, and not the previously 0-4 Panthers.

Their losing streak is over!

The Panthers got their first win of the season Saturday, along with their first win in Conference USA against the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. Though it was against a team who hasn’t seen a win since 2011, a win is, in essence, a win.

Now, what made this win impressive was the fact that the stars of the game were freshmen. Guys who just a few weeks ago got their feet wet for the first time in college football.

Panther fans, say hello to  freshmen runningback Silas Spearman III and tight end Jonnu Smith. It is early to say this but for sake of debate and because I can, I will. Could either of these two be the new star or stars for this program?

Spearman III got the nod to start at running back and didn’t disappoint, racking up 136 yards on 29 carries, 55 of those yards in the fourth quarter alone.

With only the bulk of the first half under his belt, Smith had a team-high four passes for 43 yards, though he missed most of the second half due to an injury.

Now everyone knew this was a young team and that it would take some time to get these men involved in a new offense, but if Saturdays game had anything to say for it, Head Coach Ron Turner and his staff may have found the answer they needed.

With issues at the running back position, it was only a matter of time until someone stepped up to the plate and took the reigns. With the losses to Kedrick Rhodes and Jakhari Gore due to legal issues, Lamarq Caldwell had been seeing most of the reps from behind the line of scrimmage.

Caldwell has shown that he’s more of a “bruiser,” the type of running back that is better suited fighting through lineman and getting the rough and tough yards. And with a conservative style of offense the Panthers have been showing of late, Caldwell has needed every second of rest he can get.

Moving forward, I’d expect to see Spearman III more as the team’s running back, with Caldwell being moved to fullback. A position change that may suit the team better, assuming the game against the Golden Eagles wasn’t a fluke.

The biggest concern was and has continued to be the mental game for the defense. Trick plays and even simple play action plays have gotten the best of them. Such plays have always kept the Panthers linebackers frozen, guessing to choose where to go and in football, that one late step can cost you points.

On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Jake Medlock went down once again to what appeared to be an apparent concussion. This led to backup E.J. Hilliard coming in to fill in, clearly a better time to come into a game, rather than facing a team like the University of Louisville.

Another concern for the Panthers was the protection, or lack thereof, for Medlock and Hilliard. Hilliard was sacked twice and when he wasn’t, forced throws to avoid a sack were evident.

Take all of that out of the picture and if you are a glass is half full type person, then your prayers for this team may have been answered, at least for one game.

Clearly it is too early to say anything about these freshmen. They’ll now most likely feel the pressure to have those types of games and more will be expected from them, but if they can carry the load, this may be the turn around the guys needed.

There are still plenty of plugs that need to be filled in this sinking ship of a football team, but they’re still afloat. Spearman III and Smith seem to be repairing what is needed, slowly but surely. Time to see if these young bloods can keep the ball rolling when they come back home for their homecoming game.

About the Author

Patrick Chalvire
: Radio Host for Panther Sports Talk Live. Assistant Sports Director for The Beacon. Majoring in Communication Arts. Sports fan and aspiring anchor.

1 Comment on "Freshmen Panthers stand out in first win of the season"

  1. “A win, in essence, is a win.”

    Boy, that’s some great writing.

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