Southern Miss, Tulane meet in New Orleans for Battle for the Bell

Southern Miss will travel to New Orleans to face Tulane in the Battle for the Bell, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. at Yulman Stadium. The meeting is the 35th between the schools since 1979, and the Golden Eagles hold a 24-10 series advantage.

The series received its Battle for the Bell name before the 1999 season, when the schools introduced a large bell as a traveling trophy. Southern Miss last won the trophy at Yulman Stadium in 2022, rallying from a 14-0 deficit to win 27-24. Zach Wilcke threw two touchdown passes, Eric Scott Jr. returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown and Jay Jones blocked a punt. Tulane won the following meeting in Hattiesburg, 21-3.

Both teams enter the game with 1-2 records. Southern Miss opened with a 49-3 victory over Alcorn State, then lost at Auburn 43-8 and fell at home to UConn 48-20. Tulane lost 17-3 at Duke, defeated South Alabama 28-24 at home and then lost at Kansas State 31-20.

Redshirt senior Landry Lyddy is expected to make his second career start for Southern Miss. He has completed 20 of 33 passes for 265 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Running back Steven Robinson leads the Golden Eagles with 246 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns and one receiving score. Jamarice Wilder has 120 rushing yards.

Mario Sanders leads Southern Miss in receiving with 233 yards on 16 catches and one touchdown. AJ Little has 101 yards on 11 receptions, while MJ Johnson has seven catches for 103 yards. Mathis Haygood leads the defense with 23 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, followed by Laquan Robinson with 20 tackles.

Southern Miss will remain on the road after the Tulane game for a Tuesday, Oct. 6, matchup at Troy. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

Source: Southern Miss Athletics.