By: Elias Carman
AP Photo/Matthew Hinton
When Charles Huff takes to the field Saturday Night for Golden Eagles, he won't just be coaching his first game in M.M. Roberts Stadium, he’ll be stepping into a legacy that’s waited too long for a true reset.
The Golden Eagles open their 2025 season against Mississippi State, a familiar in-state team with SEC juices constantly flowing. This will be the first time the Bulldogs travel 3 hours South since 2006 in which Southern Miss came out victorious. The Bulldogs open as 11.5-point favorites, as they have a 6-game winning streak in the series. While Vegas might not see it as a fight, Huff’s arrival with his new roster that followed along with him, has brought something more important to Hattiesburg: a reason to believe.
Huff, who previously led Marshall to a Sun Belt Conference title last season, rooted a Southern Miss team and fanbase hungry for a winning season. Besides his proven winning ability, he had a vision with this roster. Over 50 transfers, including a bunch of starters, have now switched from green over to the black and gold. The dog out of the pack is QB, Braylon Braxton, who is already being named the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, he brings a different spark to the Southern Miss Offense. In his 8 starts last year for Marshall he threw for 1,624 Yards, 19 Touchdowns and only 2 Interceptions.
In this fight against the Bulldogs, the energy, it’s different but just as strong. If the Golden Eagles and Head Coach, Charles Huff want any chance at winning this it will need to come from execution, every player firing, whistle to whistle. This is a chance for Hattiesburg to be put back on the map.