Southern Miss football drops fifth straight as Old Dominion stuffs Frank Gore Jr at goal line

HATTIESBURG – Southern Miss football's losing streak reached five games Saturday. A goal-line stand made sure of it.

Frank Gore Jr. was denied inches short of the goal line on fourth down with under four minutes to play as the Golden Eagles fell 17-13 against Old Dominion at M.M. Roberts Stadium.

USM (1-5, 0-3 Sun Belt Conference) faced first-and-goal at the ODU 5-yard line with 5:09 to play. Billy Wiles threw incomplete on first down. Gore rushed 3 yards on second down, was held for no gain on third down and his knee hit the turf just before he extended the ball over the plane on fourth down as part of a gut-wrenching defeat.

ODU (3-3, 2-1) ran out the clock from there.

USM didn't trail until Keshawn Wicks' 16-yard touchdown run put ODU ahead with 11:19 to play.

Southern Miss led 10-0 in the first quarter with help from a stout defensive effort and an 82-yard punt return touchdown from wide receiver Ti Mims. USM led 10-7 at halftime.

Gore had 66 yards rushing on 29 carries.

SOUTHERN MISS-OLD DOMINION SCORES: Southern Miss football score vs. Old Dominion: Live Week 6 updates

Southern Miss defense starts fast

USM’s opposition had scored a touchdown on its opening drive for four straight weeks. That streak ended versus Old Dominion.

The Golden Eagles gave up one first down but otherwise forced Old Dominion to punt on its opening drive. It set the tone for a defensive performance that looked better it had the previous two weeks.

The Monarchs' only points in the half came on a 2-yard run by Wicks, set up by a 78-yard pass. Old Dominion completed just one pass for minus-4 yards in the first quarter and connected on just two more passes in the second quarter. USM recorded three sacks and four tackles for loss in the first half.

However, Old Dominion found its groove in the second half, scoring 10 unanswered points. The Southern Miss offense couldn't match it, despite the defense's effort.

Special teams helps USM instead of hurts...almost

Special teams had plagued USM during the losing streak, but the unit wasn't the issue Saturday.

Southern Miss’ only TD came on Mims’ punt return, and he nearly had another one in the first half (it was brought back when officials deemed he gave an invalid fair-catch signal).

USM kicker Andrew Stein converted on both of his field goals and a PAT. Punter Bryce Lofton booted a season-long 50-yard punt that pinned Old Dominion at its 1-yard line.

The only hiccup came in the third quarter when Mims muffed a punt in USM territory. The defense, however, rose to the occasion and turned ODU over on downs.

Southern Miss shuffles offensive line

Southern Miss coach Will Hall said to expect changes entering Saturday. The offensive line was one of them.

The Golden Eagles made adjustments at four of the five positions, with right guard John Bolding the only one to hold down his starting position. Gabe Cavazos started at left tackle, Matt Ryals at left guard, Gerquan Scott at center and Briason Mays at right tackle.

The Southern Miss offense struggled as a whole, but especially on the ground. However, Hall never abandoned the running game. USM ran two consecutive super-back plays with Gore at the ODU goal line, but was stuffed both times.

Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Frank Gore Jr. stuffed as Southern Miss football falls to Old Dominion