Southern Miss football hush on QB Ethan Crawford's redshirt status vs. Mississippi State
HATTIESBURG – Southern Miss football coach Will Hall kept it short and sweet on Monday when asked about his quarterbacks heading into this week's game at Mississippi State.
"You'll have to wait and see," Hall said.
And it's not just who will start between Billy Wiles and Ethan Crawford, but even if Crawford, the tantalizing true freshman, will play at all.
Wiles has started all 10 games for Southern Miss, but Crawford has played increasingly over the last three games. Crawford provides more with his running ability and arm strength, but lacks in his accuracy compared to Wiles.
Had Crawford already burned his redshirt, the decision would perhaps not be as complicated. But his participation in last week’s win over Louisiana marked his fourth game of the season, putting him on the redshirt fence and adding another layer to the decision. If Crawford plays one more game, this season will count against one of his years of eligibility.
Hall was coy last week too about Crawford, repeatedly saying they will do whatever gives them the best chance to beat Louisiana. Southern Miss (3-7, 2-5 Sun Belt Conference) won’t be making a bowl game this season, so it isn’t playing for an extra game in December. Even if Crawford does give the Golden Eagles the best chance to beat Mississippi State (4-6, 1-6 SEC) on Saturday (11 a.m., SEC Network) and Troy next week, it doesn’t mean he will play at the expense of losing a year of eligibility.
"There's a lot that goes into that decision from me as the caretaker of this program number one and the caretaker of Ethan right now number two," Hall said. "I've got great respect for everybody involved. Anytime you make a big decision that affects someone's life and future, all parties should be involved in that decision making."
Crawford scored his first career touchdown three weeks ago as a rushing score against Appalachian State. Then in the win over Louisiana, Crawford played the majority of the second half and led Southern Miss down the field to tie the game late in the fourth quarter and force overtime.
“Ethan Crawford and Billy Wiles, they have a great relationship,” running back Frank Gore Jr. said after beating Louisiana. “Billy teaches Ethan and Ethan is a guy who is just so confident. So, whenever he’s on the field, he’s just so confident in himself and confident in his teammates, so he just has a presence by himself.
“His swagger, we feed off that. We feed off when he comes in the game, we know he’s gonna bring energy and he’s gonna be ready to make a play.”
Wiles is 151 for 282 for 1,845 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. Crawford is 6 of 13 for 62 yards and one touchdown. On the ground, Wiles' net rushing yards is at -1 on 55 attempts with one touchdown, while Crawford is up to 67 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts.
ETHAN CRAWFORD: How Ethan Crawford scored his first Southern Miss football touchdown one year after ACL injury
Southern Miss averaged just 20.7 points per game in the first seven games of the season, but has upped it to 32.0 points per game over the past three games. That also coincides with Hall relinquishing his offensive play-calling duties.
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: Southern Miss football hush on starting QB versus Mississippi State
