Southern Miss Defeats Louisiana 22-10 Behind Braxton
Southern Miss defeated Louisiana 22-10 on Saturday in Week 8, with the Golden Eagles' defense proving decisive in the second half. Southern Miss quarterback Braylon Braxton led the offensive effort, completing 237 passing yards and connecting with Micah Davis on a 98-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that proved to be the game's most impactful play.
Louisiana struck first with a touchdown in the opening quarter, but Southern Miss scored 13 points in the second quarter to take control. Louisiana added a field goal in the third quarter before Southern Miss extended its lead with Braxton's scoring pass. The Ragin' Cajuns managed only a safety in the fourth quarter as Southern Miss's defense stifled late drives.
Louisiana's D'Wayne Winfield rushed for 98 yards and was involved in multiple key plays, including a third-quarter passing completion to Charles Robertson and a fourth-quarter run to the one-yard line. However, a critical fumble in the fourth quarter ended Louisiana's momentum. Jaydon Johnson led Louisiana's receivers with nine catches.
The Golden Eagles covered the 4-point spread and the game finished under the 54.5 over-under.
AI-generated recap · Aug 7, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Southern Miss | 0 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 22 |
 Louisiana | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Southern Miss | Louisiana |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 13-18 | 14-27 |
| Pass Yards | 237 | 135 |
| Rush Yards | 133 | 217 |
| Total Yards | 370 | 352 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| 3rd Down | 2-13 | 6-16 |
| Penalties | 6-43 | 8-70 |
| Possession | 24:29 | 35:31 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Braylon Braxton pass complete to Micah Davis for 1 yd to the USM 26
Jeffery Pittman run for 9 yds to the USM 35 for a 1ST down
Jeffery Pittman run for 3 yds to the USM 38
Jeffery Pittman run for 8 yds to the USM 46 for a 1ST down
Braylon Braxton run for 5 yds to the UL 49
Matt Jones run for 8 yds to the UL 41 for a 1ST down
Matt Jones run for 3 yds to the UL 38
Braylon Braxton pass complete to Carl Chester for 5 yds to the UL 33
Matt Jones run for 1 yd to the UL 32
PENALTY USM False Start (Roman,Broderick) 5 yards from UL32 to UL37. NO PLAY.
Jack Murley punt for 22 yds
Zylan Perry run for a loss of 1 yard to the UL 14
Zylan Perry run for 10 yds to the UL 24
Zylan Perry run for 2 yds to the UL 26 for a 1ST down
Zylan Perry run for 4 yds to the UL 30
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Robert Williams for 5 yds to the UL 35
Bill Davis run for 2 yds to the UL 37 for a 1ST down
Lunch Winfield run for 6 yds to the UL 43
Bill Davis run for 3 yds to the UL 46
Bill Davis run for 13 yds to the USM 41 for a 1ST down
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Caden Jensen for 18 yds to the USM 23 for a 1ST down
Bill Davis run for 8 yds to the USM 15
Lunch Winfield run for 3 yds to the USM 12 for a 1ST down
Lunch Winfield pass incomplete to Jaydon Johnson
Zylan Perry run for 1 yd to the USM 11
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Caden Jensen for 8 yds to the USM 3
Lunch Winfield run for 3 yds for a TD (Tony Sterner KICK)
Jeffery Pittman run for 2 yds to the USM 27
Braylon Braxton pass incomplete to Bralon Brown
Jeffery Pittman run for 3 yds to the USM 30
Reed Harradine punt for 42 yds
Lunch Winfield pass incomplete to Dale Martin
Zylan Perry run for 3 yds to the UL 31
Lunch Winfield pass incomplete to Charles Robertson
Nathan Torney punt for 52 yds , Elijah Metcalf returns for 11 yds to the USM 28
Robert Briggs run for 11 yds to the USM 39 for a 1ST down
Robert Briggs run for 3 yds to the USM 42
Braylon Braxton pass complete to Kyirin Heath for 5 yds to the USM 47
Robert Briggs run for 3 yds to the USM 47 Robert Briggs fumbled, recovered by UL Cameron Whitfield
Lunch Winfield run for 4 yds to the USM 43
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Caden Jensen for 6 yds to the USM 37 for a 1ST down
Bill Davis run for 4 yds to the USM 33
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Trenton Chaney for 1 yd to the USM 32
Lunch Winfield run for 1 yd to the USM 31
Lunch Winfield pass incomplete to Charles Robertson
Reed Harradine kickoff for 62 yds , Robert Williams return for 13 yds to the UL 16
Zylan Perry run for 6 yds to the UL 22
Zylan Perry run for 12 yds to the UL 34 for a 1ST down
Lunch Winfield run for 5 yds to the UL 39
Lunch Winfield run for 26 yds to the USM 35 for a 1ST down
Lunch Winfield run for 7 yds to the USM 28
Bill Davis run for 14 yds to the USM 14 for a 1ST down
Lunch Winfield run for 5 yds to the USM 9
(11:16) No Huddle-Shotgun Winfield,Lunch rush left for 0 yards to the USM09 (Tapp,J'Mond) PENALTY UL Holding (Williams,Bryant) 10 yards from USM09 to USM19. NO PLAY.
Bill Davis run for a loss of 1 yard to the USM 20
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Trenton Chaney for 13 yds to the USM 7
Tony Sterner 24 yd FG GOOD
Logan Klotz kickoff for 63 yds , Micah Davis return for 24 yds to the USM 26
Braylon Braxton pass complete to Kadinn Morris for 28 yds to the UL 46 for a 1ST down
Jeffery Pittman run for 2 yds to the UL 44
Braylon Braxton pass incomplete to Micah Davis
Braylon Braxton pass complete to Matt Jones for 1 yd to the UL 43
Jack Murley punt for 42 yds, punt out-of-bounds at the UL 1
Zylan Perry run for 2 yds to the UL 3
Southern Miss Penalty, UNS: Unsportsmanlike Conduct (J'Mond Tapp) to the UL 19 for a 1ST down
Zylan Perry run for 16 yds to the UL 35 for a 1ST down
Zylan Perry run for 2 yds to the UL 37
Steven Blanco run for no gain to the UL 37
Lunch Winfield pass incomplete to Trenton Chaney
Nathan Torney punt for 57 yds
(04:31) No Huddle-Shotgun Pittman,Jeffery rush right for 4 yards gain to the USM10 (Williams,Terrence; Clark,Jalen) PENALTY USM Holding (Heath,Kyirin) 3 yards from USM06 to USM03. NO PLAY.
Jeffery Pittman run for a loss of 1 yard to the USM 2
Braylon Braxton pass incomplete to Micah Davis
Braylon Braxton pass complete to Micah Davis for 98 yds for a TD (Creighton Wilbanks KICK)
PENALTY UL Sideline Inteference 15 yards from USM35 to USM50. NO PLAY.
Lunch Winfield run for 6 yds to the UL 31
Bill Davis run for 3 yds to the UL 34
Lunch Winfield run for 12 yds to the UL 46 for a 1ST down
Bill Davis run for a loss of 1 yard to the UL 45
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Landon Baptiste for 5 yds to the 50 yard line
PENALTY UL False Start 5 yards from UL50 to UL45. NO PLAY.
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Charles Robertson for 27 yds to the USM 28 for a 1ST down
Bill Davis run for 12 yds to the USM 16 for a 1ST down
Bill Davis run for no gain to the USM 16
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Trey Miller for 3 yds to the USM 13
(13:32) No Huddle-Shotgun Winfield,Lunch pass complete short right to Miller,Trey caught at USM18, for 0 yards to the USM13 (Montgomery,Michael) PENALTY UL Holding (Miller,Trey) 10 yards from USM13 to USM23. NO PLAY.
Lunch Winfield run for 20 yds to the USM 3 for a 1ST down
Lunch Winfield run for 2 yds to the USM 1 Lunch Winfield fumbled, recovered by USM Jabari Ishmael
Braylon Braxton run for 1 yd to the USM 2
Jeffery Pittman run for 1 yd to the USM 3
Jeffery Pittman run for 6 yds to the USM 9
(10:23) Harradine,Reed punt 42 yards to the UL49 return for loss of 1 yard to the UL48 (Harper,Joseph) PENALTY UL Running Into The Kicker (Jones,Lester) 5 yards from USM09 to USM14, 1ST DOWN. NO PLAY.
Jeffery Pittman run for a loss of 1 yard to the USM 13
Jeffery Pittman run for 1 yd to the USM 14
Braylon Braxton pass complete to Bralon Brown for 9 yds to the USM 23
PENALTY USM False Start (Nunnery,Greg) 5 yards from USM23 to USM18. NO PLAY.
Reed Harradine punt for 60 yds , Robert Williams returns for no gain to the UL 22
Lunch Winfield run for a loss of 1 yard to the UL 21
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Dale Martin for 13 yds to the UL 34 for a 1ST down
Lunch Winfield run for no gain to the UL 34
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Caden Jensen for 5 yds to the UL 39
PENALTY UL False Start (Chaney,Trenton) 5 yards from UL39 to UL34. NO PLAY.
Lunch Winfield pass complete to Caden Jensen for 8 yds to the UL 42
Lunch Winfield pass incomplete to Rahji Dennis
Braylon Braxton run for 3 yds to the UL 39
Matt Jones run for 3 yds to the UL 36
Braylon Braxton run for a loss of 2 yards to the UL 38
Jack Murley punt for 35 yds
Lunch Winfield run for 8 yds to the UL 11
Lunch Winfield sacked by Garrick Ponder for a loss of 7 yards to the UL 4
Lunch Winfield pass incomplete to Dale Martin
L. Winfield sacked by C. Jones for -8 yds for a SAFETY,L. Winfield fumbled, recovered by UL B. Davis,for a SAFETY
Jeffery Pittman run for 1 yd to the UL 33
Jeffery Pittman run for 3 yds to the UL 30
Jeffery Pittman run for 4 yds to the UL 26
Jeffery Pittman run for 7 yds to the UL 19 for a 1ST down
(01:27) Kneel down by Southern Miss. at UL20 for loss of 1 yard.
(00:44) Kneel down by Southern Miss. at UL21 for loss of 1 yard.
(00:27) Kneel down by Southern Miss. at UL22 for loss of 1 yard.