The New Orleans Bowl will be the Southern Miss seniors’ swan song.
The preparation for the Dec. 17 contest (8 p.m., ESPN), which pits the Golden Eagles against Louisiana-Lafayette, will serve as a precursor to spring camp for those returning for the 2017 season.
Which is good for Southern Miss.
Jay Hopson and his coaching staff will count on a large group of unproven youngsters to assume vital roles for a team that’s losing more than 20 seniors, including 15 that are either starters or primary backups. Hopson and his staff redshirted 12 of the 15 high school seniors it signed in February partially because of the high volume of contributors they knew would exit after this season.