On Oct. 29, Southern Miss came into homecoming looking to bounce back from their two-game road skid, losing to LSU and Texas-San Antonio in back-to-back. Both Marshall and Southern Miss play with nearly parallel styles, each having a high-scoring offense and a struggling defense. However, the game was a defensive stalemate.
The Golden Eagle offense showed aggression early after the team converted a fourth down on its first drive. Despite aggressive passing plays on the first drive of the game, the running game was led by Ito Smith, who ended the night with 189 total yards and punched in the first points of the game.