Southern Miss football held its first scrimmage of preseason practice on Aug. 15, and much like the rest of the offseason, the focus was on the three players competing for the starting quarterback. Redshirt senior Ethan Hampton, who based on his prior experience as a starting quarterback at Northern Illinois and what has been seen in practices, was the presumed leader in the race. However, Hampton was forced to leave the scrimmage early with a hand injury. Hampton hit a defender's helmet on the follow through of a throw during his first series after completing 3-of-3 passes for 34 yards. X-rays later revealed that there was no structural damage to the hand and coach Blake Anderson expects Hampton to make a quick recovery and return to action in a few days. Anderson came away from the scrimmage pleased that there were no serious injuries.
"We didn't have any significant injuries, just some bumps and bruises," Anderson said. "For that many plays, that's my biggest key. Get a good work day without losing anybody." Here are the other biggest takeaways from the scrimmage. No separation in quarterback battle After Hampton left, senior Landry Lyddy and sophomore John White who switched off at quarterback. Both had good moments. Lyddy completed 15-of-21 passes for 194 yards in 10 drives while White completed 13-of-23 passes for 217 yards in 10 drives. They each threw one interception. White's was a throw into double coverage that was returned for a touchdown by senior Laquan Robinson while Lyddy's was the result of a dropped pass that fell into the hands of sophomore linebacker Tyler Lassiter. Neither quarterback scored touchdowns, but that was due to Anderson stopping drives once the offense entered the red zone. "All in all, I don't think I'm real surprised by either, to be truthful," Anderson said. "Hate that Ethan missed the day. We really needed to give him a good solid day, this was going to be a big day for him to get to show us what he's capable of." Defensive line, linebackers stand out The defense was not allowed to hit the quarterback, but a whistle blew the play dead when a sack would have occurred, and that happened many times throughout the scrimmage. The Golden Eagles' front seven recorded 10 sacks. One of these sacks was tallied by graduate player Jameer Lewis, who returned to the team earlier this week after an injunction granted him eligibility for a fifth season. "Not a big surprise," Anderson said. "He loves to rush the passer and he showed up really quickly." Linebackers Lassiter, Mathis Haygood and Melvin Spriggs all contributed to the sack total with one apiece. Lassiter also had an interception. "We had a couple interceptions, a bunch of tackles for loss," Lassiter said. "We were feeding off of each other's energy and that's what you look for in a program." Southern Miss has several weapons in receiving corps Anderson has lauded the depth of his receiver room, claiming Southern Miss has seven or eight players who can contribute at that position. That looked to be true at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Sophomore Jaylen Himes showcased his hands and his ability to evade tacklers, beginning with three quick catches. Senior Mario Sanders and junior Eelijah Singleton also gave defensive backs trouble throughout the scrimmage. Singleton had the two biggest plays. The first one was a 49-yard catch and the second a 69-yard catch down the left sideline. Juniors Kaden Saunders, M.J. Johnson and A.J. Little also recorded catches. "I do feel like there's some guys that are starting to rise to the top," Anderson said. "But I'm pleased with the fact that everybody is kind of figuring out a role to help us." Fans will be able to attend the second and final scrimmage on Aug. 22. Southern Miss opens the season at home Sept. 5 (4 p.m., ESPN+) against Alcorn State. Davis Wilson covers Southern Miss athletics and Hattiesburg news for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at DWilson@hattiesb.gannett.com or find him on X at @Davis_Wilson. This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss football scrimmage observations, including hand injury to QB