5 Southern Miss Golden Eagles to Know

The Alabama Crimson Tide will host a struggling Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles squad Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium at 6:30 p.m.

While the Golden Eagles come into the contest with two losses on the young season, there's no denying the name recognition and respectable talent that stands out on a rebuilding roster.

Get to know some of the names you'll hear most often for the opposition during the Crimson TIde's next contest.

Trey Lowe, Quarterback

One of the more recognizable names to long-time Alabama fans will be Woodrow Lowe III, better known as "Trey." He's the starting quarterback for Southern Mississippi, however, a foot injury will keep him out of the starting lineup Saturday.

Lowe's grandfather, Woodrow Lowe, Sr., was an All-American linebacker for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1972-1975 under Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Trey suffered a foot injury in Southern Mississippi's lone victory over Grambling State. For fans looking to keep up with the Alabama legacy after this week's contest, he should return later in the season.

Frank Gore, Jr., Running Back

The Golden Eagles features more than one impressive legacy player. Frank Gore, Jr., is the son of the NFL's third-place all-time rushing leader, Frank Gore. Gore, Sr., is one of just three players in NFL history to rush for 16,000 yards alongside Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith.

Gore, Jr., didn't follow in his father's footsteps to the University of Miami, but he's carved out a respectable career in Hattiesburg being named to the Doak Walker and Maxwell Award watchlists for the 2021 campaign.

As a freshman in 2020, Gore, Jr., rushed for 708 yards and two scores on 121 carries. This season he's expecting a much heftier workload for the Golden Eagles. So far this year he's carried the ball 55 times for 274 yards and a touchdown.

Ty Keyes, Quarterback

Ty Keyes is the man who will be lining up at quarterback for the Golden Eagles Saturday evening. The three-time Mr. Football in the state of Mississippi is a true freshman who finds himself thrust into a difficult position for Southern Miss.

Since taking over for Lowe, Keyes has completed 52.6% of his passes for 207 yards with one touchdown and two picks. He was recruited as the No. 7 dual-threat quarterback in the most recent recruiting class, but he's struggled to find rushing lanes or escaping pressure, rushing for just 11 yards on 27 carries.

The Golden Eagles' passing game has struggled regardless of the passer, though. No receivers have cracked 100 yards on the season nor caught at least 10 passes through three games.

Malik Shorts, Defensive Back

The Golden Eagles field a defense that is better than the numbers may indicate and one of the biggest reasons is Malik Shorts. The redshirt junior safety leads the team in tackles with 17.

What Shorts lacks in speed and agility he makes up for in solid fundamentals and pursuit angles. He covers an impressive amount of ground to find himself within the frame of the play result. His sound tackling allows him to be an impact player in the Southern Miss defense.

Shorts makes more plays closer to the line of scrimmage in the short passing game and running game. He has just one interception in each of his first two seasons and none so far this year. Although, he does have six pass breakups this year, don't expect him to give Alabama's offensive weapons too much trouble in coverage.

Santrell Latham, Linebacker

Santrell Latham is a fourth-year junior linebacker with a serious nose for the football. He's tied for second this season in tackles for the Golden Eagles defense with 13.

Latham is looking to rebound from a special 2020 season where he recorded double-digit tackles in three of Southern Mississippi's eight games and led the team in sacks.

While his tackling numbers haven't quite met expectations, he's already responsible for a career-high two forced fumbles through the first three games of the season. Latham is a rangy linebacker that can make plays if he sneaks by the Crimson Tide offensive line on outside running plays. No. 6 will be a fun player to watch for fans that look for players that are capable of stepping up against overwhelming odds.