HATTIESBURG, Miss. – For the second week in a row, Southern Miss ran the football right down an opponent's throat when it mattered most.

One week after piling up a season-high 286 rushing yards in a 35-31 homecoming win over Louisiana, the Golden Eagles went on the road and ran for 249 more in Saturday's 35-21 win at ULM. The back-to-back Sun Belt Conference victories pushed Southern Miss to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in league play, keeping bowl hopes very much alive.

It's been a long time coming for a program that struggled to consistently run the ball a year ago. And after a 1-5 start in Year 1 under Anderson, it seems as if the Golden Eagles have finally found their offensive identity: run the ball, and run it physically.

Steven Robinson, Jamarice Wilder and the offensive line have been the faces of that identity, and rightfully so. But when asked about the impact the tight ends are having on the running game following Saturday's win, Anderson made sure to give that position group its flowers.

Here's a closer look at what's been powering the Southern Miss ground game over the last two weeks.

Thunder and Lightning: Robinson, Wilder Doing Damage

The numbers over these last two weeks speak for themselves.

Against Louisiana, redshirt-junior running back Robinson carried the ball 22 times for 145 yards and three touchdowns, all three of which came before halftime. Wilder, a redshirt freshman Louisville transfer, was electric, ripping off 154 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries, averaging 11.8 yards per carry, including the game-winning 16-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds left.

JAMARICE WILDER GIVES THE EAGS A 35-31 LEAD WITH 58 SECONDS LEFT. #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/bwRJt0OQkS

— Southern Miss On SI (@USMonSI) October 25, 2026

Then at ULM, Robinson went for 151 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, including a 33-yard touchdown run that opened the scoring. Wilder added 104 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, none bigger than his 32-yard touchdown run with about 2:25 remaining that put the game away for good.

Put it all together, and the Southern Miss duo has combined for 554 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 71 carries over the last two games. That's an average of 7.8 yards per carry.

As a team, the Golden Eagles have run for 535 yards on 85 carries over that two-game stretch, which comes out to 6.3 yards per carry. For some context, Southern Miss averaged just 121 rushing yards per game this season prior to the Louisiana win, excluding the season-opening rout of Alcorn State.

People can point to ULM not being the best-quality opponent, but it was an opponent that held Troy to 14 points and 153 rushing yards in a win on the road the week prior. And the Ragin' Cajuns came into Hattiesburg with a 5-2 record before meeting the buzzsaw that has become Southern Miss' running game. So what's changed?

Unsung Heroes: Tight Ends Doing the Dirty Work

A big part of the answer lies with the tight ends.

Under Anderson, offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo and tight ends coach Michael Gibbs, the Southern Miss tight ends have been all over the place before the snap, constantly moving in motion across the formation. But more times than not, that motion ends with a tight end coming back across the line of scrimmage as an extra blocker, either inserting up the middle to take on a linebacker or kicking out a defender on the edge.

When it's done right, that's often the difference between a short gain and a big run.

Southern Miss has a dynamic duo of running backs in Steven Robinson and Jamarice Wilder, but the unsung heroes of the Eags' running game these last two weeks has been the tight ends.

More on @USMonSI tomorrow. #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/LSj10VrASm

— Dalton Trigg (@dalton_trigg) November 2, 2026

"Yeah, they're a huge piece of that," Anderson said. "A lot of insert blocks, a lot of kick-out blocks. If you don't play physical there – I mean, they're basically like a sixth lineman a lot of times with what we do in our offense."

And it's not just blocking, either. Anderson pointed out that the group has caught the ball well when called upon, and redshirt-junior tight end Preston Kilgore, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound East Texas A&M transfer, reeled in a big 19-yard catch at a critical moment against ULM on a third-and-12 that led to the Golden Eagles' first touchdown a few plays later early in the second quarter.

"But their physical nature and their willingness to block – they want to be involved in it," Anderson said. "They take a tremendous amount of pride in that. With what we do, you're not going to be very good at running the ball if they're not involved. And they've done a great job of that, and it's been a bunch of them. There's three or four different guys that play, and they've all been effective to some degree."

Kilgore was the first one mentioned for having a timely catch in the ULM game, but Georgia junior transfer Jeremiah Beck Jr. and freshman Broderick "Bam" Peters are talented run blockers as well. The running backs have noticed, too. When asked about the tight ends' lead blocking at the second level, Robinson noted just how hard those guys are working in the trenches.

"My tight ends, they insert, and to me, that's the [play] that goes," Robinson said. "Soon as they insert the right way, we gone. You know what I mean? They get a good block, we gone. I love my tight ends, man. They work hard. Pass plays, blocking plays, any plays, they just work hard."

As for the one-two punch in the backfield, Anderson believes the contrast in styles has been a big reason the run game tends to get stronger as games go on. Robinson pounds on opposing defenses early, and Wilder makes them pay late.

"He's physical and he pounds on you, and he had some huge ones, too," Anderson said of Robinson. "But they play off each other so well. The offense itself doesn't change dramatically, but how they play within it, there's just different things about their style that really play off of each other."

Robinson gave his own take on his dynamic with Wilder.

"That's just how we play. He's a slippery guy. He's more slippery," Robinson said. "And then with me being in the game and just punishing people ... soon as he gets in, he's got maybe one cut, and he's gone."

Next Up: James Madison at The Rock

The Golden Eagles have looked absolutely incredible on the ground over the last two weeks, but it will be a great challenge to maintain the same level of productivity for a third consecutive week, given the opponent that's coming in on a short week.

Southern Miss returns home to host James Madison on Thursday night, with the Dukes coming in on a two-game losing streak. A win would give the Golden Eagles three straight victories and push them one game above .500 in Sun Belt play. If the run game keeps humming the way it has over the last two weeks, there's a very, very good chance they'll have a shot at doing just that.

Anderson was quick to point out after Saturday's win that there's still plenty to clean up. But in his eyes, the formula is pretty simple.

"If you run the ball well and stop the run, you've got a chance to win," Anderson said. "So we ran the ball better today. We didn't turn the ball over. We created turnovers. That's a recipe to win games."

Kickoff between Southern Miss and James Madison is set for 7 p.m. CT Thursday at Renasant Stadium, and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more Southern Miss football coverage throughout the week.