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HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Fresh off snapping a five-game losing streak with a 35-31 homecoming win over Louisiana, Southern Miss may be getting a little healthier at just the right time.
The Golden Eagles' (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) Week 9 availability report ahead of Saturday's matchup at ULM was made available on Thursday, and three players who have been working their way back from injury, linebacker Avery Sledge, quarterback Ethan Hampton and wide receiver Grant Page, have all been upgraded to probable.
Here's a look at what the Eagles are getting back as those players make their way back into the fold.
The most surprising of the three might be Sledge, given his initial injury timeline. Following the Golden Eagles' Oct. 6 loss at Troy, Coach Blake Anderson said the senior linebacker and Hattiesburg native was expected to miss four to six weeks with a broken rib.
"He's in a lot of pain," Anderson said at the time. Now, less than four weeks later, Sledge appears to be on track to return.
Another linebacker injury note: talented freshman Caleb Triplett is listed as questionable for Saturday.
Then there's Hampton, who has been sidelined since fracturing his throwing hand in the Week 3 loss to UConn. The redshirt-senior Illinois transfer was initially expected to miss four to six weeks, and Saturday's game falls right at the end of that window.
But we're not reading too much into the probable tag. Our expectation is that he could be available in more of an emergency role, with redshirt-senior Landry Lyddy getting the start once again. Lyddy has been under center since Hampton went down and just led the Golden Eagles to their first conference win of the season last weekend.
Still, having a healthy veteran backup behind Lyddy is a luxury Southern Miss hasn't had in more than a month.
Page's return could also give the Golden Eagles' passing game a lift. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound redshirt senior brings more size and experience to a position group that could use another big target. Page also hauled in Lyddy's first pass of the season, a 33-yard strike against UConn before getting injured, so there's some familiarity there.
Also on the Southern Miss report, offensive lineman Luke Rogers is questionable, while fellow lineman Greg Nunnery Jr. remains out. As mentioned in previous reports, running back Robert Briggs, offensive lineman Jahmir Davis, defensive backs Jeremiah Dillon and Jordan Pride, defensive lineman Jeffery Rush and Ricky Harding are all out for the season.
As for ULM, wide receivers Parker Fulghum and Laterrius Robinson and linebacker Marcus Ross are probable, while defensive linemen Zyan Tremont and Tyrell Brown are questionable. The Warhawks will be without defensive backs Korian Wilson and RJ Hall, wide receiver Javon Campbell and linebacker Le'kell McGowan, along with offensive lineman Roscoe Tucker, running back Makin Lenard and linebacker Jackson Parker, who are all out for the season.
Southern Miss and ULM are set to kick off Saturday at 2 p.m. CT at Malone Stadium on ESPN+. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more football coverage throughout the weekend.