Marshall Faulk gave Mike Franklin the start at running back during his first college football game as head coach at Southern. However, he finished with only three carries, total.
It was a bizarre sequence of events.
The first college football game of Faulk’s head coaching career was a loss. His use of ball-carriers was questionable.
Mike Franklin got the start over Trey Holly for Southern.
Trey Holly, a former three-star recruit, was one of the top ball-carriers in the SWAC last season. The LSU transfer finished with 869 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games. He decided to stick with Southern after Faulk was hired as head coach.
Given that Faulk is one of the greatest running backs of all-time, there was a lot of buzz about Holly in his second year with the Jaguars. And then he didn’t even get the start in Week 0.
Mike Franklin took the first two carries for Southern on Saturday in his official return from a lisfranc injury. The first-year head coach had high praise for the veteran running back earlier the week.
Mike Franklin scores the first touchdown of the Marshall Faulk era for #Southern.
— Ben Dackiw (@BenDackiw) August 29, 2026
Coach Faulk had some high praise for Franklin earlier this week.@GeauxJags | @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/CffZvFDixS
Franklin split carries with Christian Johnson and Khalil Davis. Holly was nowhere to be found but it did not matter.
The Jaguars scored first against the Hornets of Alabama State. Franklin went 29 yards for the first touchdown of the Marshall Faulk era with three minutes and 25 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
🚨 THE FIRST TD OF THE FAULK ERA! 🚨🐆💙💛
— SU Recruiting Spotlight (@Recruit4SU) September 1, 2026
History was made Saturday as RB Mike Franklin @mikefranklin_3 found the end zone on a 29-YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN for the first touchdown of the Marshall Faulk Era! 🔥💨
The new era officially got started with SIX! 🏈🙌🏾
🎥: @kenematicshots… pic.twitter.com/c6avGlRgvx
Here is how it looked on the television broadcast:
Southern football running back Mike Franklin rips off a 29-yard carry for a TD. Great blocking and play call and Franklin did the rest.
— Toyloy Brown III (@TJ3rd_) August 29, 2026
The graduate gets the first score of the 2026 season.
Southern leads 7-0 with 3:25 left in the 1st QT pic.twitter.com/j0KpcnSfOa
That was it. Franklin did not get another carry for the rest of the game. Not one.
Marshall Faulk did not explain the bizarre running back management.
Mike Franklin finished with three carries for 34 yards and one touchdown. Trey Holly finished with 15 carries for 45 yards. Christian Johnson finished with 14 carries for 89 yards and one touchdown. Khalil Davis finished with six carries for eight yards.
Southern lost to Alabama State by a final score of 30-17.
When asked about the running back management, Marshall Faulk would not explain why Franklin got the start over Holly. Nor was he able to explain why Franklin was benched after the best run of the entire day.
Marshall Faulk did not say why Mike Franklin got the start over Trey Holly. Faulk did say they need to evaluate how they split the carries.
— Kevin Batiste (@KBatisteJr) August 30, 2026
Franklin only had three touches for the game and did not see another after his 29 yard touchdown in the first quarter. #Southern pic.twitter.com/isMuu830xi
Faulk has already acknowledged the learning curve that comes with his new job. This confusing use of his running backs, as a former running back, was the first questionable decision of his head coaching career.
Southern will host Kentucky State on Saturday. It should be the Jaguars’ first win of the season. It will be interesting to see how they use Franklin, Holly, Johnson and Davis in a game that should be a blowout in their favor.