Southern Miss 2012 Recruiting

Southern Miss Golden Eagles 2012 ... Head Coach: Ellis Johnson

Southern Miss Golden Eagles

2011 Record: 12-2

Sep. 3 Louisiana Tech W 19-17
Sep. 10 at Marshall L 26-20
Sep. 17 SE Louisiana W 52-6
Sep. 24 at Virginia W 30-24
Oct. 1 Rice W 48-24
Oct. 8 at Navy W 63-35
Oct. 15 OPEN DATE
Oct. 22 SMU W 27-3
Oct. 29 at UTEP W 31-13
Nov. 5 at East Carolina W 45-28
Nov. 12 UCF W 30-29
Nov. 19 at UAB L 34-31
Nov. 26 Memphis W 44-7
CONFERENCE USA CHAMP.
Dec. 3 at Houston W 49-28
HAWAII BOWL
Dec. 24 Nevada W 24-17

2010 CFN Prediction: 7-5
2010 Record: 8-5

Sept. 2 at South Carolina L 41-13
Sept. 11 Prairie View A&M W 34-7
Sept. 17 Kansas W 31-16
Sept. 25 at La Tech W 13-12
Oct. 2 Marshall W 41-16
Oct. 9 East Carolina L 44-43
Oct. 16 at Memphis W 41-19
Oct. 23 OPEN DATE
Oct. 30 UAB L 50-49 2OT
Nov. 6 at Tulane W 45-30
Nov. 13 at UCF W 31-21
Nov. 20 Houston W 59-41
Nov. 26 at Tulsa L 56-50
BEEF 'O' BRADY'S BOWL
Dec. 22 Louisville L 31-28
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Southern Miss Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Anthony Alford
6-1, 210, Scout.com 10th ranked, four-star quarterback. Alford is a true dual threat quarterback who is not just the best athlete on the team taking snaps. He could play several positions on the college level, but quarterback looks to be his best bet. When things break down, Alford is at his best. He can really frustrate a defense with his ability to evade pressure. He has a big time arm and at time he tries to a little too much with the football. Anthony is still very raw, but has a high ceiling.

2. S Marcus Turner
6-0, 195, Scout.com 67th ranked, three-star safety.

3. DT Dalvin Craft
6-3, 290, Scout.com 83rd ranked, three-star safety.

4. LB Anthony Wilson
6-4, 235, Scout.com three-star JUCO transfer.

5. LB Lelland Duckworth
6-1, 215, Scout.com 94th ranked, three-star outside linebacker.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... The offensive backfield. New head coach Ellis Johnson doesn’t necessarily need quarterback and running back options for right now, and the skill spots were addressed over the last two recruiting classes, but that doesn’t mean that more options wouldn’t be nice. Arsenio Favor is the top quarterback option going into next year, but Anthony Alford is one of the nation’s top prospects and good enough to push for the starting job.

Team Concerns For 2012: The defensive front seven. Depending on the alignment, six starters are gone off the front and the depth will be a bit of a problem. This class will come up with linebackers and a few JUCO prospects, but there won’t be enough to make a big push even with so many jobs wide open. Both starting offensive tackles are gone.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Ellis Johnson takes over the defending conference champion, but he has a ton of work to do. QB Austin Davis is gone, but big bomber Arsenio Favor appears to be ready to make the passing game shine. The running game that led the league should be terrific with Desmond Johnson leading a deep stable of backs. Both starting offensive tackles are done, but the interior of the line is sound. Defensively, there’s no replacing end Cordarrow Law, but there are plenty of other issues with leading tackler Ronnie Thornton and FS Kendrick Pressley also done. In all, eight defensive starters need to be replaced as does terrific PK Danny Hrapmann.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 77. That Class Was Heavy On ... Receivers. The Golden Eagles brought in a ton of players after going for the quick JUCO fix last year, and while the lines are getting plenty of work and JUCO corners Clifford Johnson and Martez Thompson will see time right away, this class is about lots and lots of pass-catching prospects, including tight end Collin Jarbo. JUCO transfer Jhyrtn Taylor is is the best receiver of the bunch, but speedy Tray Becton and Cooper Harrington could make a bigger impact before they’re through.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 56. That Class Was Heavy On ... Skill players. Head coach Larry Fedora went big on JUCO transfers last year, and he got a few instant helpers this season with CB Reggie Hunt and massive offensive tackles Lamar Holmes and Jason Weaver certain to be in the rotation immediately, but mostly the Golden Eagle class is setting up the future for the offense. Two quarterbacks, four running backs, and four receivers were signed with JUCO transfer Kelvin Bolden a potential instant impact player at one wideout spot and Markese Triplett a big 6-4 target to build around for the future.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 61. That Class Was Heavy On ... JUCO transfers. His program headed in the right direction, Larry Fedora sought out players capable of keeping the momentum going right now. A league-high six junior-college players, four on offense and two of defense, will help fill in the holes at tight end, linebacker, and offensive tackle. LB Hendrick Leverette is already being counted on to offset Gerald McRath’s departure, and 6-5, 265-pound David Rue is angling to catch some of the passes that used to go to Shawn Nelson.

Southern Miss 24 … Nevada 17
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

Southern Miss: QB Austin Davis completed 18-of-41 passes for 165 yards and two scores. … Desmond Johnson ran for 77 yards on 16 carries. … Punter Peter Boehme averaged 43.8 yards on eight kicks with five put inside the 20. … Dominique Sullivan caught five passes for 75 yards. … DE Cordarro Law made seven tackles, two sacks, and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Nevada: QB Cody Fajardo completed 8-of-19 passes for 60 yards and a pick, and ran for 14 yards. Tyler Lantrip completed 5-of-9 passes for 57 yards. … Lampford Mark ran 29 times for 183 yards and two scores. … Aaron Bradley caught seven passes for 64 yards. … John Michael Johnson made 13 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss.

HONOLULU (AP) - Austin Davis threw two touchdowns, including a 4-yarder late in the game, and No. 22 Southern Miss earned a school-record 12th victory by holding off Nevada 24-17 in the Hawaii Bowl on Saturday night.

Davis overcame a shaky start for the Conference USA champion Golden Eagles (12-2), and the defense in the second half managed to shut down Nevada's potent pistol attack led by Lampford Mark.

Davis was off most of the night but made it count on the game-winning drive. On third-and-goal, he scrambled right and found Kelvin Bolden for the 4-yard score, capping a seven-play, 68-yard drive. He had just 59 yard passing at halftime and finished 18 of 41 for 165 yards.

On the winning drive, Davis was 3 of 4 for 66 yards, including a 43-yard completion to Dominique Sullivan down the right sideline and a 19-yarder to a crossing William Spight. Sullivan had five catches for 75 yards.

With Davis held in check, the Golden Eagles relied on their defense, stopping Mark on fourth-and-1 at midfield with 3:56 left. Mark had 183 yards rushing for the Wolf Pack (7-6) but was held to just 21 yards in the second half.

Cody Fajardo was 8 of 19 for 60 yards for Nevada. He also was held to just 14 yards rushing on nine carries before being replaced by Tyler Lantrip.

It was the final game for Southern Miss under coach Larry Fedora, who is leaving after four seasons to take over at North Carolina. The Golden Eagles got another big win after capturing their fifth C-USA title by upsetting previously unbeaten Houston 49-28 in the conference championship game. This was the first 10-win season for Southern Miss since 1988.

Nevada tied the game 17-17 late in the third quarter on a 37-yard field goal by Allen Hardison, taking advantage of a miscue by Southern Miss. Lampley waved for a fair catch on a punt and was run into by teammate Alex Smith. The ball bounced off Lampley's left leg and Nevada's Brandon Marshall recovered on the Southern Miss 14, leading to the field goal.

Just as Nevada seemed to take control of the game, Southern Miss scored 10 points in the final 1 1/2 minutes of the first half to take a 17-14 lead into the break.

Mark's 45-yard run gave the Wolf Pack a 14-7 lead with about 5 minutes left in the half, and Nevada took the ball right back on the ensuing kickoff.

Lorenzo Devers returned the kickoff 61 yards and appeared to be heading for a touchdown. After shedding the kicker, Devers was stripped from behind by Khalid Wooten and Thaddeus Brown returned it 16 yards to the Nevada 36.

But the team from Reno gambled and ended up turning it over on downs on its own 45 when Mark was stopped short on fourth-and-1. That led to a 48-yard field goal by Hrappman with 1:21 left in the half.

On the kickoff, Wooten fumbled and Southern Miss's Emmanuel Johnson recovered at the Nevada 24. Seven plays later, Davis threw a 2-yard pass to Lampley in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead score. A brief scuffle broke out between some of the players after the catch, but no one was ejected.

With both teams struggling to get going, special teams got the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard from a blocked punt by Tim Green early in the second quarter.

Green burst through the middle and leaped in the air, getting his hand on the ball as he flipped over a blocker. Tray Becton-Martin then dropped on the ball in the end zone, giving the Golden Eagles a 7-0 lead. Tray Becton-Martin is the 25th different player to score for the Golden Eagles this year, which leads the nation.

Nevada answered with a 5-yard touchdown run by Mark, who had a 25-yard scamper to begin the 81-yard drive. Mark had 41 yards rushing on the drive, giving him 112 yards and his sixth-straight game with 100 or more.

Both teams blew good scoring opportunities in the first quarter.

Mark burst up the middle for 43 yards and was chased down from behind by Presley, getting Nevada inside the red zone. But Cody Fajardo's pass on third down was tipped and intercepted in the end zone by Jacorius Cotton.

Nov. 26 at Southern Miss 44 … Memphis 7  

Nov. 19 at UAB 34 … Southern Miss 31

Nov. 12 at Southern Miss 30 … UCF 29

Nov. 5 Southern Miss 48 ... at East Carolina 28

Oct. 29 Southern Miss 31 … at UTEP 13  

Oct. 22 at Southern Miss 27 ... SMU 3  

Oct. 8 Southern Miss 63 … at Navy 35
CFN Analysis: That’s a good Navy team that just got its doors blown off. Austin Davis was as close to perfect as possible completing 21-of-23 passes for 283 yards and three scores, while the running game did its part with Jeremy Hester and Tracy Lampley providing a nice 1-2 punch when Davis, who ran for 75 yards and a score, wasn’t taking off. The ten penalties were too many and the run defense gave up 421 yards and three scores, but Davis was playing at another level. Jumping back into Conference USA play in two weeks against SMU, the Eagles are playing like an ultra-confident team. It can’t afford to lose its edge during the layoff.  

Oct. 1 at Southern Miss 48 … Rice 24
CFN Analysis: Southern Miss is mostly known for its passing, and Austin Davis was terrific throwing for 284 yards and three scores, but the ground game owned Rice with Kendrick Hardy tearing off 172 yards and a score as the team came up with 370 yards and three touchdowns. The Golden Eagles took control in the third quarter and were never threatened despite turning it over four times. At 1-1 in conference play, USM gets a week off against Navy before dealing with the SMU passing attack, but the defense is playing at a high enough level, allowing just 81.6 rushing yards per game, to deal with both before diving into the tough second half stretch.  

Sept. 24 Southern Miss 30 … at Virginia 24
CFN Analysis: Good luck figuring this team out. Southern Miss has a lousy game against Marshall, gets going against SE Louisiana, and then comes up with a terrific road performance with a great defensive effort to offset no running game and just enough problems early to make this a fight. Austin Davis threw for 313 yards and three scores, but he also got plenty of help and some timely big plays to move the chains late when needed. Tracy Lampley’s catch-and-run for a first down on 3rd-and-23 might be a season-definer if the Golden Eagles keep on winning, and if Davis can stay hot and if the defensive front can continue to apply pressure in the backfield, with their schedule, a ten-win season is possible.

Sept. 17 at Southern Miss 52 ... SE Louisiana 6
CFN Analysis: After the strange loss to Marshall, USM started to pound away and walked away with the easy win. Kendrick Hardy ran for 155 yards and muscled his way to 8.6 yards per carry, and Jamal Woodyard tore off 99 yards on 15 carries as the Eagles finished with 335 yards and three scores. The defense gave up 234 passing yards, but it didn’t matter; USM had this in hand from the start, and the defense didn’t have any problems coming up with the stops it needed to make it a blowout. Jamie Collins mad six tackles with four tackles for loss and three broken up passes, while Korey Williams made ten tackles with a pick for a 60-yard score. Up next is Virginia on the road, and a win would go a long way to showing the Eagles really can play away from home. After the Marshall loss, that’s a must. 

Sept. 10 at Marshall 26 … Southern Miss 20
CFN Analysis: The poor offensive performance against Louisiana Tech was forgiven because of the weather, but the Golden Eagles couldn’t handle the Marshall pass rush this week and now the offensive line has to regroup. The running game isn’t there with a second straight poor performance, and the passing game isn’t getting any time to do anything down the field. Austin Davis threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, but he had to earn it, and while Francisco Llanos came up with a 90-yard play, that was it for the home runs. USM is way too good and way too explosive to only come up with 39 points in two games, and it’ll pass that mark easily against SE Louisiana next week before facing Virginia. 

Sept. 3 at Southern Miss 19 … Louisiana Tech 17
CFN Analysis: The offense didn’t work quite as well as expected, with Austin Davis only throwing for 226 yards and the ground game sputtering for just 153 yards, but the O came through when needed in the final minutes with Danny Hrapmann showing why he’s an All-American with a 49-yard bomb for the game-winner – making up for the blocked kick in the first quarter. The USM defense kept the Louisiana Tech offense under wraps with Korey Williams coming up with 13 tackles and Cordarro Law coming up with two sacks, a forced fumble, and eight tackles. Conference USA play starts up next with a trip to Marshall, and the offense needs to find more pop to make life easier.  

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Receivers. The Golden Eagles brought in a ton of players after going for the quick JUCO fix last year, and while the lines are getting plenty of work and JUCO corners Clifford Johnson and Martez Thompson will see time right away, this class is about lots and lots of pass-catching prospects, including tight end Collin Jarbo. JUCO transfer Jhyrtn Taylor is is the best receiver of the bunch, but speedy Tray Becton and Cooper Harrington could make a bigger impact before they’re through.

Five Southern Miss Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. WR Jhyryn Taylor
6-0, 175, three-star JUCO transfer. Played last season at Pearl River Community College … Caught 19 passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns … Transferred to Pearl River from LSU … Played in nine games with no starts during his two years with the Tigers … All nine appearances came during his redshirt freshman season in 2009 ... Saw action in a backup role at wide receiver and on special teams

2. QB Ricky Lloyd
Not quite a dual-threat quarterback, Lloyd does appear to have uncanny athleticism in the pocket. Lloyd has a nice set of measurables that college coaches will be able to work with including his long, athletic build. He transfers weight easily and throws well on the move. Lloyd also throws a nice deep ball to accompany his abilities.

3. DE Michael Brinson
6-4, 250, Scout.com’s 132nd ranked defensive end

4. TE Collin Jarbo
6-4, 220, Scout.com’s 64th ranked tight end

5. DT Cortez Hartzog
6-4, 270, Scout.com’s 109th ranked defensive tackle

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Tray Becton-Martin WR 5-10 160 Fr.
Chris Briggs WR 6-4 195 Fr.
Michael Brinson DT 6-4 260 Fr.
Vincent Brown* OL 6-6 315 So.
Garrett Clark OL 6-4 286 Fr.
Jordan Greene OL 6-3 270 Fr.
Cooper Harrington WR 6-0 180 Fr.
Cortez Hartzog DT 6-4 295 Fr.
Rashod Hill OL 6-6 265 Fr.
Collin Jarbo TE 6-3 226 Fr.
Clifford Johnson* DB 5-11 180 Jr.
Emmanuel Johnson ATH 5-11 175 Fr.
Trent Johnson LB 6-2 206 Fr.
Ricky Lloyd QB 6-2 185 Fr.
Max Mason TE 6-7 215 Fr.
Rakeem Nunez DL 6-3 300 Fr.
Lance Schuffert DS 6-2 245 Fr.
Chauncey Smith LB 5-11 230 Fr.
Michael Smith DE 6-5 222 Fr.
Jhyryn Taylor WR 6-0 175 Jr.
Martez Thompson* DB 6-1 200 Jr.
Terrick Wright LB 6-2 205 Fr.
Ed Wilkins DB 5-10 165 Fr. Khalid Wilson DT 6-1 300 Jr.
* Signed in December during the early junior college period