2006 Southern Miss Golden Eagles

2006 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

Jan. 7
GMAC Bowl
Southern Miss 28 ... Ohio 7
Southern Miss got out to a 21-0 halftime lead thanks to a stifling defense, a 43-yard touchdown run from Tory Harrison, a two-yard run from Damion Fletcher, and with just over a minute to play, an 18-yard James Denley interception return for a score. The rout was on late in the third quarter as Fletcher closed off a 17-play, 80-yard drive that took up almost ten minutes with a nine-yard touchdown run. Ohio only managed 47 rushing yards with Kalvin McRae being held to 37 yards on ten carries. The Bobcats finally got on the board in the fourth on a 13-yard Thomas Christy catch.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss LB Gerald McRath made 13 tackles and three tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Austen Everson, 14-34, 175 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 10-37  Receiving: Scott Mayle, 4-56
Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 14-22, 160 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Tory Harrison, 9-68, 1 TD  Receiving: Josh Barnes, 4-59
Notes & Thoughts ... Ohio got down early, and it was over. Despite not having any semblance of a passing game, the Bobcats had to throw and throw and throw in the second half in comeback mode, and it didn't work. Without Kalvin McRae and the running attack, this game was over in the first half. ... Southern Miss didn't generate much offense, but it did what it had to do. Ohio did a great job of holding Damion Fletcher in check and forcing Jeremy Young to try to win the game, but Young came through with an efficient, mistake-free game. ... Helped by a huge drive to start the second half, Southern Miss held the ball for 35:05. Ohio needed to win the time of possession by a huge margin.

2006 Schedule 2006 Record: 9-5
9/2	at Florida L 34-7
9/9	SE Louisiana W 45-0
9/16	NC State W 37-17
9/25	at UCF W 19-14
10/3	at Tulsa L 20-6
10/14	Houston W 31-27
10/21	at Virginia Tech L 36-6
10/28	E Carolina L 20-17 OT
11/4	at Memphis W 42-21
11/11	at Tulane W 31-3
11/18	UAB W 26-20
11/25	Marshall W 42-7
12/1	C-USA Championship Houston L 34-20
1/7	GMAC Bowl Ohio W 28-7

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 7-4 2005 Record: 7-5 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/10	at Alabama L 30-21
9/17	McNeese State W 48-20
10/1	at East Carolina W 33-7
10/8	Tulsa L 34-17
10/15	UCF W 52-31
10/21	at UAB W 37-28
10/29	at NC State L 21-17
11/8	at Marshall W 27-24 OT
11/13	at Houston L 27-24
11/19	Memphis L 24-22
11/26	Tulane W 26-7
12/20	New Orleans Bowl Arkansas State W 31-19

Dec. 1
Conference USA Championship
Houston 34 ... Southern Miss 20
Houston scored 14 points in the second half on a 46-yard Kevin Kolb touchdown run and a 33-yard pass to Biren Ealy to pull away for good and win the Conference USA title. Southern Miss couldn't get the offense moving in the second half managing only a 31-yard Darren McCaleb field goal after rolling in the first half. Jeremy Young threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Chris Johnson and ran for an eight-yard score. Jackie Battle and Vincent Marshall each ran for first half scores.
Player of the game ... Houston QB Kevin Kolb completed 19 of 31 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns and ran five times for 37 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Kevin Kolb, 19-31, 258 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Kevin Kolb, 5-37, 1 TD  Receiving: Vincent Marshall, 8-100
Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 17-32, 186 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 15-90  Receiving: Ed Morgan, 4-49
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... In the end, Southern Miss simply didn't have the offensive firepower to keep up with Houston. The only way the Eagles were going to win the rematch against the Cougars was to win the turnover battle and get Damion Fletcher rolling. The running game never really got on track with Fletcher being held to 90 yards while the defense didn't force any turnovers. This is why rematches are wrong for college football. Each team beat the other at home and while the Houston win this week meant more, it's just not fair that the USM win over the Cougars in mid-October now means nothing.

Nov. 25
Southern Miss 42 ... Marshall 7
Southern Miss clinched the East division title y jumping all over Marshall forcing four turnovers and getting a blocked punt for a score. Jeremy Young threw two touchdowns, including a 23-yard pass to Shawn Nelson with 33 seconds left in the first half, and ran for a one-yard score to pull ahead, and then the running game, helped by turnovers, put things away with Damion Fletcher and Bobby Weakley each rushing for short scores. Marshall's only score came on a 14-yard Ahmad Bradshaw run in the first quarter.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher ran 25 times for 151 yards and a touchdown
Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 4-9, 74 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 21-110, 1 TD  Receiving: Matt Morris, 2-43
Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 14-19, 135 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 25-151, 1 TD  Receiving: Shawn Nelson, 6-63, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Southern Miss is off to play Houston for the Conference USA title by stomping all over Marshall with one of its best offensive performances of the season. Jeremy Young was back at the helm and was ultra-efficient, but Damion Fletcher, for the third week in a row, was tremendous as the workhorse for the attack. To beat Houston, USM has to limit turnovers and be as active on defense as it was this week. The more pressure on UH QB Kevin Kolb, the better.

Nov. 18
Southern Miss 26 ... UAB 20
Southern Miss got out to a 23-0 lead helped by a 48-yard Jasper Faulk interception return for a touchdown and two scores from Chris Johnson, but had to hang on for dear life as UAB scored 20 fourth quarter points on a one-yard Corey White run, and 19-yard Sylvester Mencer touchdown catch, and a 67-yard fumble return for a touchdown from Brandon Register. USM finally closed it out with a safety in the final minute.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher ran 27 times for 163 yards and caught two passes for 41 yards
UAB - Passing: Joseph Webb, 8-12, 137 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Joseph Webb, 13-33  Receiving: Willie Edwards, 3-80
Southern Miss - Passing: Stephen Reaves, 7-14, 125 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 27-163  Receiving: Shawn Nelson, 3-59
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Whoooo was that close. Southern Miss kept its Conference USA title hopes alive just needing a win over Marshall next week to play Houston for the title, but it wasn't easy. The defense couldn't stop UAB in the fourth quarter and gave up the turnover it couldn't give up to make it closer than expected. On the plus side, Damion Fletcher had yet another fantastic game running the ball saving the team from a shaky quarterback situation. Stephen Reaves was was fine, but if USM has to throw to win, it's sunk.

Nov. 11
Southern Miss 31 ... Tulane 3
Southern Miss held Tulane to 85 yards of total offense, but it took a big fourth quarter to finally put the game away. Only up 10-3 helped by a two-yard Damion Fletcher, the Golden Eagles broke it open on a 50-yard fumble recovery for a score from LeVance Richmond followed up by a four-yard Fletcher scoring run and a ten-yard Tory Harrison scoring dash. Tulane's offense only managed a 40-yard Ross Thevenot field goal.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss RB Damion Carter ran 26 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns and led the team with three catches for 37 yards 
Stat Leaders: Tulane - Passing: Scott Elliott, 3-8
Rushing: Ray Boudreaux, 14-51  Receiving: Jeremy Williams, 2-20
Southern Miss - Passing: Stephen Reaves, 5-8, 93 yds
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 26-136, 2 TD  Receiving: Damion Carter, 3-37
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The Southern Miss defense came up with one of its best performances ever shutting down everything Tulane wanted to with a swarming defensive front stuffing the running game and a nice performance from the secondary. To nitpick on such an easy win, it took way too long to put the game away with the offense finally converting all the chances and all the good field position into fourth quarter points. Jeremy Young was efficient, but Stephen Reaves made several nice plays. USM didn't have to punt and did a great job of controlling the clock in the second half.

Nov. 4
Southern Miss 42 ... Memphis 21
Southern Miss won in a walk scoring the first 28 points of the game on two Jeremy Young touchdown passes and one-yard scores from Damion Fletcher and Bobby Weakley. The two teams traded scores the rest of the way with Jeremy Young hitting Chris Johnson for his second score of the game, while Memphis got short touchdown runs from Joe Doss and Duke Calhoun.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss QB Jeremy Young completed 11 of 21 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns   
Stat Leaders: Memphis - Passing: Martin Hankins, 12-32, 151 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Joseph Doss, 22-105, 1 TD  Receiving: Joe Doss, 3-25
Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 11-21, 193 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Tory Harrison, 12-138  Receiving: Anthony Perine, 4-73, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The offense finally got to open up a little bit and get everything rolling in an easy win over Memphis. After struggling against East Carolina, everything worked with Jeremy Young throwing well, Tory Harrison and the ground game rumbling, and the balance nearly perfect. To nitpick, the Golden Eagles committed ten penalties. Winning out might be vital to getting a bowl bid, but that shouldn't be a problem against Tulane, UAB and Marshall.

Oct. 28
East Carolina 20 ... Southern Miss 17 OT
East Carolina's Travis Williams picked off a pass in the end zone in overtime after Ben Hartman nailed a 19-yard field goal on the Pirate's possession. In a defensive battle, East Carolina countered a nine-yard Ed Morgan touchdown catch with a kickoff return for a score from Chris Johnson. Tied at ten midway through the third, ECU was driving only to have Eddie Hicks pick off a pass and take it 87 yards for a touchdown. ECU was able to force overtime with a two-yard James Pinkney touchdown run with :13 to play to cap off a ten-play, 60-yard drive that took of 4:27.
Player of the game ... In a losing cause, Southern Miss LB Gerald McRath made 13 tackles and a sack
Stat Leaders: East Carolina - Passing: James Pinkney, 20-33, 197 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Fractious, 15-50  Receiving: Aundre Allison, 4-58
Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 13-20, 79 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 16-59  Receiving: Chris Johnson, 4-19
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The loss to East Carolina, and the third loss in four games, all but ends Conference USA title hopes needing to win out while getting some help from Pirate opponents. The offense hasn't been able to consistently produce against defenses with a pulse, while the D hasn't come up with enough game changing stops. Jeremy Young isn't getting the job done through the air with 124 yards against Virginia Tech and 79 against ECU. USM isn't going to beat many teams going one of 11 on third downs.

Oct. 21
Virginia Tech 36 ... Southern Miss 6
Virginia Tech's offense cranked out 398 yards to USM's 216 breaking over a 7-6 game with 29 unanswered points highlighted by a 38-yard touchdown pass to Josh Morgan and a 70-yard Branden Ore scoring run. Ore got Tech's first touchdown in the first quarter on a two-yard run to answer the first of two Darren McCaleb first quarter field goals. Kenny Lewis closed out the Hokie scoring with a 14-yard run with :44 to play.
Player of the game ... Virginia Tech RB Branden Ore ran 23 times for 207 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Virginia Tech - Passing: Sean Glennon, 4-11, 100 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Branden Ore, 23-207, 2 TD  Receiving: Josh Morgan, 2-49, 1 TD
Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 13-24, 124
Rushing: Conrad Chanove, 16-55. Receiving: Damion Carter, 2-44
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... There are limitations to the Southern Miss offense, and they were shown off in the loss to Virginia Tech. Pass protection was a big problem as was getting the running game going with Damion Fletcher out. Jeremy Young is a decent passer if he has time, but he never got a chance to breathe. Now it's back into Conference USA play needing to get by East Carolina to have relatively smooth sailing on the way to the East title, but that'll be easier said than done against a hot Pirate offense.

Oct. 14
Southern Miss 31 ... Houston 27
Southern Miss pulled away from Houston in the fourth quarter thanks to a one-yard Jeremy Young touchdown run and a 16-yard scoring pass to Shawn Nelson, but Kevin Kolb made it interesting with fourth quarter strikes from 74 and 13 yards out to Jeron Henry with the final score coming on the last play of the game. USM allowed two short Jackie Battle scoring runs, but held the Cougars to 85 rushing yards. Bobby Weakley started off the scoring for the Golden Eagles with a one-yard run.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss QB Jeremy Young went 17-of-26 for 180 yards and two touchdowns and added another score and 20 yards on six carries.
Stat Leaders: Houston - Passing: Kevin Kolb, 22-38, 339 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Jackie Battle, 13-39, 2 TDs  Receiving: Jeron Harvey, 5-174, 2 TDs
Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 17-26, 180 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 21-80  Receiving: Josh Barnes, 5-89, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Southern Miss is back on track again with a solid win over Houston to establish itself, for the moment, as the second best team in the league behind Tulsa. Jeremy Young had one of his sharpest games of the year coming off one of his worst spreading it around well while getting a few yards on the ground. The defense stepped up its play loading up against the Cougar ground game and keeping it from ever getting going, now it's going to have to do the same to East Carolina next week. Expect USM to be favored the rest of the way before playing for the Conference USA title.

Oct. 3
Tulsa 20 ... Southern Miss 6
Cauvey Jackson tore off a 59-yard scoring run early in the first quarter for all the points Tulsa would need thanks to a brilliant performance from the defense. Southern Miss gained 243 yards and turned it over twice while only managing two second-quarter Darren McCaleb field goals. Tulsa was able to put it away for good in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard Paul Smith touchdown run and a two-yard Courtney Tennial dash. Linebackers Nelson Coleman and Nick Bunting combined for 27 tackles for the Golden Hurricane.
Player of the game ... Tulsa QB Paul Smith completed 16 of 25 passes for 201 yards and ran ten times for 69 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: Paul Smith, 16-25, 201 yds
Rushing: Courtney Tennial, 21-120, 1 TD. Receiving: Donnie Johnson, 4-33
Southern Miss - Passing: Stephen Reaves, 11-27, 98 yds
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 24-110. Receiving: Josh Barnes, 4-37
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Jeremy Young was never going to be the most accurate passer around, but completing three of 12 passes against Tulsa was an obvious major step back. Forget about any quarterback controversy; Stephen Reaves wasn't any better. On the plus side, Damion Fletcher once again showed that he can be the type of back that can carry the offense, but if there's no passing game to help him out, it doesn't matter. Some more offense has to be drummed up in a big hurry to battle with Houston and Virginia Tech over the next two games.

Sept. 26
Southern Miss 19 ... UCF 14
Southern Miss took advantage of four UCF mistakes including two turnovers and two major special teams snafus to sneak out with the win. Chris Johnson took a Jeremy Young pass up the right sidelines for a 54-yard touchdown to start off the scoring for the Golden Eagles, and then the closed out the half on a 19-yad Darren McCaleb field goal after a blocked punt off a missed snap. UCF fought back with a one-yard Kevin Smith touchdown run and a six-yard Jared James touchdown grab, but USM was able to stay ahead thanks to a four-yard Jerome Lyons interception return for a score.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss LB Jerome Lyons made seven tackles and sealed the game with an interception return for a score.
Stat Leaders: Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 15-31, 184 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 23-109 . Receiving: Rodney Gray, 5-75
UCF - Passing: Steven Moffett, 18-31, 191 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kevin Smith, 30-129, 1 TD. Receiving: Javid Dames, 7-70, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Southern Miss might not have bee pretty against UCF, but it came away with a huge conference road win by taking advantage of every mistake and getting timely play from the defense. UCF only went on two truly big drives, and the Golden Eagle D was able snuff out everything else. Jeremy Young has to start pushing the ball a little deeper to help out Damion Fletcher and get the opposing back seven to not cheat up. That will be easier said than done over the next few weeks against Tulsa, Houston and Virginia Tech.

Sept. 16
Southern Miss 37 ... NC State 17
Southern Miss tore through NC State for 442 yards, but it wasn't able to put the game away until late in the third quarter on a one-yard Jeremy Young touchdown run. Damion Fletcher ran for three scores including two from one-yard out as part of a 24-0 run in the second half before the Wolfpack finally got back on the board with a 21-yard touchdown catch from John Dunlap.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher ran 28 times for 177 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 65 yards
Stat Leaders: Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 13-19, 181 yds
Rushing: Damion Fletcher, 28-177, 3 TD . Receiving: Shawn Nelson, 5-58
NC State - Passing: Marcus Stone, 10-24, 100 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Andre Brown, 13-48. Receiving: Donald Bowens, 4-76, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... If the dominant win over NC State wasn't the team's best performance in several years, it was one of them. Jeremy Young was razor-sharp throwing the ball, Damion Fletcher was unstoppable on the ground, and outside of a few big plays, the Golden Eagle defense was tight as a drum. The timing couldn't be better with make-or-break road games at UCF and Tulsa followed up by a showdown with Houston. If the team plays like this over the next three weeks, it'll coast to the Conference USA title game.

Sept. 9
Southern Miss 45 ... SE Louisiana 0
SE Louisiana had a chance to go up early, missed a 43-yard field goal, and then got stomped as the Southern Miss offense cruised led by two Damion Fletcher touchdown runs and a 31-yard Damion Carter scoring grab. Larry Thomas added two short scores, and the defense got in the act with a five-yard fumble return for a score by Cornelius McGee. SE Louisiana only converted two of 14 third down chances.
Player of the game ... Southern Miss RB Damion Fletcher ran 17 times for 116 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 22 yards.
Stat Leaders: Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 5-7, 106 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Damion Flethcer, 17-116, 2 TD Receiving: Damion Carter, 3-82, 1 TD
SE Louisiana - Passing: Seth Babin, 11-21, 59 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Mario Gilbert, 12-53. Receiving: Jay Lucas, 5-35
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After getting popped by Florida, USM needed a little bit of a tune up game to get all the parts of the offense working. SE Louisiana was able to provide the help. The backups got plenty of work, while the starters, once they got into the flow of the game, dominated with the running game rolling at will. With NC State looking beatable, USM has a chance for a big home win next week before diving into Conference USA play with the pivotal road dates at UCF and at Tulsa.

Sept. 2
Florida 34 ... Southern Miss 7
Southern Miss got the first score of the game turning a Brandon Sumrall interception into a six-yard touchdown catch from Damion Carter, but that was all the Golden Eagles could manage. Chris Leak threw three touchdown passes and Tim Tebow ran for a one-yard score as the Gators scores 34 unanswered points to overcome the shaky start. USM was able to crank out 295 yards, but three interceptions and missed opportunities proved fatal.
Player of the game ... Florida QB Chris Leak completed 21 of 30 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
Stat Leaders: Southern Miss - Passing: Jeremy Young, 13-27, 129 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Damion Flethcer, 18-89 Receiving: Shawn Nelson, 6-85, 1 TD
Florida - Passing: Chris Leak, 21-30, 248 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Percy Harvin, 4-58. Receiving: Dallas Baker, 9-123, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's unfortunate USM couldn't capitalize on the early momentum against Florida. There wasn't nearly enough consistency out of QB Jeremy Young, but the offensive line did a decent job of giving him a little bit of time. The offense was able to move the ball on the nasty Gator defense and crank out some yards. The points will start to come quickly if the team is able to keep the chains moving against teams like NC State and UCF over the next few weeks.

2006 Southern Miss Preview

Southern Miss Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

12 straight winning seasons. Eight bowl games in nine years with five wins. A few Conference USA titles sprinkled here and there for good measure. Southern Miss has been the standard of what every Conference USA program wants to be. However, two straight New Orleans Bowl appearances doesn't exactly signify a major step forward.

The program that has long been known for it fearless schedule and desire to play anyone, anywhere, anytime has to start winning some of those challenge games. Over the last three seasons, USM has battled the big boys on the schedule hard, but it's only 1-7 against BCS conference teams. Sure, in the 16th year under head coach Jeff Bower the Golden Eagles would like to become Louisville or TCU or Utah, but first, it has to become Tulsa and win the league title again.

Maddening in its inconsistency last season, the defense was hardly Southern Miss-like (for the second season in a row) despite leading the league in turnovers and scoring defense. The offense was able to blowout eventual East champion UCF and tore up Tulane and UAB, but it struggled in losses to bowl teams Tulsa, Houston and Memphis. However, the team was really, really close to big things with the last three losses of the year all coming by four points or fewer.

While it's easy to think that a few good bounces here or there could've meant a possible ten-win season, USM got all the breaks. Correction, it created much of its own good fortune through turnovers, few penalties, and aggressive play. So if there can be a little bit more production on both sides of the ball, as well as all the big plays, there's a good chance this talented team could be playing for the Conference USA title.

If new starting quarterback Jeremy Young is at all competent, and if the offensive line can stay healthy, USM will put up points in bunches with almost everyone coming back at the skill positions along with four starters up front. The defense has a weird situation with tons of holes needing to be patched, but there's surprising depth with plenty of options almost everywhere. For a veteran coach like Bower and his staff, the pieces are in place for a champion.

There's a lot to get excited about with this team, but it's probably a year away from really big things. In the meantime, this program will keep on challenging everyone and keep on being the dangerous Conference USA team no one wants to face.

The Schedule: Southern Miss certainly isn't going soft with non-conference road games against Florida and Virginia Tech, but it gets NC State at home and gets a nice, well-deserved layup against SE Louisiana. The good about the Conference USA schedule: USM will know where it stands right off the bat. The bad: it plays at UCF and at Tulsa to start off the season. Missing Rice stinks while getting Tulsa and Houston from the East isn't a break. On the plus side, divisional battles against East Carolina, Marshall and UAB are at home.

Best Offensive Player: Senior OG George Batiste. He's 6-5, 309 pounds, and really, really good. The rock of a veteran, star-studded offensive line, the big right guard will be the one who finally gets the USM ground game going.

Best Defensive Player: Junior S Brandon Sumrall. This isn't your normal Southern Miss defense with several obvious all-conference players. It's a deep group that will be far better by the end of the year than it will be in September. Sumrall is one of the few returning veterans who gets a starting job back; he'll be the sheriff of the back seven.

Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Jeremy Young. Three-year starter Dustin Almond grew into a great leader and a top passer, but he wasn't a runner like Young and when he had a bad game, so did Southern Miss. Last year, USM lost four of the six games against D-I teams when Almond threw an interception. Young doesn't have to throw for a ton of yards like Almond did, but he has to keep the mistakes to a minimum.

The season will be a success if ... Southern Miss wins the Conference USA title. This is one of the few league programs that can honestly shoot for the big prize each and every year. Another New Orleans Bowl appearance will be a major disappointment.

Key game: Sept. 25 at UCF. USM destroyed the eventual East champion 52-31 last season. With a nasty road game at Tulsa coming up next, the Golden Eagles can't lose to George O'Leary's bunch or it will likely be an ugly 1-4 to start the season with Houston and at Virginia Tech ahead.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- First quarter scoring: Southern Miss 116 - Opponents 24
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 100 - Southern Miss 66
- Sacks: Southern Miss 31 for 175 yards - Opponents 15 for 122 yards

The Last Time Southern Miss…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (New Orleans Bowl vs. Arkansas State)
…missed a bowl game…2001
…pitched a shutout…2001 (UAB)
…was shutout…2003 (Utah)
…scored 50 points…2005 (UCF)
…went undefeated…1958
…won a conference title…2003 (C-USA)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2002 (Derrick Nix)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1998 (Sherrod Gideon)
…had a first-round draft choice…1992 (RB Troy Smith)