2007 Football. Southern Miss (7-5) vs. Cincinnati (9-3) Legion Field (72,000)/Birmingham, Ala. Dec. 22, Noon CT/ESPN Schedule/Results

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1 2007 Football 2007 Schedule/Results Cincinnati (9-3, 4-3 Big East) A30 SE Missouri State... W, 59-3 S6 Oregon State... W, 34-3 S15 at Miami (Ohio)... W, S22 Marshall... W, S29 at San Diego State... W, O6 at Rutgers*... W, O13 Louisville*... L, O20 at Pittsburgh*... L, N3 at USF*... W, N10 Connecticut*... W, 27-3 N17 West Virginia*... L, N24 at Syracuse*... W, D22 vs. Southern Miss (ESPN2) pm *-Big East Games (All CT) Southern Miss (7-5, 5-3 C-USA) S1 Tennessee-Martin... W, S8 at Tennessee (ESPN PPV) L, S15 at East Carolina*... W, S27 at Boise State (ESPN) L, O3 Rice* (ESPN2)... L, O13 SMU* (HC/CSTV)... W, 28-7 O21 at Marshall* (ESPN).. W, O28 UCF* (ESPN)... L, N3 at UAB* (CSS)... W, 37-7 N10 Memphis* (CSS)... L, N17 at UTEP* (CSTV)... W, N24 Arkansas State... W, D22 vs. Cincinnati (ESPN2).. 12 pm * -C-USA Games (All CT) Internet Information SouthernMiss.com Notes, releases, statistics and other pertinent information are available on Southern Miss' official Web site,southernmiss.com. UC's athletics Web site is located at The website for Conference USA can be located at Southern Miss (7-5) vs. Cincinnati (9-3) Legion Field (72,000)/Birmingham, Ala. Dec. 22, Noon CT/ESPN2 On the Air TV ESPN 2 - (Pam Ward - play-by-play, Ray Bentley - analysis, Rob Simmelkjaer - sideline) will air the game live. It will be the fifth time that the Golden Eagles will have been featured on the ESPN Family of Networks (excluding the Tennessee game which was shown as part of ESPN Game Plan) this season. Radio Southern Miss ISP Sports Network - (John Cox - play-by-play, Vic Purvis - analysis, Lance Pittman - sideline) will broadcast the game live. Cincinnati Radio Network - (Dan Hoard - play-by-play, Jim Kelly, - analysis, Tom Gelehrter - sideline) will broadcast the game live. ESPN Radio - (Dave Sims - play-by-play, John Congemi - analysis, Susan Kustok - analysis) will broadcast the game live. Internet radio broadcasts of Golden Eagle games are available by accessing CSTV All Access through SouthernMiss.com. Those individuals with monthly and yearly subscriptions will receive the game for free. Bowl History This will be the 18th appearance in a bowl game for Southern Miss which dates back to the 1953 Sun Bowl. The Golden Eagles are marking a schoolrecord straight trip to a postseason bowl contest and have reached a bowl for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons. Southern Miss has won the last three bowl games that they have appeared in and five of their last seven. Under coach Jeff Bower, the Golden Eagles are 6-4 in bowl games. (Complete results on Pg. 5) Finishing Where He Got Started Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower will finish his Southern Miss tenure as head coach in the same place that he began -- at Legion Field in Birmingham. He was hired on Dec. 2, 1990 and coached the team in his first game at the final All American Bowl. He will complete his 17 years at the helm of the program there in the Papajohns.com Bowl. Bower resigned Nov. 26. Media Information Media Relations Director/Football Contact... Jack Duggan Office Phone... (601) Cell Phone... (985) Jack.Duggan@usm.edu Secondary Contact... Tim Andrzejewski Office Phone... (601) Cell Phone...TBA Mailing Address College Dr., #5161, Hattiesburg, MS Media Relations Office Phone... (601) Media Relations Office Fax... (601) Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati Dec. 22, 2007

2 Offense Southern Miss UC (12 games) (12 games) First Downs Net Rushing Average Net Passing Average Pass Attempts Complete Interceptions Total Offense Average Fumbles/Lost... 20/ /13 3rd Down... 83/ /164 FG/Att / /18 Points Average Avg. TOP... 30: :58 Penalties... 63/ /977 Average Defense Coaching Matchup Cincinnati Coach Brian Kelly Record at UC (1st) Overall Record (18th) Kelly vs. USM Kelly vs. Bower Southern Miss Coach Jeff Bower Record at USM (17th) Overall Record... Same Bower vs. UC Bower vs. Kelly Comparing the Two Southern Miss UC (12 games) (12 games) First Downs Net Rushing Average Net Passing Average Pass Attempts Complete Interceptions Avg. per return Total Defense Average Fumble/Rec / /16 3rd Down... 73/ /179 Sacks/Yds / /276 Points Average Longest Current Winning Streaks With its win over Arkansas State, the Golden Eagles achieved its 14th straight winning season. Only four other schools have earned this feat -- Florida, Florida State, Michigan and Virginia Tech. Current Longest Season Winning Streaks Florida State - 31 Michigan - 23 Florida - 20 Virginia Tech - 15 Southern Miss - 14 The Last Time Versus Cincinnati Cincinnati 52, Southern Miss 24 Nov. 6, 2004 HATTIESBURG, Miss. Southern Miss got the return of starting quarterback Dustin Almond, but that was one of the few bright spots for the Golden Eagles, who dropped a decision to the Bearcats at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Cincinnati took its first lead of the game, following an Almond interception from Jeremy Jackson as Kevin Lovell connected on a 26-yard field goal, to put the Bearcats ahead 3-0 with 7:01 to play in the first quarter. The Bearcats quickly got the ball back on the ensuing kickoff, following John Eubanks fumble, giving Cincinnati field position at the 20-yard line. From there, the Bearcats got an 8-yard touchdown pass from Gino Guidugli to Doug Jones, to take a 10-0 lead with 4:24 to play in the opening period. Southern Miss cut the lead to 10-7 on its first offensive possession in the second quarter, as fullback Wayne Hardy scored on a one-yard run on fourth down, to get the Golden Eagles within three, with 9:59 to play in the first half. UC got a partial block of Luke Johnson s punt with under a minute to play in the first half, as the Bearcats took over at the Golden Eagle 44-yard line. The visitors were able to pad their halftime lead, as Guidugli found Hannibal Thomas for a 15-yard score, as the Bearcats lead 17-7 at halftime. The Bearcats quickly extended their lead in the third on their second offensive play, as Guidugli found Thomas for a 65-yard score, extending the lead to UC took advantage of an Almond fumble on the Golden Eagles next possession, as the Bearcats recovered at the 14-yard line. From there, Brad Glatthaar scored on a one-yard run, as the team led 31-7 with 10:51 to play in the third quarter. Southern Miss made the score on a 12-play, 81-yard drive, highlighted by catches of 36 and 27 yards by DaRon Lawrence to push the Golden Eagles into a first and goal situation at the Bearcat three-yard line. Southern Miss was unable to push the ball nto the end zone, but Darren McCaleb cut into Bearcat lead with 6:58 to play in the third quarter. UC then scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, on a 20- yard pass from Guidugli to Brent Celek, a 47-yard touchdown from Guidugli to Thomas and a five-yard touchdown run by Colin Carey. Southern Miss scored two touchdowns in the final period, getting a one-yard run by Almond and a one-yard run by Jeremy Young. Scoring Summary Final Cincinnati Southern Miss st UC - Lovell 26 field goal, 7:01 UC - Jones 8 pass from Guidugli (Lovell kick), 4:24 2nd USM - Hardy 1 run (McCaleb kick), 9:59 UC - Thomas 15 pass from Guidugli (Lovell kick), :31 3rd UC - Thomas 80 pass from Guidugli (Lovell kick),14:12 UC - Glatthaar 1 run (Lovell kick), 10:51 USM - McCaleb 20 field goal, 6:58 4th UC - Celek 20 pass from Guidugli (Lovell kick),14:54 USM - Almond 1 run (McCaleb kick), 10:17 UC - Thomas 47 pass from Guidugli (Lovell kick), 9:25 UC - Carey 5 run (Lovell kick), 2:26 USM - J. Young 1 run (McCaleb kick), :30 UC USM First Downs Offensive Plays Yards per Play Rushing Att.-Yds Passes Att.-Comp.-Int Passing Yards Total Offense Return Yards Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Punts-Avg rd-Down Conversions 8 of 17 4 of 14 Possession Time 34:54 25:06 Individual Statistics Rushing: UC - Hall 16-49; Benton 8-26; Glatthaar 9-25, 1 TD; Moore 3-9; Jones 3-6; Carey 1-5, 1 TD; Guidugli 2-(-2). USM - Thomas 1-79; Harris 17-57; Young 3-7, TD; Courington 1-7; Hardy 1-1, 1 TD: Moore 7-11; Hull 1(-2); Almond 5(-12). Passing: UC - Guidugli , 308 yards, 5 TDs. USM - Almond , 187 yards, 0 TD; Carter 1-2-0, 7 yards, 0 TD; Young 0-1-1, 0 yards, 0 TD. Receiving: UC - Thomas 7-168, 3 TDs; Hall 4-25; Murray 2-46; Celek 2-26, 1 TD: Ross 2-6; Jackson 1-29; Jones 1-8, 1 TD. USM - Williams 4-71; Courington 3-34; Lawrence 2-63; Harris 1-21; Weakley 1-7; Corbett 1-2; Moore 1(-4). Tackles (U-A-TT): UC - Cole 5-4-9; Jackson 4-5-9; Hagler USM - T. Coley ; Bennett 3-6-9; Boley Papajohns.com Bowl Dec. 22, 2007

3 Bower Year-by-Year High School Year School Record Roswell High State champs in football Roswell High State champs in baseball Roswell High State champs in football, basketball and baseball Georgia AAA Back of the Year Georgia All-Star College Year School Record 1971 Georgia Southern Miss Player/Redshirt 1973 Southern Miss AP All-South (HM) 1974 Southern Miss Southern Miss 8-3 Team Captain/MVP Assistant Coach Year School Record 1976 Southern Miss Southern Miss Southern Miss Southern Miss Southern Miss 9-3 Independence Bowl Champs 1981 Southern Miss Tangerine Bowl 1982 SMU Cotton Bowl Champs 1983 SMU 10-2 Sun Bowl 1984 SMU 10-2 Aloha Bowl Champs 1985 SMU SMU Wake Forest Southern Miss 10-2 Independence Bowl Champs 1989 Southern Miss Oklahoma State 4-7 Head Coach Year School Record 1990 Southern Miss 0-1 All-American Bowl 1991 Southern Miss Southern Miss Southern Miss Southern Miss Southern Miss Southern Miss 8-3 C-USA Co-Champs 1997 Southern Miss 9-3 C-USA Champs Liberty Bowl Champs C-USA Coach of the Year 1998 Southern Miss 7-5 Humanitarian Bowl 1999 Southern Miss 9-3 C-USA Champs Liberty Bowl Champs C-USA Coach of the Year 2000 Southern Miss 8-4 GMAC Bowl Champs 2001 Southern Miss Southern Miss 7-6 Houston Bowl 2003 Southern Miss 9-4 C-USA Champs C-USA Coach of the Year Liberty Bowl 2004 Southern Miss 7-5 New Orleans Bowl Champions C-USA Coach of the Decade 2005 Southern Miss 7-5 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2006 Southern Miss 9-5 GMAC Bowl Champions 2007 Southern Miss 7-5 Record at Southern Miss: (17th) Overall Record: (17th) Head Coach Jeff Bower - Conference USA Coach of the Decade First as a record-setting quarterback, then as a successful assistant coach, and in his 17th season as head coach, Jeff Bower has played a role second to none in the school s athletic history, and it has been appropriate that Bower has been at the helm of the program at his alma mater when it was a founding member of Conference USA. In his 17th season as head coach and in his 29th overall year at Southern Miss, Bower has been associated with the Golden Eagles program for almost one-third of its entire 91- year-long football history. In 2006, Southern Miss finished with a 9-5 overall record and posted a 6-2 league record en route to winning the East Division and making an appearance in the Conference USA Championship game. The Golden Eagles are the only school in the conference to finish with a winning record in the league every year since it started in The winning-season streak, now at 14 seasons, is the second-longest for a Southern Miss football coach, second only to Thad Pie Vann s school-record 17-straight winning seasons. The Golden Eagles also were postseason eligible once again, earning a berth in the 2007 GMAC Bowl, marking the fifth bowl game in as many years. The season also produced 12 All-Conference USA selections four selected to the first team, offensive linemen George Batiste and Travis Cooley, tight end Shawn Nelson and running back Damion Fletcher. Batiste and Cooley were named to separate All-American teams and Fletcher was named to three different Freshman All-American teams, as well as being a finalist for the Conerly Trophy, given to the state s top collegiate player. Bower continues to be one of the marquee coaches in Conference USA, and Southern Miss remains one of the top-tier programs in the league. In fact, Bower s and Southern Miss success in C-USA has set standards other coaches in the league seek to emulate. In the recently announced Conference USA Team of the Decade, the Golden Eagles landed eight on the respective offensive and defensive squads, and Bower took home the highest honor by being named the C-USA Coach of the Decade. Under Bower, the Golden Eagles have posted an impressive record, making him the second-winningest coach in school history. In the C-USA era, his teams have posted a league record, ranking among the Top-10 list nationally for conference victories over the same period. He is the dean of conference coaches, with his teams winning four Conference USA championships (1996, 1997, 1999, 2003). Following the team s perfect league season in 2003, Bower was selected as the Conference USA Coach of the Year for an unprecedented third time, adding to his awards in 1997 and His 202 games is the most ever by a Golden Eagle coach, surpassing Vann who tallied 200 in his career from 1949 to Bower also has compiled that enviable record, while playing only 82 of those 202 games at home. His teams have posted a record in those 82 games, including a mark over the last 12 seasons. Of the 202 games he has coached, 112 of them have been played at the opponent s field, that is 55.4 percent, which is the most of all the coaches that have been a collegiate coach at the same program during that time. Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati Dec. 22, 2007

4 Longevity and Stability In a profession where coaches are constantly jumping ship, looking for that next job, Southern Miss has been blessed to have Jeff Bower for his 17th season. Bower is second to only Thad Pie Vann (20 years) in USM coaching longevity. He is fourth on the current active list of NCAA Division I head coaches, who have the longest tenure at the same institution. Coach School Year Joe Paterno Penn State 42 Bobby Bowden Florida State 32 Frank Beamer Virginia Tech 21 Jeff Bower Southern Miss 17 Bower by the Numbers Home Games (.768) Road Games (.451) Neutral Games (.750) Bowl Games (.600) vs. C-USA (.741) vs. Non-Conference (Since 1996) (.508) August (.667) September (.603) October (.606) November (.585) December (.420) January (1.000) Conference USA Records School C-USA Overall Southern Miss East Carolina Houston Memphis Tulane UAB Tulsa UCF UTEP Rice Marshall SMU * Through games of Dec. 1 C-USA Bowl Berths Southern Miss East Carolina... 5 Houston... 5 Memphis... 4 Tulsa... 3 UCF... 2 Tulane... 2 Rice... 1 UAB... 1 UTEP... 1 Another Strong Senior Class The 2000 Eagles became the first Southern Miss team that had ever been to four-straight bowl games and finished with a four-year record of 33-15, tying the 1999 senior class for the most victories under Bower. The 2005, 2006 and 2007 classes also matched the 2000 class as having reached four-straight bowl games. The 2006 class also matched the 2000 class as the second class to finish with three bowl wins in four appearances. The 2007 class can become the first Southern Miss senior class to win a bowl game in all four years. The school record for a four-year period is 34 wins from 1952 through The current group of Eagles has collected 30 wins throughout their careers, marking the third consecutive year that the Southern Miss senior class has tallied at least 30 victories and ninth time in the last 10 years. Jeff Bower s Senior Classes Senior... Overall... Final AP.. Weeks..Bowl Class... Record... Pct.... Ranking. in Poll... Record NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR The Series This will be the 15th meeting between Southern Miss and Cincinnati in football and first meeting since the Bearcats won a decision at Hattiesburg in Each team has won seven games in the series with the Golden Eagles having captured two of the last three meetings. This will be the first neutral site meeting. Southern Miss was 5-2 against the Bearcats when the two schools were members of Conference USA. UC, a founding member of the league, was a part of the conference from 1996 to Southern Miss-Cincinnati Series Tied at 7-7 (5-2 at USM, 2-5 at UC) L, Hattiesburg L, Cincinnati L, Cincinnati W, Hattiesburg L, Cincinnati W, Hattiesburg L, Cincinnati W, Hattiesburg W, Cincinnati W, Hattiesburg L, Cincinnati W, Hattiesburg W, Cincinnati L, Hattiesburg The Golden Eagles Win When They Score 30 Since 2001, the Golden Eagles are 28-0 when they score at least 30 points in a game. Southern Miss has scored at least 28 points in seven of 12 games this season. Papajohns.com Bowl Dec. 22, 2007

5 Top 25 Polls USA Today Coaches Poll (Dec. 2) 2007 Points PVS. 1. Ohio State (46) , LSU (11) , Oklahoma (2) , Georgia , Virginia Tech , USC , Missouri , Kansas , West Virginia , Hawai'i (1) Arizona State Florida Illinois Boston College Wisconsin Clemson Texas Tennessee Brigham Young Virginia Auburn Boise State Cincinnati Arkansas USF NR ARV: Texas Tech 52, UCF 51, Penn State 23, Oregon State 23, Connecticut 23, Michigan 22, Air Force 20, Oregon 9, Utah 6, Wake Forest 4, Michigan State 3, Houston 3, Tulsa 1. Associated Press Poll (Dec. 2) 2007 Points PVS. 1. Ohio State (50) , LSU (11) , Oklahoma (1) , Georgia (1) , Virginia Tech (1) , USC , Missouri , Kansas , Florida 9-3 1, Hawai'i (1) , West Virginia , Arizona State Illinois Boston College Clemson Tennessee Texas Wisconsin Brigham Young Cincinnati Virginia Auburn USF Boise State Arkansas NR ARV: Texas Tech 137, UCF 35, Connecticut 31, Oregon 30, Oregon State 30, Michigan 26, Air Force 17, Kentucky 13, Wake Forest 1, Penn State 1. Eagles Tie School Mark with 4 FGs Southern Miss tallied four field goals at Tennessee, tying a school record for most in a game. The Golden Eagles had done this four other times in a game with the most recent time coming in 2005 against Tulane. Bowl Results Here is a list of the all-time Southern Miss bowl results: Year Bowl (City) Opponent Score 1953 Sun (El Paso) Pacific L, Sun (El Paso) UTEP L, Tangerine (Orlando) West Texas A&M L, Tangerine (Orlando) Texas A&M Commerce L, Independence (Shreveport) McNeese State W, Tangerine (Orlando) Missouri L, Independence (Shreveport) UTEP W, All American (Birmingham) NC State L, Liberty (Memphis) Pittsburgh W, Humanitarian (Boise) Idaho L, Liberty (Memphis) Colorado State W, GMAC (Mobile) TCU W, Houston (Houston) Oklahoma State L, Liberty (Memphis) Utah L, New Orleans (New Orleans) North Texas W, New Orleans (Lafayette) Arkansas State W, GMAC (Mobile) Ohio W, 28-7 C-USA Games Southern Miss, which has won four C-USA football titles in the 12 seasons of league play, once again finished with a winning record in conference play. The Golden Eagles have had winning league records in every season and have been undefeated three times. The program has never lost more than three league games in a campaign. It won all of its league road games this season for the first time since Bowl Games in the Last 11 Years The Golden Eagles are one of 12 Division I FBS teams who have been to 10 bowl games in the past 11 years, which includes Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, Southern Miss, Texas, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech. At Least Seven Wins 10 Times In The Past 11 Years This year's 7-5 record gave Southern Miss seven or more wins for the 10th time in the past 11 years (Golden Eagles finished with six wins in 2001).Southern Miss is one of 10 teams to accomplish that feat along with Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Ohio State, Southern Miss, Tennessee and Texas. Six-Straight Bowl Games The Golden Eagles are one of 16 teams who have been to six-straight bowl games, Auburn, Boise State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Texas, Texas Tech, Southern Miss, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. Season-High Point Total at UTEP The Golden Eagles collected 42 second-half points at UTEP to score a season-best 56 points. It was the most points by the Golden Eagles since scoring 59 points in a home victory over Tulane on Nov. 17, It was the 11th time in the Jeff Bower era that the Golden Eagles have scored at least 50 points in a contest. The second-half points are the most scored by the Golden Eagles since getting 45 in the 1st half vs. UCF in Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati Dec. 22, 2007

6 Top 10 Rushing Games by Class Freshman Derrick Nix vs. Nevada (11/21/98) Derrick Nix vs. Memphis (11/14/98) Damion Fletcher vs. NC State (9/16/06) Derrick Nix vs. Louisville (10/10/98) Derrick Nix vs. Army (10/17/98) 163 Damion Fletcher vs. UAB (11/18/06) Vincent Alexander vs. UL-Laf. (10/29/83) Damion Fletcher vs. Marshall (11/25/06) Tory Harrison vs. Memphis (11/5/96) Damion Fletcher vs. Tulane (11/11/06) Sophomore Sam DeJarnette vs. Florida St. (9/25/82) Damion Fletcher vs. UTEP) (11/17/07) Bucky McElroy vs. Alabama (11/10/51) Sam DeJarnette vs. UL-Laf. (10/30/82) Sam DeJarnette vs. Tulane (10/16/82) Derrick Nix vs. East Carolina (10/9/99) 171 Sam DeJarnette vs. UL-Monroe (9/4/82) Derrick Nix vs. Tulane (9/6/99) Cody Hull vs. Arkansas State (12/20/05) Ben Garry vs. Weber State (9/13/75) 156 Damion Fletcher vs. UT-Martin (9/1/07) Junior Ben Garry vs. La. Tech (11/13/76) Chris Buckhalter vs. Tulane (9/3/94) 186 Reggie Collier vs. UT-Arl. (10/3/81) Reggie Collier vs. Lamar (11/28/91) Shelton Gandy vs. Memphis (10/24/87) Ben Garry vs. Memphis (11/20/76) Shelton Gandy vs. Louisville (10/3/87) Rickey Bradley vs. Mississippi St. (10/15/88) 167 Shelton Gandy vs. Tulane (9/19/87) 167 Sammy Winder vs. Lamar (11/1/80) Senior Vic Purvis vs. Memphis (9/25/65) Vic Purvis vs. Richmond (10/2/65) Derrick Nix vs. Illinois (9/7/02) Derrick Nix vs. Memphis (9/14/02) Tony Smith vs. Tulane (9/19/91) Sammy Winder vs. Memphis (10/17/81) Michael Welch vs. East Carolina (10/29/92) Vincent Alexander vs. UL-Monroe (9/6/86) Sammy Winder vs. Tulane (9/19/81) Tony Smith vs. Colorado State (8/21/91) Golden Eagles Use Long Drives in 2007 The offense has 19 scoring drives of 70 or more yards in The Golden Eagles have had drives that eclipsed at least 90 yards three times this season. At Marshall, Southern Miss drove 91 yards on 13 plays late in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. Against SMU, the Golden Eagles took advantage of a Mustang turnover deep in the USM end and turned it into not only six points, but also the longest scoring drive of the year. The 12-play, 98-yard drive was capped off by a 28-yard pass from Stephen Reaves to Shawn Nelson. It was the longest scoring drive of the season for the Golden Eagles and longest since they went 98 yards against Memphis in The other 90-yard-plus drive was a 95-yard drive for a score against Rice. Young Finishing Senior Campaign Strong Quarterback Jeremy Young returned to the starting lineup against UAB (11/1) after missing three games due to an ankle injury sustained in the second half at Boise State. He played briefly against UCF before retaking the starting assignment versus the Blazers. Young had an 18-game consecutive games starting streak snapped against Rice, after sustaining the injury at Boise State. At the time of his injury, Young was on the verge of throwing for 200-plus yards for the third-straight game. The senior from Jackson, Miss., enjoyed a banner day at Tennessee throwing for a career-best 254 yards, on 19-of-36 passing, bettering his previous top yardage performance of 193 at Memphis last season. Young followed that UT performance with 237 yards pasing and a touchdown to go along with a pair of rushing scores, including the game winner with 32 seconds left, at East Carolina. At the time of his injury, Young had thrown for 190 yards against the Broncos. USM Career TD Passes 3. Jeff Kelly (98-01) 51 Dustin Almond (02-05) Heath Graham (94-96) Jeremy Young (04-07) Billy Jarrell (52-53) 20 Jeff Bower (73-75) 20 Top Scoring Drives By Yards (12 plays) vs. SMU (10 plays) vs. Rice (13 plays) at Marshall (1 play) at Marshall (15 plays) at UTEP By Plays (73 yards) at Tenn (80 yards) at ECU 15 (44 yards) vs. UCF 15 (63 yards) vs. UM 15 (82 yards) at UTEP In Young's return from injury, he threw two touchdown passes - his first multi-td throwing game this season - and rushed for 58 yards on seven carries against UAB. In all seven of eight games that he has thrown at least one pass this season, Young has tallied a touchdown throw. He now has thrown 21 career touchdown passes, ranking him sixth on the Southern Miss career chart. He added his fifth career multi-td passing game with a pair of throws for scores against UTEP. Reaves Started Three Games for Golden Eagles Stephen Reaves holds a record of 2-1 as a starting quarterback at Southern Miss. His best game of the year came against Marshall as he threw for 310 yards on 23-of-30 attempts. The passing yards is the eighth highest in the history of the school for a game as it was the first 300-plus yard performance since Dustin Almond threw for 324 against East Carolina in It was his third-straight 200-yard passing game, which tied him for third-best at the school for consecutive 200-yard passing games with Brett Favre who did it twice (in 1988, 1989), along with Micky D Angelo (2002) and Lee Roberts (1997). Reaves was expected to get his first start against Rice, but a strained oblique muscle forced him out of the starting lineup. That enabled third-string quarterback Martevious Young the opportunity to get the nod, but the redshirt freshman from Alexander City, Ala., broke his right fibula on the third play which allowed Reaves an opportunity to see some action. Despite throwing a school-record tying four interceptions, Reaves led the Golden Eagles back with a 22-point fourth quarter rally but fell short. Papajohns.com Bowl Dec. 22, 2007

7 Southern Miss' 1,000-Yard Rushers Name Year Class Yards Sam Dejarnette 1982 So. 1,545 Damion Fletcher 2007 So. 1,431 Damion Fletcher 2006 Fr. 1,388 Ben Garry 1976 Jr. 1,236 Hugh L. Pepper 1952 So. 1,191 Derrick Nix 2002 Sr. 1,194 Derrick Nix 1998 Fr. 1,180 Ben Garry 1977 Sr. 1,134 Bucky McElroy 1952 Jr. 1,069 Derrick Nix 1999 So. 1,054 Harold Shaw 1996 Sr. 1,045 Sammy Winder 1981 Sr. 1,029 Shelton Gandy 1987 Jr. 1,025 Reggie Collier 1981 Jr. 1,005 Freshman Damion Fletcher ,388 Derrick Nix ,180 Sophomore Sam Dejarnette ,545 Damion Fletcher ,431 Hugh L. Pepper ,191 Derrick Nix ,054 Junior Ben Garry ,236 Bucky McElroy ,069 Shelton Gandy ,025 Reggie Collier ,005 Senior Derrick Nix ,194 Ben Garry ,134 Harold Shaw ,045 Sammy Winder ,029 Conference USA Standings East Division (Through Dec.1) Team C-USA Pct. All UCF-x East Carolina Memphis Southern Miss Marshall UAB West Division Team C-USA Pct. All Tulsa Houston Tulane Rice UTEP SMU x - Won C-USA Championship game, Fletcher Wins Conerly Trophy Damion Fletcher, who was a finalist in 2006 as a freshman for the award, captured the 2007 Cellular South Conerly Trophy to signify the best player in the state of Mississippi. The award ceremony took place Nov. 27, at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson. He is the third Southern Miss player to win the award. Prolific Sophomore Rusher Damion Fletcher became the eighth Southern Miss player in its history to rush for over 2,500 yards with his career-best 211-yard performance at UTEP. Fletcher now has recorded 15, 100-yard career rushing games. He is one of just four Golden Eagles to tally double-digit 100- yard performances in their careers, as the sophomore follows Ben Garry (17) and ranks ahead of Derrick Nix (14) and Sam Dejarnette (11) on the list. Fletcher also has seven multi-touchdown games on he ground as he now has tallied 26 career scores, which is tied for No. 5 on the Southern Miss career charts with three other players. He tied his career-best for rushing USM Top Career Rushers 1. Ben Garry (74-77) 3, Derrick Nix ( , 02) 3, Sammy Winder (78-81) 3, Sam Dejarnette (82-84) 2, Damion Fletcher (06-07)2, Bucky McElroy (51-53) 2, Bubba Phillips (47-50) 2, Shelton Gandy (85-88) 2, Reggie Collier (79-82) 2, Harold Shaw (94-97) 2,224 scores in a game against UTEP with three tying his scoring output against NC State (9/16/06) and Marshall (10/21/07). The Arkansas State 133-yard output was the eighth 100-yard rushing peformance of 12 games in For his career, Fletcher has rushed for 2,819 yards, which ranks him fifth on the Southern Miss career rushing list. The Biloxi, Miss., product became the all-time freshman rushing leader at Southern Miss and Conference USA in 2006 after tallying 1,388 yards on 276 carries, an average of 5.0 yards per carry and scored 11 touchdowns. He finished No. 2 in C-USA in rushing and No. 7 in all-purpose yardage. Nationally, he completed the year No. 11 in rushing and No. 35 in all-purpose yardage. Fletcher's Top 5 Rushing Games 1. UTEP (11/17/07) NC State (9/16/06) UAB (11/18/06) UT-Martin (9/1/07) Marshall (10/21/07) Fletcher became only the second freshman at Southern Miss to rush for over 1,000 yards and the first player to accomplish the feat since 2002, when Derrick Nix rushed for 1,194 yards. He ran for 100 yards or more in a freshman-record seven games, including a season-high 177 yards on 28 carries against NC State. He completed the year as the No. 2 rusher in a season in school history finishing behind Sam Dejarnette, who tallied 1,545 yards in Fletcher became the first Golden Eagle running back to rush for over 100 yards in four-consecutive games since the 1998 season. Also, he became the first Golden Eagle runner to run for four-consecutive 100-yard performances in a season since Sam Dejarnette in No Southern Miss back has ever finished his career averaging at least 100 yards per game. Fletcher is averaging yard per game over two seasons. Fletcher Notches Consecutive 1,000-Yard Rushing Seasons Damion Fletcher became just the third Southern Miss player to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons with a a three-yard rush against Memphis (11/10) in the first quarter. With his 67 yards at UAB, Fletcher now ranks first at the school in rushing yardage for consecutive seasons with 2,819 yards. Consecutive 1,000-yard Rushing Seasons Ben Garry 1976 Jr. 1, Sr. 1,134 Derrick Nix 1998 Fr. 1, So. 1,054 Damion Fletcher 2006 Fr. 1, So. 1,431 Most Yards Rushing in Consecutive Seasons Damion Fletcher ,819 (1,388/1,431) Ben Garry ,370 (1,236/1,134) Sam Dejarnette ,340 (1,545/795) Derrick Nix ,234 (1,180/1,054) Ben Garry ,082 (846/1,236) Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati Dec. 22, 2007

8 Dave Wommack Outside Linebackers (Bio Not in Media Guide) Dave Wommack returns to Southern Miss this season for his second stint with the Golden Eagles. He worked on the staff from , working as a defensive back assistant coach from and then as the inside linebackers coach in Wommack also served as the defensive coordinator the final two years during that stretch. Wommack enters his 28th season as a collegiate coach, having served as a defensive coordinator in 14 of those seasons. His last stop was at South Carolina, where he oversaw the secondary for a year and the outside linebackers for a year. During his first campaign in Columbia, Wommack helped safety Ko Simpson earn All-America accolades, while both Johnathan Joseph (first round) and Simpson (fourth round) were selected in the NFL draft. Prior to his arrival at USC, Wommack was the defensive coordinator at Arkansas where he coached four seasons. During his time with the Razorbacks, he also coached the secondary, free safeties and cornerbacks and inside linebackers. Prior to his stay at Arkansas, Wommack worked his first stretch with the Golden Eagles. In addition to his defensive coordinator duties his final two seasons, he was also the assistant head coach in Wommack helped lead the Golden Eagles to winning seasons in each of those seven seasons at the school and bowl appearances in each of the final four seasons. Wommack is a native of Kimberling City, Mo. He began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant strength coach at Arkansas in 1979 and was promoted to a fulltime assistant strength position in He made his way onto the field in a part-time coaching position role on Lou Holtz s 1981 and 82 Razorback coaching staffs. In 1983, he became a graduate assistant defensive line coach at Missouri, where he spent two seasons. His first full-time assistant coaching job came as the defensive coordinator at Bemidji (Minn.) State in 1985, before he took over the reigns as defensive coordinator at Southwest Missouri State in 1986, a post he held through the 1991 season. During his time at SMS (now Missouri State), the Bears won consecutive conference championships and appeared in two straight NCAA 1-AA playoff rounds, setting a school record for victories (10) in In 1992, Wommack took over as the defensive coordinator at UNLV. Following a two-year stint with the Runnin Rebels, he joined the staff at Southern Miss. A 1974 graduate of Reeds Springs (Mo.) High School, Wommack was a three-year letterman (center) during his collegiate playing career at Missouri Southern. He earned his bachelor s degree from Missouri Southern in 1978 and his master s degree from Arkansas in He, and hiw wife, Leslie, have two children, Kane and Hayley. Chris Johnson Expected to Return from Broken Arm Senior wide receiver Chris Johnson (Rosedale, Miss.) missed the final five games of the regular season after sustainng an arm fracture at Marshall, but is expected to return to action for the bowl game. Johnson was the Golden Eagles' top receiver through seven games with 32 catches for 405 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson also had two rushing touchdowns, gaining 55 yards on five carries. Against UT, he had a career-long 69-yard TD catch with a careerbest tying eight catches and a career-high 127 yards. Magee Leads The Receiving Corps Redshirt freshman Torris Magee currently leads the Golden Eagles in catches (42) and receiving yards (617) this season. He and Stephen Reaves hooked up for the school's longest touchdown pass of 85 yards against Marshall earlier this season. He tallied his second TD reception on an 18-yard pass from Jeremy Young against Memphis, while also launching his first pass of his career, hitting Gerald Baptiste on a 36-yard throw. At UTEP, he tallied a 55-yard scoring reception. The Hawg Report: Offensive Line Stats Player Snaps Sacks Pancakes Knockdowns Rick Thompson Chris Clark Ryan McKee Nick Dean Calvin Wilson Wesley Housley Ryan Hebert Micah Brown Cameron Zipp Jonathan Landor Dwayne Paulin Alex Michael Hawg of the Week - UTM Chris Clark, Tennessee Nick Dean; East Carolina Wesley Housley, Boise State Chris Clark; Rice - Ryan McKee, SMU - Rick Thompson; Marshall - Chris Clark/Ryan McKee; UCF - Nick Dean; UAB - Ryan McKee; Memphis - Nick Dean; UTEP - Nick Dean; Arkansas State - Chris Clark. Clark Continues Streak on Offensive Line Redshirt senior Chris Clark has started in 38 straight games on the offensive line, including 30 at left tackle with the last eight coming at left guard. The other four starters on the offensive line have a combined 58 starts, including 26 from Ryan McKee. Total Offense Sets Standard For Second Straight Season The Golden Eagles eclipsed its best season Top 5 Total Offenses total offense for the second consecutive year, currently in a Season tallying 4,727 heading into the Papajohns.com Bowl. The 2007 squad bettered last year's number of ,727 4, ,575 4,635. This year's squad did it in less games (12) than ,396 last season. Southern Miss needs 273 total yards ,377 against UC to compile its first 5,000 yard season. Golden Eagles Rush for over 300 Yards Again Southern Miss rushed for over 300 yards at UTEP, tallying a season-best 363 yards. It was the third time this season they have reached the 300-yard rushing plateau, also against UT-Martin (310) and UAB (338). Papajohns.com Bowl Dec. 22, 2007

9 Ranking the Defense A year-by-year look at the Golden Eagle defense in the national rankings since Interceptions - T15th Passing Efficiency Defense - 21st Passing Defense - 26th Scoring Defense - 28th Total Defense - 30th 2005 Fumbles Recovered - T1st Turnovers Gained- 6th Turnover Margin - T7th Net Punting - 15th 2004 Turnover Margin - 28th 2003 Pass Defense - 5th Pass Efficiency Defense - 13th Scoring Defense - 14th 2002 Pass Efficiency Defense - 4th Pass Defense - 10th Scoring Defense - 15th 2001 Scoring Defense - 8th Total Defense - 11th Pass Efficiency Defense - 12th Rushing Defense - 13th Turnover Margin - 21st 2000 Scoring Defense - 8th Total Defense - 2nd Pass Defense - 5th Pass Efficiency Defense - 4th Rushing Defense - 21st 1999 Total Defense - 8th Rushing Defense - 8th Scoring Defense - 8th Turnover Margin - 7th 1998 Scoring Defense - 18th 1997 Rushing Defense - 14th Pass Efficiency Defense - 11th 1996 Rushing Defense - 8th Turnover Margin - 3rd Home Grown Coaches While there are many Division 1-A coaches who have been at their respective schools for a long time, only a handful of them can stake that claim with the school they graduated. Southern Miss Head Coach Jeff Bower is second on this unique list with 17 years as the Golden Eagles coach. Only Virginia Tech s Frank Beamer has been at his alma mater for more seasons (21) since being named head coach. Alma Mater Head Coach 1st Season Va. Tech Frank Beamer 1987 So. Miss Jeff Bower 1991 Tennessee Phillip Fulmer 1992 Fletcher Ranks Among Current Active NCAA Leaders in 4 Categories Damion Fletcher ranks among the Top 20 in four NCAA active career categories -- two in rushing and two in all-purpose yards. In rushing, Fletcher ranks No. 5 in carries per game at 21.7 behind Kevin Smith of UCF (24.9), Ray Rice of Rutgers (23.6), Michael Hart of Michigan (23.4) and P.J. Hill of Wisconsin (23.0). He also ranks No. 6 in yards rushing per game at As for all-purpose yards, he ranks No. 5 behind Smith (26.3), Hart (25.0), Rice (24.6) and Hill (24.3) in all-purpose plays per game at He also ranks No. 13 in all-purpose yards per game at Passing Yards Up in 2007 The Golden Eagles have thrown for over 200 yards seven times this season. That total is up from last year, when the team had just one 200-plus passing game for the year. Through 12 games, the USM offense is averaging yards a game passing compared to yards a game at this time a year ago. In fact, the Golden Eagles rushing game is up as well, as compared to last season. Southern Miss has rushed for yards per game, while at at this point last season. The Golden Eagle Defensive Tradition Continues In the latest C-USA statistical rankings, the Golden Eagles rank either No. 1 or No. 2 on defense in six different defensive categories. Southern Miss ranks No.1 in scoring defense (23.6), passing defense (223.6), total defense (363.2) and red zone defense (73.9%) and is second in passing defense efficiency (124.9). Southern Miss' defense was among the defensive leaders in Conference USA in 2006, continuing its Nasty Bunch tradition. The defense gave up 18.6 points a game, which ranked No. 1 in Conference USA and No. 28 in the nation. In 2005, the Golden Eagles gave up 22.7 points a game, finishing at No. 1 in C-USA and in the No. 33 spot nationally. The defense has had top 25 finishes in scoring defense in seven of the last nine years. Since C-USA s inception in 1996, Southern Miss has finished No. 1 in scoring defense every year except in 1996 and Keeping Opponents to Under 100 Yards on the Ground Southern Miss limited opponents to under 100 yards rushing five times in 2007, including a mere 26 yards on 26 carries to Memphis. The Golden Eagles also held UAB to 65 yards, Marshall to 99 yards, East Carolina to 97 yards and Tennessee-Martin to 72 yards rushing. Since 2005, Southern Miss has limited opponents to under 100 yards rushing 13 times, including five last season and three in Winning the Turnover Battle Southern Miss either tied or won the turnover battle ineight games this season. They were 4-1 in games they committed less turnovers than their opposition and 3-0 in games they had an equal amount of turnovers. The Eagles Have 14 Picks on the Year The Golden Eagles have now picked off a pass in four-straight games and have tallied 14 on the season. Senior Brandon Sumrall leads the way with five interceptions, including his first two-interception game against Memphis. He added an 82-yard return for a touchdown, which is the third longest pick for a score in school history. At UTEP, Sumrall tallied another pick for a 19-yard return. He currently ranks tied for No. 24 nationally in interceptions. Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati Dec. 22, 2007

10 All-Conference USA Eagles 2007 Media Teams 1st Team Defense DL - Matthew Chatelain DL - Martavius Prince LB - Gerald McRath (Defensive POY) DB - Brandon Sumrall 2nd Team Offense OL - Chris Clark OL - Nick Dean RB - Damion Fletcher TE - Shawn Nelson Special Teams P - Britt Barefoot Freshman Defense DB - C.J. Bailey Special Teams PK - Justin Estes 2007 Coaches Teams 1st Team Offense OL - Chris Clark TE - Shawn Nelson Defense DL - Matthew Chatelain DL - Martavius Prince LB - Gerald McRath (Defensive POY) DB - Brandon Sumrall 2nd Team Offense OL - Nick Dean OL - Ryan McKee RB - Damion Fletcher Special Teams P - Britt Barefoot Honorable Mention Offense WR - Torris Magee OL - Calvin Wilson QB - Jeremy Young Defense DL - Robert Henderson Special Teams PK - Justin Estes Freshman Defense DB - C.J. Bailey DB - Chico Hunter Special Teams PK - Justin Estes Sumrall Among NCAA Active Career Leaders in Interceptions With his 11 interceptions for his career, Brandon Sumrall ranks No. 19 in the NCAA FBS for active leaders in picks. Quintin Demps of UTEP leads the list with 17. McRath Tallies Career Best Tackles Versus UCF Gerald McRath, both the Coaches and Media Defensive Player of the Year, tied the third-most tackles in school history with 21 against UCF (12 solo, 9 assists) to establish his career best tackle performance. It was the most tackles by a Golden Eagle since Rod Davis had 22 in 2003 against Cincinnati. Top 5 Total Tackle Games T.J. Slaughter at Texas A&M (1999) Rod Davis at Cincinnati ( Four tied including Gerald McRath vs. UCF (10/28/07) McRath has tallied at least nine tackles in all but two games this season, including seven double-digit performances. The linebacker opened the season with 11 tackles against Tennessee-Martin and followed that performance with 15 tackles at Tennessee, including a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. Against East Carolina, McRath earned C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors by tallying 14 stops, to go along with a half sack and one tackle for loss. At Boise State, McRath tallied 13 total stops, including three solos, and had his string of double-digit tackle games snapped by notching only nine against Rice. He added 11 stops against SMU and nine versus Marshall. He now has 10 or more stops in seven of 12 games this season, nine of the last 14 and 12 of the last 19 contests. Last season, the Freshman All-American tallied six games with 10 or more stops.mcrath currently tied for 13th in the country in tackles and tied for third in the league in that category. Chatelain Leads the Team in TFLs This season, Matthew Chatelain leads the team in tackles for loss with 14 and is second on the squad in sacks with 5.5. He ranks tied for No. 71 nationally in tackles for loss. He has started in the last 45 games on the defensive line for Southern Miss. Barefoot Punts Long Distance Junior kicker Britt Barefoot is averaging 43.0 yards per punt over the Golden Eagles' first 12 games. This season he has tallied plus yard punts and has notched 12 inside the 20, as well as 11 that have been fair caught. Barefoot also doubles as the long field goal kicker and converted his first and only collegiate field goal attempt, from 51 yards, in the first quarter at Tennessee. The kick is the longest field goal for Southern Miss since Chris Pierce converted a 52-yarder against LSU on Nov. 12, Barefoot tallied his season-best punt of 56 yards at Boise State. Estes Has Made Eight of Last 10 Field Goal Attempts Freshman Justin Estes is 15-for-22 on field goal attempts this season including a three-for-three performance in the regular-season finale against Arkansas State. He hit a pair of 40 yarders in the contest against UAB, while also adding a career-long 43-yard attempt versus the Blazers to earn C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week. He now has converted eight of his last 10 and is 10-of-17 from 30 yards and beyond. Estes hit three field goals in three different games this season including Tennessee, UAB and Arkansas State. The Marietta, Ohio, native garnered Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors by both the media and coaches and was an honorable mention selection by the coaches. Papajohns.com Bowl Dec. 22, 2007

11 From Southern Miss Assistant To Collegiate Head Coach A number of Southern Miss assistants paid their dues to become eventual head coaches at a college program. In all, 12 former assistants have gone on to become head coaches at one point in time, with five of them becoming the head coach at USM. The list of former Southern Miss assistants turned head coach include: Reed Green (USM), Jim Carmody (USM), Thad Pie Vann (USM), P.W. Underwood (USM), Jeff Bower (USM), Mack Brown (Texas), Doug Barfield (Auburn), Mike DuBose (Alabama), John Thompson (ECU), Maxie Lambright (Louisiana Tech), Norman Joseph (Belhaven) and Mike Williams (Jacksonville State). Conference Tradition Southern Miss is in its 17th year of conference football affiliation in this the program s 91st year. The Golden Eagles were members of the Gulf States Conference from and were a founding member of Conference USA in In the 16 previous years of conference affiliation, Southern Miss has won seven conference championships, three in the Gulf States Conference and four in C-USA. Southern Miss won the Gulf States Championship in 1948, 1950 and 1951 and Conference USA in 1996 (shared), 1997, 1999 and Eagles in Top 5 of Not Having Backto-Back Losing Seasons Tennessee leads all Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools with a span of 95 years since its last back-toback losing seasons. The next closest program, Ohio State, has seen 82 years pass since suffering back-toback losing seasons. The Buckeyes are followed by Southern Miss (72 years), Arizona State (59 years) and Alabama (49 years). Golden Eagles Among Nation's Leaders in Fewest Punts Southern Miss ranks No. 5 in fewest punts in 2007 with 43, behind Navy (21), Texas Tech (26), Hawai'i (32) and Florida (34). Southern Miss on Television The Golden Eagles were feature 10 times this season on television. They are slated to make a school-record 11th appearance in the Papajohns.com Bowl. Southern Miss made 10 television appearances during the 2006 season (on either the ESPN family of networks or CSTV), marking the most times Southern Miss has been featured on television. The previous best for Southern Miss was eight television appearances during the 2000 season, which tied the 1997 season for the most times in a season that the Golden Eagles were televised. Since Southern Miss joined Conference USA in 1996, the Golden Eagles have appeared on television 87 times. Over that time period, USM has played in 146 games, marking 59.6 percent of its games. Overall, the Golden Eagles are in televised games. For a complete list of Southern Miss TV games, check page 180 of the media guide. Everyone s All-American For 11-straight years, Southern Miss has produced at least one All- American as four were named including Damion Fletcher and Gerald McRath, who each tallied second-team Sophomore All-American honors by CollegeFootballNews.com. Freshman place kicker Justin Estes garnered honorable mention Freshman All-America honors by The Sporting News and C.J. Bailey collected an honorable mention All-American honor by CollegeFootballNews.com Freshman All-American With the addition of Justin Estes (Honrable Mention- The Sporting News) and C.J. Bailey (CollegeFootballNews.com) to its Freshman All-American team, Southern Miss has now had 11 freshman All-Americans named in the last 12 years Justin Estes PK... C.J. Bailey DB Damion Fletcher RB... Gerald McRath LB Shawn Nelson TE Darren McCaleb K Skylor Magee DL Rod Davis LB Derrick Nix RB John Nix DL Adalius Thomas DE Overtime Anyone? Southern Miss has been involved in six overtime games since the rule went into effect before the 1996 season - two of which have come against Houston. The latest was a loss to East Carolina, Oct. 28, 2006, at Roberts Stadium. The last victory in OT came in a contest versus Marshall on Nov. 8, Before that, the Golden Eagles had a overtime victory over Houston on Oct. 7, Southern Miss also dropped a double overtime contest to Louisville on Nov. 15, 2002, and defeated UAB, 33-30, in double overtime in The first overtime game was a overtime loss at Houston in The Golden Eagles record in OT games is 3-3. The Rock Under the direction of Jeff Bower, Southern Miss posted a record (.768) in home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium, also known as the The Rock. Overall, the Golden Eagles are (.747) in home games since the stadium was dedicated as M.M. Roberts Stadium on September 25, The Rice game on Oct. 3, marked the 150th game played at the stadium since its dedication back during the 1976 season. Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati Dec. 22, 2007