2011 Southern Miss Football Notes

Transcription

1 2011 Southern Miss Football Notes Athletic Media Relations Jack Duggan, Assistant AD/Media Relations (football contact) Shirley Hill, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director Tim Andrzejewski, Associate Athletic Media Relations Director Kyle Neaves, Asst. Athletic Media Relations Director (sec. football contact) Office: Fax: (601) General Southern Miss Schedule Record: 0-0; C-USA 0-0 Sept. 3 Louisiana Tech (FSN)...9 pm Sept. 10 at Marshall* (CSS)... 2:30 pm Sept. 17 Southeastern Louisiana...6 pm Sept. 24 at Virginia... TBA Oct. 1 Rice* (CSS)... 6:30 pm Oct. 8 at Navy (CBSSN)... 2:30 pm Oct 22 SMU* (HC/CBSSN)...7 pm Oct. 29 at UTEP* (CBSSN)...7 pm Nov. 5 at East Carolina* (CSS)...3 pm Nov. 12 UCF* (CBSSN)...7 pm Nov. 17 at UAB* (CBSSN)...7 pm Nov. 26 Memphis* (CSS)...3 pm * C-USA contest; All Times Central 2011 Lousiana Tech Schedule Record: 0-0; WAC 0-0 Sept. 3 at Southern Miss (FSN)...9 pm Sept. 10 Central Arkansas (ESPN3.com).. 6 pm Sept. 17 Houston (ESPN3.com)...6 pm Sept. 24 at Mississippi State... TBA Oct. 1 vs. Hawai i* (CST)...6 pm Oct. 8 at Idaho*...4 pm Oct. 22 at Utah State* (CST)...2 pm Oct. 29 vs. San Jose State* (HC)...3 pm Nov. 5 at Fresno State*...7 pm Nov. 12 at Ole Miss... TBA Nov. 19 at Nevada... 3:05 pm Nov. 26 New Mexico State* (CST)...3 pm * WAC contest; All Times Central Series Records Against 2011 Opponents Louisiana Tech ( W, 13-12) Marshall ( W, 41-16) Southeastern La ( W, 45-0) Virginia ( W, 37-34) Rice ( L, 45-40) Navy... First Meeting SMU ( W, 28-12) UTEP ( L, 40-37, 2 OT) East Carolina ( L, 44-43) UCF ( W, 31-21) UAB ( L, 50-49, 2 OT) Memphis ( W, 41-19) Overall Record vs Opponents (.729) Game #1 Southern Miss (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Louisiana Tech (0-0,0-0 WAC) Carlisle-Faulkner Field at Roberts Stadium (36,000) Hattiesburg, Miss. Sept. 3, pm CT (FSN) Radio: Southern Miss IMG Sports Network (John Cox, 34th season, play-by-play; Vic Purvis, 38th season, analyst; Bo Morgan, sideline coordinator, 2nd season; Joe Bryant, spotter/statistician, 4th season) Television: Fox Sports Net (Ron Thulin, play-by-play; JC Pearson, analysis; Jeremy Bloom, sidelines) Gametracker: Websites: SouthernMiss.com; LaTechSports.com; ConferenceUSA.com; WACSports.com Series Record: USM leads (last meeting, USM 13-12, 9/25/10) Game Themes for Season Opener The season opener is First Responder Day with emergency service personnel being offered buy one, get one ticket free for the game. At halftime, the city of Hattiesburg will donate two pieces of the World Trade Center to the University of Southern Mississippi which will be displayed during the game as well as commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, attacks. Golden Eagles Open 95th Playing Season against Louisiana Tech Southern Miss opens its 95th season of football when they play host to Lousisiana Tech. The Golden Eagles first played football in 1912 and will celebrate its centennial next season. Southern Miss has fielded a team each year since, with the exception of the seasons for World War I and for World War II. The Golden Eagles are in season opening games (there is no score for the 1916 opener against Poplarville High School). Southern Miss has won three of its last four season openers. The team has won its last seven season openers when they have come at home. The last home loss to open a season came against Pittsburgh in a decision on Sept. 4, The Golden Eagles are 16-1 overall in season openers played at home at Roberts Stadium. Larry Fedora is 2-1 in season openers. Southern Miss is 6-0 against Louisiana Tech in season openers and have not surrendered a point to the Bulldogs, outscoring them 84-0 in those games. The Louisiana Tech Series This will be the 44th meeting between Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech in football with the Golden Eagles holding a advantage in the series. (For a look at the entire series go to page 5 of the notes) The Golden Eagles hold a 15-6 record in games played in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss has won six of the last seven meeings. The school is all-time against the current members of the Western Athletic Conference. After a record against Louisiana Tech, the Golden Eagles are 4-1 versus Utah State, 2-0 against Nevada, 1-0 versus Hawai i and 0-2 versus Idaho. SouthernMiss.com 2011 Southern Miss Football...Page 1

2 Golden Eagles Under Fedora 2010 Overall Record C-USA Non-Conference Atlantic Coast Big Big East Southeastern Southwestern Athletic Sun Belt Western Athletic Home Away Neutral Day Games Night Games TV Games CBS C CSS Cox Sports TV ESPN ESPN U FSN Raycom WITN (NC Only) Time Warner-El Paso When Scoring First When Foe Scores First When Leading at Half When Trailing at Half When Tied at Half In Overtime Games Scoring Less than 20 points Scoring 20+ points Scoring 30+ points Foe Scoring Less than 20 points Foe Scoring 20+ points Foe Scoring 30+ points Rushing for less than 100 yards Rushing for more than 100 yards Rushing for more than 200 yards Rushing for more than 300 yards Passing for less than 100 yards Passing for more than 100 yards Passing for more than 200 yards Passing for more than 300 yards Less than 300 Yards Total Offense More than 300 Yards Total Offense Allowing Less than 100 yards rush Allowing More than 100 yards rush Allowing 200 yards passing Allowing 300 yards passing Allowing less than 300 yards total off Allowing more than 300 yards total off Having a 100-yard rusher Foe Has a 100-yard rusher Having no turnovers Having 3 or more turnovers Forcing no turnovers Forcing 3 or more turnovers Larry Fedora s Career Head Coaching Record 2008 Southern Miss Head Coach 7-6 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (W, ot vs. Troy) 2009 Southern Miss Head Coach 7-6 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (L, vs. Middle Tennessee) 2010 Southern Miss Head Coach 8-5 Southern Miss Record Larry Fedora Head Football Coach Third Season (.564), USM and Overall Record When Larry Fedora accepted the job to become the 18th head coach at the University of Southern Mississippi, he promised that his football team would attack in all phases of the game. That is exactly what the Golden Eagles have done during his first three seasons as the program s mentor. In his first year in Hattiesburg, Fedora s squad broke 36 school records on the way to ending the season with a five-game winning streak to reach a bowl game. The Golden Eagles extended that streak in 2009 to eight games - the longest consecutive winning streak for the program since the seasons. Working with a program with a rich tradition, through Fedora s leadership, Southern Miss has been able to keep several streaks alive during his tenure as head coach including: 17th straight current winning season, which trails only Florida, Florida State and Virginia Tech ninth straight bowl appearance at least seven wins in 14 of the past 15 seasons appearing in the 13th bowl game in the last 14 seasons Fedora success has made Southern Miss fans come in record crowds. The 2009 opener against Alcorn State set a stadium record for attendance with 36,232 and the school saw more fans through the turnstiles at home, 184,178, than any other season. The Golden Eagles averaged over 30,000 fans for the second straight year with 30,696 in 2009 after breaking the previous best mark of 30,079 set in In 2010, the Golden Eagles averaged just under the 30,000-fan plateau by seeing 29,400 spectators per game. The Golden Eagles have become an offensive juggernaut during Fedora s tenure and again did not disappoint in In 2008, one of the school records they established was most total offensive yards with 5,636. They came close to breaking that record again in 2009 with 5,413 yards of total offense and then succeeded in accomplishing that goal in 2010, by gaining 5,894 total yards and went on to break 35 school records during the year. The Golden Eagles ended the 2010 year ranked No. 18 nationally in total offense, after compiling a 31st finish in the nation in total offense in 2009, and a No. 20 ranking - the previously highest finish for the Golden Eagles since becoming a member of the FBS in Southern Miss has also been known for its defense over the years and has seen a return to the Nasty Bunch style of days gone by. The Nasty Bunch defense was given to those Golden Eagle defenses back in the late-70s and early 1980s for its stingy style and given the name by then former defensive coordinator and later head coach, Jim Carmody. The Golden Eagles have forced turnovers in 36 of 39 games during the Fedora era and two or more in 26 contests. That turnover margin helped the Golden Eagles rank No. 10 in turnover margin nationally for the second consecutive year in 2009 and No. 20 in The Southern Miss job has been Fedora s first head coaching assignment after excelling on the collegiate ranks as an assistant. Fedora came to Southern Miss after spending the three previous seasons as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State where the 2011 Southern Miss Football...Page 2 SouthernMiss.com

3 Cowboys have been in the top 10 in rushing yards per game and in the top 20 in total offense per game in each of the last two seasons. During Fedora s three-year tenure at OSU, the Cowboys raised their rushing, passing and total offensive yards each year that he was there. In 2006, the Cowboys were one of just two teams - the other being Boise State - to average over 200 yards both rushing and passing. The OSU offense averaged over 30 points per contest over his final two seasons as well. The Cowboys made the biggest improvement in the country in scoring following his second season of running the offense, jumping from 96th nationally in 2005 to seventh in Prior to his stint at Oklahoma State, Fedora spent three seasons at Florida where he served in the role of run game coordinator in 2002, perimeter game coordinator in 2003 and offensive coordinator in He also coached the running backs and receivers during those three seasons. In 2004, Fedora s Gators ranked first in the Southeastern Conference in six different categories including passing offense (271.1), total offense (426.9), 3rd-down conversion percentage (47.8), touchdown passes (29), pass attempts (407) and pass completions (243). Before going to Florida, Fedora was the offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee from In three seasons at MTSU, Fedora s offense averaged 424 yards of total offense, 181 rushing yards and 31 points per game. With Fedora as their offensive coordinator, the Blue Raiders broke 43 school records over three seasons. Fedora began his coaching career as a graduate assistant (1986) at Austin College. He then served as an assistant coach at Garland (Texas) High School from Fedora then got back into the collegiate ranks in 1991, serving as the tight ends, wide receivers and running backs coach at Baylor, where he stayed until He then spent two seasons ( ) at Air Force coaching the passing game and wide receivers. As a player, Fedora was a wide receiver at Austin College ( ). He helped lead the Kangaroos to the NAIA championship in He earned academic All-American honors in 1983, and honorable mention All-American in both 1983 and Top 5 Total Off. Games Since 2008 Date Game Yards Gained 11/20/10 Houston 642 8/30/08 Louisiana-Lafayette 633 9/5/09 Alcorn State /1/08 UAB /31/09 at Houston 608 Top 5 Total Def. Games Since 2008 Date Game Yards Allowed 10/2/10 Marshall 170 9/5/09 Alcorn State 171 9/12/09 UCF /8/08 at UCF 208 9/11/10 Prairie View A&M 211 Coach Larry Fedora Coaching Year-By-Year Year School Position Record 1986 Austin College GA Garland (Texas) HS Asst Garland (Texas) HS Asst Garland (Texas) HS Asst Baylor Asst Baylor Asst. 8-4 Copper Bowl (L, 24-0 to Indiana) 1992 Baylor Asst. 7-5 Hancock Sun Bowl (W, vs. Arizona) 1993 Baylor Asst Baylor Asst. 7-5 Alamo Bowl (L, 10-3 vs. Washington) 1995 Baylor Asst Baylor Asst Air Force Asst Las Vegas Bowl (L, vs. Oregon) 1998 Air Force Asst O ahu Bowl (W, vs. Washington) 1999 Middle Tennessee Asst Middle Tennessee Asst Middle Tennessee Asst Florida Asst. 8-5 Outback Bowl (L, vs. Michigan) 2003 Florida Asst. 8-5 Outback Bowl (L, vs. Iowa) 2004 Florida Asst. 7-5 Peach Bowl (L, vs. Miami) 2005 Oklahoma State Asst Oklahoma State Asst. 7-6 PetroSun Independence Bowl (W, vs. Alabama) 2007 Oklahoma State Asst. 7-6 Insight Bowl (W, vs. Indiana)* Fedora All-Time Against Opponents Opponent Overall Last Meeting Alcorn State Arkansas State Auburn Boise State East Carolina Houston Kansas Louisiana-Lafayette Louisiana Tech Louisville Marshall Memphis Middle Tennessee Prairie View Rice South Carolina SMU Troy Tulane Tulsa UAB UCF UTEP Virginia Totals SouthernMiss.com 2011 Southern Miss Football...Page 3

4 Coaching Matchup Louisiana Tech Coach Sonny Dykes Record at Louisville (2nd) Overall Record... Same Dykes vs. USM Dykes vs. Fedora Southern Miss Coach Larry Fedora Record at USM (4th) Overall Record... Same Fedora vs. Louisiana Tech Fedora vs. Dykes Comparing the Two Offense (2010 Stats; National Stats in parentheses) Southern Miss Louisiana Tech (13 games) (12 games) First Downs Net Rushing Average (20) (40) Net Passing Average (35) (62) Pass Attempts Complete Interceptions Total Offense Average (18) (49) Fumbles/Lost... 16/ /13 3rd Down...105/ /181 FG/Att / /18 Points Average (15) (59) Avg. TOP... 32: :49 Penalties...98/ /527 Average Defense (National Ranking in Parentheses) Southern Miss Louisiana Tech (13 games) (12 games) First Downs Net Rushing Average (13) (81) Net Passing Average (99) (117) Pass Attempts Complete Interceptions Avg. per return Total Defense Average (47) (116) Fumble/Rec / /11 3rd Down...58/ /181 Sacks/Yds /152 (T54)... 24/140 (61) Points Average (81) (90) Longest Current Winning Streaks Southern Miss recorded its 17th-straight winning season in tying the longest in school history - the other coming from giving them the fourth longest winning season streak. Florida, along with Florida State and Virginia Tech, are the only three schools that have collected longer current winning streaks. Longest Current FBS Straight Winning Seasons Florida State - 34 Florida - 23 Virginia Tech - 18 Southern Miss - 17 Southern Miss 13, Louisiana Tech 12 Sept. 25, 2010 RUSTON, La. -- Austin Davis threw for 233 yards and a touchdown as Southern Miss overcome a late Bulldog rally and a fourth-quarter rain storm to upend Louisiana Tech, 13-12, in a non-conference clash at Joe Aillett Stadium. Davis connected on 22 of 38 passes in the win for Southern Miss, while also leading the way with 69 rushing yards on 18 carries. Kelvin Bolden caught just two passes, but both were huge grabs as he amassed 79 yards receiving. Louisiana Tech was led by quarterback Tarik Hakmi, who threw for 262 yards on 22-of-35 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions. Danny Hrapmann booted a 45-yard field goal to give Southern Miss the lead midway through the opening quarter, tying his career-long field goal. Tech answered back with a field goal of its own, as Matt Nelson split the uprights from 29 yards out. The score would stay that way as time expired in the first half. It was the fewest points scored by a Fedora team in the opening half since collecting seven in 2008 at SMU. The Golden Eagles came out hot to start the second half, taking just six plays to go 60 yards, capping the drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Bolden for his first big catch. Hrapmann then connected on a 37-yard field goal for Southern Miss, as the Golden Eagles took a 13-3 lead into the final quarter. The field goal capped a 8-play, 73-yard drive and took 8:10 off the clock. It was the longest drive in terms of time used since eclipsing an 8:57 drive at UCF in The Bulldogs cut the lead to 13-7 after a 19-yard touchdown completion from Hakmi to Richie Casey and then blocked a punt on the next possession for USM, deflecting the football through the back of the end zone of the Golden Eagles for a safety. Up by one point, the Golden Eagle defense stayed solid over the final 15 minutes and Davis hit Bolden on a 56- yard pass which kept a late drive going for the Eagles to help run out the clock. Last Time Versus Louisiana Tech Scoring Summary Score Southern Miss Louisiana Tech st USM - Hrapmann 45 field goal, 7:09 LT - Nelson 29 field goal, 3:28 3rd USM - Bolden 23 pass from Davis (Hrapmann kick), 12:59 USM - Hrapmann 37 field goal, 3:00 4th LT - Casey 19 pass from Hakmi (Nelson kick), 11:07 LT - Team safety, 10:01 USM LT First Downs Rushes-Yards Passing Yards Passes Att-Comp-Int Offensive Yards Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time 38:25 21:35 Third-Down Conversions 8 of 20 4 of 15 Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 0 0 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards Individual Statistics RUSHING: USM - Davis 18-69; D. Johnson 22-68; Lampley 7-35; Floyd LT - Hakmi 12-26; Creer 5-22; Livas 2-5; Compton 2-2; Holley 1-2; Carter 1-2; Williams 1-(-3); Team 1-(-9). PASSING: USM - Davis , 1 TD. LT - Hakmi , 1 TD; Cameron RECEIVING: USM - Morris 5-64; Lampley 4-19; Pierce 3-26; D. Johnson 3-16; Floyd 3-11; Bolden 2-79, 1 TD; Spight 1-13; Triplett 1-5. LT - Livas 5-47; Fortson 3-66; Paige 3-41; Fitte 2-38; Jackson 2-24; Casey 2-22, 1 TD; Ikharo 2-22; Guillot 1-6; Compton 1-(-1); Creer 1-(-3). TACKLES: USM - Williams 5-3-8; Presley 4-3-7; Gray 1-6-7; Law LT - Dudley ; Broades 5-4-9; Cole 3-5-8; Lucas Southern Miss Football...Page 4 SouthernMiss.com

5 Louisiana Tech Series (30-13, ) 0-27 L Ruston, La W Ruston, La. 0-7 L Ruston, La W Ruston, La. 7-0 W Hattiesburg, Miss. 7-6 W Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss. (HC) L Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss W Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss W Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss. 7-6 W Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss. 7-0 W Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss L Ruston, La L Hattiesburg, Miss. 7-0 W Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss. (HC) 0-10 L Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss W Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss W Shreveport, La L Hattiesburg, Miss. (HC) W Ruston, La L Hattiesburg, Miss. (HC) W Ruston, La L Hattiesburg, Miss W Ruston, La L Ruston, La L Hattiesburg, Miss W Hattiesburg, Miss L Hattiesburg, Miss W Hattiesburg, Miss W Hattiesburg, Miss W Hattiesburg, Miss W Ruston, La L Ruston, La W Hattiesburg, Miss W Ruston, La. Record in Hattiesburg: 15-6 Record in Ruston: 14-7 Neutral Site Games: 1-0 Most Points Scored: 58 ( ) Fewest Points Scored: 0 (four times) Largest Margin of Victory: 52 ( ) Largest Loss Margin: 27 ( ) Longest Winning Streak: 9 ( ) Longest Losing Streak: 2 (twice) Current Streak: Won 2 Shutouts: 11 Games Decided By 7 or fewer points: 12-5 Year Four Begins for Fedora The Louisiana Tech contest begins the fourth season of the Larry Fedora era as head football coach for the Southern Miss program. Fedora needs just one victory to tie Curley Hallman ( ) to become tied for eighth with the most victories in school history. He is one of 11 Golden Eagle head football coaches to produce winning records during their tenure, currently holding a mark (.564) as the top coach for Southern Miss. Looking for First 10-Win Season in 23 Years Southern Miss is shooting for its first 10-win season since the 1988 Golden Eagles reached that mark with a 10-2 ledger and a trip to the Independence Bowl that produced a victory over UTEP. Since that time, Southern Miss has had a winning season in all but three years since then and have collected eight-win seasons four times and nine-win campaigns four times. Since 1946, Southern Miss has tallied at least eight wins 19 times. The school has posted at least nine victories in nine seasons. The most wins in a year for the program is 10 and came during the 1952 and 1988 campaigns. 13 Bowl Games in the Last 14 Years With its bid to the Beef O Brady s Bowl St. Petersburg in 2010, the Golden Eagles are one of nine Division I FBS schools who have been to 13 bowl games in the past 14 years. The list includes Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Oregon, Southern Miss, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech. Nine-Straight Bowl Games The Golden Eagles are now one of 14 programs which have been to nine-straight bowl games, with the others being Boise State, Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin through the 2010 season. Overtime Anyone? Southern Miss has been involved in nine overtime games since the rule went into effect prior to the 1996 season and the Golden Eagles are 4-5 overall, after losing a double OT game at home to UAB last season. It was the second double OT game that Southern Miss has played against UAB. Eight of the nine games that have taken OT to complete have been against C-USA opponents. Here is a look of all the overtime games Southern Miss has played in since the 1996 season: Date Opponent Score 11/9/96 at Houston L, /11/00 at UAB W, (2 OT) 11/15/02 Louisville L, (2 OT) 10/7/04 Houston W, /13/05 at Marshall W, /28/06 East Carolina L, /4/08 UTEP L, (2 OT) 12/21/08 Troy (N.O. Bowl) W, /30/10 UAB L, (2 OT) Golden Eagles Named to National Watch Lists Several Golden Eagles have been named to Preseason National Watch Lists. Senior linebacker Korey Williams heads the list, as he was named to four lists, including the Butkus Award (nation s top linebacker), the Rotary Lombardi Award (top college lineman), the Bronko Nagurski Award (top defensive player), given by the Football Writers Association of America and the Bednarik Award (top defensive player) given by the Maxwell Football Club. Senior quarterback Austin Davis saw his name show up on two watch lists, including the Davey O Brien Award and the Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Both are given to the nation s top quarterback. Along with Williams, junior linebacker Jamie Collins was named to the Butkus Award watch list, while junior offensive lineman Joe Duhon was named to the Rotary Lombardi Award list. Senior wide receiver Kelvin Bolden was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list as the top wide receiver, and Danny Hrapmann, who was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award last year as the nation s top placekicker, was named to its preseason watch list. SouthernMiss.com 2011 Southern Miss Football...Page 5

6 2010 Final Conference USA Standings East Division Team C-USA Pct. All Pct. UCF*# East Carolina Southern Miss Marshall UAB Memphis West Division SMU* Tulsa Houston UTEP Rice Tulane * Division winner; # C-USA champion Upcoming 2011 Games Thursday, Sept. 1 Mississippi State at Memphis, 7 pm (FSN) Balanced Attack The Golden Eagles were one of just 10 FBS programs that averaged over 200 yards per game in both rushing and passing in Those programs include: School Rushing Passing Total Off. Oregon Nevada Boise State Tulsa Auburn Michigan TCU Stanford Southern Miss Ohio State Golden Eagles Stay Balanced During Fedora Years The Golden Eagles have stayed fairly balanced for the three seasons under Larry Fedora in both rushing and passing. Here is the rushing and passing numbers per game for the three seasons under Fedora with national finish in parentheses: Saturday, Sept. 3 UCLA at Houston, 2:30 pm (FSN) Southeastern Louisiana at Tulane, 2:30 pm South Carolina vs. East Carolina (Charlotte), 6 pm (FSN) Rice at Texas, 6 pm (Longhorn Network) Charleston Southern at UCF, 6 pm (BHSN) Tulsa at Oklahoma, 7 pm (FX) Stony Brook at UTEP, 8:05 pm Louisiana Tech at Southern Miss, 9 pm (FSN) Sunday, Sept. 4 Marshall at West Virginia, 2:30 pm (ESPN) SMU at Texas A&M, 6:30 pm (FSN) All Times Central Conference USA Records School C-USA Overall Southern Miss East Carolina Houston Memphis Tulane UAB UCF Tulsa Rice UTEP Marshall SMU Records of schools since joining Conference USA. C-USA Bowl Berths Southern Miss East Carolina... 8 Houston... 7 Memphis... 5 Tulsa... 5 UCF... 4 SMU... 2 UTEP... 2 Rice... 2 Tulane... 2 Marshall... 1 UAB... 1 * Since the league began during the 1996 season. Year Rushing Passing Total /192.5 (25) 3134/241.1 (40) 5636/433.5 (20) /181.4 (33) 3055/235.0 (43) 5413/416.4 (31) /200.8 (20) 3285/252.5 (35) 5894/453.4 (18) Davis Starts Senior Campaign Senior Austin Davis returns to the lineup to start his final season. Davis, who missed the final eight games of the 2009 season due to a ligament tear in his left foot, has started in all 31 games that he has played during his career and has posted a records as a starter. Davis has thrown a touchdown pass in 28 of those games, including a streak of 10 games. He tied his career high of four TD strikes versus UCF last season and has now thrown at least three TDs in a game five times during his career. Trying to Become Most Prolific QB in School History Over his 31 games as the starter, Davis is on the verge of breaking every career school passing record. He already holds the record for most career TD passes (53), which he broke in last year s Beef O Brady s Bowl, as well as the top mark for total offense (8,419). He needs 300 yards to break the school s career passing mark, surpassing Brett Favre that collected 7,695 yards from USM Career Passing Yards Brett Favre ( ) 7,695 Austin Davis ( ) 7,396 Dustin Almond ( ) 7,342 Jeff Kelly ( ) 7,095 USM Career Touchdown Passes Austin Davis ( ) 53 Lee Roberts ( ) 52 Brett Favre ( ) 52 Dustin Almond ( ) 51 Jeff Kelly ( ) 51 Career 200-Yard Passing Games Jeff Kelly ( ) 22 Austin Davis ( ) 22 Dustin Almond ( ) 17 Lee Roberts ( ) 16 Brett Favre ( ) Davis is just one of four Southern Miss signal callers to throw for over 7,000 yards in their respective careers. Davis also needs just one 200-yard game to break the school mark for most in that category. He currently is tied at 22 with Jeff Kelly. Davis Had Great Frosh Campaign in 2008 Davis, who was the first freshman to start in his first game for the Golden Eagles in 2008 since the 1991 campaign, recorded 23 touchdown passes that season - the most TD passes by a Golden Eagle freshman, surpassing Brett Favre, who had a previous best mark of 15 in Davis also established a school freshman record for most 200-plus yard throwing games with nine. Davis registered USM single-game records that season for passing yards (461), total offense (446), total offensive plays (71) and attempts (61) against Rice and notched another against Auburn with 33 completions. He also notched a school-best five rushing scores against UAB, while establishing marks for most points (30) and touchdowns (five) in that contest Southern Miss Football...Page 6 SouthernMiss.com

7 Top 10 Rushing Games by Class Freshman Derrick Nix vs. Nevada (11/21/98) Kendrick Hardy vs. Houston (11/20/10) 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) Damion Fletcher vs. UAB (11/18/06) Vincent Alexander vs. UL-Laf.(10/29/83) Damion Fletcher vs. Marshall (11/25/06) Kendrick Hardy vs. UAB (10/30/10) 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) 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) Damion Fletcher vs. UT-Martin (9/1/07) Junior Damion Fletcher vs. UTEP (10/4/08) Damion Fletcher vs. UL Lafayette (8/30/08) Ben Garry vs. La. Tech (11/13/76) Chris Buckhalter vs. Tulane (9/3/94) Reggie Collier vs. UT-Arlington 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) Shelton Gandy vs. Tulane (9/19/87) 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) Southern Miss 1,000-Yard Rushers Name Year Class Yards Damion Fletcher 2007 So. 1,586 Sam Dejarnette 1982 So. 1,545 Damion Fletcher 2006 Fr. 1,388 Ben Garry 1976 Jr. 1,236 Damion Fletcher 2008 Jr. 1,313 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 Damion Fletcher 2009 Sr. 1,015 Reggie Collier 1981 Jr. 1,005 Damion Fletcher ( ) is the only Golden Eagle to rush for over 1,000 yards in all four seasons and one of only nine FBS rushers to do that in its history. Eagles Have Success When Davis Runs the Football When Austin Davis has had success running, so have the Golden Eagles. Southern Miss is 7-1 when Davis rushes for 50 or more yards in a game during his career. The only game USM has lost when he has accomplished that is when he registered a career-best 121 yards at Memphis during the 2008 campaign. His second career 100-yard game came against Houston in which he tallied 111 yards on 17 carries with four touchdowns. He also had an 81-yard game versus UAB in 2008 in which he tallied a school-record five rushing touchdowns. Last season, Southern Miss posted a 3-0 record when he has rushed for at least 50 yards. Davis Ranks Second Among QBs at USM for Rushing TDs With four rushing touchdowns against Houston in 2010, quarterback Austin Davis upped his rushing TD total to 21 for his career. He ranks No. 2 on the school chart for rushing TDs among Golden Eagle QBs, trailing only Reggie Collier ( ), who tallied 26, while Don Fuell ( ) is third with 16 in his USM career. Davis has had four multiple TD rushing games in his career which includes games against UL Lafayette (two) and UAB (five) in 2008 and two last season versus Louisiana Tech (three) and Houston (four). A Solid Running Attack Southern Miss returns its top three rushers from last season, including sophomore Kendrick Hardy, junior Desmond Johnson and senior Austin Davis. Hardy, as a freshman in 2010, led the squad in rushing with 903 yards and seven touchdowns. It was the most yards rushing for a freshman since Damion Fletcher tallied 1,388 during in his initial campaign in Johnson added 611 yards on 115 carries and eight touchdowns, including 188 yards and three rushing scores over his final two games of the season a year ago. Davis was third on the squad with 452 rushing yards and a team-best 10 rushing TDs. A 200-Yard Rusher Hardy, during his freshman campaign in 2010, became only the sixth Golden Eagle to ever rush for at least 200 yards in a game, finishing with 205 on 26 carries versus Houston (11/20(. He is the first USM player to reach that plateau since Damion Fletcher tallied 260 rushing yards against UTEP (10/4/08). The other five players to reach that number for a game are Fletcher, Sam Dejarnette, Vic Purvis, Derrick Nix and Ben Garry. It was just the 10th time in school history that that feat of at least 200 yards gained in a contest occurred and the second highest rushing total ever for a Golden Eagle frosh. For Hardy, it was his third 100-yard rushing game of his career. Big Play Bolden Senior Kelvin Bolden returns as as the top pass catcher from a season ago after finishing second in reception yards with 722 and first in touchdowns catches with six. He had 14 catches of 20-or-more yards in That was tops on the team. He also had four catches for over 40 yards, including his season-best 56 yard reception late in the game at Louisiana Tech which helped sealed the win for the Eagles. Much of Receiving Attack Back The Golden Eagles return 190 catches and 2,018 yards, which translates to 64.6 percent of its receptions and 61.5 percent of receiving yards from last season. Along with Kelvin Bolden back, Southern Miss returns Quentin Pierce (38 catches, 454 yards, 4 TDs), Tracy Lampley (26 catches, 203 yards) and William Spight (25 catches, 219 yards). The Offensive Line Returns Three Starters Despite losing starting center Cameron Zipp to graduation as he finished his career by starting in 39 contests, the Golden Eagles return three starters from a year ago including Lamar Holmes, Joe Duhon and Thomas Edenfield. Duhon and Darius Barnes return with the most career starts with 11 apiece, while Edenfield has seven to his credit. SouthernMiss.com 2011 Southern Miss Football...Page 7

8 Top 25 Polls USA Today Coaches Poll (Preseason) 2010 Points PVS. 1 Oklahoma (42) , Alabama (13) , Oregon (2) , LSU (2) ,296 T8 5. Florida State , Stanford , Boise State , Oklahoma State Texas A&M Wisconsin T8 11. Nebraska South Carolina Virginia Tech Arkansas TCU Ohio State Michigan State Notre Dame NR 19. Auburn Mississippi State Missouri Georgia NR 23.Florida NR 24. Texas NR 25.Penn State NR ARV: Arizona State 158; West Virginia 149; Utah 50; Miami (Fla.) 49; Iowa 41; Northwestern 30; Arizona 28; Central Florida 22; Michigan 19; Air Force 15; North Carolina 14; Houston 13; South Florida 9; Hawaii 8; Clemson 7; Tennessee 7; Southern Miss 6; Brigham Young 5; North Carolina State 4; Northern Illinois 4; Oregon State 4; Pittsburgh 3; Washington 3; Georgia Tech 1; Nevada 1. Associated Press Poll (Preseason) 2010 Points PVS. 1 Oklahoma (36) , Alabama (17) , Oregon (4) , LSU (1) , Boise State (2) , Florida State , Stanford , Texas A&M Oklahoma State Nebraska Wisconsin South Carolina Virginia Tech TCU Arkansas Notre Dame NR 17. Michigan State Ohio State Georgia NR 20. Mississippi State Missouri Florida NR 23.Auburn West Virginia NR 25.USC NR ARV: Texas 114, Penn State 75, Arizona State 67, Miami (FL) 32, Utah 25, Southern Miss 20, Iowa 19, Brigham Young 15, North Carolina State 15, Air Force 14, Houston 13, Pittsburgh 9, Michigan 7, Tennessee 5, UCF 5, NORIL 4, Hawaii 4, Tulsa 3, Arizona 2, Maryland 2, Nevada 1, Northwestern 1, Washington 1. New Defensive Scheme Under first-year defensive coordinator, the Golden Eagles will have a new system running in Southern Miss will utilize a scheme which will include a Bandit position that will be able to either get down in a stance as a lineman or be used as linebacker and a spur position for a fifth defensive back. No Rushing Allowed The Golden Eagles held their opponents to under 100 yards rushing six times last season, including a streak of four-straight games that was snapped against UAB (10/30). The USM defensive unit ranked No.13 in rushing defense, limiting their opponents to yards per game. Southern Miss allowed the fewest yards rushing yards since the 2001 team allowed just yards per contest to finish that season ranked No. 13 and a 6-5 record. USM Defense Finishes Last Five Years Rushing Defense Year - Yards (FBS Finish) (50) (43) (58) (43) (13) Forcing Turnovers on Defense The Golden Eagles have forced turnovers in 36 of 39 games during the Fedora era and have had two or more in 26 contests. The team is when they force at least one turnover and 18-8 when they collected multiple takeaways. They ranked tied for 30th in turnovers gained with 26 in 2010 and finished at No. 20 in turnover margin in the country. Laying Down The Law Codarro Law started in all 13 games and registered 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks, while forcing four fumbles and recovering two. The last forced fumble came against Tulane when he sacked the Green Wave QB late in the game and forced the ball away and out of the end zone for a sack and a safety that helped seal the USM win. Although he started just the last seven games in 2009 because of an injury to Roshaad Byrd, Law finished tied for No. 45 nationally in tackles for loss (1.12) and tied for No. 52 in sacks (0.58). Law led the squad in TFLs with 14.5 and tied for the team lead in sacks with Korey Williams with 7.5, who also was tied with Law nationally in the sacks category. More Law News Over his career, Law has forced a school-record 10 fumbles, surpassing Michael Boley ( ) and Brandon Sumrall ( ), who each had nine in their respective careers. Williams Posts Tackle Lead for Second Consecutive Season Senior linebacker Korey Williams led the Golden Eagles in tackles for the second consecutive year in The New Orleans, La., native tallied a team-high 92 tackles last season, following up a 2009 campaign that allowed him to collect 126 stops, including a school-best 77 assisted tackles. Williams has tallied 237 career stops to go along with 29.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sackes in his 31 career games. Collins Stepping in to Play Vital Role Jamie Collins has seen his role with the Golden Eagle defense increase. Collins, who started his career as a defensive back before moving to a linebacker last season, will play the role of Bandit this year where he will have the flexibility of getting down in a stance or standing in the Golden Eagle defense. Last season, Collins finished second on the team in tackles with 71 as he also posted two interceptions, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and 12.5 sacks Southern Miss Football...Page 8 SouthernMiss.com

9 Career Starts Games Starts Current Streak Defensive Backs Presley Robinson D. Wilson Wheaton Linebackers Thornton K. Williams J. Collins Defensive Line Jones Law Pope Thomas Quarterbacks A. Davis * *started every game he has played Running Back Lampley Hardy Tight End Hanks Wide Receivers Pierce Balentine Spight Bolden Llanos Triplett Offensive Line Duhon Barnes Weaver Holmes Edenfield Quattrochi Top 10 Time of Possession Games (since 81) TOP Date Opp. Score Plays-Total Off. 41: at UCF : Louisville : at UL-Laf : at ECU : at La. Tech : La. Tech : Houston : at ECU : at UL-Laf : at Illinois (Fedora era games in bold) Eight Non-Offensive Touchdowns in Fedora Era After redshirt freshman Deron Wilson tallied an interception return for a touchdown for 36 yards against Tulsa (11/26/10), Southern Miss now has registered eight non-offensive TDs in the Fedora era. They collected three fumble returns for scores and finished a blocked field goal with a touchdown in USM registered block punts in consecutive games for the first Non-Offense TDs in Fedora Era Andre Watson - 77-yard blocked FG return vs. Tulane (10/24/09) Ronnie Thornton - 42-yard fumble return vs. Tulsa (11/21/09) Martez Smith - 22-yard fumble return vs. UCF (9/12/09) Jamie Collins - 16-yard fumble return vs. Tulane (10/24/09) Deron Wilson - 7-yard punt block return vs. Kansas (9/17/10) Jamie Collins - 32-yard interception return vs. ECU (10/9/10) Alexander Walters - 41-yard interception ret. vs. Tulane (11/6/10) Deron Wilson - 26-yard interception return vs. Tulsa (11/26/10) time since the 2001 campaign against Prairie View and Kansas in 2010, finishing with a total of tjree blocked kicks last season. Getting to the Punter Three different players tallied punt blocks last season including Deron Wilson (Prairie View A&M), Tim Green (Kansas) and Reggie Hunt (Marshall). It was the most punts blocked for Southern Miss in a season since the 2001 team blocked three, including two from Etric Pruitt. Only Golden Eagle to Score Four Different Ways in a Season Tracy Lampley, who was one of just five FBS players to score a touchdown by either a kickoff or punt return during the 2009 season, registered touchdowns for the Golden Eagles both as a rusher and receiver that year as well, marking the only Golden Eagle to ever score a TD via a rush, reception, kick and punt return in one year. Lampley had a two-yard scoring run against Tulane (10/24) and added a 12-yard reception versus Tulsa (11/21), while adding a 50-yard punt return against Tulane (10/24) and a 93-yard kickoff for a score against Marshall (11/14). Last season, slowed by injuries, Lampley scored just one rushing touchdown. He is expected to be back at 100 percent and will return to his kick and punt return duties this fall. Boehme Continues Punting Prowess Junior Peter Boehme had his best punting day of the year against Tulane (11/6/10) with seven boots for an average of 45.3 yards per punt. He tallied three 50-plus yards punts with a high of 58 yards. In addition, he notched four punts inside the opposing 20-yard line. In 2010, Boehme collected 19 punts inside the 20 and now has 45 for his career. The Birmingham, Ala., native tallied 54 punts for a 38.5 per punt average as a freshman and registered a 39.2 yard average on 50 punts last season. He has 19 punts over 50 yards or more with a career-long kick of 63 yards against Tulsa in He added a 61-yard boot earlier against South Carolina in the 2010 season opener. Hrapmann Named Lou Groza Finalist Southern Miss senior Danny Hrapmann (New Orleans, La.) was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award presented by the Discover Orange Bowl and released by The Palm Beach County Sports Commission last fall. Hrapmann has converted 26-of-31 field goals and all 55 extra-point tries in Earlier in the season against East Carolina, he established a school record with five field goals. Dan Bailey of Oklahoma State captured the Lou Groza Award, while David Ruffer of Notre Dame was the other finalist. The award was presented Dec. 9 as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. and aired on ESPN. Hrapmann Breaks Three Single-Season Marks Hrapmann established a single-season school record by converting 26 field goals in a season, bypassing Darren McCaleb who had 23 in Hrapmann also surpassed McCaleb in kicking points (107 in 2005) by registering 11 points against Houston (one field goal, eight PATs) and finished with 133 points for the season. His 55 extra points is also the most by a Golden Eagle place kicker in a year. SouthernMiss.com 2011 Southern Miss Football...Page 9

10 2010 Scoring Drives Game Plays Yards TOP Scoring Play USC :20 Hrapmann 33 FG USC :05 Hrapmann 36 FG USC :46 Brown 29 pass from M. Young PV :49 Hrapmann 28 FG PV :03 D. Johnson 4 run PV :41 D. Johnson 9 run PV :51 Brown 6 pass from Davis PV :24 Floyd 9 run PV :40 Hrapmann 25 FG KU :03 Massey 1 pass from Floyd KU :39 D. Johnson 49 run KU :03 Davis 1 run KU :23 Hrapmann 45 FG LT :02 Hrapmann 45 FG LT :01 Bolden 23 pass from Davis LT :10 Hrapmann 37 FG MU :14 Pierce 19 pass from Davis MU :16 Davis 6 run MU :19 Davis 7 run MU 3 6 1:11 Davis 1 run MU :20 Hrapmann 51 FG MU 4 2 1:30 Hrapmann 24 FG MU :33 Hardy 13 run ECU :17 Floyd 3 run ECU :14 Hrapmann 49 FG ECU :24 Morris 5 pass from Davis ECU :51 Hrapmann 39 FG ECU :38 Davis 8 run ECU :17 Hrapmann 49 FG ECU :04 Hrapmann 39 FG ECU :59 Hrapmann 28 FG UM :32 Hrapmann 36 FG UM :12 Morris 6 pass from Davis UM :40 D. Johnson 11 pass from Davis UM :40 D. Johnson 2 run UM :54 Hrapmann 21 FG UM :38 Bolden 28 pass from Davis UM :05 Hardy 59 run UAB :07 Hrapmann 54 FG UAB :42 Hrapmann 24 FG UAB :11 Hardy 25 run UAB :12 Hardy 5 run UAB :34 Davis 1 run UAB :23 Bolden 8 pass from Davis UAB 7 25 OT Pierce 7 pass from Davis UAB 3 25 OT D. Johnson 2 run TLN :13 Hrapmann 33 FG TLN :44 Hrapmann 49 FG TLN 3 4 1:46 Hardy 1 run TLN 2 4 0:10 Massey 2 pass from Davis TLN :30 Lampley 60 run TLN :06 Hrapmann 34 FG TLN :58 Morris 26 pass from Pierce UCF :20 Hrapmann 31 FG UCF :38 Morris 5 pass from Davis UCF :41 Bolden 23 pass from Davis UCF :23 Brown 10 pass from Davis UCF :05 Bolden 26 pass from Davis UH :38 Davis 1 run UH :11 Davis 2 run UH :11 Bolden 52 pass from Davis UH :24 Hrapmann 22 field goal UH :37 Hardy 17 run UH :03 Davis 1 run UH :34 Hardy 1 run UH :13 Hodges 13 pass from Davis UH :58 Davis 10 run TUL :23 Hrapmann 31 FG TUL :13 Hodges 24 pass from Davis TUL :12 D. Johnson 28 run TUL :51 Hrapmann 24 FG TUL :09 D. Johnson 1 run TUL :42 Pierce 67 pass from Davis TUL :26 Hrapmann 44 FG UofL :14 Pierce 32 pass from Davis UofL :10 D. Johnson 62 run UofL :06 Davis 17 pass from Pierce UofL :30 Walters 8 pass from Davis Longest Drive - 83, UAB Most Plays - 18 vs. Louisiana Tech Fewest Plays on TD Drive - 1, 2x, last vs. Louisville Most Time Used on Scoring Drive - 8:10 vs. Louisiana Tech Shortest Time Used on TD Drive - 0:10 at Tulane, Louisville No. of TD Drives Less than 2:00-19 Hrapmann Hits Longest FG Of Career Hrapmann booted the longest field goal of his career, 54 yards, against UAB. The kick came in the first quarter. The field goal made ties for the third longest in school history and it was the second he has made from 50-plus yards. Earlier this season, he established a school record with five field goals against East Carolina. Against Houston, Hrapmann booted a 59-yard field goal but the play was disallowed as the Cougars called timeout just prior to the snap. The Golden Eagles tried it again following the timeout, but the attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown as time expired in the opening half. 5 Longest Field Goals in Southern Miss History 61 - Ray Guy at Utah State 11/18/ Chris Seroka vs. Louisiana-Monroe 11/7/ Danny Hrapmann vs. UAB 10/30/ Chris Seroka vs. Tulane 9/19/ Six Tied; Last Chris Pierce at LSU 11/12/94 First Walter Camp All-American Since Ray Guy Hrapmann became the first Walter Camp First-Team All-American since Ray Guy earned the award following the 1972 season, who was a consensus pick that season. In fact, Hrapmann is just the second first-team Walter Cmamp All-America selection. Hrapmann, along with Guy and McCaleb, are the only kicking specialist to ever garner All-America honors for the school. Here is a list of All-American teams Hrapmann made in 2010 at place kicker: Walter Camp - 1st team CBSSports.com - 2nd team CollegeFootballNews.com - 2nd team Associated Press - 3rd team Phil Steele Publications - 3rd team Rivals.com - 3rd team SI.com - honorable mention 2011 Southern Miss Football...Page 10 SouthernMiss.com