• We beat a solid and significantly more experienced team at their place.
• We did it in only the 3rd game of the season.
• There’s some deserved concern in regard to the defense after once again giving up a ton of yards. Unfortunately, it’s probably not wise to expect a whole lot better any time soon considering our youth on the line. This is a problem area everyone knew about going into the season, and you can’t just magically turn a freshman or sophomore into a grizzled, 30-lbs-heavier senior. Hopefully, the lack of tackling on initial contact can be improved upon, but mostly, it just goes with the territory.
• Far too many dropped passes tonight. I’m more forgiving to DeAndre Brown since he was in high school just a few months ago, but when the ball hits somebody’s hands, a play has to be made
• Is Fletch versatile, or what? 91 yards rushing and 61 passing, including a 24-yard TD.
• Also, another great game from Shawn Nelson (7 receptions for 110).
• All of the good football coaches I’ve ever been around had certain things in common, and Larry Fedora has displayed every one of them so far:
  • they stay positive
  • they don’t just direct players, they teach the game
  • they preach the fact that the outcome of every game comes down to just a handful of plays, and there’s no way of knowing which plays those will be, so you’d better bust your ass on every one just in case
  • While they obviously care about wins and losses, their larger concern–win or lose–is always their own team’s performance and improvement.
• With the first of our “toss-up” games in the books on the good side of the ledger, there is no way in Hades we’re going to lose 6 or more games this year as some have predicted.

Southern Miss (1-1, 0-0) at Arkansas State (2-0, 0-0)

Tuesday’s line: Arkansas St. –1

First meeting: 1962 in Jonesboro

Last meeting: 2007 in Hattiesburg (USM won 16-10)

Southern Miss leads the series 8-2

Last week: USM def. by Auburn 27-13 ; ASU def. Texas Southern 83-10

In what has suddenly become a more intriguing match-up than anyone expected, the Golden Eagles head to Jonesboro, Arkansas, Saturday to take on the upstart Arkansas State Red Wolves, who are fresh off a stunner at Texas A. & M. and a record-breaking performance vs. Texas Southern.

In the Red Wolves (who, as you probably know, were forced to change their mascot from the “Indians” at the behest of a group of people who make such culturally sensitive decisions on matters of syntax from their offices in INDIANapolis, INDIANa), Southern Miss faces a similar challenge as it did during the first two games of the season. ASU junior running back Reggie Arnold has been a force so far this season, as he has been his entire career. Arkansas State’s version of our own Damion Fletcher, Arnold has run for over 1,000 yards each of the last two seasons and is off to quite the start this year, piling up 145 yards at Texas A & M and 123–on 8 carries!–vs. Texas Southern. Their second-leading rusher, freshman Derek Lawson, was wisely given the bulk of the carries vs. TSU and put up 211 yards in that game. As a team, Arkansas State ranks 2nd in the FBS in rushing yardage. While Texas Southern’s defense certainly contributed to those gaudy stats, it’s important to remember that the Wolves also hung 280 on Texas A & M, which had a wholly average run defense (64th out of 119) in 2007. Clearly, USM’s defense is going to have to bring its “A” game to contain the Wolves on the ground come Saturday.

Through the air, Arkansas State isn’t as scary on paper, but that’s mostly because they just haven’t had a whole lot of reason to throw the ball. Junior QB Corey Leonard has posted an astronomical passer rating of 192.57 so far in 2008, completing 24 out of 38 for 389 yards and 5 TDs and zero INTs. That’s an outstanding performance, but since most QBs get 38 attempts in one game instead of two, Leonard, as well as the rest of ASU’s passing game, has gone largely unnoticed by outsiders. While it can’t be assumed that Leonard can post those types of numbers if he has to throw twice as often, it can also not be assumed that he can’t should USM put all its defensive eggs in the “force them to throw” basket.

Speaking of defense, Arkansas State’s is led by senior LB Ben Owens, who so far has accounted for 14 tackles and a sack. The line, led by senior end Brian Flagg, entered 2008 expected to be among the best in the Sun Belt and has not disappointed, posting 6 sacks already (4 vs. A & M). In the secondary, the Red Wolves entered 2008 without a returning starter, but with plenty of experience nonetheless, as none of the current starting 4 played in fewer than 11 games in ’07. All told, the pass defense has been pretty stout, currently 29th in the FBS (again, skewed by a game with Texas Southern, but they did hold TAMU to 170 yards). The rush defense hasn’t been lacking either, allowing 133 yards on the ground vs. TAMU and 95 vs. Texas Southern.

As I said in the opening, this is going to be a pretty interesting game. On one hand, one would hope Southern Miss would match up favorably player-for-player, but on the other, you’ve got a Golden Eagle team that’s still figuring itself out vs. a Red Wolves team that knows exactly what it wants to do and is feeling pretty good about how it does it after a major upset and thorough stomping of an overmatched opponent. Add to that the fact that ASU (formerly “Indian”) Stadium is an unfamiliar environment for Southern Miss—the Eagles haven’t been to Jonesboro in the current crop of players’ lifetimes—and quite frankly, this one has me concerned. If things aren’t really clicking for the Golden Eagles on Saturday, they will likely find themselves in trouble.