What Southern Miss president Martha Saunders referred to as the worst-kept secret in the state became official Thursday when Mississippi State and Southern Miss announced a two-game, two-year, home-and-home football series with games in Starkville in 2014 and Hattiesburg in 2015.

It’s almost anticlimactic to have to wait another 5 years for this after all the rumors and discussion lately, but that was as soon as the two teams’ schedules allowed according to  the schools’ respective athletic directors.

Details here.

[Note: Click on the scores for game stories via the universities' web sites]

Houston 45, #5/6 Oklahoma State 35 (Stillwater; 50,875). The big story of the week. UH jumped ahead 24-7, then fell behind twice, finally going ahead for good when a Bryce Beall snatched a deflected 4^th down pass for a TD. Cougs’ QB Case Keenum earned National Offensive Player of the Week honors for his 32-of-46, 366 yard day.

#9/12 BYU 54, Tulane 3 (New Orleans; 26,224 [officially, though some reports claim little over 5K and this slide show looks kinda bleak). A laugher with little upside for the Green Wave, who failed to break double-digits in first downs while BYU never punted. The Cougars had two running back rush for over 60 yards each and passed for 321. For Tulane, QB Joe Kemp was 14-for-19 and 101 yards.

#14/15 Virginia Tech 52, Marshall 10 (Blacksburg; 66,233). 444 yards rushing for the Hokies, 171 in the 1^st quarter alone. Herd QB Brian Anderson managed an OK outing, completing 15-for-31 for 116. Darius Marshall rushed for over 100. The Herd only mustered 14 return yards on the game via 3 Hokie punts.

#24/25 Kansas 34, UTEP 7 (El Paso; 31,885). The Jayhawks simply manhandled the Miners. UTEP allowed 5 sacks and was shut out until early in the 4^th while Kansas scored in every quarter and piled up 576 yards of offense. Said UTEP head coach Mike Price, “They're a top 25 team, and it doesn't look like we are.”

West Virginia 35, East Carolina 20 (Morgantown; 59,216). WVU's defense kept the Pirates in check, but Mountaineer mistakes--including 2 muffed punts (sound familiar?)--kept ECU in it. ECU was shut out in the second half and their longest scoring drive was 31 yards. WVU QB and Pat White successor Jarrett Brown had a coming-out party, throwing for 334 yards and 4 TDs. Patrick Pinkney was sacked 4 times.

SMU 35, UAB 33 (Birmingham; 18,092). SMU dominated early, then gave up 20 3rd-quarter points to the Blazers before hanging on to win. The story of the game, both good and bad, was the QB play. For the Mustangs, B.L. Mitchell threw for 353 yards and 3 TDs, and for UAB, last week's one-man show Joe Webb threw 4 interceptions. UAB ran the ball well, with Webb rushing for 97 and Mark Ferrell adding 85.

Middle Tennessee 31, Memphis 14 (Murfreesboro; 28,105 [new stadium record]). Tied 7-7 after one quarter, MTSU rattled off 24 unanswered points before allowing Memphis a late TD. The Blue Raiders almost doubled Memphis’ total yards, 436 to 219. Scrub QB Tyler Bass led the final scoring drive for the Tigers, completing 4 of 4 for 33 yards. No one for Memphis rushed for over 50.

Texas Tech 55, Rice 10 (Lubbock; 48,124). The Rice defense held TTU to 14 first half points, but it got ugly from there as the Raiders rolled up 560 yards of offense against the Owls. For Rice, QB John Shepard went 14-for-19 for 109 yards and a TD to Taylor Dupree. Rice won the time of possession by a good 6 minutes, but since when does Texas Tech care about that?

Tulsa 44, New Mexico 10 (Albuquerque; 30,051). Tulsa opened the scoring early following a fumbled UNM punt return (noticing a theme?) and never looked back, leading 17-3 at the half and at one time 44-3. For the Hurricane, QB G.J. Kinne threw for 310 yards and 4 TDs, 2 each to Slick Shelley and Trae Johnson. Kinne also led Tulsa in rushing with 53 yards. New Mexico managed 5 sacks.

UCF at Southern Miss

Thursday’s line: USM -14.5

First meeting: 2005 in Hattiesburg

Last meeting: 2008 in Orlando (USM won 17-6)

USM leads the series 3-1

CUSA play starts early for the Golden Eagles as the Knights come to town in Game 2. UCF, which has at times seemed poised for greatness after winning CUSA’s Eastern Division and posting the best record in the conference twice since joining the league in 2005 and claiming a championship in 2007, limped to a 4-8 (3-5) record in 2008, continuing O’Leary’s alternating winning season/losing season streak in Orlando. The Eagles are comfortably favored at The Rock on the heels of their smackdown of Alcorn and the Knights’ struggles against FCS Samford.

Particularly disappointing vs. Samford was UCF’s offense, which only compiled 282 total yards. UCF returned 10 starters from last year, but they only continued the Knights’ struggles from 2008, when they ranked dead last in the nation in total offense as they struggled to settle on a starting QB. That particular issue also continued, as sophomore QB Rob Calabrese started vs. Samford after starting the final 4 games of 2008 only to be replaced in the game by redshirt senior and Wake Forest transfer Brett Hodges, who tossed what turned out to be the game-winning TD to Jamar Newsome with 11 minutes left. Hodges completed 10-of-17 for 129 yards off the bench compared to Calabrese’s 3-for-7 for 28, though Hodges also threw an interception that Samford ran 67 yards the other way for a score. O’Leary is expected to use the same plan on Saturday vs. USM, with Calabrese getting the start but both expected to play. Aside from Hodges’ late heroics, another (the other?) bright spot for UCF’s offense was Brynn Harvey’s 111 yards rushing on 33 carries.

The Knights’ pass defense didn’t fare a whole lot better than the offense, allowing Samford, led by 2008 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year QB Dustin Taliaferro, 208 yards through the air on 60% completions. Taliaferro himself threw for 141 of those yards, nearing his 2008 season average of 158.6, not good considering Samford only played one game vs. an FBS foe in ‘08. Taliaferro was also only sacked once. UCF fared better against the run, only allowing 78 yards on the ground. Leading the defensive effort for the Knights was DB Darin Baldwin, who claimed 7 tackles and 3 pass break-ups, and DE Jarvis Geathers, who recorded the lone sack. Should DeAndre Brown play for Southern Miss on Saturday, expect Baldwin to be the primary back charged with containing him.

Baldwin also played a big role in UCF’s high point of the day: kick returns. The Knights piled up 289 return yards on Samford, 190 on kickoffs and 99 on punts, for their best performance in that category since joining Divison I-A/the FBS. Baldwin returned a kickoff 72 yards to the Samford 11 late in the 3^rd quarter, but UCF squandered the opportunity by stalling and eventually getting a Jamie Boyle FG blocked. Leading the return game for the Knights was WR Rocky Ross, who compiled 91 yards on 6 returns, including a long of 39.

All in all, UCF was much less impressive in their opening game than Southern Miss, even after accounting for the different levels of competition. Given the fact that the Knights’ woes are the same ones they had last year, the safe assumption is that the Samford performance wasn’t just a one-game hiccup. It’s said that teams make their most improvement from Week 1 to Week 2 of a football season, and UCF better hope that’s true in their case and not so much in USM’s. While those kick returns should be of particular concern for the Golden Eagles, nothing much else should scare USM fans as long as the team shows up ready to play.

Well, here it is, the first–err, second–entry of the 2009 football season. While I considered getting an earlier jump on the festivities, various things (including a new computer purchase and other things I’ll mention later) got in the way, and let’s be honest: is the glorified scrimmage that will be Alcorn really worth a full “Know Thy Enemy” write-up?

For what it’s worth, FTF plans to take a new tact from here on out, adding more frequent, smaller updates and entries rather than saving up for sporadic, more long-winded entries—essentially taking a more traditional “blog” approach. (Having a computer that runs a little faster than molasses going uphill in wintertime will make executing this plan noticeably easier.)

An oldie but a goodie

Anyway, since there’s really not a whole lot to say about the game until after we see the 2009 Eagles in action, I’m going to take this time to espouse some of my own “undeniable truths” as they apply to Southern Miss football.

To borrow some old-school USM lingo, I believe:

…playing college football on any non-holiday Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday is just plain dumb no matter how you stack it. While the World Wide Leader ostensibly sells schools on “exposure,” they fail to take into account that high school recruits are–by definition–otherwise occupied on Friday nights and no one outside of the fan base you already have is going to tune in when the Cowboys and Steelers are playing on another channel. While the UABs of the world will never be able to turn down the cash, I fully expect to see more schools with potentially workable followings to take on USM’s current philosophy that you’re better off maximizing butts in the seats than giving some random guy in a bar 800 miles away who’ll never buy a ticket or join your booster club an opportunity to see you play.  On a related note,

…sellouts cause season ticket sales, they do not result from them. And speaking of tickets,

…the Southern Miss ticket office is an embarrassment. Rare is the fan who’s been around for any length of time who doesn’t have a unflattering story to tell. In my own case, I’m still waiting for a callback on upgrading my season tickets (no biggie, guys; I was just going to double what I have been paying, and we all know the athletic department is swimming in money anyway, right?) that I was told would come in early July. And that’s just my latest bad experience. Speaking of which, I also believe…

…yes, on average, Golden Eagle fans are, in fact, a mightily complaining bunch. However, the solution to that lies not in the fans being more forgiving, but in the department giving them fewer things about which to complain.

…paraphrasing EaglePost’s RockTheRock, when you win 12 games, you can get people in the stands to wave whatever you want them to wave.

…if you want major college football, but you want also want a placid fan base, cheap parking right next to the stadium, a roster full of guys who never get in trouble, and your children to be able to play tag on the playing surface…well, you just need to make up your mind.

…an organization having a “family” mentality has its strong points, but it also opens the door for a family’s less-desirable traits, such as bickering, rivalry, and gossip. Somewhat related,

…it’s improving, but Southern Miss still has a problem with supporters who care more about what the athletic programs can do for their egos than what they can do to improve the programs over the long haul.

…if that last one offended you, you’re probably one of those people.

… ”a penchant for finding diamonds in the rough” is a nice way of saying, “recruiting kinda sucks, but we get lucky every now and then.”

And last but not least, I honestly believe

…this team is going to have the best season the school has seen in an awfully long time, but it’s probably a year away from a BCS bowl run. We’re still a few big ol’ offensive lineman away (in terms of depth, not the quality of our starters) from running with the big dogs with any consistency.

——————

Also, a brief sad note as it somewhat relates to this blog. The two of you out there who have actually taken the time to read my bio have seen the crack in there about how “the cat run[s] the house.” I’m sad to say that said cat is no longer with us. After battling a neurological problem that slowly took away her mobility over the past year-plus and that we chose not to have diagnosed in detail due to the invasiveness of the applicable testing vs. the minuscule chance of anything being able to be done about it, she was gracefully put to rest this past Thursday after providing the wife and me (as well as many other relatives and friends) a half-decade of wonderful companionship as well as entertainment. Godspeed, little Cali, godspeed.

photo by George Clark, special to the Clarion Ledger

With the big win over Florida, the baseball Golden Eagles are one win away from the College World Series.  I don’t really want to say a whole lot about that pending the eventual outcome, but there was something else at the game apart from the result that has some pretty big implications for Southern Miss’ athletic program.

As mentioned more than once by the ESPNU commentators and reported by the AP, there was a substantial Golden Eagle contingent at Florida’s McKethan Stadium.  Of an official attendance of 3,571, roughly 1,000 were in black and gold.  Some fan reports actually had Eagle supporters outnumbering Gator supporters.   Yes, the weather probably influenced the home crowd, but even so, selling out one’s visitor’s allotment in a matter of hours and having a crowd of 1,000 on the road is no small feat for a baseball program.  Also, this comes on the heels of Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall actually calling out his own fans after USM’s fans showed them up so badly at the Atlanta Regional:

embedded by Embedded Video

About 15 years ago (has it really been that long?), a buddy of mine, after witnessing a spirited crowd at a women’s basketball showdown at Reed Green Coliseum with Auburn and later the boisterous mass of humanity in Death Valley West, observed that for as maligned as Southern Miss fans are, you can certainly count on ‘em if you give them something to truly get excited about–essentially, if you provide them a major-college event, they’ll provide you major-college support.  Saturday bears that out.  The problem comes in when you’re finishing in 4th place in a rather awful football conference while boring people half to death or confusing basketball with keep-away.  Folks who are constantly bombarded with the mystique/drama/hype of Southern schools playing at the highest level and competing for championships on a regular basis simply aren’t interested in that stuff.  For as much as people like to use the word “fickle,” the simple fact of the matter is, you can’t make people care if they don’t.  No one’s obligated to attend a sporting event.  And it certainly doesn’t help if you habitually embarrass yourself every time you do get them to show up.  However, give them something to hang their proverbial hats on, pique their interest, and you’ll get as fanatic support here as you will most anywhere.

One can only hope that what we saw both in the stands and on the field Saturday is merely a glimpse of even bigger and better things to come.

For the second year in a row, the Golden Eagle coaching staff reeled in a top-notch group of athletes that Rivals.com tabbed the best in the conference (Scout.com was not as enthused, though I’m not sure

"With each letter, it becomes visibly better...."

how a high school All-American only gets 3 stars and probably even more puzzling, an All-Region guy from one of the toughest JuCo circuts in the county only manages 2 (?!?) stars in their particular system–for the record, Scout has no dedicated Southern Miss affiliate site, whereas Rivals does).

While there is some disappointment at the lack of a DeAndre Brown-like prodigy and USM’s failure to bring in any of the three big names still being courted Wednesday morning, this class is deeper, better off academically, and arguably better on average than last year’s class that got so many people talking, and still blows any class from recent memory out of the water.  That we’ve already reached the point where not getting a consensus 5-star or a possible Pat White-in-waiting from Maryland is a letdown is a testament to just how far things have progressed in Larry Fedora’s brief tenure.  While people “ooh” and “ahh” the most over individual standouts, the most telling fact is how today’s “average” signees are at the same level as the highlights of our past recruiting classes.  Using the Rivals numbers, from 2003-2007, Southern Miss signed a total of one 4-star recruit and an average of six 3-stars per year (never fewer than 3 and never more than 8).  When all the dust settled yesterday, we had signed three 4-stars and 15 3-stars.  That’s a phenomenal leap in talent and depth thereof.

In other signing day news, I attended the Southern Miss party at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi.  Since my group sat in the very front and most of the tables were on a stage behind us, I can’t give an accurate attendance estimate.  I will say, however, that the highlight of the evening had to be Reggie Collier interrupting Dick Vogel during his supposedly inspirational speech about how much better things are at Ole Miss in order to salvage the situation.  I guess some things change around here, and some don’t.

In light of continued rumblings that Southern Miss has heretofore refused to schedule a home-and-home football series with New Orleans Bowl opponent Troy University, some Trojan fans decided to have a little fun with a t-shirt design, initially available at CafePress.com:

Great concept….Horrible execution. Here’s a closer look:

Sadly, I’m told were it not for the Trojans’ stubborn insistence that every game be scheduled for a Troy o’clock kickoff, the two schools may have been able to work something out.

• The defense looked unbelievably better in every aspect. Sure, Boise State scored 24 points, but 1) Boise State does that and worse to everyone, and 2) Boise was given too many short fields to work with, which brings us to…
• The 4th-and-1 call early in the 2nd quarter was dumb as a box of rocks on Larry Fedora’s part. Yes, you have to expect to gain one measly yard. Yes, it’s a big boost if you make it. HOWEVER, the coach has to consider the consequences of not making it, which in this case was giving a superior opponent the ball on your own 45 yard line after your defense had put up a yeoman’s effort to kept them off the scoreboard in the opening quarter. That was a game-changing decision, and Fedora blew it, as I’ve seen so many new coaches (including future two-time National Champion coach Steve Campbell back in his first season at Southwest Mississippi CC) do in that situation. The good news is that you never see any of them repeat the mistake.
• The offense was just off. To spend that much time in Boise State territory and only score one TD was awful. How much of that was to Boise’s credit and how much was the proverbial growing pains, who knows? Specifically…
• The game still seems just a little too fast for Austin Davis, which is to be expected when you’re talking about a redshirt freshman (especially one who came to school on a baseball scholarship). His decisions aren’t bad overall, but against a quality team, he has got to make them more quickly. He could potentially become a holy terror for those on our remaining schedule.
• What in the WORLD is up with our FG kicking game? The woes there continued with a block of the potential go-ahead score to start the game.
• All props to the Boise State fans, who may have brought the largest visiting crowd so far this year. The only other possibility is UL-Lafayette. As much as we fuss about CUSA being so spread out as to discourage travel, all those folks in blue and orange Saturday proved its more just a matter of giving a damn.
• Two words on Reggie Collier’s jersey retirement: About time.
• I cried because I had CUSA refs, until I saw the man who had WAC refs.

#15 AP/16 USAT Boise State (4-0, 1-0 WAC) at Southern Miss (2-3, 0-2 CUSA)

Thursday’s line: Boise State -10

First meeting: 2007 in Boise

Last meeting: 2007 in Boise (Boise State won, 38-16)

Boise State leads the series 1-0

Last week: UTEP def. USM 40-37 (2OT); BSU def. Louisiana Tech 38-3

With their season not going very well as it nears its mid-point, the Golden Eagles are presented with a golden opportunity as #15/16 Boise State, the poster child for teams outside the BCS automatic qualifier pool, visit The Rock for an out-of-conference tilt. As a program, the Broncos need little introduction, as they are both the winningest FBS program in the country since 2000 and keepers of college football legend. However, as we do (most) every week here at KTE, we’ll take a look at the specific names to know and trends to watch headed into this week’s contest.

As has always been the case in recent memory, Boise State brings with them an offensive juggernaut. The Broncos are led on the ground by senior Ian Johnson, who in addition to seemingly having been at Boise forever and having made the Marriage Proposal Heard ‘Round the World, entered 2008 as the active FBS leader in both rushing and total touchdowns. Currently, Johnson is having a less-than-stellar year statistically, averaging “only” 66.5 yards per game and 4.84 per carry. This doesn’t bother the Bronco faithful all that much, however, as freshman quarterback Kellen Moore is having a banner year under center, currently 6th in the FBS in passing rating and 8th in yards per game (291.3). As shown above in the game basics, Boise State has played 4 games. Moore has already been the WAC Player of the Week twice. Moore shows little favoritism in where he throws the ball, with 5 of his teammates already over 100 yards receiving and 3 at double-digits in number of receptions. Junior WR Jeremy Childs leads the pack with 14 catches and a 72+ yards per game average, while sophomore WR Titus Young (10 catches for 168 yards) and senior TE Chris O’Neil (10 for 131) round out the triumvirate of players with 10 more receptions. Johnson (6 for 177) and senior WR Vinny Perretta (8 for 132) are the others with over 100 yards receiving.

Boise State also packs a special teams weapon in placekicker/punter sophomore Kyle Brotzman, who was a Lou Groza Award semi-finalist his freshman year. Brotzman is 4 out of 5 in field goal attempts thus far in ’08–2-for-2 from 40 yards or more–and has yet to miss a PAT in 18 chances.

Unfortunately for Southern Miss, the Broncos have not been slouches on defense, either, thus far in 2008, coming into Hattiesburg 12th in the FBS in points allowed–in large part due to a red zone D that allowed only 3 points to Louisiana Tech in 6 visits inside the Broncos’ 20–and 37th in passing yards allowed per game. If there is any consolation, it is that Boise has actually been pretty average vs. the run, ranking 60th in yards allowed per game. Key players to watch include the DE tandem of sophomore Ryan Winterswyk (3 tackles for loss, one-half sack) and senior DE Mike T. Williams; safeties sophomore Jeron Johnson and senior Ellis Powers, who rank 1-2 in tackles; and freshman OLB Aaron Tevis, who leads the team in sacks with 2.

In what may be the hidden stat of the game, it’s interesting to note that the Broncos’ high pass-defense ranking is considerably skewed by a 92-yard performance vs. FCS Big Sky Conference member Idaho State. In fact, 2 of Boise State’s 3 FBS opponents have had above-average passing performances vs. the Broncos: Louisiana Tech passed for 202 yards vs. Boise State while averaging only 173 over the season, and Oregon–despite starting their 3rd-string QB and being forced to go to their 4th–passed for 237 vs. BSU while averaging only 215. Can Southern Miss—#32 nationally in passing yards per game—do the same and expose the Broncos defense? If so, we could be looking at real shootout Saturday night.

That said, the obvious prediction for this game is that it will come down Boise’s defense vs. the Southern Miss offense. The chances of Southern Miss’ young–and awful–D even slowing down the Broncos are slim. USM simply has to be able to answer when–not if–Boise State puts points on the board. If that happens, you can expect the kind of game that’ll make USM’s basketball team jealous, and it could come down to who has the ball last or makes the last mistake. If Boise State can make stops, however, the game could get ugly in a hurry and stay that way.

Southern Miss (1-0, 0-0) at Auburn (1-0, 0-0)

Monday’s line: Auburn –17

First meeting: 1946 in Montgomery

Last meeting: 1993 in Auburn

Auburn leads the series 16-5

Last week: USM def. La-Lafayette 51-21; Auburn def. La-Monroe 34-0

The Golden Eagles get little time to celebrate their wildly successful season opener as Week 2 brings them to the Alabama plain to face Auburn. The Tigers represent Southern Miss’ only game in 2008 vs. a BCS-auto-qualifier conference as well as their first tilt against an SEC team in 2 days short of a year.

Coming off of a disappointing 5-3 conference record in 2007 due in large part to offensive struggles, head coach Tommy Tuberville decided to try something different and brought in a new offensive coordinator in Tony Franklin, formerly the guiding force behind Troy’s spread offense. Franklin was unhappy with his offensive unit’s performance—as well as his own—this past Saturday vs. Louisiana-Monroe, going as far as to say, “We stink and it’s my fault.” In terms of the passing game, the stench was unavoidable as starting QB Kodi Burns completed a disappointing 4 of 9 passes for 15 yards before leaving the game with a lacerated leg mid-way through the 3rd quarter. Auburn’s other QB, Chris Todd, who battled neck-and-neck with Burns for the starting nod and shared playing time before taking over for good after Burns’ injury, finished 9-for-18 for 70 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The running game, however, was a completely different story, racking up 321 yards. Junior Ben Tate accounted for 115 of those yards, including a 49-yarder; Burns rushed for 69; freshman Eric Smith rushed for 66; and senior Brad Lester gained 52 yards and accounted for Auburn’s other (yes, there were only 2) offensive TD.

The Plainsmen also have a new coordinator on defense, with Paul Rhoads replacing the departed Will “BOOM, M*+#@^-F^@%er!” Muschamp, who left for the same position at Texas and incidentally was on the short list of potential replacements for Jeff Bower. Rhoads’ weapons include junior end Antonio Coleman, who led the team in sacks (8.5) in 2007 and newly relocated tackle Sen’Derick Marks who led the line in tackles (43) in 2007 from the end position. Auburn also features a solid rotation of linebackers in Tray Blackmon (45 tackles in an injury-plagued ’07, 2 vs. UL-M), Courtney Harden (4 tackles vs. UL-M), Merrill Johnson (3 solo tackles vs. UL-M), Craig Stevens, and Chris Evans (3 tackles each vs. UL-M). The Tigers were especially effective vs. the pass in 2007, ranking 6th in the nation in yards against, and picked up right where they left off vs. UL-M by allowing only 136 yards and no TDs via the air. The Tigers were no slouch vs. the run, either, ranking 28th in the nation in ’07, and allowing only 84 yards on 30 carries this past Saturday. In what may be a ray of hope for Southern Miss, Auburn did only manage two sacks vs. an inexperienced (1 returning starter) and presumably overmatched Warhawk O-line.

Last week, Auburn had to rely on defense and special teams to separate themselves out of the gate from a .500 Sun Belt opponent (albeit one who beat Auburn’s own in-state rival last year), managing only a field goal on offense in the first half. However, after going run-heavy in the second half, they more than proved they could move the ball on the ground. That does not bode well for the Golden Eagles, who gave up 263 yards rushing to the other UL this past Saturday. Expect Auburn to put that equation to the test early and often on Saturday. If USM can somehow slow AU’s ground game, it’ll go quite a long way in improving the Golden Eagles’ chances for a win. Auburn’s QB situation is still somewhat up in the air (no pun intended), with Franklin expecting to play both Burns and Todd, though the latter may be slowed by the aforementioned gash on his leg and the multiple stitches required to close it [UPDATE: Todd has been named the starter.]

When Southern Miss has the ball, Auburn will have to remain effective against the run (especially Damion Fletcher, who put up 222 yards in the opener) and produce more pressure on the quarterback in order to slow down a Golden Eagle offense already (and surprisingly) practically firing on all cylinders with Austin Davis under center (633 yards vs. UL-L, good for the week’s 3rd-best outing in the nation). While it obviously shouldn’t be as easy for the Southern Miss “O” vs. Auburn as it was vs. UL-L, the combination of talent and the law of averages should still result in some opportunities, and a big play here and there could make a huge difference in the final outcome.

The last time Southern Miss entered Jordan-Hare stadium with a new head coach–a long, long time ago–the Golden Eagles stunned the Tigers 10-9. Expect the opposite in terms of scoring this time around, with neither team really stopping the other, and the one who only best slows the other’s game plan coming out on top. The last 4 games between USM and AU have been decided by a mere 5.5 point average, and based on the first week’s work from both teams, this one may not be any different. Expect Auburn’s advantage in defensive experience and depth to prove the difference.