University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Memphis Downs Southern Miss, 22-17
10/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Memphis Downs Southern Miss, 22-17
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- (10/6/01) - Despite throwing four interceptions and losing one fumble, Southern Miss had a shot at beating Memphis for an eighth-straight year, but, in the end, that barrage of turnovers proved to be too big a handicap to overcome as the Tigers improved to 3-2 with a 22-17 victory over Southern Miss in Liberty Bowl Stadium.
While the Tigers improved to 3-2, 1-1 in C-USA play, Southern Miss tasted defeat for the first time this season and dropped to 3-1 and 1-1 in league play.
After not having scored a touchdown against the Golden Eagles in the previous three seasons, Memphis needed just 1:47 to rectify that oversight. After winning the coin toss and deferring, Memphis forced a Tim Blackwell fumble on Southern Miss? first play from scrimmage, and returned that miscue from the Golden Eagle 23 to the four. From there, the Tigers needed just three plays to take a 7-0 lead after Dante Brown pushed across the goal line from a yard out at the 13:47 mark of the first period.
The Eagles responded with a 15-play, 73-yard drive that took 7:13 off the clock and resulted in a 23-yard Brant Hanna field goal.
Eagle fans had even more reason to be optimistic early in the second period when Etric Pruitt came up with the first of his to punt blocks that gave
Southern Miss field position at the Memphis 16-yard-line. Quarterback Jeff Kelly and company needed just two plays and 51-seconds to go ahead 10-7 at the 13:57 mark in the second period.
Kelly scrambled for 14 yards, the Eagles took a 5-yard procedure penalty, and Kelly found tight end Bobby Garner for seven yards and the go-ahead score.
Memphis got a 37-yard field goal from Ryan White with 12-seconds left in the second period and the two teams went to the locker rooms tied at 10.
The Tigers scored their first half TD off a Golden Eagle fumble and the field goal came after Jeff Kelly?s second interception of the half gave Memphis possession at the Southern Miss 32. The Tigers needed just six plays to tie the game.
The Tigers converted another of Kelly?s errant throws into the go-ahead points midway through the third period when Greg Harper took an interception 29 yards to score. Memphis added a safety early in the final period, but the Eagles responded with a quick, two-play, 3-yard scoring drive following Pruitt?s second blocked punt.
Memphis responded with a 45-yard field goal midway through the fourth period, and despite four possessions before the end of the game, the Eagles could not put the winning points on the board and saw their final hope evaporate in Kelly?s fourth interception of the game with just 3-seconds remaining.
Despite leading the time-of-possession category (32:04 to 27:56), the Eagles also lost a fumble in addition to the four interceptions and failed to record a takeaway for the first game this season. Kelly put up respectable numbers, hitting 21-of-37 for 204 yards, but also had the four interceptions and was sacked five times and hurried numerous other times. The Golden Eagle rushing game managed to net only 60 yards on 34 carries. Senior Dawayne Woods got 36 of those on eight carries, and Tim Blackwell managed 33 on 15 carries.
LeRoy Handy (6) and Bobby Garner (5) were the Golden Eagle bright spots with 11 catches for 137 yards between them. Mark Haulman punted for a 42.3-yard average, and Hanna hit his only field of the night from 23-yards out
The Golden Eagle defense played well enough to win, limiting the Tigers to just 182 yards of total offense, including only 79 rushing yards. Linebacker Rod Davis had another outstanding game with 10 tackles. Defensive back Chad Williams and linebacker Roy Magee added nine each.
After being textbook examples of how to take care of the football through three games, the Eagles saw an inspired Memphis defense hurry Kelly most of the night and come up with the five take-aways that spelled the difference in the game.
The victory was the first for the Tigers since a 20-9 decision in Memphis in 1993 and left the long-running series at 34-17-1 in favor of the Eagles, who now look at a couple of Saturdays off, sandwiched around a Tuesday night (Oct. 16) game at Louisville.
