University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Bowl Hopes Rest on Friday' Game Against TCU
12/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Bowl Hopes Rest on Friday?s Game Against TCU
The Southern Miss football team wants a big turnout for its game against TCU, and the Golden Eagles could not have provided a more enticing scenario to attract supporting onlookers. Southern Miss (6-4, 4-2) hosts TCU (5-5, 3-3) on Fri., Dec. 7, at M.M. Roberts Stadium (33, 000) in Hattiesburg, Miss., at 6 p.m., central. The game will be aired on ESPN2.
Both teams cap off their regular seasons. The Horned Frogs want to end with a winning record, and the Eagles want to send their 11 seniors off with a victory in their final home game. Along with these motivating factors, the winner of Friday?s contest will go on to compete in the galleryfurniture.com bowl on Friday, Dec. 28.
This is the third meeting between the two schools with the series tied at 1-1. TCU won the first meeting, 19-17, in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1989. With the 28-21 victory over the Horned Frogs in last year?s GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl, the Golden Eagles evened the series.
Quarterback Jeff Kelly will attempt to provide an outcome similar to last year?s meeting. It was his 29-yard pass to Kenneth Johnson with :08 seconds on the clock that scored the winning touchdown and gave Southern Miss its second-consecutive bowl victory.
Kelly has 2,389 passing yards on 194-of-325 (.597) passes. He has thrown for 14 touchdowns and surrendered eight interceptions.
Running back Dawayne Woods missed the Alabama game with a shoulder injury, the second game he missed due to injury this season. He has been practicing with the team this week.
The senior has scored nine touchdowns in his last three games, three rushing touchdowns at Penn State, three rushing and one receiving against Tulane and one of each against East Carolina. He leads the team with 124 carries for 503 yards and claims 15 catches for 189 yards.
LeRoy Handy came up with two clutch scoring plays at Alabama. His first was a 39-yard screen route, which he sprinted toward the west corner of the end zone, and the second was a sliding catch at the goal line after Kelly threw him a five-yard dart.
The junior leads the team with 52 receptions for 725 yards, averaging 13.9 yards a catch. He has three 100-yard receiving games in his career, and all three have come this season.
Rod Davis is the season leader in tackles for Southern Miss with 87 tackles, 59 solos and 28 assists. His 13 tackles against East Carolina was his second double-figure tackle performance of the season, fifth of the past eight games and 10th of his career.
Terrell Paul leads the team with six sacks. Roy Magee has a team-best 11 tackles for loss. Greg Brooks has the single season record at Southern Miss for most pass breakups with 16, and he shares the team lead in interceptions with Leroy Johnson, each swiping three.
TCU is without Heisman Trophy finalist LaDainian Tomlinson, who was a first-round NFL draft choice, but the Frogs have been a tough challenge this season, especially against ranked opponents.
No. 4 Nebraska gave TCU a loss in the season opener, 21-7, but the Huskers could only produce 159 rushing yards against the Horned Frogs. Number 22 and C-USA champion Louisville received its second loss on the year when the Cardinals faced TCU on Nov. 23 and experienced a 37-22 loss.
Quarterback Casey Printers has hit 121-of-221 pass attempts with 12 touchdown strikes for 1,550 yards. He has thrown over 300 yards in two of the last three games.
The Frogs have relied on Ricky Madison to handle the rushing responsibilities. Madison has carried the ball 150 times for 529 yards and claims three touchdown runs. Adrian Madise leads the receiving corps with 44 catches for 643 yards and four touchdowns.
Ken Hilliard is the leading tackler for TCU with 75 total stops, 53 solos and 22 attempts. LaMarcus McDonald owns the tackles-for-loss title with 23 and shares the sack lead with Marvin Godbolt as both claims six quarterback sacks. Jason Goss has two interceptions and 22 pass breakups to lead in those categories.
