TCU edges Southern Miss, 14-12, earns bowl bid
12/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
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TCU edges Southern Miss, 14-12, earns bowl bid
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? It was the rematch of last year?s GMAC Bowl, only this time, it was TCU who emerged victorious, edging Southern Miss, 14-12, in the final Conference USA contest of the season and earning a spot in the galleryfurniture.com Bowl later this month.
Down 14-12 in the final minute of the game, the Golden Eagles had the ball in Horned Frog territory. However, quarterback Jeff Kelly?s pass was intercepted by TCU?s Ken Hilliard, ending all hopes of a Southern Miss comeback.
?It was a tough loss, but we had plenty of chances to win the football game,? Southern Miss Head Coach Jeff Bower said. ?We were in position a number of times, but we just didn?t make the plays.?
Led by a 274-yard, one touchdown passing performance by junior quarterback Casey Printers, TCU improved to 6-5 on the year. Printers also rushed for another score, providing all of the offense the Horned Frogs would need.
While they were behind in the closing minutes, the Golden Eagles (6-5, 4-3 in C-USA) had the lead in the first half. On its second drive of the game, Southern Miss drove 80 yards in nine plays, culminating in Kelly?s 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Terrell Browden. Two drives later, Brant Hanna connected on a 46-yard field goal, giving the Golden Eagles the 10-0 lead with 7:08 remaining in the first half.
TCU (6-5, 4-3) responded, however, benefiting from Printers? 6-yard touchdown run in the final minutes of the half, trimming the lead to10-7.
In the second half, the Horned Frogs nabbed a Kelly pass in the opening drive, and converted the turnover into a score, as Printers connected with Adrian Madise for a 74-yard catch-and-run, taking the lead for good with 11:09 left in the third quarter.
Southern Miss wouldn?t score any offensive points from then on, with its only score coming off Antoine Cash?s sack of Printers for a safety in the third quarter.
The Golden Eagles had a chance to take the lead with 3:05 remaining in the game, but Hanna?s 44-yard field goal attempt fell short.
?I thought we battled the entire game,? Bower said. ?We never really got into a good rhythm, offensively, but I am proud of our players.?
Kelly finished the night with 224 yards, three interceptions, and one touchdown on 20-of-37 passing. With his 20 completions against TCU, Kelly set the single season completion record with 214. LeRoy Handy led the team with seven catches for 98 yards, and Dawayne Woods had a game-high 91 yards rushing on 16 carries.
For TCU, Madise led the team with a game-high 177-yards receiving on six catches. Ricky Madison had 70 yards rushing on 24 attempts.
Defensively, Southern Miss? Roy Magee tied for the game-high honors with nine tackles, while Joe Henley and Alex Ray followed with eight stops each.