University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Opens Conference Play Against UAB
9/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Southern Miss Opens Conference Play Against UAB
The Golden Eagles take their 2-0 record into this weekend?s meeting against Conference USA-foe UAB. The Blazers are 2-1, coming into M.M. Roberts Stadium (33,000) in Hattiesburg, Miss., at 6 p.m., central. The game will be televised on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast.
The contest is pivotal for both teams, as USM looks to remain undefeated and both UAB and the Eagles are pursuing positive starts in the league standings. The Blazers already claim a 1-0 conference record after defeating Army last weekend, 55-3
This year?s game marks the second meeting between the two schools. The first match-up featured Southern Miss defeating UAB, 33-30, in two overtime periods last year at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala.
Southern Miss is coming off a 35-10 win at Louisiana-Lafayette last Saturday. The Eagles relied on Tim Blackwell?s three rushing touchdowns to lead them over the Cajuns.
The sophomore ended with 78 yards on 25 carries. Blackwell now leads the team in rushing yards on the season with 103 yards on 30 carries. He is ranked 36th in the nation in scoring, averaging 9.0 points a contest.
Quarterback Jeff Kelly completed 17-of-29 pass attempts for 243 yards and one touchdown against Louisiana-Lafayette. He also picked up 27 rushing yards on 12 carries, most coming on a 22-yard run.
His numbers on the season include 520 passing yards on 39-of-64 passes. He has thrown for two touchdowns and surrendered his first interception of the season against the Cajuns. He is currently ranked 23rd in the nation in total offense and 28th in pass efficiency.
LeRoy Handy led all receivers against the Cajuns, picking up 101 yards on five catches and had a long catch of 46 yards. It was the first time the junior passed the century mark in receiving yards in a game.
Handy currently leads all Golden Eagle receivers with 11 catches and 183 yards on the season for an average of 16.6 yards a catch. He currently is ranked 20th in the nation in receiving yards per game and 40th in receptions per game (5.50).
Linebacker Roy Magee led the Eagles in tackles on Saturday with five total stops. He also finished with four tackles for loss for 18 yards, including two sacks for 15 yards.
On the year, Joe Henley leads the Southern Miss defense with 10.5 tackles. Magee is second with 8.5 tackles.
Leroy Johnson is the team leader in pass breakups with five. He is tied with Marchene Hatchette and Alex Ray for the team lead in interceptions. Each picked off one pass.
The kicking game has been effective for the Eagles. Punter Mark Haulman is averaging 40.8 yards a punt, and kicker Brant Hanna is perfect in the year, converting all three point-after attempts and both of his field goal attempts.
UAB claims wins against Army and Montana State, a 41-13 season-opener, and a 29-7 loss to Florida State. Quarterback Jeff Aaron is a focal point of the Blazers offense. He is averaging 201.3 yards of total offense a game.
Aaron has completed 39-of-73 pass attempts with three touchdowns. He also claims 113 yards on 22 carries and has rushed for two touchdowns.
Jegil Dugger is the leading UAB rusher with 263 yards on 58 carries, scoring four touchdowns on the ground. Jason Southall claims eight receptions for 94 yards, and Leron Little also has eight catches for 88 yards, as both lead all Blazer receivers.
Rod Taylor leads the Blazer defense with 20 total tackles (5 UA, 15 Ast). His six tackles for loss is also a team best. Torrey Hale is the second-best tackler on the squad, while leading the team with two interceptions.
UAB is also effective in the kicking game. Ross Stewart holds an impressive 47.9 yard average per punt, placing four boots inside the opponents? 20-yard line. Rhett Gallego is four-for-five on field goals, and 13-for-13 on extra point attempts.
