University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
The Rumble At The Rock
8/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
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The Rumble At The Rock
The 2002 football season starts this Saturday, Aug. 31, for the Golden Eagles (6-5 in 2001), who host Jackson State (7-4 in 2001) at M.M. Roberts Stadium (33,000) in Hattiesburg, Miss., at 6 p.m., central. The game will not be televised.
A packed stadium is expected when these two teams battle for the first time since 1987, when Southern Miss defeated the Tigers, 17-7, in the only meeting of the series. The game marked the second highest home attendance in the history of M.M. Roberts Stadium, when 33,687 were in attendance for the event. This is the first in-state opponent for the Golden Eagles, since they hosted Delta State in 1991.
Micky D?Angelo has been given the nod to be the starting quarterback for Southern Miss. He will be only the third starting Golden Eagle quarterback in the past 66 games, covering seven seasons. A redshirt sophomore, D?Angelo played in two games during the 2001 season, completing 3-of-8 passes for 44 yards and one touchdown.
A strong supporting cast will be on the field, including returning all-conference running back Derrick Nix, who is back after missing the entire 2001 season, while battling injuries and kidney ailments. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons and is in prime position to move up the school?s career rushing list with 2,390 yards and needing 519 yards to claim third-place on the all-time chart.
Senior wide receiver LeRoy Handy returns after leading the team with 59 reception and 823 yards in 2001. Kenneth Johnson (28 catches for 298 yards) and Marvin Young (10 for 114) also will hold starting receiver positions.
The offensive line may be one of the most experienced positions on the Southern Miss offense. Led by returning starters Jeremy Bridges, Jim Hicks, Torrin Tucker and Jason Jimenez, the offensive line has 92 career starts under its belt.
The Southern Miss defense returns eight starters, including All-American linebacker Rod Davis, who led the team in tackles last year with 100. Defensive end Terrell Paul collected a team-best six quarterback sacks last year, and Greg Brooks and Leroy Johnson each collected a team-high three interceptions.
Last year?s defense finished the season ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, 11th in total defense, 12th in passing efficiency defense, 13th in rushing defense and 21st in turnover margin.
Mark Haulman is a solid punter (34 punts for 42.3 avg.) who returns to handled the duties, and Curt Jones is the new starting placekicker. He saw limited action last year in a reserve role but kicked the longest field goal of the season, a 48-yarder against Tulane.
Jackson State features an aggressive passing attack. Returning quarterback Robert Kent threw for 3,640 yards last season on 245-of-453 passes, with 31 touchdown strikes.
Six other starters return on the Tigers offense, including receiver Tim Manning (28 catches for 581 yards and six touchdowns), running back Nathan McLaurin (55 carries for 208 yards and two touchdowns) and receiver Robert Jacobs (19 catches for 292 yards and two touchdowns).
The Tigers defense has seven starters back, including their leading tackler from last season, Elgin Andrews, who recorded 112 total tackles. He also shared the team sack title with 14.
Bobby Mays will anchor Jackson State?s defensive line. He collected 11 sacks last season. Derrick Watson is the leader in the secondary. He swatted 12 passes last season.
