University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss rolls past Jackson State, 55-7
8/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Southern Miss rolls past Jackson State, 55-7
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? In a game that was dubbed ?The Rumble at the Rock,? it was Southern Miss that did the rumbling and Jackson State that did the tumbling in a 55-7 opening win by the hosts, Saturday, at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
The Golden Eagles? offense compiled 478 yards while the defense limited the Tigers? offense to 273 total yards in a game played before the largest crowd ever ? 35,169 ? in Southern Miss history.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Micky D?Angelo made his debut as a starter a good one, throwing for 273 yards, on 13-of-23 passing, and one touchdown. Senior running back Derrick Nix, who made his first start in two seasons, also had a productive outing as he rushed for 77 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.
?Overall, it was a pretty good performance for our first game,? Southern Miss Head Coach Jeff Bower said. ?Offensively, we made some big plays, and we really did a good job on our special teams.?
From the outset, the momentum heavily favored the Golden Eagles. The home defense limited the Jackson State offense to minus-12 yards on three plays to start the game.
Southern Miss took over after the ensuing punt with excellent field position on the Tigers? 22-yard line. Three plays later, Nix scored his first touchdown of the night on a one-yard plunge with 12:33 remaining in the quarter.
The Golden Eagle dominance continued for the rest of the opening quarter as they held Jackson State scoreless, while also adding a Curt Jones field goal for the 10-0 lead.
The Tigers, however, scored quickly in the second quarter, as Tarnak Counslor rushed up the middle for the 13-yard score, cutting the lead to three, 10-7, after the ensuing extra-point.
Southern Miss countered on the next drive, as Jones hit another field goal, this one a 47-yard attempt, to give the hosts the 13-7 lead.
The Golden Eagles would add three more scores in the half ? all touchdowns ? to take a 34-7 lead at the break. In that span, Anthony Harris rushed for a two-yard score, Nix added a six-yard run, and D?Angelo connected with Marvin Young on a 25-yard pitch-and-catch as time ran out.
Southern Miss did not score until 1:28 remained in the third quarter, as Nix?s 1-yard touchdown capped a four-play, 86-yard drive. In the drive, Nix raced 65 yards on a screen pass from D?Angelo only to be brought down at the 1-yard line.
Harris added the final two scores in the fourth quarter, on scoring runs of 4 and 17 yards, respectively.
D?Angelo led all players with 281 yards of total offense. Nix led all rushers in the game, while Harris followed with 52 yards and three touchdowns. Dustin Almond, who saw time at quarterback, completed four passes for 67 yards and rushed for 11 yards.
Robert Kent led Jackson State with 187 yards on 17-of-34 passing and two interceptions. Counslor led the Tigers with 55 yards rushing and one touchdown.
Southern Miss remains at home for the next two weeks, hosting Illinois and Memphis, respectively. Kickoff for the Illinois game is set for 11 a.m. and will be televised by ESPN2.
