University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Memphis Comes to Town For Black & Blue Game
9/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Memphis Comes to Town For Black & Blue Game
The Southern Miss football team (2-0) faces its first Conference USA game of the season, as Memphis (1-1) comes to M. M. Roberts Stadium (33,000) this Saturday, Sept. 14, for a 6 p.m., kickoff. The game will be televised by WLMT, UPN 30, back to the Memphis area only.
The Golden Eagles will look to redeem themselves from last year?s upset loss to the Tigers, when Memphis claimed a 22-17 victory and its first win over Southern Miss in eight meetings. Overall, the Eagles hold a 34-17-1 record over Memphis.
This will be the third-straight home game of the season for Southern Miss, and the Eagles are on a high note after a 23-20 victory over Big Ten Champion Illinois last weekend. Derrick Nix, who was named National Player of the Week by The Sporting News and Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week, led the Golden Eagle offense with 201 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 27 carries, including a 50-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that gave Southern Miss the win.
Nix is averaging 139 rushing yards a game
nd has five rushing touchdowns after two games. He also claims three receptions for 73 yards.
Micky D?Angelo has performed well after his first two games as the Southern Miss starting quarterback. He has 444 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-49 passing and no interceptions.
LeRoy Handy leads all receivers with 11 catches for 160 yards. Kenneth Johnson and Marvin Young have also been key receivers, as Johnson has six catches for 97 yards and Young has made a touchdown catch in both games, with three receptions for 81 yards on the year.
Defense will be a focal point in the Memphis-Southern Miss matchup, as both teams have consistently been ranked nationally on the defensive charts in the past few years.
Rod Davis was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the week after leading a solid attack on the Illini last Saturday. He recorded a team-best 14 tackles (nine solos, five assists) with two sacks, four tackles for loss and two quarterback knockdowns. With four sacks and seven tackles for loss on the season, Davis is the C-USA leader in both categories.
Michael Boley leads the team in total tackles with 25, including 17 solos and eight assists. He claims 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Etric Pruitt collected two interceptions against Illinois and currently leads the team in swipes on the season. He also has a team-best two pass deflections.
Memphis is coming off a loss against Ole Miss last Saturday, 38-16. Sophomore quarterback Danny Wimprine threw two touchdown passes of 50-yards against Ole Miss, finishing the game throwing 20-of-38 passes for 271 yards.
Both touchdown passes were to receiver Antoine Harden who finished the game with four catches for 119 yards. Dante Brown led the Tiger rushers with 40 yards on 10 carries.
Wimprine is 43-of-70 on the season in passing with 516 yards and seven touchdowns.
DeAngelo Williams, who rushed for a career-high 129 yards and one touchdown in the Tigers? season-opening win over Murray State, 52-6, leads the team in rushing with 130 yards on 14 attempts. Brown follows close behind with 129 yards on 17 carries.
Travis Anglin and Darron White each claim 11 receptions for the team best. Anglin has 148 receiving yards, while White holds 104 yards.
Coot Terry and Greg Harper lead the Tiger defense with 15 total tackles apiece. O.C. Collins and Tristan Thomas each claim an interception, and Shakoor Bryant has made the only sack this season by a Tiger defender.
Southern Miss will play its first road game of the season on Sept. 21, traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and facing Alabama at 6 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN 2.
