University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Eagles Face Bama
9/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Eagles Face Bama
The Southern Miss football team plays its first road game of the season this Saturday, Sept. 21, and it will be a biggie. The Golden Eagles (3-0) battle historic gridiron power Alabama (2-1) in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with kickoff set for 6 p.m. This game will be televised on ESPN2.
Southern Miss is looking to remain undefeated and improve to 4-0, which the Eagles have not done since 1981, when Southern Miss finished 9-2-1 under Bobby Collins.
Alabama leads the all-time series with Southern Miss, 30-6-2. The series began in 1947 with the Crimson Tide defeating the Golden Eagles, 34-7. The last meeting between the two schools took place on Nov. 29, 2001, with Alabama downing Southern Miss, 28-15, in a driving rainstorm.
The Golden Eagles have performed well on offense this season, averaging 458 yards of total offense, including 231.7 yards of rushing offense a game. They rank 13th in the country in total offense and 18th in rushing offense.
Derrick Nix has been instrumental in the Eagles? offensive success. The redshirt senior received his second-consecutive Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week award after rushing for 196 yards on 21 carries and collecting two touchdowns. His numbers on the season include 474 yards on 64 carries and seven rushing touchdowns.
Averaging 158 rushing yards a game, Nix ranks second in the nation and first in Conference USA. With a 15.0 scoring average, he ranks fourth in the nation and first in C-USA, and his 185 all-purpose yards a game ranks third in the nation and first in C-USA.
Quarterback Micky D?Angelo has performed well, leading the Southern Miss offense. After three games this season, his numbers are 44-for-74 passes for 612 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The interception came after D?Angelo completed 79 straight in his career without an interception.
LeRoy Handy is the Eagles? top receiver. He leads the squad with 17 catches for 227 yards. Sophomore receiver Marvin Young has had a touchdown catch in every game this season.
Rod Davis leads a solid defensive squad that is giving up an average of 13.7 points this season. The redshirt junior leads the team in tackles with 35. He is first in tackles for loss with 8.5 and in sacks with five. Davis is also the sack and tackles for loss leader in Conference USA.
Etric Pruitt leads the team in interceptions with two and is tied for the lead in pass breakups with three.
Alabama is coming off a 33-7 win over North Texas. Two weeks ago, the Tide scared No. 2-ranked Oklahoma with a potential upset before losing 37-27. They held the former national champions to minus 23 rushing yards for the game.
The running game is Alabama?s specialty, averaging 208 yards a game this season and featuring six rushers who average 22 or more yards a game. Ahmaad Galloway is the Tide?s top rusher with 168 yards on 44 carries and three touchdowns.
Tyler Watts has been a key facet in Alabama?s option offense. The senior quarterback averages 50.7 rushing yards a game, while completing 44-of-69 passes for 582 yards. He has thrown two touchdowns and two interceptions this year.
Triandos Luke and Sam Collins are the Tides? top receivers. Luke claims 12 catches for 122 yards, and Collins has made 10 grabs for 167 yards and one touchdown.
Defense will be a focal point in this match-up as the Tide has limited its opponents to an average of 70 rushing yards a game this season. Brooks Daniels leads the squad with 25 total tackles, and Freddie Roach claims the only interception recorded by the Alabama defense.
The game against Alabama begins a three-game road swing for Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles travel to West Point, N.Y., for a Conference USA game against Army on Saturday, Sept. 21, at noon, CT. The game is not slated to be televised.
