University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Postgame Notes Vs. USF -- Oct. 25, 2003
10/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Southern Miss Postgame Notes Vs. USF -- Oct. 25, 2003
** Southern Miss lost the coin toss for today's game, for the sixth time in seven games. The Eagles won the coin toss at Cincinnati, marking the only time Southern Miss has won the toss.
** With today's 27-6 win over USF, Southern Miss leads the three-game series 2-1. The Golden Eagles have won both games in Hattiesburg, including the first one 41-7 in 2000. Last season, the Bulls won 16-13 in Tampa, Fla.
** The Golden Eagle offense gained a season-high 337 yards total today, including 155 yards on the ground and 182 in the air. The rushing total is the second-highest mark of the year, behind only to a 205-yard performance against Memphis (9/13). Marvin Young's 104 yards receiving is the highest against USF in the three-game series.
** On the first play from scrimmage, quarterback Dustin Almond connected with Marvin Young on an 80-yard scoring pass that spanned just four seconds. The pass was the longest of the season for the Golden Eagles and the longest since Jeff Kelly connected with Chris Johnson for 73 yards on a play against Louisville (10/16/01) in 2001. The 80-yard scoring pass is tied for fourth-longest in school history.
** Redshirt-sophomore Dustin Almond earned his second start of the season today, finishing with 175 yards on 10-of-22 passing for two touchdowns and one interception. Almond's last start came in the second home game of the season, against Nebraska (9/25). Almond's two touchdown passes is a season-high for a Southern Miss quarterback. It also was the first two-touchdown passing game for a Golden Eagle quarterback since Micky D'Angelo threw for two scores against Louisville (11/14/02) last season. Almond also finished with 30 yards rushing on 134 carries in the game. Freshman Damion Carter, who had started the previous two games, also played today, throwing for seven yards on 1-of-2 passing.
** Running back Anthony Harris finished with a game-high 102 yards rushing on 16 attempts and had one touchdown. The rushing total is a season-high for a Golden Eagle back, surpassing Tim Blackwell's 96 yards rushing against Memphis (9/13). It also was the first 100-yard game for a Southern Miss runner since Derrick Nix had 139 yards against East Carolina (11/30) in 2002. The total also is Harris second-best career performance, second only to his 121 yards against Memphis (9/14) last season.
** Wide receiver Marvin Young led Southern Miss with 104 yards on five catches and grabbed two touchdowns. It was the first 100-plus yard receiving game for a Southern Miss individual this season and also the first two-touchdown game for a receiver this year. The last time a Golden Eagle receiver caught for more than 100 yards came on Chris Johnson's 141-yard outing against Louisville (11/14/02) last season. It was the first two-touchdown game of Young's career.
** Punter Luke Johnson finished with nine punts for 409 yards, an average of 45.4 yards per punt. He had a long punt of 76 yards - the longest of his career. The 76-yarder is the second-longest in Southern Miss history, behind Ray Guy's 93-yarder in 1972.
** Linebacker Rod Davis finished with five total tackles in the game, including two solo stops. The solo stops improved his school record total for 306 unassisted tackles in his career. The five combined tackles gives him 444 for his career, second only to Clump Taylor's record of 510.
** Saturday's game was celebrated as Lettermen's Day and Derrick Nix day. Nix, the school's second leading rusher of all-time, was chosen as the fifth member of the Southern Miss Football Legend's Club, joining the likes of Ray Guy, Reggie Collier, Sammy Winder and Brett Favre. Like the rest of the Legends, Nix was honored with a framed jersey and a banner with his number on M.M. Roberts Stadium's second level. Nix finished with 3,584 yards rushing in his career, 12 yards shy of the school record and 53 yards short of the Conference USA record. His 30 career rushing touchdowns is tied for third in school history.
