University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagles Drop Season Opener at California, 34-2
8/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Final Statistics - Cal
Golden Eagles Drop Season Opener at California, 34-2
BERKELEY, Calif. -- It was the first-ever football meeting between Southern Miss and California on Saturday, but it wasn't the debut that the Golden Eagles wanted.
The Golden Bears (1-1) scored 34 unanswered points in the final three quarters to hand Southern Miss (0-1) a 34-2 loss at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
Cal running back Adimchinobe Echemandu rushed for a career-high 127 yards and quarterback Reggie Robertson passed for two touchdowns and 142 yards in the win.
Golden Eagle starter Micky D'Angelo threw for 163 yards on 16-of-26 passing and had one interception.
The point total was Southern Miss' lowest in a game since being shutout by Tennessee in 1995.
The Golden Eagles, facing a Pac-10 opponent for the first time, got on the board early after the USM special teams scored a safety on a fumbled snap in Cal's first punt of the game.
But that would be the only lead Southern Miss would have as Cal took advantage of its opportunities with four scores in the second quarter.
Tyler Fredrickson connected on a 26-yard field goal with 13:49 remaining in the first half to give the Golden Bears the lead. Cal then added its first touchdown of the game as Andy Briner returned a blocked Luke Johnson punt for the score. Fredrickson added another field goal -- an 18-yarder -- and Robertson connected with Brandon Hall on a 4-yard touchdown combination before the break.
The steady scoring continued for Cal over the next two quarters with a touchdown in each period. Garrett Cross grabbed a 30-yard touchdown pass from Robertson in the third quarter, and Echemandu rumbled 60 yards for a touchdown in the early stages of the fourth.
In all, Cal stung the Southern Miss defense for 411 yards of total offense, including 260 yards on the ground.
The Golden Eagles, however, could muster only 277 yards of offense in the game, gaining just 67 of them by rush.
Marvin Young led all Golden Eagle receivers with 90 yards on six catches, while Antwon Courington grabbed a team-high seven receptions for 71 yards. James Walley gained 40 yards on 15 carries, and Tim Blackwell had five rushes for 31 yards. Backup quarterback Dustin Almond threw for 49 yards on 4-of-9 passing.
For Cal, running back J.J. Arrington finished with a 114 yards. Geoff McArthur caught five passes for a game-high 92 yards.
Southern Miss gets back to action in just five days, however, when it takes on UAB in Birmingham, Ala., on Thursday. Kickoff for the game is set for 6 p.m.
