University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss vs. Memphis Game Notes, Sept. 13, 2003
9/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Southern Miss vs. Memphis Game Notes, Sept. 13, 2003
* With Southern Miss' 23-6 win over Memphis, the Golden Eagles now lead the overall series 36-17-1, while also winning the second in a row over the Tigers. Overall, Southern Miss is 18-2 in series games played in Hattiesburg, last losing to the Tigers in 1984.
* Running back Tim Blackwell finished with 96 yards with one touchdown on 15 carries in the game. The total was a season-high in both rushing yards and touchdowns for Blackwell. He fell one yard short of his career high of 97 yards, which he set against UAB Sept.29, 2001.
* Junior receiver Marvin Young's 87-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter is now the third-longest punt return for a touchdown in school history. He also had 124 total yards in punt returns in the game, good for third-best in that list. The punt return for a touchdown also was the first for a Southern Miss player since Eddie Shaw returned one 54 yards for a score against East Carolina on Oct. 24, 1998.
* Luke Johnson booted eight punts in the game for a 41.2-yard average with a long of 56 yards, nailing four of them inside the 20-yard line. Entering the game, Johnson was 17th nation in punting average (44.1 ypg). He now has nine punts inside the 20 in three games.
* Senior defensive back Greg Brooks wound up with two interceptions in the game, notching the first picks for the Golden Eagles this season. Brooks' two interceptions was the first for a Southern Miss player since Etric Pruitt tallied three against Army last season.
* The Southern Miss defense allowed just two field goals for the high-powered Memphis offense -- that was averaging 42 points a game going into the contest. It was the first time since Sept. 28, 2002, that the USM denied an opponent from reaching the end zone.
