University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Hosts Nationally-Ranked Nebraska In National TV Game
9/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Files associated with this release:
Nebraska Game Notes
Southern Miss Hosts Nationally-Ranked Nebraska In National TV Game
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss Golden Eagles are set to face the toughest competition of the still young season, when they host nationally-ranked Nebraska, Thursday, at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
The game, which will be nationally televised on ESPN, pits the homestanding Golden Eagles (2-1, 2-0 in Conference USA) against the undefeated Huskers (3-0, 1-0 in Big 12), ranked No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 15 in the Associated Press Poll.
Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m.
This will be just the second all-time meeting between the two programs, who last faced off in Lincoln, Neb., in 1999. In that contest, the Huskers defeated a feisty Golden Eagle team, 20-13.
With the national ranking, Nebraska becomes just the sixth ranked foe to visit Hattiesburg. The team also is the highest-ranked team to play at "The Rock" in the Jeff Bower era, and the second-highest ranked team in school history.
After dropping the season opener at California, Southern Miss has bounced back in a big way with two league wins. The team had perhaps its best performance of the season in the last game, a 23-6 win over then-undefeated Memphis. Offensively, the Golden Eagles have compiled 898 yards of total offense, an average of 299.3 yards per game.
But Southern Miss will enter the game without starting quarterback Micky D'Angelo, who suffered a concussion in the first half of the Memphis game. D'Angelo underwent an MRI last week and team doctors determined that he would be sidelined from competition for at least a month.
Redshirt-sophomore Dustin Almond now will get the nod and will make just his fourth career start. This season, Almond has thrown for 93 yards on 7-of-22 passing. Another backup will make his first start of the season as Tim Blackwell is slotted at tailback. Blackwell, who leads the team in rushing with 215 yards on 40 carries, including a season-high 96 yards against Memphis. Receiver DaRon Lawrence leads the team with 106 yards on 11 receptions this season.
The Golden Eagle offense, however, face the nation's No. 1 defense in the Huskers. Nebraska has allowed opponents just 190 yards rushing through three games, while also limiting foes to 144.7 yards passing per game. Barrett Rudd, Demmorio Williams and Fabian Washington pace the Nebraska defense, which returns eight starters from a year ago. Rudd has a team-high 25 tackles this season, while Williams and Washington both have 22 total tackles.
On offense, it is no surprise what the Huskers like to do. Run, run and run. In the first three games, Nebraska has stuck to its plan of gaining yards the old-fashioned way. The team has compiled 878 yards on the ground, including 337 yards rushing against the Nittany Lions. The ground game also has helped the Huskers control the clock, averaging nearly 17 minutes more in time of possession than their opponents. I-back Josh Davis leads the team in rushing yards with 337 on 66 carries. Quarterback Jammal Lord follows with 262 yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries.
But while Nebraska boasts a tough defense, the Golden Eagles' have a hard-nosed defense as well. After the disappointing California game, Southern Miss has given opponents fits, allowing just one touchdown in the last two games. Preseason consensus All-American Rod Davis and Michael Boley continue to lead the Eagles with 34 tackles apiece, with Davis leading all players with 25 solo stops. Defensive back Etric Pruitt follows both players with 27 tackles.
The game, which kicks off the college football weekend, will be televised nationally by ESPN2, with Mike Tirico handling play-by-play, while Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit provide color analysis. Dr. Jerry Punch will be the sideline reporter.
The Southern Miss ISP Sports Network also will broadcast the game live, with John Cox handling play-by-play duties and former Eagle quarterback Vic Purvis on color, and Lance Pittman on the sideline. Broadcast for the contest begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
