University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Hosts Memphis In Annual 'Black And Blue' Battle
9/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Memphis Game Notes
Southern Miss Hosts Memphis In Annual 'Black And Blue' Battle
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - When Southern Miss and Head Coach Jeff Bower open their home schedule on Saturday, a very familiar foe will be on hand.
The Golden Eagles (1-1, 1-0 in Conference USA) host Memphis (2-0) in the 54th meeting between the two schools, Saturday, at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Kickoff for the game is set for 6 p.m.
The series is the longest-running one for the Golden Eagles and has become known as the "Black and Blue Bowl." Southern Miss leads the all-time series 35-17-1, including a 9-3 record under Bower.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 17-12 win over C-USA opponent UAB last Thursday. The Tigers enter the game after an impressive 44-34, come-from-behind win over Ole Miss. It is the league opener for the visitors.
Southern Miss quarterback Micky D'Angelo heads a Golden Eagle offense that improved considerably from the season-opening loss at California. Against UAB, D'Angelo threw for 197 yards and one touchdown -- a 28-yard strike to Terrell Browden. Running back Tim Blackwell had a game-high 88 yards and one touchdown last week, while James Walley tallied 28 yards on 19 carries. Receivers Marvin Young, Antwon Courington and DaRon Lawrence all lead the team with eight catches each. Young has a team-high 148 yards receiving. For the season, Southern Miss is averaging nearly 300 yards of offense per game.
The Memphis defense has been stout over the first two games of the year, limiting opponents to 364.5 yards per game. Opposing offenses have averaged 22 points per game. Free safety Wesley Smith and linebacker Coot Terry pace the Memphis defense, with 17 and 16 tackles, respectively. Terry leads the team with 12 solos on the year.
The Tigers also bring a potent offense to Hattiesburg, one that is ranked No. 4 in the nation in total offense and third in passing offense. Junior quarterback Danny Wimprine, who holds a number of career records for Memphis, has thrown for 621 yards and five touchdowns this season, hooking up with a number of receivers including Tavarious Davis and Darron White. Running back DeAngelo Williams leads the team with 204 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, while also grabbing eight receptions for 166 yards and three scores.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles continue to be led by their two preseason All-Americans, Rod Davis and Etric Pruitt. Davis leads all players with 24 tackles, including 16 solos, and Pruitt has 20 total tackles. Michael Boley follows with 18 tackles, while Ronald Jones tallies 14 tackles. The Eagles have given up just under 400 yards of offense per game.
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.
