University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Football Continues Road Stretch At Marshall
11/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 4, 2005
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss football team plays the third game of a four game road stretch Tuesday, facing Marshall in a 6:30 p.m., nationally televised contest on ESPN2.
It will be the first meeting between the two schools, as Marshall is one of six schools to join Conference USA this season.
Southern Miss enters Tuesday's game with a 4-3 overall record, 3-1 mark in Conference USA. The Golden Eagles saw their two-game winning streak snapped on Oct. 29, falling 21-17, in a non-conference game at N.C. State.
On the season, Southern Miss has scored 225 points, averaging 32.1 points per contest, ranking No. 2 in Conference USA and No. 29 nationally in scoring offense. The Golden Eagle offense has amassed 2,338 yards of total offense (1,607 passing, 731 rushing), averaging 334 yards of total offense per game (229.6 passing, 104.4 rushing).
Senior quarterback Dustin Almond has completed120-of-220 passes for 1,529 yards and 15 touchdowns, against eight interceptions. His 15 touchdown passes are a career-high and he is currently tied for the fourth best single-season performance in school history, matching Jeff Kelly in 2000 and 2001, Heath Graham in 1995 and Brett Favre in 1987.
He has a passing efficiency rating of 128.15, and averages 218.4 passing yards per game, ranking No. 7 in Conference USA in passing yards per game. He also ranks No. 7 in Conference USA and No. 60 nationally in passing efficiency (128.15).
Almond tied a school record against UCF with five touchdown passes, matching Lee Roberts' performance against Louisiana-Lafayette. Almond also set the school record for points responsible for in that game with 36.
Redshirt sophomore Larry Thomas leads the team with 466 rushing yards on 119 carries. He has three touchdowns, averages 3.9 yards per carry and 66.6 yards per game. Redshirt sophomore Cody Hull has 48 carries for 236 yards, averaging a team-high 4.9 yards per carry.
Redshirt senior Antwon Courington leads the team with 24 catches for 329 yards, but will miss the remainder of the season, after tearing his ACL and meniscus against UCF. Redshirt freshman Shawn Nelson has 16 catches for 241 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 15.1 yards per catch and 34.4 yards per game. Junior Anthony Perine has 15 catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Josh Barnes has 13 catches for 159 yards. Barnes has scored three touchdowns in the past two games, two against UAB (34-yard reverse run, 14-yard reception), before catching a 16-yard touchdown pass against N.C. State. Junior Damion Carter has nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
Redshirt junior Jasper Faulk has 14 returns for 115 yards, averaging 8.2 yards per return, ranking No. 6 in Conference USA and No. 59 nationally. Redshirt senior John Eubanks has 18 kickoff returns for 429 yards, averaging 23.8 yards per return, ranking No. 5 in Conference USA and No. 47 nationally. Eubanks broke Darryl Tillman's school record in kickoff returns (71) against UCF, and has 78 returns for his career.
Redshirt senior punter Luke Johnson has 32 punts for 1,410 yards, averaging 44.1 yards per punt, ranking No. 2 in Conference USA and No. 12 nationally. He helps the Golden Eagle punting unit rank No. 2 in Conference USA and No. 7 nationally in net punting (39.38). Johnson punted a career-high 11 times for 474 yards against N.C. State, tying for the second most punts in a game with Eric Estes (Alabama, 1992) and Scott Bryant (Auburn, 1988).
Junior kicker Darren McCaleb broke Steve Clark's points scored by a kicker record of 215 against N.C. State, with two extra points and a field goal. He also set the school record in made field goals, breaking Clark's total of 41 against UAB. McCaleb has made 14-of-16 field goals and 25-of-25 extra point attempts on the season. He currently ranks No. 1 in Conference USA and No. 3 nationally in field goals per game (2.0), No. 2 in Conference USA and No. 19 nationally in scoring (10.29), No. 1 in Conference USA in points by a kicker (9.6), No. 1 in Conference USA in field goal percentage (87.5).
Defensively, the Golden Eagles rank No. 1 in Conference USA and No. 3 nationally in turnover margin (1.57).The unit has forced 23 turnovers on the season, which ties for No. 3 in the nation. The offense has turned the turnovers into 104 points (90 of turnovers, 14 off downs).
On the year, the defense has 487 total tackles (309 solos, 178 assists), 42 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, 10 interceptions, nine forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries.
Redshirt senior Kevis Coley leads the team with 81 total tackles, 45 solos, 36 assists, ranking second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He finished with a career-high 19 total tackles against N.C. State. His twin brother Trevis ranks second on the team with 52 total tackles (35 solos, 17 assists), while sophomore Brandon Sumrall is third on the team with 51 total tackles (37 solos, 14 assists). Senior Tom Johnson leads the team with eight tackles for loss and five sacks, ranking No. 5 in Conference USA in sacks while tying for No. 6 in tackles for loss. Trevis Coley, Sumrall, Eubanks and Faulk each have two interceptions on the year.
Marshall enters Tuesday's game with a 4-4 overall record, 3-2 mark in Conference USA. The Thundering Herd were down 26-14 to Tulane in their last game, but out-scored the Green Wave 13-0 in the fourth quarter to take a 27-26 victory.
On the year, Marshall has scored 148 points, averaging 18.5 per game. The offense has amassed 2,702 yards of total offense (1,750 passing, 1,113 rushing), averaging 337.8 yards of total offense per game (218.8 passing, 119 rushing).
Quarterback Bernie Morris has a team-high 1,050 yards, and has completed 107-of-197 passes on the year, tossing five touchdowns against five interceptions. Jimmy Skinner has completed 66-of-116 passes for 700 yards, throwing three touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Ahmad Bradshaw has a team-best 571 rushing yards on 129 attempts, with six touchdowns. He averages 4.4 yards per carry and 71.4 yards per game. Morris also has four rushing touchdowns, with 66 carries for 222 yards.
Bradshaw leads the team with a team-high 42 receptions, and has 293 yards and one touchdown on the season. Hiram Moore has a team-high 445 receiving yards on 36 receptions with two touchdowns. Marcus Fitzgerald also has two touchdowns on 34 receptions for 385 yards.
Chubb Small has 14 punt returns for 54 yards, with 15 kickoff returns for 403 yards, averaging 26.9 yards per return.
Marty Biagi has 47 punts for 1,777 yards, averaging 37.8 yards per punt, while Ian O'Connor has made 5-of-11 field goals on the season.
Defensively, Marshall ranks No. 2 in Conference USA and No. 31 nationally in total defense (332.0). The unit has 593 total tackles (275 solos, 318 assists), 45 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, seven interceptions, 11 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries.
Dennis Thornton leads the team with 80 total tackles (32 solos, 48 assists), seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Curtis Keyes (33 solos, 33 assists) and Matt Couch (28 solos, 38 assists) rank second on the team with 66 total tackles. Chris Royal and Willie Smith each have two interceptions on the season.
Following the Marshall game, Southern Miss returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 12, in a 4 p.m., contest.
