Southern Miss
Rice
Golden Eagle Comeback Falls Short
10/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 3, 2007
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) -- Southern Miss battled back from 24 points down Wednesday night in Conferenece USA play against Rice, but could not complete the comeback. The Golden Eagles fell 31-29.
It was the first win at Rice for new coach David Bailiff and the seventh straight conference win for the Owls, who won six consecutive league games to finish the regular season last year.
Southern Miss (2-3, 1-1), the preseason favorite to win the conference, had its second straight lackluster performance in a televised midweek game after losing 38-16 last week at Boise State.
Both teams entered their first meeting with significant injuries. Rice was missing five starters, including both defensive ends. Southern Miss was down to its third-string quarterback, Martevious Young, after regular starter Jeremy Young, no relation, sprained his ankle last week against Boise State.
Martevious Young appeared to sprain his ankle on the third play of the game and Reaves, who was not expected to play after straining an oblique muscle in his abdomen over the weekend, played the rest of the game.
Reaves finished with a record-tying four interceptions and two fumbles. Damion Fletcher led Southern Miss with 142 yards rushing and two touchdowns, but his third-quarter fumble set up the decisive field goal.
Defensive end Will Shoppa intercepted a Reaves pass to give the Owls first-and-goal at the Golden Eagles' 10 late in the first quarter. Three plays later Chase Clement hit Dillard with an 8-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead.
Southern Miss answered 35 seconds into the second quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run by Damion Fletcher on the next series. Rice took a 14-7 lead three plays later on a 54-yard run by backup tailback Justin Hill, who rushed for 100 yards filling in for starter C.J. Ugokwe.
Linebacker Brian Raines helped put the Owls up 21-7 when he sacked Reaves, forced a fumble and recovered it at the Golden Eagles' 12. Backup quarterback James Casey then ran the ball three straight times and scored from 2 yards out.
Rice extended its lead to 28-7 early in the third quarter off another Southern Miss turnover. Fletcher fumbled at the 26 and Clement found Dillard for a 7-yard touchdown pass three plays later.
Marcus Raines scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to make it 31-15 with 10:17 left in the game and Fletcher scored on a 15-yard run to make it 31-23 with 4:31 left. The Golden Eagles recovered the onside kick and Reaves hit Shaun Nelson with an 8-yard touchdown to bring Southern Miss within two.
But after stopping the 2-point conversion Jonathan Cary recovered Reaves fumble to end the threat.
