University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Top 11 Highlights of the 2011 Football Season
1/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 30, 2012
The 2011 Southern Miss football season was a season for the record books including the most wins in school history, a Conference USA championship, and ending with a Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl victory.
SouthernMiss.com will be showcasing the top 11 highlights of the 2011 football season over the next four weeks with the #1 highlight being released on Wednesday, February 1st, national signing day. It had been eight seasons since the Southern Miss football team captured a Conference USA title.
The Golden Eagles won the league crown the first two seasons of C-USA play during the 1996 and 1997 campaigns. They added their third title in 1999 before getting a fourth in 2003.
The 2011 Southern Miss squad secured the school's fifth and the team's first title since the league went to a championship game during the 2005 campaign. Of the 16 champions crowned, Southern Miss is the only school to hold five titles. Former league foe, Louisville, ranked next with three.
This year's team did not start league play well by stumbling in the conference opener losing 26-20 at Marshall, turning the ball over six times in the contest.
The Golden Eagles then reeled off five consecutive league wins by an average of 18.2 points per contest with the only close call coming at home in a one-point triumph over UCF.
A stumble at UAB in late November held up the Golden Eagles division crown celebration, but the squad was able to clinch its second East Division title and first since 2006, with a 44-7 win over Memphis at home to conclude the regular season.
Still, it was Houston - the West Division winner - awaiting the Black and Gold. The Case Keenum-led Cougars posted a 12-0 regular season and needed a win to secure a berth in a Bowl Championship Series game.
Not many folks gave the Golden Eagles a chance in front of a hostile crowd and a national television audience as well as against a Top 10 ranked opponent. It had been since 2003 when Southern Miss had last beaten a team ranked in the Top 10, with a 40-28 victory over No. 9 TCU at home.
After USM jumped out to an early 14-0 advantage, UH came right back to tie the game with a pair of score. The game remained that way until Austin Davis hit sophomore Dominique Sullivan streaking down the middle of the field which turned into a 69-yard scoring pass and the visitors did not trail for the remainder of the day.
The Golden Eagles led by as many as four touchdowns down the stretch before giving up a late score with three seconds remaining in the contest.
It was a dominating performance for a team that was not given a chance in the game and helped the Golden Eagles add to its rich football history.
