University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss at North Texas: Postgame Notes
11/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
SOUTHERN MISS FOOTBALL
at North Texas NOTES
November 19, 2016
Southern Miss Captains: : 19 - Curtis Mikell (special teams); 25 - Ito Smith (offense); 94 - Dylan Bradley (defense)
Coin Flip: Southern Miss won the toss and deferred to the second half. They defended the north goal.
Team Notes:
• The Golden Eagles dropped third game in a row.
• The team had a two-game overall winning streak as well as a two-game streak of games won in Denton.
• Southern Miss, though, still leads the overall series 6-5.
Offensive Notes:
• Freshman Keon Howard started his second game of his career, finishing the day with 40 yards on 12, while he added 135 passing yards on 10-of-26.
• Ito Smith recorded a 1-yard scoring run late in the first half to register his 16th-straight game with at least one touchdown.
• Ito Smith moved into No. 5 all-time at Southern Miss for all-purpose yards with 4,007. He surpassed Derrick Nix (1998-00, 02), who tallied 4,005.
• Smith finished the game with two rushing scores and now has 15 this season, moving into third by himself ahead Jalen Richard (2015), Damion Fletcher (2007) and Sam Dejarnette (1982) who each had 14 in their respective seasons.
• Smith also registered his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season with 113 yards and the 14th of his career. He now has 1,194 for the season â€" which ties his for Derrick Nix (2002) for sixth-most rushing yards at the school for a season. He also holds 2,858 career rushing yards which is sixth all-time at Southern Miss.
• Allenzae Staggers completed the first pass of his career, a 47-yard throw, which set up the Golden Eagles' first touchdown of the contest.
• George Payne scored on 16-yard rush over the left side in the third quarter, garnering his first touchdown since the Savannah State game.
Defensive Notes:
• Devonta Foster collected his third interception of his career and second of the season on the first drive of the game, giving the Golden Eagles their first forced turnover since the Oct 15 game at LSU.
• Xavier Thigpen forced his second fumble of the season and also of his career midway through the third quarter and Paxton Schrimsher tallied his first fumble recovery.
• Schrimsher also registered his first career tackle for loss for six yards early in the fourth quarter.
Special Team Notes:
• The Golden Eagles missed just their second field goal of the season, when Stephen Brauchle missed a 43-yard attempt during the team's first drive of the contest. Brauchle gave the Golden Eagles their only lead of the game with 9:39 remaining with his first field goal of the season from 25 yards out.
• George Payne returned his first-ever kickoff for 27 yards in the first quarter.
• Southern Miss missed its first extra-point attempt of the season in the third quarter after hitting the first 42 of the season.
• Deep snapper Cody Block registered his first fumble recovery on the season when he fielded a fumbled punt in the fourth quarter. D'Nerius Antoine forced his fifth fumble of his career and first of the season.
