Football edges Louisiana Tech on Senior Day, 21-20

Saturday, November 17

Hattiesburg, Miss.

2:30 PM

Southern Miss

5-5 , 4-3

Louisiana Tech

7-4 , 5-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Louisiana Tech

Southern Miss

Photo by: Joe Harper

Football edges Louisiana Tech on Senior Day, 21-20

11/17/2018 10:31:00 PM | Football

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)Notes Quotes

HATTIESBURG _ Southern Miss got a pair of rushing touchdowns by the same player in the same game for the first time this season as the Golden Eagles arguably saved its best for last Saturday afternoon at M.M. Roberts Stadium.

Running back Steven Anderson scored his second touchdown of the game with 6:02 left in the game and Southern Miss ran off the final 3:54 of the game to preserve a 21-20 victory over Louisiana Tech.

Southern Miss (5-5, 4-3 Conference USA) defeated the Bulldogs (7-4, 5-2) for the fourth consecutive year.

"Our kids, they just kept clawing and scratching" Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson said. "We gave ourselves an opportunity to win in the fourth quarter, and we did.

"These kind of games are fun to win but tough to lose."

The Golden Eagles managed just 168 yards through three quarters, but gained 112 yards in the fourth.

Southern Miss held the ball for 11:32 of the game's final 15 minutes, as Tech's offense saw just 10 snaps in the fourth quarter.

For the game, Southern Miss limited Tech to 311 yards total offense, and on their final three trips into the red zone, the Bulldogs missed a field goal and came away with just six points on a pair of field goals.

"We tightened some things up in the second half because our coverage was a little loose," Hopson said. "We locked down and have two talented corners that can run with anyone. I certainly thought we played better in the second half."

Sophomore Jack Abraham returned after a two-game absence, and posted his second game in which he completed at least 80 percent of passes. Abraham completed 19-of-23 passes (82.6 percent) for 151 yards and a touchdown against the team he signed with coming out of Oxford High School.

"It was fun, for sure," Abraham said. "I was playing against guys I used to practice against.

"But going into the fourth quarter, we started feeling confident that we would come out with the win."

Abraham and his replacement the past two weeks, freshman Tate Whatley, were both in the starting lineup Saturday, with one at quarterback while the other split out wide in the formation.

Three plays into the game, the duo began swapping intermittent snaps, a practice that would continue throughout the game.

"I'm all for it," Abraham said. "(Whatley's) done a good job these few weeks, and can get some good QB runs and nice throws.

"I'm proud of him and our team."

It paid off on the first drive, with the Golden Eagles going 74 yards for a 7-0 lead on Anderson capped with a 1-yard run.

Tech answered immediately, driving 75 yards and tying the score on a 5-yard touchdown pass from J'Mar Smith to Adrian Hardy.

Southern Miss regained the lead early in the second quarter 14-7, when Abraham withstood a fierce rush and junior Neil McLaurin absorbed a vicious hit but stayed on his feet to complete the 49-yard scoring play.

But running back Kam McKnight scored on a 6-yard run to tie the game and place-kicker Bailey Hale knocked through a 24-yard field goal as Tech closed the first half with a 17-14 lead.

Hale missed a 29-yard field in the third quarter before hitting a 23-yarder early in the fourth for a 20-7 Tech lead.

Southern Miss' offense perked up soon after, moving 85 yards on 14 plays. Anderson went straight up the middle to tie the game and Briggs Bourgeois followed with a game-winning extra point.

Abraham and Whatley combined to complete 6-of-7 passes on the drive for 63 yards, and the Golden Eagles converted twice on third-and-4 and once on fourth-and-1.

After Tech managed one first down, the Golden Eagles forced a punt. Taking over at its own 14 with 3:54 to play, Southern Miss ran the ball on eight of nine snaps. Anderson, who became the first Golden Eagle to run for multiple touchdowns in a game this season, carried six times for 17 yards on the final drive.

Southern Miss will wrap up the regular season with a road trip to the UTEP at 2 p.m. Saturday. A victory would allow the Golden Eagles to become bowl eligible.