University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
The Greatest Games in the Series – UTSA
8/16/2018 3:37:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Who says a game has to be played a long time ago to be considered the greatest in a series.
One only has to look back a year ago to feature the best game of the UTSA series. In that game, the Golden Eagles held on for a 31-29 victory over the Roadrunners at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
This summer, Southern Miss athletics has been looking back at the greatest games in each of the playing series of all 12 opponents from its 2018 football schedule, giving Golden Eagle fans a weekly look of what we consider to be the greatest game in history between the two respective programs.
We will post these games on social media as well, and ask fans to agree or disagree with our selections as well as share their favorite memory from these games.
This week, the focus is on UTSA, who the Golden Eagles are set to play at The Rock, Saturday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m., in the school's annual homecoming contest.
In last year's game, the Golden Eagles pull off an old-fashioned flea-flicker for one of three touchdowns they scored in a span of 3 minutes, 27 seconds in the late third quarter/early fourth quarter as they rolled up 458 yards total offense.
Running back Ito Smith capped off the game-changing, three-touchdown scoring binge with the longest touchdown run in the football program's history. Smith burst up the middle and outraced the Roadrunners for an 89-yard score to cap a 21-point rally that erased a 13-7 UTSA halftime lead and left the Golden Eagles up 28-13.
UTSA rallied on Jared Sackett's third field goal of the game and a pair of touchdown passes from Dalton Sturm to Marquez McNair, the second on coming with just 48 seconds to play.
But Sturm's potential, game-tying two-point conversion pass was incomplete as Cornell Armstrong made a nice defensive play.
UTSA's on-side kick attempt went out of bounds and USM just needed a couple snaps to run out the clock.
After an end zone interception and 61-yard return by Curtis Mikell, Keon Howard capped a 39-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Korey Robertson that lifted Southern Miss into a 14-13 lead.
Southern Miss forced a three-and-out, and got the ball back at the UTSA 48. On the first play, the Golden Eagles pulled off a flea flicker, with Howard finding Quez Watkins for a 48-yard touchdown and a 21-13 lead.
Southern Miss forced another UTSA punt, and got the ball back at its own 11-yard line. On first down, Smith found a big hole up the middle and simply outran defenders for an 89-yard touchdown run and a 28-13 lead.
After being limited to 38 yards in the first half, Smith finished with 178 yards on 17 carries, averaging 10.8 yards a carry.
Sturm got the Roadrunners back within 28-20 on a 28-yard pass to McNair.
Howard was then stripped from behind and UTSA recovered at Southern Miss' 32-yard line. But the Golden Eagles forced the Roadrunners to settle for a 44-yard field goal by Sackett that cut the lead to 28-23 with 7:33 left to play.
But Southern Miss went 69 yards on 12 plays, taking 5:37 off the clock, as Parker Shaunfield pushed the lead back to eight points with a 24-yard field goal with just 1:56 to play.
After a 46-yard kickoff return, Sturm sped UTSA 53 yards, capping the drive with a 24-yard pass to McNair with 48 seconds to play and getting the Roadrunners within a two-point conversion to tie the game.
But Sturm's pass on the conversion was low, falling incomplete.
One only has to look back a year ago to feature the best game of the UTSA series. In that game, the Golden Eagles held on for a 31-29 victory over the Roadrunners at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
This summer, Southern Miss athletics has been looking back at the greatest games in each of the playing series of all 12 opponents from its 2018 football schedule, giving Golden Eagle fans a weekly look of what we consider to be the greatest game in history between the two respective programs.
We will post these games on social media as well, and ask fans to agree or disagree with our selections as well as share their favorite memory from these games.
This week, the focus is on UTSA, who the Golden Eagles are set to play at The Rock, Saturday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m., in the school's annual homecoming contest.
In last year's game, the Golden Eagles pull off an old-fashioned flea-flicker for one of three touchdowns they scored in a span of 3 minutes, 27 seconds in the late third quarter/early fourth quarter as they rolled up 458 yards total offense.
Running back Ito Smith capped off the game-changing, three-touchdown scoring binge with the longest touchdown run in the football program's history. Smith burst up the middle and outraced the Roadrunners for an 89-yard score to cap a 21-point rally that erased a 13-7 UTSA halftime lead and left the Golden Eagles up 28-13.
UTSA rallied on Jared Sackett's third field goal of the game and a pair of touchdown passes from Dalton Sturm to Marquez McNair, the second on coming with just 48 seconds to play.
But Sturm's potential, game-tying two-point conversion pass was incomplete as Cornell Armstrong made a nice defensive play.
UTSA's on-side kick attempt went out of bounds and USM just needed a couple snaps to run out the clock.
After an end zone interception and 61-yard return by Curtis Mikell, Keon Howard capped a 39-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Korey Robertson that lifted Southern Miss into a 14-13 lead.
Southern Miss forced a three-and-out, and got the ball back at the UTSA 48. On the first play, the Golden Eagles pulled off a flea flicker, with Howard finding Quez Watkins for a 48-yard touchdown and a 21-13 lead.
Southern Miss forced another UTSA punt, and got the ball back at its own 11-yard line. On first down, Smith found a big hole up the middle and simply outran defenders for an 89-yard touchdown run and a 28-13 lead.
After being limited to 38 yards in the first half, Smith finished with 178 yards on 17 carries, averaging 10.8 yards a carry.
Sturm got the Roadrunners back within 28-20 on a 28-yard pass to McNair.
Howard was then stripped from behind and UTSA recovered at Southern Miss' 32-yard line. But the Golden Eagles forced the Roadrunners to settle for a 44-yard field goal by Sackett that cut the lead to 28-23 with 7:33 left to play.
But Southern Miss went 69 yards on 12 plays, taking 5:37 off the clock, as Parker Shaunfield pushed the lead back to eight points with a 24-yard field goal with just 1:56 to play.
After a 46-yard kickoff return, Sturm sped UTSA 53 yards, capping the drive with a 24-yard pass to McNair with 48 seconds to play and getting the Roadrunners within a two-point conversion to tie the game.
But Sturm's pass on the conversion was low, falling incomplete.
Players Mentioned
2026 National Signing Day Press Conference with Blake Anderson
Wednesday, February 04
Southern Miss 2026 National Signing Day
Wednesday, February 04
Christian Ostrander Preseason Press Conference
Monday, January 19
Blake Anderson Introductory Press Conference
Monday, December 15