University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Returns Home to Face ULM Saturday at The Rock
9/7/2018 3:40:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss aims to start the football season 2-0 for only the third time since 2009 when they entertain ULM, Saturday, at 6 p.m., at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
The game can be seen on ESPN3 (Jason Baker and Jeff Posey), as well as be heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss IMG Sports Network (John Cox, Lee Roberts and Bo Morgan).
Both teams recorded victories against in-state FCS foes to open the 2018 season last weekend with the Golden Eagles defeating Jackson State 55-7, while the Warhawks beat Southeastern Louisiana 34-31.
The Golden Eagles got a wonderful debut from sophomore quarterback Jack Abraham (Oxford, Miss.), who connected on 21 of 27 passes en route to a 242-yard evening with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
His top receiver, sophomore Quez Watkins (Athens, Ala.), collected a career-high 138 receiving yards with three touchdown receptions on eight catches to go along with an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. His effort earned him the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Golden Eagle defense, meanwhile, held the Tigers to 199 total offensive yards, marking the fourth time in the Hopson era that they have limited their opponent to under 200 yards. Senior Xavier Marion (Ridgeland, Miss.) collected one of four Golden Eagle turnovers with a fumble recovery that he returned 26 yards for a touchdown.
ULM will counter with their quarterback, junior Caleb Evans, who accounted for 408 yards total offense and three touchdowns in the ULM season-opening victory. Evans capped off a seven-play, 63-yard drive with the game-winning 11-yard TD run with 37 seconds left. He also added a two-point run on the conversion to provide the final margin. Evans set career highs for pass completions (35) and attempts (53) against SLU, including scoring tosses of 3 and 79 yards.
Fifth-year senior Derrick Gore collected his second career 100-yard rushing performance by carrying 21 times for a career-best 104 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. Junior R.J. Turner blocked the potential game-tying field-goal attempt from 37 yards out as time expired to preserve the win as he also matched his career high with seven receptions for 95 yards against the Lions.
On defense and in his first career start, junior defensive end Sam Miller recorded four tackles against SLU, including two sacks for 13 yards.
The Golden Eagles lead the overall series 4-1, which dates back to the 1982 season. The two schools played for the first time last season in 24 years with the Golden Eagles capturing a 28-17 decision in the first-ever game played between the two in Monroe.
Tickets still remain for the game and can be purchased Saturday at the Pat Ferlise Ticket Center from 11-2:30 p.m. and at the Stadium box office on the southwest side beginning at 3 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased online at SouthernMissTickets.com.
The game can be seen on ESPN3 (Jason Baker and Jeff Posey), as well as be heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss IMG Sports Network (John Cox, Lee Roberts and Bo Morgan).
Both teams recorded victories against in-state FCS foes to open the 2018 season last weekend with the Golden Eagles defeating Jackson State 55-7, while the Warhawks beat Southeastern Louisiana 34-31.
The Golden Eagles got a wonderful debut from sophomore quarterback Jack Abraham (Oxford, Miss.), who connected on 21 of 27 passes en route to a 242-yard evening with four touchdowns and no interceptions.
His top receiver, sophomore Quez Watkins (Athens, Ala.), collected a career-high 138 receiving yards with three touchdown receptions on eight catches to go along with an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. His effort earned him the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Golden Eagle defense, meanwhile, held the Tigers to 199 total offensive yards, marking the fourth time in the Hopson era that they have limited their opponent to under 200 yards. Senior Xavier Marion (Ridgeland, Miss.) collected one of four Golden Eagle turnovers with a fumble recovery that he returned 26 yards for a touchdown.
ULM will counter with their quarterback, junior Caleb Evans, who accounted for 408 yards total offense and three touchdowns in the ULM season-opening victory. Evans capped off a seven-play, 63-yard drive with the game-winning 11-yard TD run with 37 seconds left. He also added a two-point run on the conversion to provide the final margin. Evans set career highs for pass completions (35) and attempts (53) against SLU, including scoring tosses of 3 and 79 yards.
Fifth-year senior Derrick Gore collected his second career 100-yard rushing performance by carrying 21 times for a career-best 104 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. Junior R.J. Turner blocked the potential game-tying field-goal attempt from 37 yards out as time expired to preserve the win as he also matched his career high with seven receptions for 95 yards against the Lions.
On defense and in his first career start, junior defensive end Sam Miller recorded four tackles against SLU, including two sacks for 13 yards.
The Golden Eagles lead the overall series 4-1, which dates back to the 1982 season. The two schools played for the first time last season in 24 years with the Golden Eagles capturing a 28-17 decision in the first-ever game played between the two in Monroe.
Tickets still remain for the game and can be purchased Saturday at the Pat Ferlise Ticket Center from 11-2:30 p.m. and at the Stadium box office on the southwest side beginning at 3 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased online at SouthernMissTickets.com.
Players Mentioned
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