University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Celebrating the 1999 C-USA Champion Golden Eagles
10/10/2019 2:45:00 PM | Football
The following is an excerpt from the book Rock Solid, written by the Voice of the Golden Eagles, John Cox, on the 1999 season in which the school is holding a 20-year reunion for the team during homecoming this weekend.
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On Labor Day Monday, September 6, the Golden Eagles opened the season against the defending Conference USA champions, Tulane. Southern Miss players, coaches, and fans had been pointing to the rematch since the Green Wave had defeated the Golden Eagles the previous year.
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With Roberts Stadium nearly full and a national television audience watching, the Golden Eagles whipped the Green Wave 48-14. The Golden Eagles' surprise starter at quarterback was sophomore Jeff Kelly, who had beaten out junior college transfer Cable Davis in the final few days of the preseason. In his first career start, Kelly completed 13 of 19 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns to wide receivers Sherrod Gideon, Todd Pinkston, and Leroy Handy and running back Derrick Nix. The Golden Eagle defense was superb, holding Tulane to just 15 yards rushing and 269 total yards.
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Playing again just five days later, the host Golden Eagles stomped the Northwestern State Demons 40-6. Linebacker Roy Magee had a memorable night, running a blocked field goal back 48 yards for a touchdown and returning a blocked Demon extra point for 2 points. Senior bandit end Adalius Thomas had a 64-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown.
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The 2-0 Golden Eagles met No. 4 Nebraska in Lincoln on September 18 and turned in an impressive showing. The Golden Eagle defense dominated the powerful Cornhusker offense, holding Nebraska to eight first downs and just 185 yards of offense, their lowest total since 1993. Kelly threw a pair of touchdown passes, one in the first quarter to Pinkston and another in the third quarter to Gideon, and the game was tied at 13 midway through the third. But Nebraska's Keyuo Craver deflected a Kelly pass into the air, and Husker linebacker Julius Jackson caught the ball and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown to give Nebraska the 20-13 win. The Golden Eagles had one last chance to score but came up short when Kelly threw an interception inside the Nebraska 10-yard line.
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In their second consecutive contest against a highly ranked team, Southern Miss next faced No. 5 Texas A&M in College Station. The Golden Eagle defense turned in another spectacular performance, but turnovers again plagued the team, which lost 23-6 to fall to 2-2 on the year. After leading 9-0 at halftime, the Aggies returned two interceptions for touchdowns during the second half to secure the victory. In the two games against Nebraska and Texas A&M, the defense had allowed only one offensive touchdown, but Southern Miss had lost both contests.
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The Golden Eagles took early command of the Conference USA race with a solid 39-22 win at No. 16 East Carolina on October 9. Nix set a Conference USA record with 42 carries, running for 171 yards and a touchdown, and Kelly threw three touchdown passes. Safety Leo Barnes turned in the defensive play of the game when he intercepted a David Garrard pass and ran 60 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach. The win moved the Golden Eagles into the AP poll at No. 25.
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The Southern Miss defense had been one of the best in the country throughout the season, and the following Saturday at home, the Eagles posted a 24-0 shutout of Army, which had come into the game as the nation's top rushing team and was averaging more than 340 yards of offense per contest. The Golden Eagles held the Cadets to 172 yards, and Southern Miss improved to 4-2 overall and a perfect 3-0 in Conference USA.
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Now ranked twenty-first in the country, the Golden Eagles roared to a 28-0 lead during their October 23 matchup against Cincinnati at Roberts Stadium but then surrendered 20 straight points to the Bearcats. With Cincinnati down by 8 and driving late in the game, safety Chad Williams nailed down the win by swatting down Deontey Kenner's pass at the Golden Eagle 8-yard line.
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The following Saturday, No. 19 Southern Miss traveled to Tuscaloosa to meet the No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide. In one of USM's best opportunities in several seasons to grab the national spotlight, the Golden Eagles came out flat and fell behind early to the Crimson Tide. Southern Miss never recovered, and 15 third quarter points put the game away for Alabama, which won 35-14.
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No. 25 Southern Miss hoped to clinch at least a share of the Conference USA title in a November 6 road contest against the University of Memphis. The Golden Eagles completely dominated, limiting the Tigers to just 227 yards in the 20-5 victory. Kelly opened the scoring by connecting with wide receiver Josh Gulley on a 25-yard touchdown pass, and Pinkston hauled in a 57-yard scoring strike early in the second quarter to make the score 14-0. Brant Hanna added a pair of second-half field goals to improve the Golden Eagles to 6-3 overall and 5-0 in Conference USA.
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The next game was the No. 20 Golden Eagles' Homecoming, and they delighted the Roberts Stadium crowd with a resounding 48-0 victory over the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
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Southern Miss scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions, including Kelly-to-Pinkston touchdown passes of 28, 45, and 43 yards. The Southern Miss defense registered seven sacks and held the Cajuns to -26 yards rushing. The win sent the Golden Eagles to 7-3 on the season.
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The following Saturday brought a showdown at Louisville with Conference USA's berth in the AXA Liberty Bowl on the line. Redman kept the Golden Eagles on their heels throughout the first half, throwing for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns to guide Louisville to a 24-17 lead. The Golden Eagle defense settled down in the second half, and Southern Miss outscored Louisville 13-3 after the break to take a 30-27 win. On fourth-and-5 from the Louisville 37-yard line, the Golden Eagles used a trick play to keep the drive alive. As Purser set up to punt, wide receiver Shawn Mills stood with his back to the ball near the USM sidelines, where Coach Bower appeared to be yelling at the player. In actuality, Mills was carefully positioned on the line of scrimmage, and he took off downfield when Bower told the receiver to go at the snap of the ball. Purser threw the ball 26 yards to Mills for the first down, and three plays later Hanna converted on his third field goal of the game, a 27-yarder with 1:07 remaining, to give Southern Miss the win. After surrendering 344 yards during the first half, the Golden Eagle defense forced a fumble and limited Louisville to 8 yards rushing and 67 yards passing after the break. The win gave Southern Miss another unblemished 6-0 Conference USA season and improved the Eagles' record to 21-2 since the league began football competition in 1996.
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Ranked No. 16 in the country, the Golden Eagles capped off the season with a 23-17 victory over the Colorado State Rams in the 1999 AXA Liberty Bowl, played in Memphis on December 31. A crowd of 54,866 watched as the Golden Eagle defense scored the game's first touchdown on a 5-yard return of a fumble by Ram quarterback Matt Newton. After a Ram field goal had narrowed the gap to 7-3, John Floyd blocked a Ram punt and Brandon Francis fell on the ball in the end zone to give the Golden Eagles a 14-3 advantage. Colorado State rallied with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 17-13 lead, but Nix crossed the goal line 26 seconds before halftime to put the Eagles back on top by a score of 20-17. Early in the third quarter, Hanna kicked a 25-yard field goal to increase USM's lead to 6, and the Golden Eagle defense took over, shutting out the Rams for the remainder of the game. Thomas was named the game's Most Valuable Player and the Golden Eagles' Most Valuable Defensive Player after recording eight tackles, including three sacks.
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The Golden Eagles finished the year at 9-3 and were ranked thirteenth in the USA Today/ESPN poll and fourteenth in the AP poll. Named to the All-Conference USA team and the honorable mention All-America team were offensive lineman Shederick Blackmon, defensive end Cedric Scott, linebacker T. J. Slaughter, and safety Leo Barnes.
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Thomas was Conference USA's Defensive Player of the Year and was a second-team AP All-America.
Thomas, Slaughter, Parrish, Gideon, and Pinkston played in the Senior Bowl. In the 2000 NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Pinkston in the second round, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Slaughter in the third round, and Gideon and Thomas went in the sixth round to the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens, respectively. Bower was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for the second time.
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On Labor Day Monday, September 6, the Golden Eagles opened the season against the defending Conference USA champions, Tulane. Southern Miss players, coaches, and fans had been pointing to the rematch since the Green Wave had defeated the Golden Eagles the previous year.
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With Roberts Stadium nearly full and a national television audience watching, the Golden Eagles whipped the Green Wave 48-14. The Golden Eagles' surprise starter at quarterback was sophomore Jeff Kelly, who had beaten out junior college transfer Cable Davis in the final few days of the preseason. In his first career start, Kelly completed 13 of 19 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns to wide receivers Sherrod Gideon, Todd Pinkston, and Leroy Handy and running back Derrick Nix. The Golden Eagle defense was superb, holding Tulane to just 15 yards rushing and 269 total yards.
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Playing again just five days later, the host Golden Eagles stomped the Northwestern State Demons 40-6. Linebacker Roy Magee had a memorable night, running a blocked field goal back 48 yards for a touchdown and returning a blocked Demon extra point for 2 points. Senior bandit end Adalius Thomas had a 64-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown.
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The 2-0 Golden Eagles met No. 4 Nebraska in Lincoln on September 18 and turned in an impressive showing. The Golden Eagle defense dominated the powerful Cornhusker offense, holding Nebraska to eight first downs and just 185 yards of offense, their lowest total since 1993. Kelly threw a pair of touchdown passes, one in the first quarter to Pinkston and another in the third quarter to Gideon, and the game was tied at 13 midway through the third. But Nebraska's Keyuo Craver deflected a Kelly pass into the air, and Husker linebacker Julius Jackson caught the ball and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown to give Nebraska the 20-13 win. The Golden Eagles had one last chance to score but came up short when Kelly threw an interception inside the Nebraska 10-yard line.
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In their second consecutive contest against a highly ranked team, Southern Miss next faced No. 5 Texas A&M in College Station. The Golden Eagle defense turned in another spectacular performance, but turnovers again plagued the team, which lost 23-6 to fall to 2-2 on the year. After leading 9-0 at halftime, the Aggies returned two interceptions for touchdowns during the second half to secure the victory. In the two games against Nebraska and Texas A&M, the defense had allowed only one offensive touchdown, but Southern Miss had lost both contests.
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The Golden Eagles took early command of the Conference USA race with a solid 39-22 win at No. 16 East Carolina on October 9. Nix set a Conference USA record with 42 carries, running for 171 yards and a touchdown, and Kelly threw three touchdown passes. Safety Leo Barnes turned in the defensive play of the game when he intercepted a David Garrard pass and ran 60 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach. The win moved the Golden Eagles into the AP poll at No. 25.
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The Southern Miss defense had been one of the best in the country throughout the season, and the following Saturday at home, the Eagles posted a 24-0 shutout of Army, which had come into the game as the nation's top rushing team and was averaging more than 340 yards of offense per contest. The Golden Eagles held the Cadets to 172 yards, and Southern Miss improved to 4-2 overall and a perfect 3-0 in Conference USA.
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Now ranked twenty-first in the country, the Golden Eagles roared to a 28-0 lead during their October 23 matchup against Cincinnati at Roberts Stadium but then surrendered 20 straight points to the Bearcats. With Cincinnati down by 8 and driving late in the game, safety Chad Williams nailed down the win by swatting down Deontey Kenner's pass at the Golden Eagle 8-yard line.
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The following Saturday, No. 19 Southern Miss traveled to Tuscaloosa to meet the No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide. In one of USM's best opportunities in several seasons to grab the national spotlight, the Golden Eagles came out flat and fell behind early to the Crimson Tide. Southern Miss never recovered, and 15 third quarter points put the game away for Alabama, which won 35-14.
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No. 25 Southern Miss hoped to clinch at least a share of the Conference USA title in a November 6 road contest against the University of Memphis. The Golden Eagles completely dominated, limiting the Tigers to just 227 yards in the 20-5 victory. Kelly opened the scoring by connecting with wide receiver Josh Gulley on a 25-yard touchdown pass, and Pinkston hauled in a 57-yard scoring strike early in the second quarter to make the score 14-0. Brant Hanna added a pair of second-half field goals to improve the Golden Eagles to 6-3 overall and 5-0 in Conference USA.
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The next game was the No. 20 Golden Eagles' Homecoming, and they delighted the Roberts Stadium crowd with a resounding 48-0 victory over the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
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Southern Miss scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions, including Kelly-to-Pinkston touchdown passes of 28, 45, and 43 yards. The Southern Miss defense registered seven sacks and held the Cajuns to -26 yards rushing. The win sent the Golden Eagles to 7-3 on the season.
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The following Saturday brought a showdown at Louisville with Conference USA's berth in the AXA Liberty Bowl on the line. Redman kept the Golden Eagles on their heels throughout the first half, throwing for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns to guide Louisville to a 24-17 lead. The Golden Eagle defense settled down in the second half, and Southern Miss outscored Louisville 13-3 after the break to take a 30-27 win. On fourth-and-5 from the Louisville 37-yard line, the Golden Eagles used a trick play to keep the drive alive. As Purser set up to punt, wide receiver Shawn Mills stood with his back to the ball near the USM sidelines, where Coach Bower appeared to be yelling at the player. In actuality, Mills was carefully positioned on the line of scrimmage, and he took off downfield when Bower told the receiver to go at the snap of the ball. Purser threw the ball 26 yards to Mills for the first down, and three plays later Hanna converted on his third field goal of the game, a 27-yarder with 1:07 remaining, to give Southern Miss the win. After surrendering 344 yards during the first half, the Golden Eagle defense forced a fumble and limited Louisville to 8 yards rushing and 67 yards passing after the break. The win gave Southern Miss another unblemished 6-0 Conference USA season and improved the Eagles' record to 21-2 since the league began football competition in 1996.
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Ranked No. 16 in the country, the Golden Eagles capped off the season with a 23-17 victory over the Colorado State Rams in the 1999 AXA Liberty Bowl, played in Memphis on December 31. A crowd of 54,866 watched as the Golden Eagle defense scored the game's first touchdown on a 5-yard return of a fumble by Ram quarterback Matt Newton. After a Ram field goal had narrowed the gap to 7-3, John Floyd blocked a Ram punt and Brandon Francis fell on the ball in the end zone to give the Golden Eagles a 14-3 advantage. Colorado State rallied with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 17-13 lead, but Nix crossed the goal line 26 seconds before halftime to put the Eagles back on top by a score of 20-17. Early in the third quarter, Hanna kicked a 25-yard field goal to increase USM's lead to 6, and the Golden Eagle defense took over, shutting out the Rams for the remainder of the game. Thomas was named the game's Most Valuable Player and the Golden Eagles' Most Valuable Defensive Player after recording eight tackles, including three sacks.
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The Golden Eagles finished the year at 9-3 and were ranked thirteenth in the USA Today/ESPN poll and fourteenth in the AP poll. Named to the All-Conference USA team and the honorable mention All-America team were offensive lineman Shederick Blackmon, defensive end Cedric Scott, linebacker T. J. Slaughter, and safety Leo Barnes.
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Thomas was Conference USA's Defensive Player of the Year and was a second-team AP All-America.
Thomas, Slaughter, Parrish, Gideon, and Pinkston played in the Senior Bowl. In the 2000 NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Pinkston in the second round, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Slaughter in the third round, and Gideon and Thomas went in the sixth round to the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens, respectively. Bower was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for the second time.
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Wednesday, February 04
Wednesday, February 04
Monday, January 19
Monday, December 15