University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Gold Defeats Black, 10-6, in Southern Miss Spring Game
4/13/2019 3:29:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Sophomore quarterback Tate Whatley had completions of 44 and 64 yards to Jordan Mitchell and Trevor Terry, respectively (the latter serving as a touchdown) to lead the Gold squad to a 10-6 win over Black on Saturday afternoon in The Rock.
There was a brief delay prior to the original start time due to lightning, but sunny skies prevailed the rest of the way. Golden Eagle greats Brett Favre and Reggie Collier served as head coaches for the two teams.
Tre Davis had two interceptions, the first for a 27-yard return, and the second coming as the final seconds ticked off in Black's last drive. Davis had missed the 2018 season due to injury.
Unofficial stats included Tate Whatley completing nine of his 15 passes for 203 yards and his team's lone touchdown. His counterpart, Jack Abraham, was 18-for-27 for 191 yards and hit Will Potosky III for a 19-yard strike near the front pylon to put Black within 10-6 late (his only catch of the game). Abraham's previous pass was a 19-yarder to freshman Chris Scruggs.
Mitchell also had three catches for 59 yards on the day. Barrett Barham also had a 19-yard reception from Abraham.
Nicario Harper also picked off a pass that gave Black a chance to win on the final drive. Other defensive notables were a TFL and sack on consecutive plays by Swayze Bozeman in the first half, TFLs for Hayes Maples and Zach Portlock and an interception in the endzone by Taj Jones. JonTe Demby also had a pass breakup.Â
Nick Dawson also broke through for a sack, and Devin Thomas laid a solid hit on a reverse attempt in the backfield.
Southern Miss begins its regular season on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Alcorn State in The Rock, one of five home games on the year. Fans looking to secure season tickets can do so by calling 1-800-844-TICK or visiting SouthernMissTickets.com or the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.
Head Coach Jay Hopson
On the weather concerns
"We were crossing our fingers this morning. As soon as the lightning delay hit, we were sweating it, but the sun came and it was a beautiful day. It was a good scrimmage and built off the other good ones we had this year. It was physical play and many guys showed me some things. It's always a competitive game and comes down to the last possession every year."
On the play of offensive lineman Arvin Fletcher
"Arvin's doing a great job. He is so athletic. He's had an outstanding spring and does so much for us. He's one of those guys that really stepped up."
On the new offensive installation
"I think we've done a great job there at expediting everything. I am pleased offensively that we are getting everything in. Tate's bringing good competition. He's earned the right to be in the picture and he's letting it fly. We will see how it plays out in August."
On wide receiver Neil McLaurin
"He high-pointed the ball well. Neil was hurt all last year and played through it. Right before the LA Tech game we started to see him healthy again and he had some impact plays. We are starting to see him healthy again. He's a guy that can do a lot of things for us with his physicality. Today was no exception, and he made plays."
Defensive lineman Tahj Sykes
On how the defense adjusted
"We could have been better in the first half, but in the second half we started doing more things. I liked that pick at the end by Nicario Harper that gave us a chance to win the game, but it didn't happen and that's okay. We showed out for the fans today."
On his defensive outlook for the season
"We can be dangerous. Once we are all 100 percent by the fall, we will be even better than last year. It means the world. Tackling is easy, but the sack is something you work for."
Offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner
On the scope of the Spring Game as a whole
"Today was just one day. I look at these things like a body of work. Over the course of 14 practices or so, some guys that really stepped up today were Jordan Mitchell and Tim Jones. A guy that has really come up is Trevor Terry, and I was really impressed with Neil McLaurin. He high-pointed the ball a few times and we saw a lot of flashes from De'Michael Harris. Steven Anderson showed he can play a valuable role for us. Arvin Fletcher has had a really good 13 days and it will be good to get more guys back in the fold. We have some good depth to work with."
On the team's approach going forward
"We want to get on the ball and control the tempo. We want to put our guys in the best position to succeed. The biggest thing is that we don't have a big drop-off anywhere on the depth chart."
