Southern Miss
UTSA
Football Returns Home to Face UTSA
11/20/2020 8:40:00 AM | Football
Game 9
Southern Miss (2-6, 1-3) vs. UTSA (5-4, 3-2)
Hattiesburg, Miss. | The Rock (9,000 in 2020)
Nov. 21, 2020 | 2 pm CT | ESPN+ (Watch Link)
TV - ESPN +
Play-By-Play - Jason Baker
Analyst - Dustin Almond
Radio - Southern Miss IMG Sports Network
Play-By-Play John Cox (43rd season)
Analyst - Lee Roberts (6th season)
Sidelines - Dr. Bo Morgan (11th season)
Live Stats - www.SouthernMiss.com
Series Record - WKU leads 3-0 (History)
Last Meeting - W, 36-17 at San Antonio (Nov. 16, 2019)
UTSA Series
• This will be the seventh meeting for the schools in football as the Golden Eagles lead the series 4-2. (History)
• Southern Miss is 2-0 against the Roadrunners at The Rock.
• USM captured a 36-17 decision in San Antonio last season.
• The Roadrunners sport four Mississippians on the UTSA roster including Hattiesburg native, OL Demetris Allen, who is a redshirt freshman for the squad.
Notes from WKU Contest
• The 10 points allowed is the fewest surrendered in a loss for Southern Miss since a 10-6 home setback against East Carolina (11/19) in the final game of the 1983 season.
• It was the first time this season that Golden Eagles did not force a turnover.
• Kevin Perkins registered his team-leading sixth rushing score – coming from six yards – to give the Golden Eagles their only touchdown in the fourth quarter. Perkins finished with a team-high, as well as a season-high 71 yards rushing on eight carries.
• The first touchdown of the game for the Golden Eagles culminated a 12-play, 90-yard drive, marking the second 90-yard scoring drive of the year (the other came at Liberty – 94 yards – that resulted in a Tate Whatley four-yard rushing touchdown).
• The Golden Eagles were limited to 67 yards passing, marking the first time in 104 games that they did not reach the 100-yard plateau in the air. The last time came when they collected 25 yards at home versus Louisville (9/29/12) in a driving rain storm.
• The Golden Eagles have posted at least one sack in all eight games this season, after Camron Harrell posted one in the second quarter. They finished with three in the game.
• The defense stopped WKU on fourth down twice, including a 4th-and-1 with under six minutes to play deep in Southern Miss territory.
• Zack Portlock collected his first tackle for loss with a four-yard loss in the third quarter. Portlock later added his first career sack –for eight yards – later in the period. Portlock ended the game with a career-high eight tackles.
• The defense registered a team-best nine tackles for loss this season for 30 yards.
• The Golden Eagles were held scoreless for the first time in the opening half since not scoring against Mississippi State in Starkville last season (9/7).
Penalty Yards Down in 2020
The Golden Eagles are enjoying their best penalty -free season since the start of 2016. They are allowing fewer than four penalties per game and 30.0 yards per contest in 2020. Here is a look at USM’s penalties since the 2016 season (NCAA is avg per game) :
| Year | Penalties | Yards | Avg. | NCAA Ranking |
| 2016 | 97 | 839 | 64.5 | 109th |
| 2017 | 99 | 872 | 67.1 | 112th |
| 2018 | 60 | 501 | 45.5 | 30th |
| 2019 | 82 | 748 | 57.5 | 81st |
| 2020 | 31 | 240 | 30.0 | 3rd |
