University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
A Look Back: First-Year Coach Larry Fedora Takes Golden Eagles to Jonesboro for 27-24 Win over A-State
11/5/2025 9:41:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss traveled to Jonesboro for the first time in 46 years and did so with a rookie head coach along with a freshman quarterback.
In only his third game at the helm of the program, first-year coach Larry Fedora led the 2008 Golden Eagles to a season-opening 51-21 victory over Louisiana and a 27-13 setback at Auburn, before entering this Sept. 13 matchup with the Red Wolves at then ASU Stadium in front of 25,938.
They faced a Red Wolves squad that had won their first two games to open the season that included victories over Texas A&M, 18-14 on the road, and an 83-10 shellacking of Texas Southern.
The Golden Eagles went with their first-year quarterback from Meridian, Austin Davis, who would be the mainstay at that position for the next four years, who led them to their last conference championship in 2011.
On this day, Davis threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 18-31 passing, and Southern Miss handed Arkansas State its first loss of the season, 27-24.
While the Golden Eagles never trailed in the contest, A-State tied the game twice as the visitors were never able to build more than a 14-point advantage.
With the game tied at 17 early in the fourth quarter, A-State lined up for a short field goal, but the snap went through the hands of holder Brett Shrable. The ball bounced all the way back to around midfield, and C.J. Bailey picked up the ball for Southern Miss and returned it all the way to the A-State 11.
Justin Estes, who connected on two field goal attempts in the contest, then kicked a 28-yard field goal with 10:47 to play to give Southern Miss the lead, and the Golden Eagles later went ahead 27-17 on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Damion Fletcher. Fletcher, who rushed for a game-high 87 yards, also added six receptions for 61 yards.
Estes also opened the game's scoring with a 23-yard field goal that culminated from a Davis led 19-play, 68-yard drive that took off 10:17 off the clock to open the contest.
Down 10 late in the game, A-State scored with 2:14 to play on Corey Leonard's 5-yard pass to Jeff Blake, and the Red Wolves got the ball back following a Golden Eagle punt. But Leonard was intercepted by Eddie Willingham on a deflection at the Southern Miss 40 four plays later to seal the game.
Davis also threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Massey to give Southern Miss a 17-3 halftime lead.
A-State scored touchdowns on its first two drives of the second half. Leonard found tight end David Johnson unguarded for a 16-yard score, and Reggie Arnold finished a 94-yard, 10-play drive with a 6-yard scoring run to tie the game at 17 apiece.
The Golden Eagles went on to register their 15th-straight winning season that year and play Troy in the New Orleans Bowl. Southern Miss ended the year with a 30-27 victory over the Trojans as Michael McGee blocked a 28-yard field goal in overtime to help preserve the win and end the year with a five-game winning streak.
Southern Miss and A-State renew the rivalry this weekend in Jonesboro with an 11 a.m., game this Saturday. The game can be seen on ESPNU, as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network.
In only his third game at the helm of the program, first-year coach Larry Fedora led the 2008 Golden Eagles to a season-opening 51-21 victory over Louisiana and a 27-13 setback at Auburn, before entering this Sept. 13 matchup with the Red Wolves at then ASU Stadium in front of 25,938.
They faced a Red Wolves squad that had won their first two games to open the season that included victories over Texas A&M, 18-14 on the road, and an 83-10 shellacking of Texas Southern.
The Golden Eagles went with their first-year quarterback from Meridian, Austin Davis, who would be the mainstay at that position for the next four years, who led them to their last conference championship in 2011.
On this day, Davis threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 18-31 passing, and Southern Miss handed Arkansas State its first loss of the season, 27-24.
While the Golden Eagles never trailed in the contest, A-State tied the game twice as the visitors were never able to build more than a 14-point advantage.
With the game tied at 17 early in the fourth quarter, A-State lined up for a short field goal, but the snap went through the hands of holder Brett Shrable. The ball bounced all the way back to around midfield, and C.J. Bailey picked up the ball for Southern Miss and returned it all the way to the A-State 11.
Justin Estes, who connected on two field goal attempts in the contest, then kicked a 28-yard field goal with 10:47 to play to give Southern Miss the lead, and the Golden Eagles later went ahead 27-17 on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Damion Fletcher. Fletcher, who rushed for a game-high 87 yards, also added six receptions for 61 yards.
Estes also opened the game's scoring with a 23-yard field goal that culminated from a Davis led 19-play, 68-yard drive that took off 10:17 off the clock to open the contest.
Down 10 late in the game, A-State scored with 2:14 to play on Corey Leonard's 5-yard pass to Jeff Blake, and the Red Wolves got the ball back following a Golden Eagle punt. But Leonard was intercepted by Eddie Willingham on a deflection at the Southern Miss 40 four plays later to seal the game.
Davis also threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Massey to give Southern Miss a 17-3 halftime lead.
A-State scored touchdowns on its first two drives of the second half. Leonard found tight end David Johnson unguarded for a 16-yard score, and Reggie Arnold finished a 94-yard, 10-play drive with a 6-yard scoring run to tie the game at 17 apiece.
The Golden Eagles went on to register their 15th-straight winning season that year and play Troy in the New Orleans Bowl. Southern Miss ended the year with a 30-27 victory over the Trojans as Michael McGee blocked a 28-yard field goal in overtime to help preserve the win and end the year with a five-game winning streak.
Southern Miss and A-State renew the rivalry this weekend in Jonesboro with an 11 a.m., game this Saturday. The game can be seen on ESPNU, as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network.
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