","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"201338709","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/ux6ibi/picture201338709","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Hall","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38508","modified_date":1519238166,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1519236947,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/ux6ibi/picture201338709/alternates/FREE_1140/Hall","href":"/web/v1/content/201338709","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38508"],"credit":"jcfitzhugh@sunherald.com file","dateline":"","caption":"Biloxi head coach Bobby Hall talks to a referee during the fourth quarter of their game against Hancock at Brett Favre Field in Kiln on Oct. 27, 2017.","photographer":"John Fitzhugh","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/ux6ibi/picture201338709/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Hall"},{"id":"197858669","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/article197858669.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"The MSU-Southern Miss rivalry has been kicked up a notch (rolling eye emoji included)","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38562","home_section":{"name":"Patrick Magee","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/"},"modified_date":1517517804,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Mississippi State-Southern Miss baseball rivalry has been kicked up a notch","meta_description":"It will be a heated atmosphere when the Mississippi State and Southern Miss baseball teams take the field Feb. 16-18 in front of a packed house.","published_date":1517511393,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/s71k89/picture197858659/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/USM(3)","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Mississippi State, Bulldogs, Southern Miss, Golden Eagles, baseball, college baseball, Scott Berry, Andy Cannizaro","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38562","38559","7075","38499","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"It will be a heated atmosphere when the Mississippi State and Southern Miss baseball teams take the field Feb. 16-18 in front of a packed house.","content":"
It took Southern Miss only 15 minutes on Thursday morning to sell out its season-opening baseball series with Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs apparently aren’t impressed.
MSU-USM has long been a contemptuous baseball rivalry, but it’s gone up another notch following the 2017 Hattiesburg Regional that featured USM, MSU, South Alabama and Illinois-Chicago. The Bulldogs beat the Golden Eagles twice on the final day, 8-1 and 8-6, at Pete Taylor Park to advance to the Super Regional at LSU.
It was an intense day of baseball that included a dramatic MSU rally and the ejection of USM head coach Scott Berry in the deciding game after he strongly expressed his displeasure with the umpiring. Due to that ejection, Berry will be suspended for the first two games of the MSU-USM series in Hattiesburg on Feb. 16-18. Hitting coach Chad Caillet will fill in for Berry.
Prior to the Hattiesburg Regional, MSU fans complained loudly on social media that tickets were hard to come by. Even though many of them still found their way into Pete Taylor Park during the regional, that was again the case in the lead-up to Thursday’s start of single-game ticket sales at USM.
Most of the single-game tickets for the MSU series had already been scooped by USM season-ticket holders, who were given a chance to buy single-game seats before they went on sale Thursday. That left a small amount of tickets for the MSU faithful to buy, and they went quickly.
It’s apparent that MSU staff felt the need to recognize fans’ disappointment. When USM announced that it had already sold out the series, Mississippi State acknowledged the news on Twitter with a rolling eye emoji.
If you can’t find a ticket, you’ll have to listen to the radio broadcast or pay for a subscription to watch at ConferenceUSA.com/watch.
The acrimony between fans doesn’t necessarily reach the players and coaches. There was friendly banter between Berry and MSU head coach Andy Cannizaro prior to last year’s Hattiesburg Regional. Cannizaro’s father, Gary, is a former USM second baseman and a Hall-of-Famer at the school.
However, there’s obviously no love lost between a MSU baseball program that’s considered one of the nation’s traditional powers and a USM program that’s developed its own strong tradition that’s improving with time.
The weather may be a little too cool for baseball when the season begins with a 4 p.m. first pitch on Feb. 16, but you can expect a heated atmosphere at the Hattiesburg tailgate and among the fans who manage to work their way into 4,400-seat Pete Taylor Park.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"197858659","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/s71k89/picture197858659","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"USM(3)","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38562","modified_date":1517517804,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1517511392,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/s71k89/picture197858659/alternates/FREE_1140/USM(3)","href":"/web/v1/content/197858659","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38562"],"credit":"Sun Herald file","dateline":"","caption":"Mississippi State second baseman Hunter Stovall tries to turn a double play as he leaps over Southern Miss runner Matthew Guidry during Hattiesburg Regional Tournament on June 5, 2017.","photographer":"Tim Isbell","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/s71k89/picture197858659/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/USM(3)"},{"id":"194570274","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/article194570274.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"With so many standouts moving on, who will be the Southern Miss football stars for 2018?","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38562","home_section":{"name":"Patrick Magee","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/"},"modified_date":1515868112,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"These players will be Southern Miss football's stars for 2018","meta_description":"The Southern Miss football team will need numerous inexperienced players to step up in the new season.","published_date":1515867717,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/holwug/picture194570264/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Parks","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Southern Miss, USM, Golden Eagles, football, Jacques Turner, Tim Jones, Racheem Boothe, Paxton Scrhimsher, Kwadra Griggs, Ito Smith, Jay Hopson, George Payne, Tez Parks","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38562","38559","7075","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"The Southern Miss football team will need numerous inexperienced players to step up in the new season.","content":"
For the 2018 Southern Miss football team to be successful, numerous inexperienced players will have to suddenly step into starring roles.
With so many standouts moving on after the 2017 season, there will be huge gaps to fill on both sides of the ball.
The list of top players wrapping up their eligibility after the 2017 campaign include:
▪ Senior running back Ito Smith — The Mobile native rushed for 4,536 yards and 42 touchdowns. He also caught 140 passes for 1,446 yards and seven scores. As one of the top offensive players in program history, Smith will be the toughest to replace.
▪ Junior receiver Korey Robertson — The Greenwood native was outstanding this year, catching 76 passes for 1,106 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has decided to enter the NFL Draft.
▪ Senior receiver Allenzae Staggers — In two years, he caught 107 passes for 1,636 yards and 12 touchdowns.
▪ Senior safety Tarvarius Moore — His senior year was quietly one of the best by a USM safety in quite some time. He led the team in tackles (87) and interceptions (3). At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Moore is underrated as an NFL prospect.
The list is a long one with USM replacing every starter in the secondary. Also lost on the defense are senior defensive end Xavier Thigpen and two of the team's top tackles — Draper Riley and Rod Crayton.
Some experience is back
Fortunately for USM, there are some established names returning.
On defense, senior defensive end LaDarius Harris will again prove a steady hand. His play on the outside helped make USM a much better team against the run this season.
Redshirt sophomore Racheem Boothe had a strong debut season with 79 tackles and 3.5 sacks at linebacker. He will be part of a linebacking corps that has a chance to be the strength of the defense in 2018.
Redshirt senior Picasso Nelson, who missed the 2017 season due to injury, will also be back in the fold and he can play the nickel or safety.
On offense, redshirt senior Kwadra Griggs returns as the starting quarterback. He will face plenty of competition in the spring with junior Keon Howard, sophomore Marcelo Rodriguez and junior college transfer Jack Abraham also expected to compete.
Griggs can't be fully blamed for the poor offensive showing against Florida State in the Independence Bowl. He had to deal with several drops by his receivers and an intense pass rush.
Next up
Looking ahead to the 2018 season, there are several players who can step up as stars for USM:
▪ Redshirt junior linebacker Paxton Schrimsher — He could have been listed among the more experienced returners, but we only saw a glimpse of what Schrimsher is capable of in 2017. He moved from outside to inside linebacker about halfway through the season and seemed to find his true home. He made 49 tackles and led the team with 5.5 sacks. The Athens, Alabama, native has a chance to emerge as one of the team's best players in 2018. Along with redshirt senior Jeremy Sangster and Boothe, USM will have a strong group of linebackers.
▪ Redshirt sophomore cornerback Rachuan Mitchell — With both starting corners graduating, Mitchell is the only cornerback with significant experience. He showed great promise at times, but he will be expected to step it up a notch. He played in 12 games and accounted for 24 tackles.
▪ Sophomore receiver Tim Jones — Redshirt sophomore Quez Watkins showed the potential to be a game-breaker with plenty of speed after catching 23 passes for 337 yards and two scores. However, Jones may see more balls thrown his way as a sure-handed option on the outside. The Biloxi native caught five passes for 121 yards and one touchdown as he saw more snaps late in the season. With Robertson and Staggers moving on, Jones has a good chance to be USM's leading receiver in 2018.
▪ Redshirt senior running back George Payne — By far the most experienced of the players on this list after missing his redshirt senior season with a hip injury, USM head coach Jay Hopson expects the Mobile native to be granted another year of eligibility. If he returns fully healthy, he has a chance to be the leader of the USM rushing attack with 232 career rushes for 940 yards and nine touchdowns.
▪ Redshirt senior running back Tez Parks – He has all the ability in the world and he should finally get enough touches to put up good numbers.
▪ Redshirt sophomore defensive end Jacques Turner – The D'Iberville native made a strong first impression, earning a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman squad. He is a versatile player who has a good chance to be a starter in 2018.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"194570264","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/holwug/picture194570264","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Parks","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38562","modified_date":1515867716,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1515867716,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/holwug/picture194570264/alternates/FREE_1140/Parks","href":"/web/v1/content/194570264","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38562"],"credit":"Special to the Sun Herald","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss running back Tez Parks stretches the ball over the goal line during the game against UAB at Roberts Stadium on Nov. 18, 2017.","photographer":"Bobby McDuffie","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/holwug/picture194570264/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Parks"},{"id":"193793434","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/sec/article193793434.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Confused Alabama football fans heap praise on the wrong Tony Brown","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38493","home_section":{"name":"SEC","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/sec/"},"modified_date":1515534011,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Confused Crimson Tide fans heap praise on the wrong Tony Brown","meta_description":"East Central’s Tony Brown became the target of congratulations after Alabama’s national title win over Georgia Monday night.","published_date":1515533931,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/sec/x1vrll/picture193793419/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Tony%20Brown(2)","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Alabama, Crimson Tide, football, Tony Brown, East Central, Hornets, high school, national title, Georgia","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38493","38508","38559","7075","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"East Central’s Tony Brown became the target of congratulations after Alabama’s national title win over Georgia Monday night.","content":"
East Central High School star running back Tony Brown is finally getting some love from the SEC.
Unfortunately, it comes as the result of some confused Alabama fans after Monday night’s national title victory over Georgia.
Elated Crimson Tide supporters tried to connect with senior defensive back Tony Brown on Twitter after his team’s dramatic 26-23 overtime win over Georgia in the national title game in Atlanta.
Some fans accidentally found the Twitter handle for East Central’s Tony Brown as opposed to the 6-foot, 198-pound Tony Brown from Beaumont, Texas.
He received a couple of direct messages and has been tagged in photos today.
“It was pretty funny from me,” East Central’s Tony Brown said Tuesday. “I didn’t say anything. I was just waiting for them to figure it out for themselves.”
Considering Tony Brown is decked out in his East Central uniform in his Twitter profile photo, the confusion isn’t that surprising. The Hornets’ colors are maroon, gray and white and they wear helmets similar to those of the Crimson Tide with the player number featured.
However, they do have different jersey numbers. East Central’s Tony Brown is No. 4 while Alabama’s Tony Brown is No. 2.
The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Brown put up massive numbers over the last two seasons at East Central, but he’s been overlooked by major programs in the region. His only Division I scholarship offer is from Mississippi Valley State despite rushing for 6,065 yards and put up 92 total touchdowns over his final two seasons, averaging about 10 yards a carry during that stretch.
While Tony Brown is a big name on the Coast and state-wide as the Gatorade Player of the Year for Mississippi, Alabama’s Tony Brown has the rabid following of the Crimson Tide faithful.
It’s now “Touchdown” Tony Brown’s turn to make his name on the collegiate level.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"193793419","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/sec/x1vrll/picture193793419","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Tony Brown(2)","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38493","modified_date":1515533931,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1515533931,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/sec/x1vrll/picture193793419/alternates/FREE_1140/Tony%20Brown(2)","href":"/web/v1/content/193793419","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38493"],"credit":"Special to the Sun Herald","dateline":"","caption":"East Central running back Tony Brown (4) runs the ball against Moss Point outside linebacker Jalin Stallworth (24) on Sept. 29, 2017, at East Central High School in Hurley.","photographer":"Glenn Andrews","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/sec/x1vrll/picture193793419/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Tony%20Brown(2)"},{"id":"192482129","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/article192482129.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"UCF’s win is more proof: Group of 5 schools should demand more of the CFP","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38562","home_section":{"name":"Patrick Magee","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/"},"modified_date":1514998066,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"UCF's win proves Group of 5 deserves auto bid in 8-team CFP","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/article192482129.html\n","meta_description":"UCF’s 34-27 win over Auburn on Wednesday in the Peach Bowl provides more proof that the Group of 5 deserves a seat at the table in a newly-expanded College Football Playoff.","published_date":1514844556,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/p9g4pi/picture192482124/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/UCF2","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"College Football Playoff, UCF, Group of 5, expansion, Auburn, Tigers, Knights, TCU, Utah, Boise State, Conference USA, Sun Belt Conference, AAC, C-USA, MAC","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38562","38559","7075","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"UCF’s 34-27 win over Auburn on Wednesday in the Peach Bowl provides more proof that the Group of 5 deserves a seat at the table in a newly-expanded College Football Playoff.","content":"
UCF beat Auburn 34-27 Monday in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, taking advantage of the one major bowl bid doled out to the Group of 5 conferences.
Auburn entered the game as a 10 1/2-point favorite, but the outcome comes as no surprise to those who watched the Knights compete during a perfect 13-0 campaign.
UCF has the speed necessary to hang with the big boys and they don’t come any bigger than Auburn, which beat two of the four teams taking part in this year’s College Football Playoff — Alabama and Georgia.
Auburn was on its way to joining the CFP before stumbling 28-7 against the same Georgia squad in the SEC title game.
As much as the powers-that-be consider the Power 5 conferences far superior to their mid-major brethren, we’ve been here before:
▪ Utah of the Mountain West trounced Pittsburgh 35-7 in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.
▪ Boise State of the WAC edged Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
▪ In the 2009 Sugar Bowl, Utah thumped Alabama 31-17.
▪ TCU, then a MWC member, topped Wisconsin 21-19 in the 2011 Rose Bowl.
▪ In the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, UCF beat Baylor 52-42.
▪ The 2015 Peach Bowl featured a 38-24 win for Houston, an AAC program, over Florida State
These mid-major wins keep happening on a somewhat regular basis, but there is no seat at the table for the Group of 5 in today’s College Football Playoff.
I’ve shot down arguments for the last month that UCF deserved a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff, but Monday’s Peach Bowl bolsters the argument that the Group of 5 deserves a spot when the CFP eventually expands to eight.
The Group of 5 should receive one automatic bid to an eight-team CFP to make sure there is at least one program from that level represented.
For the elitists who believe that an automatic bid would simply dilute the playoff, consider what mid-major programs have to offer the NCAA Tournament. Some of that event’s greatest moments have come when schools like Butler, Gonzaga and George Mason pulled off runs deep into March.
For those American Athletic Conference fans who make the argument that the AAC is simply a member of the “Power 6,” all you have to do is remember the score of UCF’s bowl game a year ago — Arkansas State 31, UCF 13.
It would be a travesty if the Group of 5 doesn’t have at least one representative each year in a future eight-team CFP.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"192482124","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/p9g4pi/picture192482124","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"UCF2","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38562","modified_date":1514998065,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1514844556,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/p9g4pi/picture192482124/alternates/FREE_1140/UCF2","href":"/web/v1/content/192482124","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38562"],"credit":"Associated Press","dateline":"","caption":"Central Florida linebacker Shaquem Griffin (18) celebrates a sack on Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) during the second half of the Peach Bowl Monday in Atlanta.","photographer":"John Bazemore","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/p9g4pi/picture192482124/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/UCF2"},{"id":"190760124","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/keeping-score/article190760124.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Devin Booker’s courtside style draws the attention of the world’s biggest movie star","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38559","home_section":{"name":"Keeping Score","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/keeping-score/"},"modified_date":1513890155,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Devin Booker's courtside style draws attention of 'The Rock'","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/keeping-score/article190760124.html\n","meta_description":"Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, a Moss Point native, got in a back-and-forth with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Twitter.","published_date":1513791466,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/keeping-score/7lqerx/picture190760119/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Devin%20Booker","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Devin Booker, Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, Phoenix Suns, Moss Point, Tigers, high school, Kentucky, Wildcats","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38559","7075","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, a Moss Point native, got in a back-and-forth with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Twitter.","content":"
Devin Booker has been sidelined for the Phoenix Suns for a couple of weeks with a groin injury, but his style on the bench helped create a back-and-forth on Twitter between the Moss Point product and world’s biggest movie star.
Booker, who was averaging 24.3 points and 4.5 rebounds a game before he was forced to the bench, is drawing attention for more than just his outside shot these days.
The Suns’ twitter account pointed out that Booker’s turtleneck and necklace bore a remarkable resemblance to an ensemble that Dwayne Johnson wore during his young days as “The Rock.”
Devin Booker with that turtleneck and chain... reminds us of someone equally electrifying.... what do you think @TheRock? pic.twitter.com/H6FO2lNAC6
Johnson pointed out that Booker probably has a few more dollars invested in his fashion choices.
Only difference is I’m wearing cheap silver jewelry and a fake Tag watch. My rookie days were leaaaan;). Devin’s doing much better. https://t.co/hFMAsE2aOj
Hahah! Just running by this.. you know I can’t keep up with you bro. I have to try the fanny pack next. Also, can’t wait to check out the new #Jumanji. https://t.co/ISNS1xDOUt
Booker apparently has a fancy fanny pack coming his way if he wins an NBA championship.
Hahah make ya a deal when you hold up that O’Brien trophy one fine day, I’ll make sure you have a personalized fanny pack ready to throw on. Keep chasin’ that greatness brotha
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"190760119","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/keeping-score/7lqerx/picture190760119","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Devin Booker","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38559","modified_date":1513890155,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1513791466,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/keeping-score/7lqerx/picture190760119/alternates/FREE_1140/Devin%20Booker","href":"/web/v1/content/190760119","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38559"],"credit":"Minneapolis Star Tribune","dateline":"","caption":"Injured Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker steps out onto the court following a foul call against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 16 in Minneapolis.","photographer":"Aaron Lavinsky","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/keeping-score/7lqerx/picture190760119/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Devin%20Booker"},{"id":"190619924","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/article190619924.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Where does Jay Hopson rate as the Southern Miss head coach after 2 seasons?","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38562","home_section":{"name":"Patrick Magee","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/"},"modified_date":1513723242,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Where does Jay Hopson rate as the Southern Miss head coach after 2 seasons?","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/article190619924.html\n","meta_description":"Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson is 15-10 headed into the Dec. 27 Independence Bowl against Florida State.","published_date":1513721598,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/lv9oi8/picture190619914/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/JHop","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Southern Miss, Golden Eagles, USM, football, Jay Hopson, Conference USA, C-USA, Jeff Bower, Bobby Collins, Curley Hallman","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38562","38559","7075","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson is 15-10 headed into the Dec. 27 Independence Bowl against Florida State.","content":"
With Jay Hopson’s second season as Southern Miss head coach coming to a close, it’s fair to say that the decision to hire the Vicksburg native has proven to be the right one.
Todd Monken abruptly resigned as the USM head coach on Jan. 24 to take over as offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bill McGillis, who was then athletic director, and the entire football program were placed in a tight spot less than two weeks before the Feb. 3 signing day.
As January came to a close, multiple national insiders placed Florida offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier as the top candidate to replace Monken.
Instead, Nussmeier reportedly pulled himself from consideration and remained in Gainesville.
Two years later, Hopson is set to coach in his second bowl game at USM and Nussmeier is in search of a job after being let go with most of the Florida staff following Jim McElwain’s firing as head coach.
It got so bad on offense at Florida that McElwain was questioned on whether he would take play-calling duties away from Nussmeier early this season.
Nussmeier faced a great deal of bad luck with the Gators, but the offense regressed toward the end of his tenure there. New Florida head coach Dan Mullen let Nussmeier go in late November as he began to piece together his own staff.
Nussmeier will eventually land on his feet as he always has during his career, but it seems unlikely that he would have panned out as the USM head coach.
A review of the greats
If Southern Miss (8-4) manages to upset Florida State (6-6) in the Dec. 27 Independence Bowl, no USM head coach will have won more games in his first two seasons than Hopson.
Hopson (15-10) is currently tied with Curley Hallman, who went 15-7 from 1988-89. Hallman, who inherited Brett Favre as a sophomore quarterback, went 10-2 and 5-6 in his first two seasons.
A review of some of the most well-regarded coaches in USM history show that several of them went through some tough times before they started consistently winning games.
▪ Jeff Bower was 11-11 and had yet to reach a bowl game after two seasons in 1992.
▪ Bobby Collins also finished his first two seasons at 11-11. He had an 8-3 season and a 3-8 campaign.
▪ P.W. “Bear” Underwood managed to beat Ole Miss and Archie Manning 30-14 in Oxford during his second season, but was just 10-11.
▪ Thad “Pie” Vann, who had a 139-59-2 record at USM as the program’s all-time winningest coach, was 12-10 .
▪ Jim Carmody, who was 37-29 in six seasons, was 14-8.
Progress made
While Hopson’s teams haven’t always been perfect, they’ve always proven competitive and shown significant progress.
If quarterback Nick Mullens hadn’t battled injuries during the second half of his senior year in 2016, Hopson would likely already be USM’s record holder for most wins through his first two seasons.
In retrospect, the 2016 team also lacked significant depth and size in the front seven on defense.
Hopson and his staff mostly remedied that issue in the span of one year, putting a significantly better defense on the field in 2017.
If this year’s starting quarterback, Kwadra Griggs, had managed to stay healthy in the preseason and avoided a midseason hand injury, Hopson may have added another SEC win to his resume (either over Kentucky or Tennessee) after beating Kentucky in the 2016 season opener.
Hopson has also done a good job of focusing on the recruiting areas that helped build USM into consistent winner in the 1980’s and 90’s. One of his most underrated attributes as a coach is his ability to evaluate talent. As long as he is head coach, USM will continue to identify overlooked gems in the Southeast.
USM is on pace to sign in the neighborhood of 14 players this week during the new early signing period – a mix of high school and junior college players.
Northwest Mississippi Community College quarterback Jack Abraham is set to sign along with two of USM’s top high school commits who happen to both be from Brookhaven – center Trace Clopton and cornerback Jemaurian Jones.
Jones, who is 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, holds offers from Arizona, Florida State, Georgia and Louisville. The 6-foot-2, 292-pound Clopton was also offered by Air Force, Navy, Marshall, Tulane and Memphis.
With players like Jones and Clopton already set to jump on board, Hopson and his staff are well on their way to building another solid class of signees for 2018.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"190619914","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/lv9oi8/picture190619914","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"JHop","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38562","modified_date":1513723241,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1513721598,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/lv9oi8/picture190619914/alternates/FREE_1140/JHop","href":"/web/v1/content/190619914","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38562"],"credit":"jcfitzhugh@sunherald.com file","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson is 15-10 headed into the Dec. 27 Independence Bowl against Florida State.","photographer":"John Fitzhugh","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/patrick-magee/lv9oi8/picture190619914/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/JHop"},{"id":"188879474","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article188879474.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Golden Era: Florida State and Southern Miss once fought for supremacy as independents","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","home_section":{"name":"Southern Miss","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/"},"modified_date":1512775400,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Southern Miss, Florida State once battled for supremacy as independents ","meta_description":"Follow a flashback to the 1970’s and early 1980’s when Bobby Collins’ Southern Miss squad and Bobby Bowden’s Florida State program played a series that was crucial to both schools.","published_date":1512775400,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/f5aowy/picture188879469/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Final","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Florida State, Seminoles, Southern Miss, USM, Golden Eagles, Bobby Bowden, Reggie Collier, Bobby Collins, Independence Bowl, Conference USA, ACC, Sammy Winder, Ricky Floyd, football","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487","38559","7075","38562","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Follow a flashback to the 1970’s and early 1980’s when Bobby Collins’ Southern Miss squad and Bobby Bowden’s Florida State program played a series that was crucial to both schools.","content":"
This year’s Independence Bowl matchup of Southern Miss and Florida State is considered one of the more lopsided and awkward mismatches of the bowl season, but a quick review of the history book reveals a time when the two schools were not on too different footing as college football independents.
The two teams have played a total of 22 times with FSU holding a 13-8-1 lead in the series. They haven’t played since 1996 – a 54-14 win for the Sugar Bowl-bound Seminoles over a No. 25-ranked USM squad.
FSU (6-6) is a 15-point favorite over USM (8-4) ahead of the Dec. 27 game in Shreveport, Louisiana.
At no time was the USM-FSU series more relevant than the stretch from 1976-81 when Bobby Collins was the coach at Southern Miss and Bobby Bowden was in the first six seasons of his legendary run as the Florida State head coach.
The two teams played five generally hard-fought contests during that stretch.
“There was no doubt that it was a big game for us and I think it was a big game for them,” the 84-year-old Collins said this week.
A look back
The first time a Collins-coached USM team faced Florida State was on Nov. 6, 1976, in Tallahassee. The Seminoles won 30-27 before a crowd of 29,173.
FSU thumped the Golden Eagles 35-6 the next year in Hattiesburg before 19,376 onlookers. That squad proved to be the first of Bowden’s great teams, finishing 10-2 and winning the Tangerine Bowl.
In a scheduling quirk, Florida State made another trip to Hattiesburg in 1978. The Seminoles didn’t take too kindly to being scheduled as the homecoming opponent and walked away with a 38-16 victory.
In the 1979 season opener in Tallahassee, USM was in good position for its first win over Florida State since 1961. The Golden Eagles led 14-3 in the fourth quarter, but a blocked punt and a punt return for a touchdown allowed the Seminoles to rally for a 17-14 win in front of 45,467.
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After the teams didn’t meet in 1980, USM prepared an all-important trip to Tallahassee in 1981. USM entered the game with a record of 7-0-1, featuring a tie against Alabama and a win over Mississippi State. Florida State stood at 6-3 with wins over Notre Dame, Ohio State and LSU. The three losses were on the road at Nebraska, Pittsburgh and Miami.
“They were ranked (No. 20) and we had gotten moved into the top 20 (at No. 17),” Collins said. “It was a big, big ball game for us.”
While USM was a very good team that season, the final score was stunning – 58-14 in favor of the Golden Eagles.
“I believe we scored the first six or seven times we had the ball,” Collins said. “It was one of those days when things fell into place. We played a real good game against them.”
Led by a dangerous dual-threat quarterback, Reggie Collier, and a pair of gifted running backs in Sammy Winder and Ricky Floyd, USM piled up 368 yards on the ground against the Seminoles that day.
USM shot up to No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 the following week and eventually finished 9-2-1, losing 19-17 to Missouri in the Tangerine Bowl.
The massive gap
The fact that Florida State once served as USM’s homecoming opponent four decades ago speaks to how far the Seminoles have come as one of the nation’s preeminent football powers. While FSU has climbed to the top of college football, USM has continued to scrap and fight to stay relevant as one of the better mid-major programs.
Collins took the SMU job after the 1981 season while Bowden built a behemoth in Tallahassee with a record of 315-98-4 and two national titles from 1976-2009.
Florida State and Southern Miss were among the last standing independent programs in the Southeast before FSU joined the ACC in 1991 and USM became one of the founding members of Conference USA in 1995.
While USM and FSU were on a relatively level playing field in football from the 50’s to the early 80’s, there is obviously no comparison between the two programs at this point.
Florida State doesn’t lack for resources, thriving as one of seven FBS programs in the state of Florida with an athletic budget of about $115 million.
USM, which is one of three FBS programs in Mississippi, has the second smallest athletic budget in Conference USA at about $26 million.
While the landscape has change drastically in college football since Collins was the head coach at USM, the program continues to fight the odds each year.
“It seemed like we had our backs to the wall all the way,” Collins said. “We were playing as an independent and we had to play some big games for our budget and all. We were fortunate in the big games that we could win some of them.
“We desperately wanted to get in a conference and it seemed like everything we were trying to do was just a struggle. We finally got to where we were noticed and all. You never know how Louisville shot ahead and even Florida State took giant steps forward. I think the thing that held us back more than anything was not being able to get in a conference early and not get associated with those teams. Being in a conference, you have an automatic schedule built in. It’s a tough situation, but I’ve been mighty proud of the way Southern Miss has fought back.”
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"188879469","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/f5aowy/picture188879469","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Final","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","modified_date":1512775399,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1512775399,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/f5aowy/picture188879469/alternates/FREE_1140/Final","href":"/web/v1/content/188879469","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487"],"credit":"","dateline":"","caption":"Former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden, left, and former Southern Miss quarterback Reggie Collier took part in some interesting battles between the two schools in the early 80’s.","photographer":"Associated Press, Sun Herald file photos","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/f5aowy/picture188879469/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Final"},{"id":"188205609","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article188205609.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Conference USA proves again that it’s a failing model","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","home_section":{"name":"Conference USA","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/"},"modified_date":1512577406,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Conference USA proves again that it's a failing model","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article188205609.html\n","meta_description":"Waning attendance across Conference USA is one more sign that schools should consider dissolving.","published_date":1512513006,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/ffczua/picture188205569/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/FAU(2)","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Conference USA, C-USA, realignment, Southern Miss, USM, Golden Eagles, Marshall, Thundering Herd, attendance, Lane Kiffin, FAU, FIU, Charlotte, 49ers, Rice, Owls, North Texas, Mean Green, football, Louisiana Tech, Bulldogs, UAB, Blazers","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484","38559","7075","38562","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Waning attendance across Conference USA is one more sign that schools should consider dissolving.","content":"
Conference USA football can celebrate placing a record nine teams in bowl games this season, but there’s little joy for the league when you consider fan interest.
The disappointing crowd in Boca Raton for Saturday’s C-USA title game reinforces a worrying trend. The conference announced 14,258 at FAU Stadium, but the actual figure appeared to be significantly lower.
When the title game was played at WKU in Bowling Green a year ago, C-USA announced a crowd of 13,213. The actual attendance may have been half that figure.
Lane Kiffin’s successful first season at FAU provided national buzz for the program and conference, but that didn’t deliver big crowds. A year after averaging 10,073 fans, FAU jumped to 18,568.
In general, South Florida doesn’t support college sports well. FIU’s average attendance of 16,196 is laughable when you consider there might have been 2,500 on hand for the Panthers’ final home game against UMass this past Saturday.
When schools like WKU and FAU are good in football, it’s bad for the conference. Fewer and fewer fans are invested in their programs and that general apathy is having an impact across C-USA.
Aside from UAB, FAU, Old Dominion and North Texas, much of Conference USA saw a dip in attendance this season.
Huntington and Hattiesburg
Despite having respectable seasons and earning bowl bids, the attendance numbers at Southern Miss and Marshall took a significant drop.
USM led C-USA in average attendance last year at 28,588. This year, games in Hattiesburg dropped to 21,711. That’s partly explained due to inflated figures that were produced under prior administrations and the distribution of fewer free tickets, but there is no denying there were more empty seats at Roberts Stadium this year. The crowd of 22,761 for USM’s season opener against Kentucky is still baffling.
Marshall finished second in C-USA behind USM in attendance last year at 24,760, but that figure dropped to 22,417 despite finishing 7-5 after going 3-9 in 2016.
When Marshall and Southern Miss see waning crowds for no particular reason, that should be a major warning sign for the rest of Conference USA.
Apathy has become contagious.
Energized by the revival of its football program and an 8-4 campaign, UAB led C-USA in attendance this year at 28,749. UTSA finished second at 22,821 — a slight drop from last year.
What also has to be taken into account is that several of C-USA’s members announce official attendance numbers that appear to be well in excess of actual crowds. FIU, Middle Tennessee, Rice and Louisiana Tech can fall in this category.
Conference USA is not alone in its attendance struggles. There are signs of smaller crowds at many Group of Five programs, but the drop in C-USA seems more pronounced.
Shut it down
With less TV money coming in and the cost of travel still an issue, you can’t help but come to the conclusion that the conference is in a failing model.
It’s nice that C-USA was a more competitive football league this year, but there’s no denying the 14-school lineup is geographically awkward and doesn’t instill much confidence for the long-term future. A volleyball team should not have to travel from Norfolk, Virginia, to El Paso, Texas, to play a game.
There are increasing rumblings among C-USA athletic directors that changes are necessary.
New USM athletic director Jon Gilbert is among those who are open to suggestions, saying earlier this year, “I think that the idea of a regionally based conference probably warrants discussion.”
MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro told The Virginian Pilot in April that “It’s inevitable that there’s going to be some kind of consolidation among the Group of Five.”
The best solution is for Conference USA and the Sun Belt to both dissolve and allow the schools to form two or three regional leagues. This will cut down on travel and help build more regional rivalries.
Conference USA had its heyday, but it’s time to move on and create something that makes more sense to its members.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"188205569","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/ffczua/picture188205569","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"FAU(2)","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","modified_date":1512577404,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1512513002,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/ffczua/picture188205569/alternates/FREE_1140/FAU(2)","href":"/web/v1/content/188205569","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484"],"credit":"Associated Press","dateline":"","caption":"Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin speaks to his players during the first half of the Conference USA championship against North Texas on Dec. 2 in Boca Raton, Fla.","photographer":"Jim Rassol","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/ffczua/picture188205569/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/FAU(2)"},{"id":"186780443","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article186780443.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Intriguing possibilities await FAU, North Texas & Southern Miss","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","home_section":{"name":"Conference USA","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/"},"modified_date":1511914017,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Southern Miss, FAU, North Texas have intriguing possibilities","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article186780443.html\n","meta_description":"With 10 teams bowl eligible, it seems that someone will be left out. Southern Miss, North Texas and FAU may land compelling bowl bids.","published_date":1511826621,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/etxo91/picture186780433/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Tez","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Bowl Projections, C-USA, Southern Miss, USM, Golden Eagles, Conference USA, North Texas, Mean Green, FAU, Owls, Lane Kiffin, Butch Davis, Bill Clark, UAB, Blazers, Marshall, thundering herd, UTSA, Roadrunners, Florida State, Seminoles, Texas Tech, Red Raiders, South Florida, Bulls, La. Tech, Bulldogs, WKU, Hilltoppers, MTSU, Blue Raiders","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484","7073","38559","7075","38562","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"With 10 teams bowl eligible, it seems that someone will be left out. Southern Miss, North Texas and FAU may land compelling bowl bids.","content":"
UAB already knows it’s headed to the Bahamas Bowl, but nine more Conference USA teams are waiting to find out their postseason fates.
C-USA set a league record this season with 10 teams earning six wins and gaining bowl eligibility. At the moment, I expected nine teams to receive bowl bids. After getting passed over in 2012 and 2014, I see Middle Tennessee (6-6) as being left out of the postseason again this year.
The problem for MTSU is general apathy in the fan base and an uncertain future for head coach Rick Stockstill, who is often the target of criticism from the Blue Raider faithful.
C-USA features six automatic bowl tie-ins and another conditional tie-in with the Independence Bowl, which will probably miss out on filling its SEC bid.
The Heart of Dallas Bowl and the Cure Bowl in Orlando seem likely to host C-USA squads this year with other conferences unable to fulfill their tie-ins.
Most of the bowl bids won’t be handed out until after the C-USA title game, which kicks off at 11 a.m. on Saturday on ESPN2. North Texas (9-3) and FAU (9-3) are both seeking their first C-USA championships.
The C-USA title winner gets the first choice for a bowl game and the runner-up will then make its selection.
There are some intriguing possibilities in the final C-USA Bowl Projections of the year:
▪ Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16) — Marshall (7-5) vs. Fresno State (9-3) - Marshall stumbled down the stretch, losing its last two games in heartbreaking fashion. The Herd may have missed out on making a trip to Florida this bowl season.
▪ Cure Bowl (Dec. 16) – WKU (6-6) vs. Appalachian State (7-4) – I see WKU as one of three six-win C-USA teams that will receive bowl bids, this one at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
▪ R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16) — Louisiana Tech (6-6) vs. Troy (9-2) – I think Louisiana Tech lands this spot just based on the proximity. The Bulldogs can make up for an underwhelming season with a win over a good Troy team.
▪ Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 19) — FIU (7-4) vs. Temple (6-6) – With UAB headed to the Bahamas, FIU seems destined to stay close to home in Boca Raton. It’s an interesting battle for C-USA Coach of the Year between FIU head coach Butch Davis, UAB’s Bill Clark and Lane Kiffin of FAU.
▪ Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 21) — Southern Miss (8-4) vs. South Florida (9-2) – USM should draw consideration from the Independence Bowl, but it’s looking more and more like Florida State may end up in the Independence Bowl. If that’s the case, I expect either North Texas or FAU to take that spot. A battle with South Florida in St. Petersburg would be an attractive option for the Golden Eagles.
▪ Bahamas Bowl* (Dec. 22) — UAB (8-4) vs. Ohio (8-4) – I’m kind of surprised UAB didn’t want to stay closer to home, but any day in the Bahamas is a good day.
▪ Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23) — UTSA (6-5) vs. Army (8-3) – UTSA fired its offensive coordinator, Frank Scelfo, after leading a poor effort on that side of the ball this season. The Roadrunners get this bid just based on the relatively short trip to Fort Worth.
▪ Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dec. 26) — North Texas (9-3) vs. Texas Tech (6-6) – This seems like an ideal situation for the Mean Green. If you can beat Texas Tech in front of a big crowd at the Cotton Bowl, that’s a nice boost for the program.
▪ Independence Bowl (Dec. 27) — Florida State (5-6) vs. FAU (9-3) – If FAU wins the Conference USA title as expected, I don’t see how the Owls turn down a chance to play the Seminoles in Shreveport.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"186780433","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/etxo91/picture186780433","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Tez","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","modified_date":1535828365,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1511826621,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/etxo91/picture186780433/alternates/FREE_1140/Tez","href":"/web/v1/content/186780433","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484"],"credit":"Special to the Sun Herald","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss running back Tez Parks takes it around the end during the game against Charlotte at M.M. Roberts Stadium on Nov. 18, 2017.","photographer":"Bobby McDuffie","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/etxo91/picture186780433/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Tez"},{"id":"185717068","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article185717068.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Three more teams seek eligibility; Can 10 get bids?","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","home_section":{"name":"Conference USA","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/"},"modified_date":1511223425,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: FAU, Southern Miss, North Texas could see attractive bids","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article185717068.html\n","meta_description":"Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech look to join the Conference USA teams that are already bowl eligible.","published_date":1511222769,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/k2i4km/picture185717038/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/IS","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Bowl Projections, Southern Miss, USM, Golden Eagles, UNT, North Texas, FAU, Owls, Lane Kiffin, FIU, Marshall, thundering herd, Independence Bowl, Heart of Dallas Bowl, New Orleans Bowl, South Florida, Bulls, Florida State, Seminoles, MTSU, ODU, Old Dominion, UTSA","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484","38559","7075","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech look to join the Conference USA teams that are already bowl eligible.","content":"
With UTSA joining Conference USA's bowl-eligible teams last week, three more are hoping to jump on board this week.
Middle Tennessee (5-6) and Old Dominion (5-6) meet at 2 p.m. Saturday in a game that will decide which team has a chance to extend its season. Louisiana Tech (5-6) has a shot to get its sixth win when it hosts UTSA at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
I like MTSU and La. Tech to pick up victories this weekend, giving Conference USA 10 bowl-eligible teams.
How many C-USA teams will actually receive bowl bids remains to be seen, but I'd say there are even odds that all 10 will go bowling. There are are a total of 78 bowl bids this season and somewhere around 77 to 79 teams will likely hit the six-win mark and gain eligibility.
At the moment, I see Middle Tennessee sitting at home at 6-6.
▪ Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16) — UAB (7-4) vs. Fresno State (8-3) — UAB fell flat at Florida last week, but I still like the Blazers to land a decent bowl bid.
▪ Cure Bowl (Dec. 16) – WKU (6-5) vs. Georgia State (6-3) – This isn't a terribly sexy matchup for the the Hilltoppers, but a trip to Orlando isn't so bad.
▪ R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16) — Louisiana Tech (5-6) vs. Troy (8-2) — Louisiana Tech will be on the bubble for a bowl bid if it gets to six wins, but the proximity to New Orleans should help the Bulldogs out. ULL appears headed to bowl eligibility again, but I'm betting the Cajuns get passed over by the New Orleans Bowl this year.
▪ Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 19) — Marshall (7-4) vs. Temple (5-6) — The Thundering Herd is fading late with three losses in the last four games.
▪ Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 21) — Southern Miss (7-4) vs. South Florida (9-1) — I like the Golden Eagles to win at Marshall on Saturday and improve their bowl prospects. This won't be an easy trip for USM fans, but it would make for an intriguing matchup with a Top 25 USF squad.
▪ Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 22) — FIU (6-4) vs. Northern Illinois (8-3) — FIU should get to at least seven wins with UMass coming to Miami on Dec. 2.
▪ Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23) — UTSA (6-4) vs. Army (8-3) — This game makes a lot of sense for the Roadrunners after clinching bowl eligibility with a 9-7 win over Marshall last week.
▪ Heart of Dallas Bowl (Dec. 26) — North Texas (8-3) vs. Utah (5-6) — With FAU scooping up the Independence Bowl, this would provide a nice backup plan for the Mean Green.
▪ Independence Bowl (Dec. 27) — Florida State (4-6) vs. FAU (8-3) — It's hard to see FAU turning down a shot to play the Seminoles in Shreveport.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"185717038","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/k2i4km/picture185717038","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"IS","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","modified_date":1511223424,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1511222768,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/k2i4km/picture185717038/alternates/FREE_1140/IS","href":"/web/v1/content/185717038","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484"],"credit":"Special to the Sun Herald","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss running back Ito Smith runs the ball against Charlotte during the game at Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg on Nov. 18.","photographer":"Bobby McDuffie","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/k2i4km/picture185717038/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/IS"},{"id":"184110911","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article184110911.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"LIVE BLOG: Southern Miss takes on Rice","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","home_section":{"name":"Southern Miss","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/"},"modified_date":1510422838,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Southern Miss football takes on Rice - Live Blog","meta_description":"Check here for live updates and commentary as Southern Miss travels to Rice for a Conference USA contest.","published_date":1510422838,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/hwhv8d/picture184110906/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/KG","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"USM, Southern Miss, Golden Eagles, Rice, Owls, C-USA, Conference USA, Patrick Magee","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487","38559","7075","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Check here for live updates and commentary as Southern Miss travels to Rice for a Conference USA contest.","content":"
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"184110906","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/hwhv8d/picture184110906","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"KG","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","modified_date":1510422813,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1510422813,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/hwhv8d/picture184110906/alternates/FREE_1140/KG","href":"/web/v1/content/184110906","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487"],"credit":"Associated Press","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Mississippi quarterback Kwadra Griggs (7) throws to a receiver during warmups the game against Tennessee on Nov. 4 in Knoxville, Tenn.","photographer":"Wade Payne","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/hwhv8d/picture184110906/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/KG"},{"id":"184107131","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/article184107131.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Hancock, Stone High create history as 5 South Mississippi teams advance","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38508","home_section":{"name":"High School Sports","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/"},"modified_date":1510421129,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Stone High, Hancock create history as 5 South Mississippi teams advance","meta_description":"East Central and Poplarville still appear headed for an epic Class 4A South State title battle.","published_date":1510420799,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/xu9yq1/picture184107116/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/EC","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Stone High, Tomcats, Hancock, Hawks, football, high school, Poplarville, Hornets, East Central, Resurrection, Eagles, RCS","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38508","38559","7075","38562","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"East Central and Poplarville still appear headed for an epic Class 4A South State title battle.","content":"
There are five high school football teams remaining in the playoffs in South Mississippi and the most surprising of those is Hancock.
The Hawks (10-2) continued their dream season with a 30-27 victory over a talented Brandon squad Friday night in Kiln. The playoff win was the first by a Region 4-6A member since 2014 when D'Iberville and Ocean Springs made it out of the first round.
Another 4-6A team, Gulfport, pushed Meridian to overtime Friday night, but fell 21-14. Admirals head coach Eddie Pierce announced after the game that he is headed into retirement, capping off a career that also included a successful stint as the head coach at Jones County Junior College.
If you would have told folks before the season that it would be Hancock that would end 4-6A's run of futility in the postseason, few would have believed you. The Hawks finished in last place in the region a year ago, going 4-7 overall and just 1-6 in region play.
The test gets tougher for Hancock this week with a road game at Pearl, which improved to 13-0 overall with a 55-14 victory over St. Martin in the first round of the playoffs. Pearl will be a heavy favorite on its home field, but the same Brandon team that Hancock beat Friday night pushed Pearl into overtime in a 28-27 game in the regular season finale.
Maybe the gap between Hancock and Pearl isn't all that wide.
Tomcats roll
The four other South Mississippi teams remaining in the playoffs are Stone High, Resurrection, Poplarville and East Central.
Picayune's elimination with a 42-35 loss to Laurel may have been the most shocking outcome in Class 5A on Friday night. A year after Laurel beat the Maroon Tide in the South State final, the Tornadoes again played the role of foil.
Stone High is the lone remaining South Mississippi team in 5A after scoring all 24 of its points in the second half to win 24-14 at West Jones. It is the first playoff win for Stone High since 1991.
The Tomcats (8-3) will play host to Hattiesburg (12-0) in the second round. The two teams met in Hattiesburg on Sept. 29 with the Tigers cruising to a 62-27 win.
I expect a much closer game this time around.
RCS back in the hunt
Resurrection is only 6-6, but don't discount the Eagles in the Class 1A South State race. The Eagles thumped a good French Camp team, 35-7, Friday night on the road.
RCS has a talented senior quarterback in Blake Porter and a solid batch of skill players. The emergence of senior running back Jerry Johnson, who has eight touchdowns in the last two games, has been a big boost.
Resurrection will play host to Lumberton (10-2) in the second round. RCS fell 26-22 at Lumberton on Oct. 20, but you have to give the Eagles the slight edge on their home field this week.
Hornets still standing
There's no surprise that East Central and Poplarville are the last two teams reamaining in Class 4A in South Mississippi. East Central rolled past West Lauderdale 52-6 Friday night while Poplarville pulled out a 42-31 win at St. Stanislaus.
East Central (11-0) will travel to South Pike (11-3) this week while Poplarville (12-0) will head to Purvis (6-6).
It still seems likely that we'll see the dream match-up of Poplarville and East Central in 4A South State title game.
East Central looks like a wrecking ball at the moment.
Game Ball
With the Hancock Hawks moving onto the next round, there's little doubt as to who deserves this week's Game Ball for the top coaching performance.
That goes to first-year Hancock head coach Neil Lollar, who has orchestrated one of the quickest turnarounds on the Coast in recent memory.
The odds are tall, but you can't count out Hancock at Pearl Friday night.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"184107116","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/xu9yq1/picture184107116","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"EC","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38508","modified_date":1510421027,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1510420798,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/xu9yq1/picture184107116/alternates/FREE_1140/EC","href":"/web/v1/content/184107116","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38508"],"credit":"Special to the Sun Herald","dateline":"","caption":"East Central head coach Seth Smith watches the action during the second quarter against West Lauderdale Friday in Hurley.","photographer":"Glenn Andrews","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/xu9yq1/picture184107116/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/EC"},{"id":"183756251","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article183756251.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Nine bowl-eligible teams seem likely","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","home_section":{"name":"Conference USA","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/"},"modified_date":1510266138,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Southern Miss, UTSA should join bowl-eligible teams","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article183756251.html\n","meta_description":"Middle Tennessee, UTSA and Southern Miss should be among the Conference USA teams who will eventually gain bowl eligibility.","published_date":1510265993,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/efn9tw/picture183756241/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/UAB","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Bowl Projections, Southern Miss, C-USA, USM, Golden Eagles, UTSA, Roadrunners, UAB, Blazers, FAU, Owls, Lane Kiffin, Butch Davis, FIU, Panthers, North Texas, Mean Green, Marshall, Thundering Herd","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484","38559","7075","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Middle Tennessee, UTSA and Southern Miss should be among the Conference USA teams who will eventually gain bowl eligibility.","content":"
With so many teams in postseason contention, it seems more than likely that at least one bowl-eligible Conference USA team will miss out on a bowl bid.
There are nine C-USA teams that can be projected as reaching bowl eligibility at the moment – FAU, FIU, Marshall, WKU, MTSU, North Texas, UAB, Southern Miss and UTSA.
Louisiana Tech has a chance at 4-5, but the Bulldogs may only be favored in one of their remaining games – UTEP on Nov. 18.
Here are this week's projections for bowl games featuring C-USA tie-ins:
▪ Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16) — Marshall (6-3) vs. Colorado State (6-4) — Marshall has lost two straight and could potentially stumble out of the bowl picture with three difficult games remaining – WKU, UTSA and Southern Miss.
▪ R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16) — UAB (6-3) vs. Arkansas State (5-2) — The Blazers could really make some noise when they go to Florida on Nov. 18.
▪ Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 19) — FIU (6-2) vs. Temple (4-5) — The Panthers seem headed for at least eight wins with Old Dominion and UMass coming to Miami.
▪ Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 21) — FAU (6-3) vs. South Florida (8-1) — The only team that seems to be standing between FAU and an East Division title is FIU.
▪ Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 22) — Southern Miss (5-4) vs. Northern Illinois (6-3) — Southern Miss can improve its postseason prospects if it closes out strong against Rice, Charlotte and Marshall.
▪ Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23) — UTSA (5-3) vs. Army (7-2) — The Roadrunners have three difficult games to close out, but the first two are in San Antonio – UAB and Marshall. UTSA travels to La. Tech to close out the regular season on Nov. 25.
▪ Independence Bowl (Dec. 27) — North Texas (6-3) vs. Wake Forest (5-4) — North Texas can sleep walk to the C-USA West title with UTEP and Rice serving as two remaining conference games.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"183756241","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/efn9tw/picture183756241","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"UAB","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","modified_date":1510266136,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1510265993,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/efn9tw/picture183756241/alternates/FREE_1140/UAB","href":"/web/v1/content/183756241","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484"],"credit":"Special to the Sun Herald","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss defensive lineman Xavier Thigpen (32) tackles UAB quarterback A.J. Erdely during the game at Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg on Oct. 28.","photographer":"Bobby McDuffie","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/efn9tw/picture183756241/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/UAB"},{"id":"183222206","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article183222206.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Seesaw at quarterback creates questions for Southern Miss’ future at the position","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","home_section":{"name":"Southern Miss","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/"},"modified_date":1510079221,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Southern Miss QB seesaw creates questions for the future","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article183222206.html\n","meta_description":"Kwadra Griggs is back and healthy at quarterback, but can he grab hold of the position for the 2018 campaign.","published_date":1510079064,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/njjm3/picture183222196/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/KG1","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"USM, Southern Miss, Golden Eagles, Jay Hopson, Kwadra Griggs, Keon Howard, Rice, Owls, QB, quarterback, Marcelo Rodriguez, C-USA, Conference USA","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487","38559","7075","38562","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Kwadra Griggs is back and healthy at quarterback, but can he grab hold of the position for the 2018 campaign.","content":"
Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson didn't explicitly say it Monday during his weekly press conference, but it appears that redshirt junior Kwadra Griggs is in position to be the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
Sophomore Keon Howard mostly filled in well as the starter over the last five games while Griggs recovered from an injured left hand, but his performances against UTEP and Tennessee weren't quite up to par.
Unless Griggs catches fire over the final three regular season games, there will be questions going forward about USM's future at the position. USM is 5-4 overall and 3-2 in Conference USA play headed into Saturday's 2:30 p.m. road game at Rice.
Howard has shown that he can get red hot at any moment, but his turnover issues have often come up at the worst possible time. He had two turnovers in the second half at Tennessee that were both converted into touchdowns in a 24-10 loss. Even while leading USM to a 34-27 win in overtime at Louisiana Tech on Oct. 21, he had an interception returned for a touchdown and threw his worst pick of the season in the first overtime.
Howard's best performance of the season came on Oct. 7 when he completed 15 of 20 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-29 win at UTSA. He got hot in the second half and seemed to find every open man.
The offense clearly showed more spark when Griggs entered the Tennessee game late with a cast still on his left hand. When he entered the game with 10:08 remaining, he immediately led the team on a 95-yard touchdown drive. Even though the line struggled to protect him, he completed 6 off 11 passes for 61 yards and had one rushing touchdown.
Griggs had the cast removed from his left hand on Sunday so that should no longer be an issue when receiving snaps.
A glance at Griggs
Griggs had the one poor performance in a 43-28 loss to North Texas, but there was no way to single out one player in that defeat. UNT outplayed the Golden Eagles in a variety of ways and 28 points should give you a chance to win. Griggs finished 19-of-42 for 270 yards and one touchdown.
The one area that Griggs has to show improvement is his accuracy. He needs to show more touch on his shorter passes and not be so inclined to go for the deep target.
Griggs has completed 52.4 percent of his passes for 1,071 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. His two interceptions didn't prove terribly costly with one coming on a deep toss on 3rd-and-long in the 28-17 win at Louisiana-Monroe and the other coming in a difficult situation late in the 30-12 loss to UAB.
Howard has completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 1,199 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
While both players have shown great upside at times, neither has yet earned the right to be considered the starter entering the 2018 campaign.
2018 QB
If Griggs or Howard can't grab hold of the job in the final weeks of the season, the answer in 2018 may already be on the roster – freshman Marcelo Rodriguez.
The 6-foot-2, 201-pound Miami native drew praise from Hopson during the preseason, but he is sitting out this year to receive a redshirt.
There's no denying that Rodriguez passed the eye test during fall camp. He looked the part and threw a nice, tight spiral. He has prototypical size and showed in high school that he can run with it.
A lot of things can change in the offseason and the staff has the option of looking at the junior college level for another quarterback.
USM is in a good position where it has multiple quarterbacks who have shown they can win games, but they need one of those players to step up and take ownership of the job.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"183222196","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/njjm3/picture183222196","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"KG1","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","modified_date":1510079220,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1510079063,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/njjm3/picture183222196/alternates/FREE_1140/KG1","href":"/web/v1/content/183222196","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487"],"credit":"jcfitzhugh@sunherald.com File","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss quarterback Kwadra Griggs will likely get his first start Sept. 30 on Saturday at Rice.","photographer":"John Fitzhugh","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/njjm3/picture183222196/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/KG1"},{"id":"182166281","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article182166281.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: FAU’s Lane Kiffin, FIU’s Butch Davis make rebuilds look easy","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","home_section":{"name":"Conference USA","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/"},"modified_date":1509572349,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Sun Herald provides C-USA Bowl Projections & Power Rankings","meta_description":"Here are the Conference USA bowl projections and power rankings with five weeks remaining in the regular season.","published_date":1509572349,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/40astg/picture182166276/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/FIU","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Bowl projections, FIU, FAU, Owls, Panthers, Butch Davis, Lane Kiffin, Southern Miss, USM, Golden Eagles, football, C-USA, Conference USA, UNT, North Texas, Mean Green, Marshall, Thundering Herd, UTSA, Roadrunners, WKU, Hilltoppers","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484","38559","7075","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Here are the Conference USA bowl projections and power rankings with five weeks remaining in the regular season.","content":"
The Shula Bowl may very well decide the Conference USA East this season with FAU and FIU suddenly on the rise.
FAU (5-3, 4-0) and FIU (5-2, 3-1) meet on Nov. 18 in Boca Raton for a game that should draw more buzz than just about anybody anticipated before the season. Both FAU's Lane Kiffin and Butch Davis of FIU entered major rebuilding projects in their first season at their respective schools, but they've made it look easy so far in C-USA.
There is some significant reshuffling among the bowl bids with Marshall, Southern Miss and Western Kentucky coming off losses:
▪ Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16) — Marshall (6-2) vs. Colorado State (6-3) — Marshall seemed destined for a bowl game in Florida until FIU made the trip to Huntigton this past Saturday.
▪ R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16) — UAB (5-3) vs. Arkansas State (5-2) — This isn't too bad of a trip for the Blazers. They seem almost certain land a bowl bid with Rice and UTEP still on the schedule.
▪ Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 19) — FIU (5-2) vs. Central Michigan (4-4) — The Panthers thumped Marshall 41-30 last week and have some very winnable games down the stretch against Old Dominion and UMass.
▪ Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 21) — FAU (5-3) vs. South Florida (7-1) — If USF does land here, it makes sense for the C-USA champion to head to St. Petersburg.
▪ Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 22) — Southern Miss (5-3) vs. Western Michigan (5-3) — Southern Miss really put a dent in its postseason prospects by losing 30-12 to UAB last week.
▪ Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23) — UTSA (5-2) vs. Army (6-2) — If this match-up does happen, it should make for a good game.
▪ Independence Bowl (Dec. 27) — North Texas (5-3) vs. Virginia (5-2) — A North Texas title in the C-USA West seems likely at the moment.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"182166276","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/40astg/picture182166276","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"FIU","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","modified_date":1524961212,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1509572348,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/40astg/picture182166276/alternates/FREE_1140/FIU","href":"/web/v1/content/182166276","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484"],"credit":"Associated Press","dateline":"","caption":"FIU quarterback Alex McGough (12) makes a throw against Marshall during a game on Oct. 28 at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, W.Va.","photographer":"Sholten Singer","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/40astg/picture182166276/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/FIU"},{"id":"180819706","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article180819706.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Southern Miss, FAU help their causes in divisional play","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","home_section":{"name":"Conference USA","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/"},"modified_date":1508953035,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Southern Miss, FAU help their causes in divisional play","meta_description":"There’s some shuffling in this week’s Conference USA bowl projections and power rankings.","published_date":1508952768,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/dfr49t/picture180819701/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/USM","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Bowl Projections, Southern Miss, C-USA, Conference USA, Power Rankings, USM, Golden Eagles, FAU, Owls, Marshall, Thundering Herd, FIU, Panthers, UTSA, Roadrunners, ODU, Monarchs, WKU, Hilltoppers, MTSU, Blue Raiders, La. Tech, Bulldogs, UNT, Mean Green, North Texas, Rice, UAB, Blazers, Charlotte, 49ers","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484","38559","7075","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"There’s some shuffling in this week’s Conference USA bowl projections and power rankings.","content":"
The hirings of Lane Kiffin at FAU and Butch Davis at FIU are producing immediate results in Conference USA.
FAU's 69-31 win over North Texas may have been the most surprising final score in the nation on Saturday. During their current three-game winning streak, the Owls are averaging 55 points a game.
FAU is 4-3 overall and 3-0 in C-USA as it prepares to enter a difficult stretch to close out the season, including Saturday's game at WKU.
The C-USA East may be decided when Marshall (6-1, 3-0) travels to FAU on Nov. 3.
We'll find out Saturday if FIU (4-2, 2-1) is legit when it travels to face Marshall on Saturday. FIU's first three wins over Alcorn State, Rice and Charlotte didn't show a whole lot, but the 23-10 victory over Tulane gives the team some credibility.
Conference USA still seems prepared produce as many as 10 bowl eligible teams this season, but Louisiana Tech (3-4, 1-2) and Middle Tennessee (3-5, 1-3) may have a hard time getting to six wins.
There's some shuffling in this week's C-USA Bowl Projections for games featuring C-USA tie-ins:
▪ Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16) — WKU (5-2) vs. Colorado State (6-2) — The Hilltoppers have a shot at picking up a win over an SEC opponent on Nov. 4 at Vanderbilt. At the moment, they seem destined for seven victories.
▪ R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16) — UTSA (4-2) vs. Arkansas State (4-2) — UTSA will need to hit the seven-win mark to make sure it gets a bowl bid. The Roadrunners should roll at UTEP on Saturday. UTSA head coach Frank Wilson, a New Orleans native, would enjoy a return home.
▪ Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 19) — FAU (4-3) vs. Central Michigan (4-4) — It seems likely that the AAC won't fulfill its bid here. I doubt a team like Houston or SMU wants to sign up for what would be a home game for the Owls.
▪ Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 21) — Marshall (6-1) vs. South Florida (7-0) — I still consider Marshall the favorite to win the C-USA East, but FAU presents a major challenge. I've got South Florida in this game because I like UCF to beat the Bulls in the regular season finale. If USF does lose to either UCF or in the AAC title game, the Bulls will likely try to get a bowl bid outside of the AAC's unimpressive options or choose to stay close to home and possibly play the C-USA champion in St. Petersburg.
▪ Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 22) — UAB (4-3) vs. Ohio (6-2) — The Blazers suffered a setback in a 25-24 loss at Charlotte last week, but are likely to reach bowl eligibility with games remaining against Rice and UTEP.
▪ Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23) — North Texas (4-3) vs. Army (6-2) — All was going right for the Mean Green before the trip to FAU last week. We'll find out if they can recover quickly with a potentially tricky home game against a desperate Old Dominion team on Saturday. Army has already accepted a bid to this game. UNT and Army have played three times over the last two seasons, including last year's Heart of Dallas Bowl.
▪ Independence Bowl (Dec. 27) — Southern Miss (5-2) vs. Virginia (5-2) — It still seems unlikely that the SEC fulfills its tie-in, opening up the distinct possibility of a C-USA squad filling this spot. USM needs to close strong, but the Independence would be an attractive option. Virginia faces a tough stretch to close out the season, including games against Louisville, Miami and Virginia Tech.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"180819701","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/dfr49t/picture180819701","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"USM","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","modified_date":1508952767,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1508952767,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/dfr49t/picture180819701/alternates/FREE_1140/USM","href":"/web/v1/content/180819701","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484"],"credit":"jcfitzhugh@sunherald.com File","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss defensive end Jacques Turner, left, and defensive back Kelsey Douglas celebrate a sack by Turner against Kentucky on Sept. 2 at Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg.","photographer":"John Fitzhugh","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/dfr49t/picture180819701/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/USM"},{"id":"180721826","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article180721826.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Biloxi’s Tim Jones should play significant role for Southern Miss down the stretch","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","home_section":{"name":"Southern Miss","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/"},"modified_date":1508891239,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Southern Miss freshman Tim Jones should see time at receiver going forward","meta_description":"Former Biloxi standout Tim Jones made his first career reception for Southern Miss during Saturday’s game at Louisiana Tech.","published_date":1508891239,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/r9m43d/picture180721811/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/TJ","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Southern Miss, USM, Football, Tim Jones, receiver, Biloxi Indians, high school, UAB, Blazers","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487","38559","7075","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Former Biloxi standout Tim Jones made his first career reception for Southern Miss during Saturday’s game at Louisiana Tech.","content":"
Former Biloxi football star Tim Jones appears set to play a significant role for the Southern Miss offense the rest of the season.
The freshman receiver received significant during Saturday's 34-27 win at Louisiana Tech and made his first career catch in the second quarter. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound freshman pulled in a toss from Keon Howard and made his way up field for an 18-yard gainer with 12:24 left in the first half.
He finished the double-overtime with two receptions for 24 yards.
“Tim is one of those players. I remember talking about it in August and you're talking about a freshman talen,” USM head coach Jay Hopson said Monday. “Tim Jones is going to be a special, special football player at Southern Miss. He's big, he's fast. He's just a combination of everything you want in a wide receiver.”
USM offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson also had good things to say about Jones, who was getting more playing time due to an injury to fellow freshman Jaylond Adams.
“He's a young guy, but he played a lot of snaps Saturday, Dawson said. “He caught some balls and did some good things. He made some freshman mistakes like everybody does. The more we play him the better we're going to be in the future. He's going to be a special player – a great kid, got a great frame, good talent and good ball skills. He wants to be good, has a great mind for the game. We just need to keep putting him out there.”
Jones had 209 career receptions for 3,524 yards and 29 touchdowns at Biloxi.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"180721811","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/r9m43d/picture180721811","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"TJ","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","modified_date":1508891238,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1508891238,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/r9m43d/picture180721811/alternates/FREE_1140/TJ","href":"/web/v1/content/180721811","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487"],"credit":"","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss receiver Tim Jones, a Biloxi native, made his first career catches last week at Louisiana Tech.","photographer":"USM media relations","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/r9m43d/picture180721811/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/TJ"},{"id":"179341436","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article179341436.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Southern Miss won’t soon forget Louisiana Tech ‘talking stuff’ ahead of Rivalry in Dixie","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","home_section":{"name":"Southern Miss","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/"},"modified_date":1508285286,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Southern Miss won't soon forget La. Tech 'talking trash' ahead of Rivalry in Dixie","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article179341436.html","meta_description":"The Southern Miss-Louisiana Tech rivalry has gained some traction in recent years. The talk this week out of Louisiana Tech has been a little more low key.","published_date":1508271845,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/4zr960/picture179341406/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/USM","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Southern Miss, USM, Golden Eagles, La. Tech, football, bulldogs, Rivalry in Dixie, C-USA, Conference USA","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487","38559","7075","38562","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"The Southern Miss-Louisiana Tech rivalry has gained some traction in recent years. The talk this week out of Louisiana Tech has been a little more low key.","content":"
Southern Miss’ football rivalries in Conference USA have changed as the league has evolved, but the closest thing the team has to a conference nemesis at the moment is Louisiana Tech.
The series has held its own name for the last four decades — “The Rivalry in Dixie.”
The man credited with coming up with the title for the series is Maxie Lambright, a former Southern Miss football player who served as the Louisiana Tech head coach from 1967-78. The McComb native had a career coaching record of 95-36-2.
The series dates back to 1935 when coach Pooley Hubert’s USM squad, then known as State Teachers College, fell 27-0 at Louisiana Tech. Since then, the series has largely been dominated by the Golden Eagles, holding a 33-15 all-time advantage.
While Houston, Louisville, Marshall and UAB have been among USM’s most hated football foes in C-USA since the league’s creation since 1995, Louisiana Tech may be a better fit as a rival than any of those four schools. USM and Louisiana Tech are similar culturally and located only 239 miles apart. The rivalry also stretches to other sports like baseball, which has seen the annual series take an uptick in intensity with Tech’s improvement on the diamond.
Last season’s Tech-USM football game in Hattiesburg helped boost the idea that “The Rivalry in Dixie” has gained some traction since the Bulldogs joined Conference USA in 2013.
Safety Xavier Woods, who is now with the Dallas Cowboys, said, “I want to end their season.”
Receiver Trent Taylor, who is now with the San Francisco 49ers, said he wanted to “embarrass” the Golden Eagles.
A year later, USM players haven’t forgotten the chatter.
“We beat them twice in a row,” USM senior defensive tackle Draper Riley said. “Every time we play them, they’re always talking stuff. We get pumped up so I guess it’s kind of a rivalry.”
Another USM senior, running back Ito Smith, didn’t argue with the idea of it being a rivalry contest.
“It’s another game, but it’s a game we always have circled on the schedule,” he said. “We’ve got to get this one.”
Low key chatter
Southern Miss, which has won its last two games against Tech, travels to Ruston for Saturday’s 6 p.m. game as a 2 ½-point underdog.
Louisiana Tech, which is coming off a 23-22 loss at UAB on Oct. 7, has underachieved somewhat at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in C-USA play. The Bulldogs haven’t been very potent on offense this season, but they’re capable of putting up big numbers behind sophomore quarterback J’Mar Smith, a Meridian native. Smith has completed 114 of 198 passes for 1,529 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
A year after talking trash about the Golden Eagles, head coach Skip Holtz and his players were much more low key discussing this Saturday’s game.
“It’s a fantastic rivalry with a great atmosphere,” Tech senior receiver Marlon Watts said Tuesday. “The media always knows they’ll get a good game out of us. I remember since my freshman year that this has always been a big game for us.”
Saturday’s game may amount to an early elimination game in the C-USA West. If you win, you’re still in the hunt. If you lose, you’re just hoping to earn a bowl bid.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"179341406","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/4zr960/picture179341406","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"USM","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38487","modified_date":1508285285,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1508271844,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/4zr960/picture179341406/alternates/FREE_1140/USM","href":"/web/v1/content/179341406","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38487"],"credit":"Associated Press","dateline":"","caption":"Southern Miss running back Ito Smith tries to work his way out of a tackle against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 28, 2015, in Ruston, La. USM won 58-24 in Ruston to clinch the C-USA West title.","photographer":"Susan Broadbridge","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/4zr960/picture179341406/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/USM"},{"id":"178471096","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/article178471096.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Patrick’s Picks: Long Beach can erase last week’s disappointment vs. Picayune","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38508","home_section":{"name":"High School Sports","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/"},"modified_date":1507840566,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"Patrick's picks: Here's Patrick Magee's Friday night predictions","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/article178471096.html","meta_description":"Check out all the high school football picks for South Mississippi from the Sun Herald’s Patrick Magee.","published_date":1507829228,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/uw8z4f/picture178471086/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Long%20Beach(2)","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Patrick Magee, sun herald, mississippi, high school football, prep football, hs football, football","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38508","38559","38562","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Check out all the high school football picks for South Mississippi from the Sun Herald’s Patrick Magee.","content":"
After stumbling in the second half of a 49-42 loss to Wayne County last week, Long Beach gets a chance to get back on track for the postseason Friday night.
The problem for Long Beach is that it hosts a Picayune squad that’s won six consecutive games and sits at 6-1 overall, 3-0 in Region 4-5A.
However, Picayune head coach Dodd Lee was less than pleased with his team following last week’s 42-35 win over Stone High, saying that his Maroon Tide lack that “eye of the tiger” on defense.
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to fix it. You can’t fix it,” Lee said a week ago.
Long Beach (5-2, 2-1) should be able to put up some points Friday night, but it likely won’t be enough against the Maroon Tide’s potent ground game.
My prediction: Picayune 38, Long Beach 28.
Here’s how I see the rest of the week shaking out:
Gulfport 28, Harrison Central 14: Gulfport (4-3) has by far the best defense in Region 4-6A and it’s hard to see Harrison Central (3-4, 2-1) getting on the scoreboard much unless it can piece together somewhat of a balanced effort. Gulfport has rebound well since a 37-7 thrashing at the hands of Picayune on Sept. 8.
D’Iberville 35, Hancock 31: D’Iberville (3-4, 2-1) appears to have turned the corner on offense since losing 26-23 at Biloxi in the region opener. The Warriors have scored a total of 85 points over the last two weeks in wins over Ocean Springs and Pascagoula.
Ocean Springs 24, Pascagoula 21: It’s been a struggle on defense for Pascagoula (2-5, 0-3) the last three weeks. While the Panthers match up better with Ocean Springs than their last three opponents (Harrison Central, Gulfport and D’Iberville), Ocean Springs (3-4, 1-2) seemed to find new life in a 26-21 win over Biloxi last week.
Biloxi 27, St. Martin 17: The Yellow Jackets (3-4, 0-4) have had a rough go of it in 4-6A following a 3-1 start to the season. Biloxi had a setback last week against the Greyhounds, but I see the Indians (2-4, 2-1) putting up a strong defensive effort as junior linebacker Donte Starks takes on his former St. Martin teammates.
Pearl 31, George County 10: Pearl rolls in at 8-0 and 3-0 in Region 3-6A while George County stands at 2-6 and 1-2. Pearl hasn’t always blown out the competition this season, but it will be a heavy favorite in Lucedale Friday night. Pearl is as balanced as they come on offense. The Pirates have passed for 1,178 yards and 14 touchdowns while running for 1,178 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Stone 35, Gautier 14: Stone is off to a 1-2 start in region play, but it has already played the two best teams in 4-5A — Picayune and Hattiesburg (7-0, 3-0). The Tomcats (3-3) can start their march to the playoffs with a decisive win at Gautier (2-5, 1-2).
Poplarville 42, Sumrall 10: Sumrall is 5-3 and 1-1 in Region 7-4A, but Poplarville (7-0, 2-0) has a chance to plow through the rest of the region.
Pearl River Central 28, West Harrison 21: This game at West Harrison (1-7, 0-3) gives winless PRC likely its best chance to pick up a win this season.
East Central 35, St. Stanislaus 20: There’s little doubt that this game will decide Region 8-4A with the Hornets (6-0, 2-0) and Rockachaws (4-3, 2-0) by far the two best teams in the region.
Moss Point 17, Pass Christian 14: Both of these teams can take an important step toward locking up a playoff bid with both squads sitting at 1-1 in Region 8-4A.
Bay High 17, Vancleave 13: This is Bay High’s best shot at winning a game the rest of the way as the injury bug has hit Vancleave.
Perry Central 45, St. Patrick 10: St. Patrick (2-5, 0-2 in 8-2A) lost 34-28 to Richton last week. Perry Central (7-0, 1-0) beat the same Richton team by the score of 63-6.
Resurrection 38, Mt. Olive 7: Resurrection (3-5, 2-1) should improve to 3-1 in Region 4-1A against a Mt. Olive team that is 2-6 and 1-2. RCS senior quarterback Blake Porter leads the Coast in passing, completing 111 of 186 passes for 1,284 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Christian Collegiate 35, Tallulah (La.) Academy 31: CCA is 4-3 overall and 3-1 in district play.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"178471086","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/uw8z4f/picture178471086","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Long Beach(2)","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38508","modified_date":1534432109,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1507829228,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/uw8z4f/picture178471086/alternates/FREE_1140/Long%20Beach(2)","href":"/web/v1/content/178471086","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38508"],"credit":"amccoy@sunherald.com File","dateline":"","caption":"Long Beach quarterback Cade Crosby, right, celebrates after running the ball into the end zone for a touchdown against Wayne County on Oct. 6, 2017, at Long Beach High.","photographer":"Amanda McCoy","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/uw8z4f/picture178471086/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Long%20Beach(2)"},{"id":"178309981","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article178309981.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Lane Kiffin’s FAU squad, Marshall on the rise","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","home_section":{"name":"Conference USA","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/"},"modified_date":1507750936,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"C-USA Bowl Projections: Lake Kiffin's FAU squad, Marshall on the rise","meta_description":"Southern Miss and North Texas are leading the pack in the Conference USA West while Marshall and FAU seem to be the favorites in the East. Whichever teams take division titles should get preferential treatment when bowl bids are handed out.","published_date":1507750820,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/rtma8k/picture178309971/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Kiffin","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Bowl Projections, C-USA, Conference USA, FAU, Lane Kiffin, Owls, Southern Miss, Golden Eagles, USM, Marshall, Thundering Herd, Doc Holliday, UTSA, Roadrunners, La. Tech, bulldogs, Louisiana tech, football, UNT, North Texas, Mean Green, Armed Forces Bowl, Army, Black Knights, Memphis, Tigers, Navy, Midshipmen, Naval Academy, WKU, Hilltoppers, MTSU, Blue Raiders, Middle Tennessee, Troy Trojans, New Orleans Bowl, Independence Bowl, Wake Forest","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484","38559","7075","38562","38487","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"Southern Miss and North Texas are leading the pack in the Conference USA West while Marshall and FAU seem to be the favorites in the East. Whichever teams take division titles should get preferential treatment when bowl bids are handed out.","content":"
We're seven weeks into the college football season so now is a good time to take a look ahead at the bowl picture for Conference USA.
There's no clear favorite to win C-USA but Marshall (4-1, 1-0) and North Texas (3-2, 2-0) deserve to be considered favorites in the East and the West, putting those two teams in position to choose the most attractive bowl bids.
C-USA has seven bowl tie-ins if you count a conditional bid with the Independence Bowl, which can fill either of its two slots with a C-USA squad if either the ACC and SEC can't fulfill their tie-ins. With Alabama and Georgia both CFP contenders, I'm betting the SEC doesn't fill its spot in Shreveport.
I see Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee both reaching bowl eligibility at 6-6, but it will take a while to figure out where they may land. At least one of those teams would probably receive a bowl bid at 6-6.
Here are my predictions for bowl games featuring C-USA tie-ins:
▪ Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16) – UAB (3-2) vs. Fresno State (3-2) – The Blazers have a good chance to get to the 7-win mark with Charlotte, Rice and UTEP still on the schedule. Also, I'm picking UAB over MTSU in Birmingham this Saturday. Bill Clark is doing a great job at UAB.
▪ R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16) – Southern Miss (3-2) vs. Troy (4-1) – If USM can pass up North Texas in the C-USA West, the Independence Bowl could be a potential destination. UNT has the head-to-head so the Mean Green have a significant edge.
▪ Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 19) – FAU (3-3) vs. Memphis (4-1) – The Owls finally have a chance to make the Boca Raton Bowl a home game and should draw a decent AAC squad. Lane Kiffin’s Owls are very much in the hunt in the C-USA East.
▪ Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 21) – Marshall (4-1) vs. Navy (5-0) – As the projected C-USA champion, Marshall would get its choice of bowl destinations. The state of Florida is important recruiting territory for Marshall and the chance to play a quality AAC opponent like Navy in St. Petersburg would be attractive. This match-up could also take place in Boca Raton, but it makes sense to keep FAU on its home field. Doc Holliday’s Marshall squad has already cleared the win total from last year’s dreadful 3-9 campaign.
▪ Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 22) – Western Kentucky (3-2) vs. Ohio (4-2) – I'm sure the Hilltoppers would like stay closer to home for the bowl season, but they'll have to scratch and claw to get to seven wins.
▪ Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23) – UTSA (3-1) vs. Army (4-2) – Army is already locked into this game if it reaches bowl eligibility, which seems likely. UTSA makes a lot of sense here if North Texas wants to avoid playing Army for the third time over the last two seasons and the second consecutive season in a bowl game. The Heart of Dallas Bowl and Armed Forces Bowl recently switched tie-ins with C-USA going to Fort Worth and the Big 12 moving to Dallas.
▪ Independence Bowl (Dec. 27) – North Texas (3-2) vs. Wake Forest (4-2) – If this spot is available, it's hard to see North Texas passing on the opportunity to play an ACC squad just 225 miles away from Denton campus.
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"178309971","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/rtma8k/picture178309971","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Kiffin","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38484","modified_date":1507750933,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1507750820,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/rtma8k/picture178309971/alternates/FREE_1140/Kiffin","href":"/web/v1/content/178309971","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38484"],"credit":"Associated Press","dateline":"","caption":"Lane Kiffin has led the FAU football team to a 3-3 record and a 2-0 mark in Conference USA play.","photographer":"Jim Rassol","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/rtma8k/picture178309971/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Kiffin"},{"id":"176745041","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/nfl/new-orleans-saints/article176745041.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"‘It’s time’ for stricter gun laws, Saints coach Sean Payton suggests","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38535","home_section":{"name":"New Orleans Saints","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/nfl/new-orleans-saints/"},"modified_date":1507054820,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_title":"It's time for stricter gun laws in the U.S., Saints coach Sean Payton suggests","originating_url":"http://www.sunherald.com/sports/nfl/new-orleans-saints/article176745041.html","meta_description":"New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has made no secret his disdain for the prevalence of guns in the U.S.","published_date":1507046893,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/nfl/new-orleans-saints/hjevm7/picture176745036/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Payton","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"keywords":"Saints, New Orleans, Sean Payton, coach, Las Vegas massacre, shooting rampage, gun violence","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38535","7073","38559","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has made no secret his disdain for the prevalence of guns in the U.S.","content":"
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has made no secret his disdain for guns in the past and the recent massacre in Las Vegas made him feel the need to send out a disturbing stat on Twitter Tuesday.
Following the 2016 shooting death of former Saints star defensive end Will Smith, Payton gave an interview with USA Today in which he questioned gun laws in the U.S.
“Two hundred years from now, they’re going to look back and say, ‘What was that madness about?’” Payton told USA Today. “The idea that we need them to fend off intruders … people are more apt to draw them (in other situations). That’s some silly stuff we’re hanging on to.”
","template_type":"","story_teaser":"","lead_media":{"id":"176745036","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/nfl/new-orleans-saints/hjevm7/picture176745036","asset_type":"picture","state":"published","title":"Payton","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"","home":"/web/v1/sections/38535","modified_date":1507047082,"allow_comments":false,"allow_index":false,"allow_follow":false,"published_date":1507046893,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/nfl/new-orleans-saints/hjevm7/picture176745036/alternates/FREE_1140/Payton","href":"/web/v1/content/176745036","access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38535"],"credit":"Associated Press","dateline":"","caption":"New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has made public his disdain for the prevalence of guns in the U.S.","photographer":"Matt Dunham","is_mugshot":false,"text_alignment":"Default","summary":"","byline":"","kicker":""},"owner":"Biloxi","allow_comments":true,"topic_tags":[],"image":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/nfl/new-orleans-saints/hjevm7/picture176745036/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Payton"},{"id":"173715746","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/article173715746.html","asset_type":"story","state":"published","title":"Region play arrives: Poplarville eyes Greene County, Region 4-6A up for grabs","publication":"sunherald","layout_option":"none","home":"/web/v1/sections/38508","home_section":{"name":"High School Sports","url":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/"},"modified_date":1505582955,"allow_index":true,"allow_follow":true,"meta_description":"We take a look ahead at the start of region competition for high school football across South Mississippi.","published_date":1505582718,"thumbnail":"https://www.sunherald.com/sports/high-school/5w39o1/picture173715731/alternates/LANDSCAPE_768/Pop","authors":[{"name":"Patrick Magee","email":""}],"access_tags":["matbasic"],"additional_sections":["38508","38559","7075","38478"],"credit":"pmagee@sunherald.com","dateline":"","summary":"We take a look ahead at the start of region competition for high school football across South Mississippi.","content":"
Now the games truly begin to count.
All of Class 1A, 5A and 6A begin region competition across South Mississippi this week, but it's worth looking two weeks ahead to the start of play in Region 7-4A.
Poplarville will hold its Sun Herald No. 1 ranking this week after taking care of business against a solid Heidelberg squad Friday night, 33-14 on the road. The Hornets will be off this week before starting region play with a home game on Sept. 29 against Greene County, which is undefeated at 5-0 and improving with each week
Greene County will travel to Moss Point (1-4) this week as a heavy favorite after scoring a late touchdown to win 20-14 at Long Beach Friday night.
Poplarville (5-0) will be the popular pick on its home field against Greene County, but Hornets head coach Jay Beech wasn't talking up his team too much after the win at Heidelberg.
\"We're playing pretty sloppy, but I'll take the win,\" Beech said. \"We've had too many pre-snap penalties. Too many motions, false starts, stuff like that.\"
Senior running back Austin Bolton again got loose with 24 times for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Even though Bolton has 13 touchdowns 907 yards rushing total, Beech believes his star running back can do even better with a little help.
\"If we can block for him and give him a little room, he can do incredible things with the football,\" he said.
Up for grabs
I can't imagine one region in the state that is more wide open than 4-6A.
No team has been particularly hot, but D'Iberville (1-3) will start region play this week as somewhat of a favorite to take first place. The Warriors have played a tough non-region schedule with three road games, including a hard-fought 27-21 loss at Madison Central.
As for which team is the favorite to land in second, it's anybody's guess. St. Martin (3-1) will travel to Gulfport (1-3) this week in a game that should play a significant role in the postseason hunt.
One team that has some momentum entering region play is Ocean Springs, which sits at 2-2 and has made significant improvement since being upset 31-21 by Gautier in the season opener. Sophomore quarterback Blake Noblin is beginning to settle in and has a chance to develop into into a nice prospect as a passer.
The biggest game in Region 4-5A this week will be Picayune at Wayne County. The No. 2 Maroon Tide (3-1) have been the better team, but the trip to Waynesboro is never an easy one. Wayne County (2-2) gained a little confidence on the road Friday night, winning 37-0 at Moss Point.
Game ball
The East Central football team faced two of the state's best Class 3A teams in consecutive weeks and allowed a total of seven points. After beating Jeff Davis 31-7 on Sept. 8, the Hornets pulled away for a 21-0 win over Hazlehurst Friday night.
After leading East Central to a 4-0 start to the season, head coach Seth Smith deserves this week's game ball for the top coaching performance.
The Hornets will be off this week before starting Region 8-4A play on Sept. 29 in Hurley against Moss point.
St. Stanislaus (2-2) appears to be the only team that can truly threaten East Central in region play. If the Hornets' defense keeps up its recent play and senior running back Tony Brown gets rolling, they'll be impossible to stop.
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