Southern Miss seeks to snap three-game skid at Rice

The Owls beat the Golden Eagles, 31-29, in Hattiesburg last season

Larry Fedora’s first season as head coach at Southern Miss certainly hasn’t gone as he had envisioned. The Golden Eagles sit at 2-4 following their 24-7 home defeat at the hands of No. 15 Boise State. The loss was the third straight at M.M. Roberts Stadium—something that had not occurred since the 1977 season.

While USM had its chances against BSU, the Broncos were clearly the better team. However, the UTEP (40-37, 2OT) and Marshall (34-27) losses were ones that could have gone either way.

While Fedora knows that his team’s record could easily be reversed, he also realizes that his club is at a crossroads in its season. If the Golden Eagles are going to extend their consecutive bowl streak to seven, they must muster at least a 4-2 mark during the second half of the season. As for the Conference USA East race, USM will have to go at least 5-1, if not run the table, to have a shot after its 0-2 start.

Rice’s season has been a roller coaster to date. The Owls (3-3, 2-1) opened the year with back-to-back league wins over SMU (56-27) and Memphis (42-35). However, they had their wings clipped the next weeks at Vanderbilt (38-21) and Texas (52-10), but responded with a blowout home win over North Texas (77-20). The last time out, Tulsa thrashed Rice, 42-14, in the second half and scored a resounding 63-28 win in Tulsa.

Last season, the Owls opened a 31-7 working margin through three quarters before holding off a furious fourth quarter rally by Southern Miss. Rice preserved the victory by denying the Golden Eagles on the two-point conversion attempt with only 2:46 to play and recovering the subsequent onsides kick.

USM star junior running back Damion Fletcher is thriving in Fedora’s spread attack. He has rushed for 749 yards (5.9 ypc) and five scores. He also has 20 receptions for 176 yards.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Davis has been productive in his first season. Davis, who has passed for 1,425 yards and nine touchdowns, has guided the offense to 27 points and over 420 yards per game.

Tight end Shawn Nelson is the team’s top receiver. He has caught 34 balls for 365 yards and three touchdowns. DeAndre Brown has 26 receptions and is averaging 16 yards per.

After being limited to a season worst 278 yards by Boise State, the Golden Eagles have to be excited to face a Rice defense that is giving up nearly 40 points and over 465 yards per game. Owl opponents have scored touchdowns on 20 of their 22 trips inside the red zone and are converting half of their third downs. However, Rice has managed to force 16 turnovers—including seven fumbles.

Cornerback Christopher Douglas is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. The Owls will be without leading tackler in free safety Andrew Sandejo, but his replacement Travis Bradshaw registered nine stop and a pass break-up versus Tulsa.

Despite its porous defense, Rice has managed a .500 record as a result of its potent offense. Led by senior Chase Clement, who passed for a season-high 321 yards in the loss at Tulsa, the Owls are averaging 39 points and nearly 430 yards per contest. They convert over 46 percent of their third downs, but have allowed 17 sacks.

Clement, who is nursing a nagging groin injury, has thrown for 1,748 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s connecting on 63.4 percent of his passes and has only thrown four picks. The dual threat has rushed for 323 yards and five scores, which are tops on the team.

Clement’s top targets are All-American wideout Jarrett Dillard and tight end James Casey. Dillard, who has an NCAA record 51 career touchdown receptions, has 46 catches for 674 yards and 11 scores. Casey has 54 receptions for 639 yards.

Defensively, Southern Miss is giving up 28.2 points and 397.7 yards per contest. It has done a good job of getting off the field on third down, as opponents are only converting 38 percent of their attempts.

Linebacker Gerald McRath leads the team with 63 stops—including four behind the line. Redshirt sophomore Anthony Gray has a team-high four sacks.

This is a game that both teams really need if they’re going to have a strong shot at contending in their respective divisions. Both teams have shown the ability to put points on the board, but Southern Miss has been the best at slowing the opposition down.

The Golden Eagles Damion Fletcher will rush for at least 150 yards and help keep the Rice offense off the field. Rice has outscored its two opponents, 133-47, at home, but Southern Miss will win a competitive game in Houston to snap its three game losing streak.

Southern Miss 38 - Rice 30