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2006 Southern Miss Offense

 

Jay Johnson's primary goal for the 2005 season was simple: improvement. The Golden Eagles' first year offensive coordinator did just that, bettering USM's once struggling offense in almost every way. The Golden Eagles scored 29.6 points per game last season, over four points per game higher than their 2004 total. Southern Miss also made great strides in overall yards per game, passing efficiency, and passing yards per game. If Johnson can continue to develop USM's offense, we could see big things for the 2006 football season.

Southern Miss Quarterbacks: The biggest concern for the 2006 season is the position of quarterback, as Southern Miss will be looking for someone other than Dustin Almond to man the offense for the first time since 2003. The front-runner looks to be red-shirt junior Jeremy Young, who capped a spectacular Spring Game performance with 77 yards and 6-of-10 passing. Young has little on-the-field experience, but knows the offense better than any other quarterback on the team. In Young's tenure at Southern Miss, he has accumulated 331 yards on 23-of-55 passing. Battling Young for the starting spot is junior Michigan State transfer Stephen Reaves. 2006 will mark Reaves first year of eligibility after his transfer to Hattiesburg a year ago. As a red-shirt freshman at Michigan State, Reaves went 23-of-58 passing with two touchdowns and 377 yards. Reaves underwent knee surgery after injuring himself at practice last fall, but has since healed and is playing well. Young will provide leadership to a very solid offense, and should succeed under a hearty offensive line. If he doesn't, look for Stephen Reaves to step in and take over in the middle of the year.

Southern Miss Receivers: A plethora of experienced wide receivers make up most of the Golden Eagle offense and provide solid targets to quarterback Jeremy Young. The leader of this talented corps is senior Josh Barnes, who racked up 32 catches, five touchdowns, and 421 receiving yards as a junior last season. Redshirt senior Anthony Perine also had a solid 2005, leading the team in yards (441), while also accumulating 31 catches and two touchdowns. Converted wide out Damion Carter, who served as USM's backup quarterback for two seasons, looks to have a break-out senior season. Carter finished the season with 14 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns last season, marking a career best for him. Carter's height and jumping ability really gives him an advantage when being covered, and defensive backs have a hard time tackling his 6'2, 193-pound frame. Joe Singleton, Southern Miss's next big star, had one of the best Spring Games a wide receiver could have. Singleton was not supposed to play last season, but due to a battered and bruised receiving corps, participated in the last seven games of the season, catching nine passing for 110 yards and one touchdown. Look for Singleton to become the next Sherrod Gideon or Todd Pinkston of the 2000's. Rounding out the starters at wideout is redshirt junior Chris Johnson. Johnson, who missed two games due to injury, recorded twenty catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns in 2005. Throw in Freshman All-American and New Orleans Bowl MVP Shawn Nelson, who posted 35 receptions, 540 receiving yards and five touchdowns last season. Nelson's efforts were the single season best numbers for a Southern Miss tight end. Add all of this together and you have one of the best receiving units in C-USA. With everyone healthy, this should be the most talented group of wideouts at Southern Miss since the early 1990's.

Southern Miss Backs: If any part of the offense needs vast improvement, it is undoubtedly the running game. Co-starters Cody Hull and Larry Thomas are battling it out for the starting job, while Conrad Chanove and C.J. Barrows wait patiently in the wings. Thomas was the starter for the first ten games of the season, gaining 647 yards and four touchdowns on 167 carries, while Hull, who rushed for 542 and three scores in 130 carries, took over the role in the last three match-ups. Thomas is a versatile back that catches passes and breaks open runs with amazing speed, while Hull blocks well and runs between the tackles.  Hull had the better spring and will most likely start, but Larry Thomas is definitely vying for playing time. The fullbacks were also a substantial part to what 'success' the running game had last year, and a key factor to that was junior Bobby Weakley. Weakley finished the season with 12 carries for 48 yards and one touchdown, while also catching four passes for 38 yards. Weakley is also a great blocker that is used to help create holes for the running backs. Cole Mason provided a great deal of excitement to the running game, as well as he had 136 yards and four touchdowns and provided solid depth to the fullback position.

Southern Miss Offensive Line: A wealth of talent and experience makes up a solid Golden Eagle offensive line, with four returning starters and two Pre-Season All-American players. Senior right guard George Batiste and senior left guard Travis Cooley (both picked as Pre-Season All-Americans), make up one of the most impenetrable offensive lines in C-USA. Senior Robbie D'Angelo and junior Chris Clark make up the other portion of the O-line. Ryan McKee, Jonathan Landor, Wesley Housley, and Jacquine Wrice add depth to an already deep position, making this year's offensive line one of the best in the NCAA. The O-line should also provide much-needed protection to Jeremy Young, who will have plenty of time to throw the ball behind these 'Hog Mollies.'

 

 

2006 Southern Miss Defense

The Southern Miss defense has always been at the upper echelon of defensive units not only in C-USA, but also the nation. The last four C-USA Defensive Players of the Year have come from USM, as well has many All-Conference USA and All-American players. Second year defensive coordinator Jay Hopson has tried to restore the "Nasty Bunch" of old, but that was marred by the defense's numbers as a whole. The 'D' played sketchy at times, and brilliant at others, so Hopson has set out to even out the scale and limit the inconsistencies the defense has shown. If the defensive line produces, and linebackers stay healthy, we could be hearing the infamous cheer ring throughout The Rock now more than ever... "Nasty Bunch, Nasty Bunch, NAAAAAASTY BUNCH!"

Southern Miss Defensive Line: The area in need of most improvement on the defensive side of the ball is the defensive line. Losing All-Conference USA tackle Tom Johnson and starters Akeem Lockett and Terrance Ford hurts, but redshirt freshman Mam Nyang, Robert Henderson, and Ken Griffith will all succeed as replacements. Senior Matthew Chatelain will return as a D-line starter for his final season, moving to bandit end to replace Lockett. Chatelain is a very physical bandit that is able to break through offensive lines to get to quarterbacks. Nyang is also poised to have a solid break-out year. Look for him to really put pressure on quarterbacks and record sacks throughout the season. The defensive line loses a couple of playmakers, but the new D-line is heralded to do great things in 2006.

Southern Miss Linebackers: The linebacking position has always been a strong point for Southern Miss. As I said earlier, the past four C-USA Defensive Players of the Year were from USM, and all four were linebackers. With Kevis Coley graduated, Southern Miss will once again look for a new playmaker on the defensive side of the ball. Look for Gerald McRath, who played in the game against Alabama before breaking his leg and missing the remainder of the season, to be that new playmaker. McRath finished the game against the Crimson Tide with five tackles (four solo), a 32 yard interception return for a touchdown, and a forced fumble. Also competing for a starting slot at linebacker will be highly touted JUCO transfer Marcus Raines and red-shirt sophomore Mitch Craft, who was originally recruited as a quarterback. Raines earned all-conference honors at Pasedena Junior College in California, leading the team in sacks and hurries. He will probably take the starting role above Craft because of Craft's recent incident with law, in which he broke a car and apartment window with former Southern Miss wide receiver Antwon Courington. Tokumbo Abinikanda, who received an ample amount of playing time last season, will lead this defensive unit. Tumbo is a great player that will undoubtedly earn a starting slot out a very deep linebacking corp. James Henley and Wayne Hardy will also be battling for playing time, making this position one of the deepest on the team.

Southern Miss Defensive Backs: The defensive backs will undergo changes, as John Eubanks and Trevis Coley have graduated and gone to the NFL. With the loss of that talent, some would say the defensive backs at Southern Miss have taken a hit. Not true. Caleb Hendrix is healthy and will become the unit's leader. Hendrix fought a hamstring injury all of last season, but returns this year ready to go. He finished the season with 21 tackles (15 solo), two fumble recoveries, and an interception. Also to start at cornerback is experienced senior Jasper Faulk, who finished the season with 40 tackles (27 solo), two interceptions, two sacks, a fumble recovery, and 7.5 tackles for a loss. He will also lead the team. LeVance Richmond, who is slated to start as free safety, came to USM as a highly touted JUCO transfer from Pearl River Community College. Richmond was a JUCO All-American, leading the nation with 13 interceptions. He has an exceptional ability to read quarterbacks and is going to aid in the loss of Trevis Coley. Brandon Sumrall, the team's playmaker last season, will return again to take the position of strong safety. Sumrall had 88 tackles last season, leading the team. He also recorded a sack, 1.5 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a team-high four interceptions. Add in the depth at both the free safety, strong safety, and cornerback positions, and this is a very solid unit.

 

Southern Miss Special Teams

All-American Darren McCaleb is back for his senior season, and is poised to do great things this year. McCaleb became Southern Miss's all-time scoring leader in the game against UAB last season, and is ready to compete as the nation's top kicker. He has been picked to the Lou Groza Award Watch List two times in a row, and is vying for a third time in 2006. Britt Barefoot will replace Luke Johnson as the team's new punter, and is definitely up to the challenge. Barefoot wasn't great at the Spring Game, but has improved and will become a solid punter. Jasper Faulk and newcomer Torris Magee will most likely return kickoffs and punts, and the two will combine for some dazzling plays in 2006. The special teams unit at Southern Miss is always good, and I expect it to be better than ever this season.

 

Bottom Line:

With a tough schedule, Southern Miss will have to play smart and hard to win. Mental errors and stupid penalties must be eliminated, and everyone is going to have to gel if they want to succeed. Barring injury, I see this season's Southern Miss team heading for another winning season and bowl appearance. It's going to be tough, but Jeff Bower will have his team ready.

 

Prediction: 9-3 (7-1)