2020 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

2020 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
ConferenceConference USA
DivisionWest Division
Record3–7 (2–4 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMatt Kubik (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinatorScotty Walden (2nd season)
Offensive schemePro spread
Defensive coordinatorTony Pecoraro (1st season)
Base defenseMultiple
Home stadiumM. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Marshall xy   4 1     7 3  
Florida Atlantic   4 2     5 4  
Western Kentucky   4 3     5 7  
Charlotte   2 2     2 4  
Middle Tennessee   2 4     3 6  
FIU   0 3     0 5  
West Division
UAB xy$   3 1     6 3  
UTSA   5 2     7 5  
Louisiana Tech   4 2     5 5  
North Texas   3 4     4 6  
Rice   2 3     2 3  
Southern Miss   2 4     3 7  
UTEP   0 4     3 5  
Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion opted out of the season.
Southern Mississippi athletic
logo

The 2020 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Eagles played their home games at the M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (CUSA). Head coach Jay Hopson, who was in his fifth year, resigned after one game and was replaced by interim head coach Scotty Walden. Walden himself resigned after four games to become the head coach at Austin Peay and was replaced by Tim Billings.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year
TBD

CUSA media days

The CUSA Media Days will be held virtually for the first time in conference history.[1]

Preseason All-CUSA teams

To be released

Schedule

Southern Miss announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020.[2] The 2020 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.

The Golden Eagles had games scheduled against Auburn, Jackson State, Tennessee Tech and UTEP that were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] It was announced on August 6, 2020 that Auburn would be replaced by Tulane and Jackson State would be replaced by Tennessee Tech.

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 3 8:00 p.m. South Alabama* CBSSN L 21–32 0
September 19 6:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech
ESPN2 L 30–31 7,140
September 26 1:30 p.m. Tulane*
Stadium L 24–66 0
October 3 6:30 p.m. at North Texas Stadium W 41–31 6,490
October 24 5:00 p.m. at Liberty* ESPN3 L 35–56 1,000
October 31 2:00 p.m. Rice
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN3 L 6–30 0
November 7 2:00 p.m. North Alabama*
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN3 W 24–13 0
November 14 5:00 p.m. at Western Kentucky CBSSN L 7–10 3,815
November 21 2:00 p.m. UTSA
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN+ L 20–23 0
December 10 5:30 p.m. Florida Atlantic
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
CBSSN W 45–31 0

[5]

Game summaries

South Alabama

South Alabama at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Jaguars 13 0106 29
Golden Eagles 0 1038 21
      
Pregame line Over/under
USM −12 55[6]
Statistics South Alabama Southern Miss
First downs 23 20
Total yards 529 409
Rushing yards 166 95
Passing yards 363 314
Turnovers 2 0
Time of possession 29:08 30:52
Team Category Player Statistics
South Alabama Passing Desmond Trotter 16/27, 299 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing Carlos Davis 15 carries, 85 yards
Receiving Jalen Tolbert 6 yards, 169 yards, 2 TD
Southern Miss Passing Jack Abraham 22/32, 314 yards
Rushing Frank Gore Jr. 12 carries, 32 yards
Receiving Tim Jones 6 receptions, 139 yards

Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Bulldogs 7 3147 31
Golden Eagles 0 13143 30
      
Pregame line Over/under
USM −7 59[7]
Statistics Louisiana Tech Southern Miss
First downs 26 20
Total yards 381 377
Rushing yards 163 137
Passing yards 218 240
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 27:52 27:02
Team Category Player Statistics
Louisiana Tech Passing Luke Anthony 13/21, 149 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing Justin Henderson 18 carries, 69 yards
Receiving Adrian Hardy 5 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD
Southern Miss Passing Jack Abraham 23/31, 240 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Don Ragsdale 11 carries, 56 yards
Receiving Tim Jones 8 receptions, 160 yards, 2 TDs

Tulane

Tulane at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Green Wave 7 242114 66
Golden Eagles 14 730 24
  • Date: September 26, 2020
  • Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium
    Hattiesburg, MS
  • Game start: 1:36 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 44 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Partly Sunny
  • Referee: Joe Lehring
  • TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and A. J. Hawk (analyst)
          
Pregame line Over/under
TULN −3.5 54.5[8]
Statistics Tulane Southern Miss
First downs 27 19
Total yards 572 369
Rushing yards 430 70
Passing yards 142 299
Turnovers 1 2
Time of possession 29:08 30:52
Team Category Player Statistics
Tulane Passing Michael Pratt 8/18, 142 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing Cameron Carroll 15 carries, 163 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving Jha'Quan Jackson 1 reception, 42 yards, 1 TD
Southern Miss Passing Jack Abraham 23/38, 299 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Dee Baker 6 carries, 44 yards
Receiving Jason Brownlee 3 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD

At North Texas

Southern Mississippi at North Texas
1 234Total
Golden Eagles 17 3714 41
Mean Green 3 7714 31
  • Date: October 3, 2020
  • Location: Apogee Stadium
    Denton, TX
  • Game start: 6:36 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
  • Game attendance: 6,490
  • Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 7 MPH
  • Referee: Chris Bynum
  • TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and A. J. Hawk (analyst)
        
Pregame line Over/under
UNT –1.5 74[9]
Statistics Southern Miss North Texas
First downs 22 27
Total yards 437 483
Rushing yards 202 144
Passing yards 235 339
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 35:16 24:44
Team Category Player Statistics
Southern Miss Passing Jack Abraham 16/30, 235 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Frank Gore Jr. 23 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jason Brownlee 4 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD
North Texas Passing Austin Aune 28/47, 339 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing DeAndre Torrey 15 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Deonte Simpson 5 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD

At Liberty

Southern Mississippi at Liberty
1 234Total
Golden Eagles 7 0217 35
Flames 14 21714 56
  • Date: October 24, 2020
  • Location: Williams Stadium
    Lynchburg, VA
  • Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes
  • Game attendance: 1,000
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: W 5 MPH
  • Referee: Billy Williams
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Matt Warner (play–by–play), Joe Jauch (analyst), Emily Austen (sideline reporter)
         
Pregame line Over/under
LIB −14 59.5[10]
Statistics Southern Miss Liberty
First downs 19 25
Total yards 416 537
Rushing yards 215 192
Passing yards 201 345
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 27:37 32:23
Team Category Player Statistics
Southern Miss Passing Tate Whatley 15/26, 188 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Tate Whatley 12 carries, 52 yards, 4 TDs
Receiving Jason Brownlee 5 receptions, 114, 1 TD
Liberty Passing Malik Willis 24/31, 345, 6 TDs
Rushing Malik Willis 12 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Demario Douglas 6 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD

Rice

Rice at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Owls 3 2007 30
Eagles 0 600 6
  • Date: October 31, 2020
  • Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium
    Hattiesburg, MS
  • Game start: 2:05 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 59 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: ESE 2 MPH
  • Referee: Ken Antee
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Jason Baker (play–by–play) and Dustin Almond (analyst)
    
Pregame line Over/under
RICE −1 59[11]
Statistics Rice Southern Miss
First downs 22 11
Total yards 412 269
Rushing yards 179 100
Passing yards 233 169
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 36:52 23:08
Team Category Player Statistics
Rice Passing Mike Collins 12/17, 233 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing Juma Otoviano 25 carries, 111 yards
Receiving Austin Trammell 7 receptions, 143 yards, 3 TDs
Southern Miss Passing Jack Abraham 12/17, 112 yards, 1 INT
Rushing Frank Gore Jr. 11 carries, 71 yards
Receiving Antoine Robinson 3 receptions, 41 yards

North Alabama

North Alabama vs. Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Lions 7 330 13
Golden Eagles 0 7017 24
Pregame line Over/under
   
Statistics North Alabama Southern Miss
First downs    
Total yards    
Rushing yards    
Passing yards    
Turnovers    
Time of possession    
Team Category Player Statistics
North Alabama Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    
Southern Miss Passing    
Rushing    
Receiving    

At Western Kentucky

Southern Mississippi at Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Golden Eagles 0 007 7
Hilltoppers 7 300 10
Pregame line Over/under
WKU –7.5 45[12]
Statistics Southern Miss Western Kentucky
First downs 13 19
Total yards 221 304
Rushing yards 154 121
Passing yards 67 183
Turnovers 0 0
Time of possession 25:18 34:42
Team Category Player Statistics
Southern Miss Passing Trey Lowe 6/14, 67 yards
Rushing Kevin Perkins 8 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Antoine Robinson 2 receptions, 25 yards
Western Kentucky Passing Tyrrell Pigrome 19/30, 183 yards
Rushing Jakairi Moses 12 carries, 40 yards
Receiving Xavier Lane 5 receptions, 90 yards

UTSA

Texas–San Antonio at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Roadrunners 0 9140 23
Golden Eagles 3 737 20
  • Date: November 21, 2020
  • Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium
    Hattiesburg, MS
  • Game start: 2:05 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 12 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: Calm
  • Referee: Chris Bynum
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Baker (play–by–play) and Dustin Almond (analyst)
    
Pregame line Over/under
UTSA –9 53[13]
Statistics UTSA Southern Miss
First downs 16 18
Total yards 304 347
Rushing yards 233 75
Passing yards 71 272
Turnovers 1 1
Time of possession 31:30 28:30
Team Category Player Statistics
UTSA Passing Frank Harris 12/19, 71 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Sincere McCormick 32 carries, 173 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving Joshua Cephus 5 receptions, 44 yards
Southern Miss Passing Tate Whatley 22/39, 272 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing Frank Gore Jr. 13 carries, 70 yards
Receiving Tim Jones 5 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Owls 7 10140 31
Golden Eagles 10 14147 45
        
Pregame line Over/under
FAU −8.5 41[14]
Statistics Florida Atlantic Southern Miss
First downs 19 22
Total yards 326 514
Rushing yards 164 305
Passing yards 162 209
Turnovers 1 3
Time of possession 28:41 31:19
Team Category Player Statistics
Florida Atlantic Passing Nick Tronti 17/33, 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing James Charles 16 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD
Receiving Brandon Robinson 5 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
Southern Miss Passing Trey Lowe 13/19, 209 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Frank Gore Jr. 9 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Jason Brownlee 3 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD

References

  1. ^ "Conference USA to hold virtual football media days due to COVID-19". ktsm.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "Football Announces 2020 Schedule". University of Southern Mississippi Department of Athletics. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  3. ^ Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. ^ Visser, David (July 21, 2020). "SWAC Suspends Fall Football Season". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "2020 Southern Miss Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "South Alabama Jaguars vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  7. ^ "LA Tech Bulldogs vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  8. ^ "Tulane Green Wave vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  9. ^ "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs North Texas Mean Green". Odds Shark. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  10. ^ "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs Liberty Flames". Odds Shark. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  11. ^ "Rice Owls vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  12. ^ "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs WKU Hilltoppers". Odds Shark. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "UTSA Roadrunners vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  14. ^ "Florida Atlantic vs Southern Mississippi". ESPN. Retrieved December 8, 2020.