2018 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

American college football season

2018 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football

Conference	Conference USA
Division	West Division
Record	6–5 (5–3 C-USA)
Head coach	Jay Hopson (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Shannon Dawson (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Co-defensive coordinator	Tim Billings (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Derek Nicholson (1st season)
Base defense	Multiple
Home stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 Conference USA football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Middle Tennessee x	7	–	1	8	–	6
Marshall	6	–	2	9	–	4
FIU	6	–	2	9	–	4
Charlotte	4	–	4	5	–	7
Florida Atlantic	3	–	5	5	–	7
Old Dominion	2	–	6	4	–	8
Western Kentucky	2	–	6	3	–	9
West Division
UAB x$	7	–	1	11	–	3
North Texas	5	–	3	9	–	4
Louisiana Tech	5	–	3	8	–	5
Southern Miss	5	–	3	6	–	5
UTSA	2	–	6	3	–	9
UTEP	1	–	7	1	–	11
Rice	1	–	7	2	–	11
Championship: UAB 27, Middle Tennessee 25
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

The 2018 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 2018 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 (C–USA). They were led by third-year head coach Jay Hopson. They finished the season 6–5, 5–3 in C-USA play to finish in a three-way tie for second in the West Division. Despite being bowl eligible, they were not invited to a bowl game.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lou Groza Award^[1]	Parker Shaunfield	K	SR
Wuerffel Trophy^[2]	Picasso Nelson, Jr.	DB	SR

C-USA preseason awards

On July 16, 2018, Conference USA released their preseason awards, including the preseason all-CUSA team.^[3] Kicker Paker Shaunfield was selected as the preseason special teams player of the year. He was the only player named to the all-CUSA team.

Preseason media poll

Conference USA released their preseason media poll on July 17, 2018, with the Golden Eagles predicted to finish in fourth place in the West Division.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team
West Division
1	North Texas
2	Louisiana Tech
3	UAB
4	Southern Miss
5	UTSA
T–6	Rice
T–6	UTEP

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:00 p.m.	Jackson State*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	W 55–7	29,176
September 8	6:00 p.m.	Louisiana–Monroe*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN3	L 20–21	19,579
~~September 15~~	~~2:30 p.m.~~	at ~~Appalachian State~~*	~~Kidd Brewer Stadium~~ ~~Boone, NC~~	~~ESPN+~~	Cancelled ^[a]
September 22	6:00 p.m.	Rice	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	W 40–22	20,159
September 29	3:00 p.m.	at No. 10 Auburn*	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	SECN	L 13–24	83,792
October 13	1:00 p.m.	at North Texas	Apogee Stadium Denton, TX	ESPN3	L 7–30	18,252
October 20	6:00 p.m.	UTSA	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	W 27–17	21,259
October 27	1:00 p.m.	at Charlotte	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	ESPN3	L 17–20	8,687
November 3	2:00 p.m.	Marshall	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	Stadium	W 26–24	20,375
November 10	6:30 p.m.	at UAB	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	beIN	L 23–26 ^OT	25,618
November 17	2:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS (Rivalry in Dixie)	Stadium	W 21–20	19,142
November 24	2:00 p.m.	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	ESPN+	W 39–7	14,962
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[5]

^ This game was cancelled in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.

Game summaries

Jackson State

Week One: Jackson State Tigers at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	0	7	0	7
Golden Eagles	14	27	7	7	55

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

Date: September 1
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 29,176
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Leading Passers

JSU –
USM –

Leading Rushers

JSU –
USM –

Leading Receivers

JSU –
USM –

Leading Tacklers

JSU –
USM –

Louisiana–Monroe

Week Two: Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Warhawks	14	0	7	0	21
Golden Eagles	10	7	3	0	20

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

Date: September 8
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: 87° · Partly Cloudy · SSW – 7 mph.
Game attendance: 19,579
Referee: Marshall Lewis
TV: ESPN3
[1]

Game information

First quarter

USM - Jaylond Adams 75-yard TD pass from Jack Abraham, Parker Shaunfield kick good, 14:47 (USM 7-0)
ULM - Sam Miller 0-yard fumble return for TD, Craig Ford kick good, 12:05 (TIE 7-7)
ULM - Marcus Green 49-yard TD pass from Caleb Evans, Ford kick good, 4:37 (ULM 14-7)
USM - Shaunfield 42-yard field goal, 2:01 (ULM 14-10)

Second quarter

USM - Quez Watkins 5-yard TD pass from Abraham, Shaunfield kick good, 6:36 (USM 14-17)

Third quarter

ULM - Green 4-yard TD pass from Evans, Ford kick good, 14:03 (ULM 21-17)
USM - Shaunfield 47-yard field goal, 6:51 (ULM 21-20)

Leading Passers

ULM - Caleb Evans - 15/28, 195 yards, 2 TD, INT
USM - Jack Abraham - 31/46, 378 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

Leading Rushers

ULM - Austin Vaughn - 9 carries, 85 yards
USM - Tez Parks - 17 carries, 42 yards

Leading Receivers

ULM - Marcus Green - 4 receptions, 96 yards, 2 TD
USM - Jaylond Adams - 9 receptions, 158 yards, TD

Leading Tacklers

ULM - Collin Turner – 10 tackles
USM - Picasso Nelson Jr. – 7 tackles

Rice

Week Four: Rice Owls at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	8	7	0	7	22
Golden Eagles	10	14	10	6	40

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

Date: September 22
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 20,159
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Leading Passers

RICE –
USM –

Leading Rushers

RICE –
USM –

Leading Receivers

RICE –
USM –

Leading Tacklers

RICE –
USM –

At Auburn

Week Five: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Auburn Tigers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	3	3	7	13
No. 10 Tigers	7	7	7	3	24

at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL

Date: September 29
Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NW 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
Game attendance: 83,792
Referee: David Smith
TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D.J. Shockley (analyst), Dawn Davenport (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

AUB – Seth Williams 46 yd pass from Jarrett Stidham (Anders Carlson kick), 3:39 (AUB 7–0)

Second quarter

USM – Parker Shaunfield 44 yd field goal, 12:51 (AUB 7–3)
AUB – Anthony Schwartz 6 yd run (Anders Carlson kick), 6:43 (AUB 14–3)

Third quarter

USM – Parker Shaunfield 51 yd field goal, 7:20 (AUB 14–6)
AUB – Chandler Cox 2 yd pass from Jarrett Stidham (Anders Carlson kick), 5:39 (AUB 21–6)

Fourth quarter

USM – Quez Watkins 12 yd pass from Jack Abraham (Parker Shaunfield kick), 13:47 (AUB 21–13)
AUB – Anders Carlson 23 yd field goal, 2:00 (AUB 24–13)

Leading Passers

USM – Jack Abraham – 30/44, 215 yards, TD, 2 INT
AUB – Jarrett Stidham – 19/33, 245 yards, 2 TD

Leading Rushers

USM – Trivensky Mosley – 4 carries, 25 yards
AUB – Kam Martin – 24 carries, 90 yards

Leading Receivers

USM – Jaylond Adams – 8 receptions, 47 yards
AUB – Darius Slayton – 5 receptions, 91 yards

Leading Tacklers

USM – Shannon Showers – 8 tackles
AUB – Deshaun Davis – 10 tackles

At North Texas

Week Seven: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at North Texas Mean Green – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	7	0	0	7
Mean Green	0	10	6	14	30

at Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX

Date: October 13
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Overcast and rain • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: NE 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Game attendance: 18,252
Referee: Justin Elliot
TV: ESPN3

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

UNT – Jalen Guyton 53-yard pass from Mason Fine (Cole Hedlund kick), 13:11. Mean Green 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 99 yards, 2:45.
USM – Quez Watkins 44-yard pass from Jack Abraham (Parker Shaunfield kick), 11:06. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:05.
UNT – Cole Hedlund 41-yard field goal, 7:11. Mean Green 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 3:55.

Third quarter

UNT – DeAndre Torrey 6-yard run (Cole Hedlund PAT blocked), 0:34. Mean Green 16–7. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:29.

Fourth quarter

UNT – DeAndre Torrey 8-yard run (Cole Hedlund kick), 10:45. Mean Green 23–7. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:22.
UNT – DeAndre Torrey 34-yard run (Cole Hedlund kick), 0:33. Mean Green 30–7. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:33.

Leading Passers

USM – Jack Abraham – 29/42, 318 yards, TD, INT
UNT – Mason Fine – 24/38, 292 yards, TD

Leading Rushers

USM – Trivenskey Mosley – 11 carries, 73 yards
UNT – DeAndre Torrey – 17 carries, 95 yards, 3 TD

Leading Receivers

USM – Jordan Mitchell – 12 receptions, 135 yards
UNT – Jalen Guyton – 7 receptions, 124 yards, TD

Leading Tacklers

USM – Picasso Nelson – 8 tackles
UNT – E. J. Ejiya – 12 tackles

UTSA

Week Eight: UTSA Roadrunners at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Roadrunners	0	3	7	7	17
Golden Eagles	6	14	7	0	27

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

Date: October 20
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 21,259
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Leading Passers

UTSA –
USM –

Leading Rushers

UTSA –
USM –

Leading Receivers

UTSA –
USM –

Leading Tacklers

UTSA –
USM –

At Charlotte

Week Nine: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Charlotte 49ers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	0	3	14	17
49ers	14	0	3	3	20

at Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Date: October 27
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 8,687
TV announcers (ESPN3): Bobby Rosinski, Reggie Walker, Libby Clark

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Leading Passers

USM –
CHAR –

Leading Rushers

USM –
CHAR –

Leading Receivers

USM –
CHAR –

Leading Tacklers

USM –
CHAR –

Marshall

Week Ten: Marshall Thundering Herd at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	3	7	7	7	24
Golden Eagles	3	14	3	6	26

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

Date: November 3
Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 20,375
TV: Stadium

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Leading Passers

MARSH –
USM –

Leading Rushers

MARSH –
USM –

Leading Receivers

MARSH –
USM –

Leading Tacklers

MARSH –
USM –

At UAB

Week Eleven: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Charlotte 49ers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Golden Eagles	7	6	0	7	3	23
Blazers	0	7	13	0	6	26

at Legion Field, Birmingham, AL

Date: November 10
Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
Game attendance: 25,618
TV: beIN

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Leading Passers

USM –
UAB –

Leading Rushers

USM –
UAB –

Leading Receivers

USM –
UAB –

Leading Tacklers

USM –
UAB –

Louisiana Tech

Week Twelve: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	10	0	3	20
Golden Eagles	7	7	0	7	21

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

Date: November 17
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C); mostly sunny
Game attendance: 19,142
Referee: Dan Gautreaux
TV: Stadium
[2]

Game information

First quarter

USM - Steven Anderson 1-yard TD run, Briggs Bourgeois kick good, 6:54 (USM 7-0)
LT - Adrian Hardy 5-yard TD pass from J'Mar Smith, Bailey Hale kick good, 1:28 (TIE 7-7)

Second quarter

USM - Neil McLaurin 49-yard TD pass from Jack Abraham, Bourgeois kick good, 10:32 (USM 14-7)
LT - Kam McKnight 6-yard TD run, Hale kick good, 4:39 (TIE 14-14)
LT - Hale 24-yard field goal, 0:00 (LT 17-14)

Fourth quarter

LT - Hale 23-yard field goal, 13:40 (LT 20-14)
USM - Anderson 6-yard TD run, Bourgeois kick good, 6:02 (USM 21-20)

Leading Passers

LT – J'Mar Smith – 27/43, 243 yards, TD
USM – Jack Abraham – 24/29, 195 yards, TD

Leading Rushers

LT – Israel Tucker – 9 carries, 24 yards
USM – Steven Anderson – 12 carries, 29 yards, 2 TD

Leading Receivers

LT – Adrian Hardy – 11 receptions, 110 yards, TD
USM – Quez Watkins – 9 receptions, 110 yards

Leading Tacklers

LT – Collin Scott – 9 tackles
USM – Xavier Marion – 8 tackles

At UTEP

Week Thirteen: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at UTEP Miners – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	16	3	7	13	39
Miners	0	0	0	7	7

at Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX

Date: November 24
Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
Game attendance: 14,962
TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter

Leading Passers

USM –
UTEP –

Leading Rushers

USM –
UTEP –

Leading Receivers

USM –
UTEP –

Leading Tacklers

USM –
UTEP –

References

^ "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "FB: 2018 Preseason Awards". Conference USA.
^ "FB: Preseason Media Poll". Conference USA.
^ "2018 Southern Miss Golden Eagles Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved April 5, 2018.

v t e Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Venues	Kamper Park (1912–1931) M. M. Roberts Stadium (1932–present) Ladd Stadium (alternate, 1950–1974) Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (alternate, 1952–1988)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Louisiana Tech: Rivalry in Dixie Memphis: Black and Blue Bowl Tulane: Battle for the Bell
Culture & lore	Seymour d'Campus "Southern Mississippi to the Top" Pride of Mississippi Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold