Perennial contenders in unfamiliar territory

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HUNTINGTON -- Southern Miss and Marshall aren't accustomed to playing for second place. Both are established, championship programs that served as the face of a conference for nearly a decade. Southern Miss has won four Conference USA championships and Marshall steamrolled to five Mid-American Conference titles in eight seasons.

The new C-USA rivals are staring up at East Division leader Central Florida, but a victory on Tuesday maintains title hopes. Marshall (4-4, 3-2) and the Golden Eagles (4-3, 3-1) kick off at 7:30 p.m. and ESPN2 will televise the game.


"We get everybody's best shot because Southern Miss is known for being on top every year," Southern Miss sophomore running back Larry Thomas said.

Both programs are battling to regain championship form after finishing 2004 without a title.

"They were at the top of their conference and we've been at the top of ours," Southern Miss senior quarterback Dustin Almond said. "This first game is going to establish a lot in our conference."

Containing Almond will establish the flow of Marshall's first-ever meeting with Southern Miss. Minus a big-play running game, Almond shoulders the offensive load, a chore made even tougher with the recent loss of leading receiver Antwon Courington.

"We've lost some receivers and we have some young guys that are working hard and getting better every week," Almond said.

The Thundering Herd is coming off its top defensive performance this season, limiting Tulane to 23 second-half yards in a 27-26 victory. Marshall is aggressively attacking the line of scrimmage, totaling seven sacks in its past two games.

Marshall has 18 sacks this season, led by linebacker Dennis Thornton with four.

"Pressure, that's something we didn't have a lot of down and (North) Carolina," said senior cornerback Chris Hawkins, a transfer from UNC. "That makes a cornerback even better when you have pressure. They can't make double moves.

"The ball has to come out quick and as a defensive back you can't ask for anything more. I love that. You don't have to go out there and cover a guy for eight seconds."

BOUNCING BACK: Like Marshall, Southern Miss has proven resilient this season despite inexperience throughout the two-deep roster.

Hurricane Katrina displaced the team and disrupted early season practice schedules. The Golden Eagles found its midseason stride, knocking off UCF and UAB by a combined
89-59 margin, but surrendered a double-digit second half lead at N.C. State in a 21-17 loss.

"That was real tough," Thomas said. "We don't get to play big teams that like all of the time so when we do we try to come out with a win. We let it slip away."

Tuesday marks a challenging stretch of four games with 18 days for the Golden Eagles.

"(Katrina) set us back big time but we're getting ourselves together," Southern Miss senior linebacker Kevin Coley said. "We've got four games left and we're calling them championship games."

C-USA SUPREMACY: UCF
(6-3, 5-1) maintained its East Division lead Saturday night, holding on for a 31-29 victory over Houston. The Golden Knights visit UAB on Saturday.

UTEP assumed control of the West Division, knocking off Tulsa 31-28 on Reagan Schneider's 23-yard field goal with two seconds remaining. The Miners (7-1, 5-1) have secured back to back winning seasons for the first time since 1987-88.

 

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Morris returns as starter

HUNTINGTON -- Tag Bernie Morris, you're it. Following a one-game stint behind Jimmy Skinner, Morris has been named Marshall's starting quarterback for Tuesday's game against Southern Miss. Morris, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound sophomore from Orlando, Fla., has started six of eight games this season.

Morris has completed 107 of 197 passes (54.3 percent) for 1,050 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions. He replaced Skinner in the second half against Tulane, sparking a 27-26 comeback victory on Oct. 29.


His running ability provided a necessary changeup against the Green Wave. Morris ranks second on the team with 222 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.

Skinner, a 6-3, 200-pound junior from Chillicothe, Ohio, has completed 66 of 116 attempts (56.9 percent) for 700 yards and three touchdowns with seven interceptions.

Late last week, Southern Miss senior linebacker Kevin Coley said his team was preparing for both Thundering Herd quarterbacks.

"We expect it to be (Morris) but you never know," Coley said Thursday. "We're practicing for both of them. We have one scout team with a more athletic quarterback and another scout team with a quarterback that just throws the ball."

 

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Eagles focus on tackling
By Kareem Copeland


The University of Southern Mississippi football team had to alter its routine the past few days due to rescheduling from the hurricane season.

With the Golden Eagles playing Marshall on Tuesday, Southern Miss practiced on Monday, then took Tuesday and Wednesday off, before getting back to the normal weekly routine on Thursday.


USM coach Jeff Bower said the layoff hasn't had any effect on the players and gave the coaches an opportunity to recruit on Wednesday.

"They know what lies ahead of them," Bower said. "Four important (Conference USA) games, if you want a chance to play in the championship game, put a ring on your finger and go to the Liberty Bowl, you've got to get it done."

The one thing that has had an effect on the players was the defense's tackling performance in the 21-17 loss to North Carolina State on Oct. 29.

The Golden Eagles allowed the Wolfpack's third-string, freshman running back Andre Brown to rumble for 248 yards after entering the game with just 42 yards on the season.

"They ain't intentionally going out there and missing tackles," USM linebackers coach Lytrel Pollard said. "We've just got to get better. We'll tackle better.

"We might not do anything else, but we will tackle better."

Missed tackles was definitely the focus this week.

"We worked on it, worked on it hard," Bower said. "Same thing we've been doing, just intensified it a little bit."

Linebackers Wayne Hardy and James Denley said that the team went back to the fundamentals of tackling - squaring your shoulders, wrapping up.

Hardy (redshirt junior) and Denley (redshirt sophomore) received a lot more responsibility after starter Gerald McRath broke his leg early in the season.

The two have taken their lumps, but their productivity is vital to Southern Miss' Conference USA championship hopes.

"It's something we do every day, but since the loss we had to go back to square one - re-learn it, I guess," Denley said. "Each game I get more comfortable and more comfortable. I'm not thinking as much, just playing and letting my instincts take over."

Hardy added, "You have to learn from your mistakes and keep going."

Marshall will be the third straight road game for the Golden Eagles.

Southern Miss' final four contests are all conference games. After Marshall comes Houston, Memphis and Tulane.

"Guys are starting to be a lot more serious out here, watch more film and really learning what's going on," USM quarterback Dustin Almond said. "It's been pretty good. We were sharp. Just throwing and catching the ball well, really blocking up front."

USM defensive back Caleb Hendrix practiced all week after missing the N.C. State game. Hendrix left the Alabama-Birmingham game with a hamstring, but seems to be fully recovered. He did, however, tweak his back Saturday, but that doesn't look to be an issue.

 

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Johnson, Ford to play vs. Marshall

HATTIESBURG ? For the past week, Southern Miss defensive tackles Tom Johnson and Terrance Ford have dressed in blue and yellow practice jerseys rather than their usual black.

But come 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the two are expected to be in their usual starting roles in the heart of the USM defense when the Golden Eagles take on Marshall in a Conference USA showdown.

"There's a difference in our defense when Johnson and Ford are on the field," USM defensive tackles coach Fred Tate said.

Both suffered knee injuries in USM's 21-17 loss at North Carolina State on Oct. 29.

The 6-foot-3, 277-pound Johnson wore blue most of the week with a bruised knee, meaning he was limited in the drills he could do.

The 6-1, 300-pound Ford, who suffered small tears in the sac protecting the knee joint (meniscus), spent two days in yellow, meaning he was held out of practice completely.

"He was so mad because he was in yellow, but I told him, 'I don't need you on (Thursday), I need you on (Tuesday)," Tate said.

Johnson ranks fourth at USM with 33 tackles, placing him among C-USA's top 50 tacklers. Johnson ranks among the league's top 10 in tackles for loss (eight) and sacks (3.5).

Ford is fifth among USM linemen with 15 tackles.

Back-ups Martavius Prince and Ryan Watson picked up some extra repetitions in practice this week but likely will be used the same way they have all season.

"They've been mixing me in at both spots, and that's been a good thing for me right now," said the 6-3, 278-pound Prince.

The 6-2, 271-pound Watson, who had to sit out last season after transferring from Southern Cal, has been getting between 10 to 15 snaps a game.

"The biggest thing for me has been holding my spot, just holding it down," said Watson, who figured he was about 10 to 12 more pounds shy of where he wants to be. "The quickness is there, I just need more bulk."

USM gave up 297 yards rushing to N.C. State and will see one of the league's better backs Tuesday in Marshall's Ahmad Bradshaw.

"As a defense, we know we've got a challenge coming up," Prince said. "But we know if we go back and play four quarters of defense, the rest will take care of itself."

 

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Herd?s ?D? on the spot tonight



HUNTINGTON ? As advertised, a few of these Conference USA games are sporting some loopy scores. Tonight?s Southern Mississippi-Marshall bout probably won?t be one of them.

For instance, West Division leader Texas-El Paso has given up 31, 34 and 38 points in regulation, yet won those three games. Southern Miss piled 45 points on East Division leader-for-now Central Florida ? in the first half.

Yet when Southern Miss (4-3 overall, 3-1 C-USA) steps into Joan C. Edwards Stadium tonight to battle Marshall, it?s tough to expect a high-scoring game, unless the defenses and special teams chip in a few touchdowns.



And if Marshall wants to hang in there with the East Division favorites, it wants a defensive flavor in the 7:30 p.m. bout, televised for a true national audience by ESPN2.

The obvious reason is the Herd?s season-long offensive struggles, which continued last week until the fourth quarter of its 27-26 victory over Tulane in Mobile, Ala. The Herd is 11th in scoring in C-USA with 148 points in eight games.

Fourteen of those points were scored directly by the defense or a kicking unit; 59 have come on drives beginning in opponents? territory.

As Bernie Morris starts his seventh game at quarterback, he faces a Southern Miss defense averaging 24.4 points per game against, a figure not as dominating as in other years. But as expected, Herd players and coaches aren?t breathing easy about that.

?Defensively, they?ve got speed. They remind me a little bit of UAB,? Morris said. ?They don?t look like they?re real, real big guys, but they look extremely fast. I talked to a couple of coaches who played them last year [and they said] they?re a fast team.?

The Golden Eagles? defense is led by identical twins Kevis and Trevis Coley. Playing middle linebacker and free safety, respectively, they lead the team in tackles. Kevis has 81 tackles, 61/2 for loss, and Trevis has 52 tackles and two of the Eagles? 10 interceptions.

Nose tackle Tom Johnson is having a monstrous year, leading the team with eight tackles for loss. ?He?s a tough guy,? Kevis Coley said. ?He?s got a will to get to the ball.??


The 10 picks contribute to the Eagles? plus-1 turnover margin. The average of plus-1.57 is third in the nation and first in C-USA. Four recovered fumbles turned the Eagles? game against UCF ugly, and they recovered four more in a 33-7 romp over East Carolina.

The Herd hasn?t lost a fumble since Morris? infamous cough-up at Virginia Tech a month ago, which resulted in a Hokies touchdown. And in three razor-close league wins, the Herd hasn?t needed to score a lot of points.

Against Tulane, the Herd defense registered its second sub-200-yard game and picked off a pass for the fourth game in a row.

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Dennis Thornton picked up C-USA co-defensive player of the week honors with his two-sack, 41/2 tackle for loss effort.

?He?s turned into a tremendous player. He has come a long way,? said middle linebacker Matt Couch. ?He?s our guy right now. He?s making tons of plays, and I give a lot of credit to him the way this defense is going.?

?I think [defensive coordinator] Jimmy Collins is doing a good job of allowing Dennis to do the things he can do,? Snyder said. ?Dennis is a very effective blitzer, pretty good in man coverage. I think we?re playing to his strengths right now, and that?s helped him some.?

Southern Miss is a team that has started strong and had trouble finishing. The Eagles are outscoring foes in the first quarter 86-24, but are being outdone in the final 15 minutes, 69-29.

That trait has shown up more sharply in losses to Alabama and North Carolina State. In the Eagles? last game, they yielded all Wolfpack points in the second half of a 21-17 setback. Against Alabama early in the season, the Eagles lost a 21-10 lead.

The Eagles also couldn?t muster a late rally in their lone conference loss, 34-17 to Tulsa at home.

?We?ve got to become a four-quarter team,? Kevis Coley said. ?It seems like we?ve relaxed, or whatever ...We have great effort, I don?t know what it is.

?We?ll have one or two guys making a tackle, where in the first half, we have four or five around the ball. It could be fatigue, I don?t know.?

The Herd knows it will have to play its best game of the year to stick around for the fourth quarter, when it has outscored the opposition 55-19.

It?s a game that could vault the Herd back into division title contention, and get it one step from bowl eligibility. Or the game could be one more leg in the title march of Southern Miss, the only C-USA team with four games remaining.



If the Eagles win out, they will win the East and play in the first C-USA title game.

?They look at us as a speed bump in their run to the championship,? said defensive line coach Thielen Smith. ?Hopefully, we?re more than that.?

 

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Three Keys for USM



It's showtime


The Golden Eagles-Thundering Herd have the national stage, and don't think the kids don't know when red camera light comes on. Looking good on the tube can mean good things down the road.

Keep the Herd penned



Marshall has struggled to put points on the board,a and USM does not need that to change. If Marshall gets the lead, the crowd gets into the game even, and things become problematic. Early leads are good things. No rushing repeat

No rushing repeat


Don't think for a minute that the Herd hasn't pored over the N.C. State film, drooling. RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who has politicked for more touches, can be a ram. USM needs to batter him and keep him contained.

 

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BRING IT ON

USM meets Marshall for the first time




Southern Miss' run to the Liberty Bowl continues with tonight's first-ever battle at Conference USA newcomer Marshall.

The Golden Eagles are coming off a 21-17 loss at North Carolina State, while the Thundering Herd beat Tulane 27-26 at Ladd-Pepples Stadium in Mobile nearly two weeks ago.

Southern Miss (4-3 overall, 3-1 C-USA) will earn a spot in the Dec. 4 conference championship game by winning out against Marshall (4-4, 3-2), Houston, Memphis and Tulane.

After Marshall, Southern Miss plays at Houston on Sunday, two C-USA games in one week.

"They (Thundering Herd) are a tough team at home (105-8)," Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower said. "It will be a big game for us, jumping back into Conference USA action. We've got to go on the road and get ready to play and be successful. We know we've got to win on the road in this league to win the league. This will be a big one."

The outcome will be determined by the success Southern Miss' offense has against Marshall's defense. The Golden Eagles rank No. 29 in the nation in scoring at 32.1 points and average 334 yards of total offense (229.6 passing and 104.4 rushing)

Senior quarterback Dustin Almond has thrown for 1,529 yards with 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Redshirt freshman Shawn Nelson has emerged as the teams go-to guy with 16 catches for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Anthony Perine has 15 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

"Their offense is running pretty well," Marshal coach Mark Snyder said. "The quarterback (Almond) is good, and he is running the system well. The thing that is impressive is he is dishing the ball out to a lot of different receivers. They also have all the pieces in place on special teams. They are very good. We are going to have to come to play."

Junior kicker Darren McCaleb has made 14 of 16 field goals and 25 of 25 extra point attempts and ranks No. 1 in C-USA and No. 3 nationally in field goals per game (2.0) and No. 19 nationally in scoring (10.29).

In comparison, Marshall's defense ranks second in C-USA and No. 21 nationally in total defense (332 yards) also recording 45 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and eight fumble recoveries.

Dennis Thornton leads the Thundering Herd with 80 total tackles (32 solos, 48 assists), including seven tackles for loss and 3? sacks.

On offense, Marshall averages 18.5 points and 337.8 total yards of offense (218.8 passing and 119 rushing).

The Thundering Herd played two quarterbacks in the Tulane victory, led by Bernie Morris (1,050 yards on the season) and Jimmy Skinner (700 yards).

Ahmad Bradshaw leads the team with 571 rushing yards on 129 attempts and six touchdowns.

Defensively, Southern Miss ranks No. 1 in C-USA, No. 3 nationally in turnover margin (1.57), and No. 3 nationally with 23 forced turnovers.

Senior middle linebacker Kevis Coley leads the way with 81 total tackles (45 solos and 36 assists), followed by twin brother Trevis Coley with 52 total tackles (35 solos, 17 assists). Former Moss Point standout Tom Johnson leads with eight tackles and five sacks.

"You have to move on after a loss because you can't go back and play the same game over again," Trevis Coley said. "You have to think about it for a while and then forget about it. Coming off a loss where you know you played hard, that hurts more than anything.

"We're not under any kind of stress with these two games so close together. We don't have any choice, so we have to get ready for it and approach this game week like any other. We welcome this challenge and are ready."