USM serious about bowl competition

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The Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee State football teams both held their first practices in New Orleans on Thursday as they prepare for Sunday?s New Orleans Bowl.

The Golden Eagles held a morning workout at Tulane while the Blue Raiders avoided the wet weather by practicing inside at the New Orleans Saints? facility.

USM coach Larry Fedora and his players appeared in good spirits following their practice.

?It was our last work day,? Fedora said. ?We got a good practice in and tomorrow we?ll polish up and the next day we?ll get our walk-throughs.?

The second-year coach said that his players aren?t taking MTSU lightly.

?From the first day, we started looking at film and putting the game plan together and talking with the players about how MTSU is 9-3 and won its last six ball games,? Fedora said. ?They have a great quarterback on offense and their defense is the best in the (Sun Belt Conference). They have the (Sun Belt) Co-Defensive Player of the Year in (Chris) McCoy. They have 36 sacks and are No. 1 in the nation in tackles for lost yardage.?

Redshirt freshman receiver Quentin Pierce reiterated his coach?s message.
?Just like Troy last year, they are a good team,? Pierce said. ?They?ll come in here ready to win and we?ll come in ready to win. It?s going to be a great game.?




Hungry group

MTSU is in just its second FBS bowl in the program?s history while USM is in its 12th in the last 13 seasons.

But Fedora doesn?t see the experience as that big of an edge for his group.

?You?ve got to feel like it?s an advantage, but at the same time you?ve got to worry about complacency,? Fedora said. ?You?ve got a (MTSU) group that?s very hungry and wanting to prove they deserve to be in a bowl. It works either way. We?ve prepared the same way we did last year and we expect to go out and compete and play hard.?




The spread

MTSU offensive coordinator Tony Franklin is conducting a fast-paced version of the spread offense, but Fedora was the first to implement that style when he served on the Blue Raiders? staff from 1999-2001.

?We were the first ones that put it in,? Fedora said. ?It?s not what it is when we were there. But it is a form of the spread offense and they do a great job with it. That quarterback (Dwight Dasher) is pretty special.?

The Raiders are ranked 30th in the nation in total offense, one spot ahead of USM.

?When I got to Middle Tennessee in 2006 we slowly evolved to (the spread offense) from a personnel standpoint and have had the spread since I got here,? Stockstill said. ?When Tony (Franklin) came in, it wasn?t like we went from a two-back offense to the spread. We had been running it for three years so the transition was very smooth.?

 

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Fletcher's last hoorah

USM senior has been a star since freshman season



Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher?s first touchdown as a Golden Eagle may be the one play that best represents the player himself.

On Sept. 9, 2006, Fletcher dragged three Southeastern Louisiana defenders into the end zone. At the time, he barely weighed an ounce over 160 pounds. But he somehow managed to work his way into the end zone and the touchdown run would be the first of many jaw-dropping plays to come.

?Just all heart,? Fletcher said, recalling the play. ?It had nothing to do with strength or size. I?m definitely not the strongest and definitely not the biggest. It?s all about heart when you?re my size.?

Now a 5-foot-10, 182-pound senior entering his final game, Fletcher stands alone in the storied history of USM running backs. He is the career rushing leader for the Golden Eagles with 5,224 yards and is the top scorer with 44 touchdowns.

?In 98 years of Southern Miss playing college football, nobody has rushed for more yards than Damion Fletcher,? coach Larry Fedora said. ?He?s missed three games at 175 pounds. These days, as big as guys are and the hits they take, it?s pretty incredible.?

Fedora inherited Fletcher from the previous USM coach, Jeff Bower. But like always, Fletcher made a solid first impression on the new coach.

?He had phenomenal, unbelievable quickness,? Fedora said. ?I saw things I had never seen before other than on tape of watching Barry Sanders.?

Most schools passed over Fletcher out of high school and many thought he would be better suited as a cornerback. But the Biloxi native decided to play as a running back in Hattiesburg.

He did not like the idea of playing on defense, and the opportunity to play running back was a big reason he came to USM.

?They had one day where it was not just me, but the whole team, where they?d switch positions,? said Fletcher, recalling his first summer in Hattiesburg. ?Everybody on offense would go to defense. They just wanted to see if any guys had skills on the other side of the ball. I was just straight-up trying to mess up. I didn?t want to have to go over on defense. I was like ?Man, I?m not going to do this junk. I want to play running back.??They had me over there doing DB drills and stuff. I was just messing up on purpose, knowing I can play that position. But I wanted to play offense.?

Bower kept him on offense from the outset and Fletcher quickly impressed the coaching staff and his teammates.

?I remember just my first or second day,? Fletcher said. ?We had an inside drill against the first team defense and I was probably on the second or third offense. I was making guys miss and scoring on them. Guys were like, ?Dang, he?s doing that on the starting defense.? They hadn?t seen stuff like that.?

Senior safety Eddie Hicks knows Fletcher?s journey at USM as well as anybody else, for he was a redshirt freshman when the diminutive back arrived at USM.

?I saw him come in and move from the fifth running back spot to the one in the first 10 days he was here,? Hicks said. ?When he came in, I remember asking him what position he played. He was telling me he was a running back. I thought he was a little small. I wasn?t the biggest guy myself, but I thought he was a little small for a running back.

?But he came in and did some great things. He was a shifty little back and he went into the Florida game. I don?t think he started that game, but once he went in, he never came back out.?

There have been rough times for Fletcher at USM, including a variety of injuries. But the biggest setback of his career came on Feb. 15 when he was arrested for firing a handgun within the Hattiesburg city limits. He plead guilty and received six months probation.

Fletcher was suspended for the spring and his punishment was handled internally.
Fedora said that the situation surrounding Fletcher?s arrest didn?t change the personality of his star running back.

?Damion has always been humble with me,? Fedora said. ?I don?t give him a choice.?

The yardage he has compiled on the field has placed him among lofty company. He is only 36 yards short passing former Georgia legend Herschel Walker and becoming the ninth-leading rusher in FBS history.

He?s also still chasing a mark that will place him among only nine players in FBS history. If he gains 63 yards against Middle Tennessee State in the New Orleans Bowl on Sunday, he will have rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons.
He has been constantly reminded of this throughout his senior season.

?Every interview I do,? Fletcher said. ?As the yards went down, they always tell me so I always know how many yards I need.?

Getting that accomplishment out of the way is something he would like to do early against Middle Tennessee State.

?I hope I just go ahead and bust out one for 65 and call it a day and not worry about that,? Fletcher said. ?I have definitely been thinking about it being my last game. I just want to go out and approach it like any other game. I know it?s my last game in black and gold. I want to go out there and play my heart out, live in the moment and enjoy it.?

Fletcher?s next step is taking a shot at the NFL. He may not be as big and strong or as fast as many pro scouts would like, but he has shown that he has a knack for surprising coaches and competition.

He has received star treatment from the public during his time in Hattiesburg, but will enter an entirely new stage after he plays his final game on Sunday.

?You start from scratch,? Fletcher said. ?I?ll probably start all over as soon as the game is over and go with a clean slate. I?ll just be Damion, no ?Fletch? or none of that. I?m just looking forward to proving myself again.?

 

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MTSU can make statement with victory tonight


College football bowl team has a nice ring to it.

Only 68 of the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision programs can stake that claim of participation this time of year. That includes MTSU, which plays Southern Mississippi here tonight in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

It is the second time in four seasons the Blue Raiders were deemed worthy enough to play beyond the regular season as an at-large invitee rather than securing the automatic New Orleans Bowl bid or some other bowl ? like Troy this season playing in the GMAC Bowl ? that goes to the Sun Belt Conference champion.

Win nine of 12 games like MTSU did this year, and that takes care of itself. Call it a badge of accomplishment.

With a national audience viewing tonight via ESPN, MTSU football in particular and the university in general ? as well as the surrounding environs ? are benefactors of the public relations bonanza that playing in a bowl game provides.

Again, just the fact that MTSU is playing tonight in the New Orleans Bowl is quite an achievement. But winning the game, though, provides all together a different level of notoriety for the program, the school and, yes, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County and Middle Tennessee.

"There are only going to be 34 teams who will say they are bowl champions," MTSU football coach Rick Stockstill said.

Which has defined the approach by the Blue Raiders since learning two weeks ago today they were coming to the New Orleans Bowl for the first time and, especially, how they have gone about their business once arriving here Wednesday to not only start preparation for tonight's game, but also take part in the obligatory bowl festivities.

"I tell (the players) we are going to win this game, prepare to win this game and have fun in that order," Stockstill said earlier in the week.

Which reminds of the time three years ago following the MTSU loss to Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl. The postgame ceremonies included Stockstill having to trot to midfield to pick up a participation trophy, but not the one earmarked for the winner.Hard to call it a runner-up award, since only two teams participate. And while Stockstill knows that could very well happen tonight against Southern Mississippi ? after all, the Golden Eagles are playing in their 12th bowl game in 13 seasons ? it also is not why the Blue Raiders came to The Big Easy in the firs place.

Much better ring

College football champion has a much better ring to it.

"It is hard to win bowl games," Stockstill said. "There are a lot of teams who get to bowls and can't win, and there are a lot of teams who get to bowls and win them quite regularly."

Which brings us to tonight's game and whether this season will be remembered as bowl participation or bowl victory for the Blue Raiders.

"To say you are New Orleans Bowl champions or whatever it is, that is a special thing," Stockstill said. "We are here to win. And if you get to pick one, you would pick the win."

Playing in a second bowl game in four seasons in just the 11th year of participating at the highest level of college football, that is saying something.

Winning, though, is saying everything.

 

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Kicking game could be crucial in bowl


The game's least celebrated phase may loom largest in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl tonight.

MTSU and Southern Mississippi both tout distinct strengths and weaknesses in special teams, and any such plays could be decisive in the Superdome showdown.

MTSU kicker Alan Gendreau made 18-of-21 field goals this season, and he is 26 of his last 29, dating back to last season. Gendreau set single-season school records for field goals (18), consecutive field goals (12) and points scored by a kicker (98).

Southern Miss, meanwhile, has struggled with its placekicking. Kickers Justin Estes and Daniel Hrapmann have made a respectable 12-of-18 field goals, but they have missed 10 extra-point kicks for a national-low 80.7 percent on PATs.

The Golden Eagles have had miscues in the snap, hold and kick, and their opponents have blocked seven kicks. At one point this season, Southern Miss missed two PAT kicks in three consecutive games.

Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora said he has seriously considered going for two.

Incidentally, MTSU has blocked eight kicks this season.

"We've been practicing for that, and we know (Southern Miss has) had some kicks blocked," said defensive end Chris McCoy, who had a key block in a 32-31 win at Maryland. "We're going to try to block some more in this game."

But Southern Miss has the advantage in the returns game.

Freshman speedster Tracy Lampley ranks in the top-10 nationally in kick returns and punt returns. He has a touchdown in both.

MTSU ranks 90th in kick return coverage and 74th in punt return coverage, allowing a TD in both.

"(Lampley) is really good. We have to do a good job punting the ball," MTSU coach Rick Stockstill said. "If we punt the ball well, then we've got to cover well. (Punter David DeFatta) has to make sure he doesn't have line-drive, short punts."

MTSU's returns and coverage teams have improved late in the season, and it can't afford any lapses tonight.

"Field position is going to be so important in this game," MTSU cornerback Marcus Udell said. "We have to pin them back in their territory. We need to win every part of special teams."