Bower and his staff spent their spring practice time filling in some gaps -- in particular those left by three-year starting quarterback Jeff Kelly and linebacker Roy Magee, an All-C-USA second-team player.
There is plenty of talent returning, but at the end of spring practice the Golden Eagles still hadn’t chosen a starting quarterback. That didn’t hinder Bower’s optimism.
"I feel pretty good about the offense," Bower said. "We improved a lot in our fundamentals and techniques, but we have to perfect them. I believe we made definite strides in our goal line and short yardage offense, but we still need to keep getting better in those areas. Those areas will make or break you as a team most of the time."
Nobody knows the Southern Miss program better than Bower, who played quarterback for the Golden Eagles in the early 1970s. He was the starter in 1973, guiding the team to a 6-4-1 record, and his .583 passing percentage was the single-season record for the next 23 years. When Bower was a senior in 1975, he led the team to an 8-3 record.
His first coaching stints were at Southern Miss, where he was a graduate assistant in 1976-77 and coached quarterbacks and wide receivers from 1978-81.
After five years at SMU, Bower went to Wake Forest for one year (1987), returned to Southern Miss four two years (1988-89), went to Oklahoma for one season (1990), and returned to Hattiesburg, Miss., school for good when he was hired as head coach for the 1991 season.
Bower has maintained stability within his coaching staff for the last few years.
Offensive coordinator Chris Klenakis returns for his third year, along with running backs coach Shelton Gandy and quarterbacks coach Paul Petrino. Tight ends coach Mitch Rodrigue returns for his fourth year, and Bower will coach the wide receivers again.
Also returning are nine starters and 20 letter winners from the 2001 offense that averaged 32 points and almost 400 yards per game in the last six games.
"We had a lot of young players get a lot of playing time last year," Klenakis said. "For example, James Walley [running back] and all the young receivers may not have started but sure played a lot of football. Another example is Terrell Browden [tight end], who is not a starter but has seen a lot of time on the field. We are excited and have high expectations for this group and we have let this group know it’s time for them to get it done."
Defensively the Golden Eagles are led by a young coordinator. Twenty-nine year-old Tyrone Nix, on the staff since 1995, was the youngest coordinator in the nation last year and has earned a reputation for employing a hard-nosed, aggressive defense.
QUARTERBACKS
Jeff Kelly was a mainstay in the Golden Eagles’ offense, having started the last three years. He wasn’t the flashiest quarterback in C-USA, but he was smart and put up solid numbers.
Last season, Kelly threw for 2,613 yards and 15 touchdowns, completing 59.1 percent of his passes. He threw 11 interceptions.
Kelly also rushed for 292 yards (but only 32 net yards) and scored three rushing touchdowns.
Three young players will vie for the job this fall -- sophomores Micky D’Angelo (6-3, 212) and Zac White (6-5, 229) and red-shirt freshman Dustin Almond (6-1, 185).
White was Kelly’s backup most of last season, but a season-ending injury moved him down the depth chart.
D’Angelo played in two games as Kelly’s backup, completing 3-of-8 passes for 44 yards and a touchdown.
In the Black-Gold spring game, D’Angelo completed 8-of-10 passes for 154 yards.
White earned the No. 2 quarterback’s job in the preseason last fall, but played in only one game. He completed 4-of-6 passes for 29 yards. His time was limited by a nagging back injury, so he received a medical hardship season. As a freshman, White played in two games and was 1-of-6 passing.
RUNNING BACKS
After battling injury and illness the last two seasons, senior Nix (6-2, 232) returns for his final season, and his return will be a huge lift for the Golden Eagles’ rushing attack.
Nix, a two-time All-C-USA player, was full speed in the spring, rushing for 49 yards on 16 carries and scoring on a 1-yard run. In the 2000 season, Nix suffered an ankle sprain in the fourth game and later had complications from a reaction to antibiotics that caused kidney problems. It kept him out for most of the remainder of the season.
Last year, Nix was red-shirted, and the rest seemed to do him a world of good.
Nix, often called "Baby Bull," needs just 519 yards to move into third place on the Southern Miss career rushing chart. With 100 carries, Nix would also move to third on the career list.
In several of the spring scrimmages, Nix rushed for more than 100 yards.
The top returning rusher from a year ago is sophomore Walley (6-0, 195), who rushed for 245 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 3.1 yards per carry. Walley played in only six games.
Red-shirt freshman Anthony Harris (5-11, 210) was also impressive in the spring. He rushed for 64 yards on 12 carries in the spring game. Last fall, Harris worked with the scout team and spent time in the weight room building his strength.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
The receiving corps will be a strength of the Golden Eagles’ offense. It is deep, experienced and talented.
Four players who started at receiver are back for the 2002 season, along with several of their backups.
Leading the returnees is senior LeRoy Handy (6-1, 196), who led the team last season with 59 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 13.9 yards per catch.
Listed as the starter at flanker, Handy had three games with 100 or more receiving yards. He had 10 catches for 101 yards against Penn State. He had five ore more catches in eight games and finished with 75 or more receiving yards in eight games.
Sophomore Marvin Young (5-8, 158) is slotted as the backup for Handy. Young had 10 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown last season. In his first college game, Young had 38 yards on three catches. Freshman signee Karlin Riley (6-2, 195) will also play flanker.
Junior Kenneth Johnson (5-10, 165) returns at one receiver spot after starting in 2001. Johnson battled through several injuries, but still played in nine games and was third on the team in receiving with 28 catches for 298 yards. He had a season-high 92 yards on seven catches against Oklahoma State and had 48 yards on five catches against Alabama.
Johnson, however, was slotted behind sophomore Rocky Harrison (6-1, 192) at wide receiver. Harrison was fifth on the team in catches with 21 and had 268 receiving yards and one touchdown catch. He had at least one catch in every game last season and had a season-high 61 yards on two catches and caught a touchdown pass against Tulane.
In the season finale, Harrison had four catches for 48 yards.
At split end, sophomore Chris Johnson (5-10, 185) was slotted as the starter in the spring with red-shirt freshman Naton Stewart (6-4, 200) as the backup.
Chris Johnson was chosen to the C-USA All-Freshman team last season. He caught 34 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns. His first catch of the season was a 20-yard touchdown play against Oklahoma State, and he caught at least one pass in every game. Against Louisville, he had a season-high 93 receiving yards on three catches, including a 73-yard touchdown.
Red-shirt freshmen Thomas Hosey (6-2, 200) and Lamarcus Hicks (5-11, 177) will be backups at wide receiver.
Starting tight end Bobby Garner (6-2, 225) returns, but will be pushed for the job by junior Browden (6-3, 245). Garner, a converted quarterback, was playing baseball in the spring and didn’t take part in spring football.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Perhaps the most experienced spot on the offense is the line, where all five starters return.
Senior weak-side tackle Jeremy Bridges (6-4, 300) and senior strong-side guard Torrin Tucker (6-6, 316) will start for the third straight season.
Bridges was chosen to the All-C-USA second team last season. He led the team with 875 plays -- 822 on offense and 52 on special teams. Bridges will be one of the team leaders.
Red-shirt freshman Neal Mead (6-5, 295) was Bridges’ backup in the spring, while red-shirt freshman Bradley Worthington (6-4, 283) was Tucker’s backup at strong guard.
Sophomore Patrick Corbett (6-6, 249) will also play behind Bridges.
Tucker played 790 snaps last season -- 743 offensive and 43 on special teams.
At weak-side guard, sophomore Jeremy Parquet (6-7, 318) should replace departed Kendrick Key, the full-time starter at that position. Senior Buck Miciotto (6-3, 278), a spot starter the last two seasons, will be a solid backup -- or possibly spot starter -- at weak-side guard.
Sophomore Javar Young (6-4, 264) has moved from the defense to the offensive line and will also play guard.
Junior Jim Hicks (6-3, 280) returns at center after starting last season. Hicks began the 2000 season as the starter but suffered a knee injury on the fifth play of the opener and missed the rest of the season. He played 829 snaps last season.
Sophomore Addaryl Edwards (6-3, 279) will be Hicks’ backup. Edwards played on the defensive line last season.
Senior Jason Jiminez (6-7, 292) returns as the starter at strong-side tackle. He started all 11 games last season.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Three of the four starters on the defensive line return, plus several backups who could end up as starters in 2002.
Defensive end Brian Evans was a starter at one spot, but departed the team in the spring. Evans had 29 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack last season.
Although junior Darris McKenzie (6-2, 245) wasn’t a starter last year, he rotated plays with Evans, seeing his playing increase considerably toward the end of the season. McKenzie, slotted as the starter at one end in spring, had 23 tackles last season, four tackles for loss and two sacks.
Perhaps the marquee player on the line is bandit end Terrell Paul (6-3, 226), a junior. Paul was on the All-C-USA second team last season when he finished with 52 tackles and led the team with six sacks. He also had six pass breakups, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He had a season-high seven tackles against Houston and Oklahoma State.
Sophomore LeVon Pears (6-0, 250), a walk-on last year, played in 11 games and finished with 16 tackles and two sacks last season. Pears, who had seven tackles against Tulane, and junior college transfer DeMarcus Barner (6-1, 230) will be Paul’s backups. Barner will only be a sophomore.
Sophomore Skylor Magee (6-1, 270) is the probable starter at nose tackle with sophomore Chad Ruffin (6-0, 260) as his backup. Magee was chosen to The Sporting News Freshman All-America team last season when he finished with 34 tackles, six sacks and three tackles for loss.
Ruffin played in 11 games and had 20 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss last season. Senior Carlos Crusoe (6-3, 285) will also play nose tackle.
"Chad is someone who really came on last spring and earned a spot as a backup," Butler said. "He is the type that will push for playing time this year."
Senior Rayshun Jones (6-3, 288) is the probable starter at defensive tackle. Jones, an All-C-USA candidate, started all 11 games last season and was sixth on the team in tackles with 60, including three sacks and six tackles for loss.
LINEBACKERS
The Golden Eagles must replace weak-side linebacker Magee, chosen to the All-C-USA second team after finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 68 and leading in tackles for loss with 12. Magee also had 4.5 sacks.
Southern Miss does return one of the nation’s top linebackers in junior Rod Davis (6-3, 238). Davis, who will start in the middle, led the team in tackles with 100, including 68 solo tackles, and had 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. He intercepted two passes.
Davis is a candidate for the Lombardi and Nagurski awards after earning All-America honors from The Sporting News and being chosen to the All-C-USA first team.
In six games, Davis finished with double-digit tackles and had a season-high 13 tackles (10 solo) against East Carolina. He had 10 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss against Louisville.
Sophomore Dillon Checkler (6-1, 227) and senior Chris Langston (6-2, 221) will be Davis’ backups at middle linebacker.
Sophomore Michael Boley (6-3, 207) was slotted as the starter in place of Magee in the spring. Boley played in nine games last season, but will have to beat out senior Chris Vaughn (6-0, 213) for the job. Vaughn was 10th on the team in tackles last season with 32 and had two tackles for loss. Also vying for time will be sophomore Carsha Stromas (6-2, 206), who played in 11 games last season but was mostly used on special teams.
Senior Joe Henley (6-0, 216) returns as the starter at strong-side linebacker. Henley was third on the team in tackles last season with 69 and had eight tackles for loss and three sacks.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Strong safety Chad Williams was the key loss to the secondary, and he was a good one. Williams, a sixth round NFL pick, was fifth on the team in tackles with 63 and had seven pass break-ups and one interception.
Still, defensive backs coach Ray Hopson was optimistic as spring practice ended.
"We used the spring to find people who could make plays for us," Hopson said. "That’s what spring is about, and I think we came out of the spring a far better defensive backfield than we were going in. We answered some questions, got a long look at some players who will be playing key backup roles for us as well as getting a look at some of our mid-year players, such as Tootie Myers (5-11, 190 freshman)."
Returning starters at cornerback are senior Leroy Johnson (5-11, 180) and junior Greg Brooks (5-11, 167).
Johnson, the starter at field corner, started 10-of-11 games and finished with 23 tackles and tied for the team-high with three interceptions. He had eight pass breakups.
Myers (5-11, 190) was slotted as the backup for Johnson in the spring. He enrolled at Southern Miss in the spring after playing professional baseball for the Montreal Expos’ organization.
Senior Corey Yates (5-10, 170) is the backup for Brooks. Yates was the starter at boundary corner when the 2001 season started but suffered a season-ending knee injury against Oklahoma State. He should be ready for preseason practices in August.
Red-shirt freshman John Eubanks (5-11, 160) will also play boundary corner.
Junior Etric Pruitt (6-0, 181) returns as the starting free safety. Pruitt, one of the team’s hardest hitters, started all 11 games last season and was second on the team in tackles with 82, including 59 unassisted tackles.
Sophomore Antoine Cash (6-1, 200) was Pruitt’s backup in the spring. Cash played in 11 games last season and had 19 tackles. Junior Corey Hosey (6-1, 185) was red-shirted last season after moving from wide receiver in the spring of 2001. He will also play free safety.
Junior Alex Ray (5-11, 198) has the big job of taking Williams’ starting job at strong safety or rover back. Ray played all 11 games last season, mostly in nickel back situations. Still, Ray was seventh on the team in tackles with 55, including 39 solo tackles, and had a season-high 10 tackles against Tulane.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The punting job is in good hands with the return of Haulman, but kicker Curtis Jones must take over the starting job left with the departure of Brant Hanna. Jones’ task should be made easier because he gained some experience last season, even though he was used sparingly.
"I expect Mark to be the strength of our special teams," special teams coach Chad O’Shea said. "He is an all-conference candidate and really is capable of big things this year. I believe he will have his best year as a senior."
Chris Johnson, the sophomore split end, returned kickoffs last season and should retain that job. Johnson averaged 22.1 yards on the team-high 14 returns. His long return was 40 yards.
Kenneth Johnson, the junior wide receiver, will be the No. 2 kick returner and starting punt returner. He led the team with 13 punt returns last year, averaging 5.9 yards per return.
(6-5, 210) will be the backup.
RECRUITING CLASS
Of the 29 players on the Southern Miss 2002 signee list, 11 are either offensive linemen or defensive linemen.
Only one quarterback, Chris Crumpton (6-1, 180) of Hartselle (Ala.) High School, was signed.
Two running backs were signed and both played defense in high school. Wayne Hardy (6-1, 215) of Lawrence County High School in Monticello, Miss., also played linebacker, while Jasper Faulk (6-0, 190) of Lafayette (La.) High School doubled as a defensive back.
Included in the class were five wide receivers, one tight end, one tight end/linebacker, two defensive ends/tight ends, two defensive backs, and four outside linebackers/defensive ends.
Crumpton was a three-year starting quarterback at Hartselle High. As a senior, he threw for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns, and as a junior threw for 1,560 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the state by SuperPrep Magazine and was the No. 27-rated pro-style quarterback by Rivals.com. He earned a three-star rating by the Forrest Davis Football Recruiting Annual. He was also recruited by Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.
Hardy had a spectacular senior year, rushing for 1,608 yards and 26 touchdowns on 123 carries. He was chosen as a second-team all-state linebacker by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger and was on its top 25 list of prospects. Hardy, clocked in a 4.5 seconds in the 40, led the team to a 9-2 record as a senior. As a sophomore, Hardy started at outside linebacker and helped the team win a state championship. He was also recruited by Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Middle Tennessee.
Faulk, who also runs a 4.4 40, rushed for 1,378 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior in high school and averaged 7.5 yards per carry. He rushed for 1,407 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. Faulk was rated as the No. 63 prospect in the nation by Rivals.com.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Even with an experienced quarterback in Kelly, the Golden Eagles had a sub-par offensive showing last season. They were ninth in Conference USA in total offense in conference games, averaging 335.3 yards per game, and tied for sixth in scoring offense, averaging 27.4 points per game.
Kelly is gone, chosen in the seventh round of the NFL draft. When the spring ended, the Golden Eagles hadn’t settled on a starting quarterback.
The offense will be bolstered by the return of Nix -- assuming he’s healthy -- and a team strength will be the offensive line. If the quarterback comes through, the Golden Eagles’ offense should be improved.
Defensively, Southern Miss should be as solid as ever. Despite a couple of key losses, the nucleus of last year’s defense returns. The Golden Eagles ranked second in the league in total defense in conference games and led the league in scoring defense against C-USA teams.
"I do think we played pretty well overall last season on the defensive side of the ball," Bower said. "The key this season will be to develop more depth at all positions, and I think we got a good head start on that during the spring workouts."
Southern Miss posted its eighth straight winning season in 2001, but the 14-12 loss to TCU in the regular-season finale left a sour taste. Bower hasn’t forgotten and neither has his team. The Golden Eagles will be hungry this season. Although they won’t be the C-USA favorite, they could certainly be contenders.
