By Al Myatt, Special to CNNSI.com
And then there were none.
Southern Miss was the last unbeaten team in Conference USA until the
Golden Eagles were upset 22-17 Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Five turnovers, including four interceptions, will do that.
"We turned the ball over way too much," said Southern Miss coach Jeff
Bower. "You can't do that. We did exactly the opposite of what we had
been doing. We didn't take care of the ball. We didn't create any turnovers."
Southern Miss had just three turnovers in three previous games and was a
plus-7 compared to its opponents in that department. Golden Eagles
quarterback Jeff Kelly had just one interception for the season going
into the game but was picked off four times.
With the score tied at 10 midway through the third quarter, Memphis
linebacker Derrick Ballard returned an interception 29 yards for a
touchdown that put the Tigers ahead to stay.
"In reality, the defense only gave up three points," Bower said. "That
was the field goal in the fourth quarter."
Ryan White's 45-yard boot with 7:33 to go put Southern Miss down 22-17.
"That was key because it made us need a touchdown to win the game,"
Bower said. "That was a key along with a safety [that put Memphis ahead
19-10], the turnover for a touchdown, and the turnover right before the
half that set up a field goal [37-yarder by White]. If any one of those
plays weren't made, we would have just needed a field goal and we were
in field goal range at the end.
"The play-calling would have changed a little bit, and maybe we don't
take the third down sack if all we needed was a field goal."
Ballard had a sack on the Golden Eagles' potential game-winning drive
and was named C-USA defensive player of the week for his heroics.
The win was sweet for former Memphis defensive coordinator Tommy West,
now the head coach, and he didn't attempt to downplay it as the Tigers
avoided an eighth consecutive loss to Southern Miss.
"This was the Super Bowl for us," West said. "When you win one you're
not supposed to, or one people say you're not supposed to, it's awesome."
Now Southern Miss' objective of getting back to the Liberty Bowl on Dec.
31 has no margin of error as the Golden Eagles prepare for a trip this
week to take on Louisville, the defending league champion and the
preseason favorite.
Louisville played Colorado State last season in the Liberty Bowl, the
postseason reward for the C-USA champion, and the Cardinals were topped
22-17. Louisville emerged from a defensive struggle with the Rams last
Thursday night with revenge in the form of a 7-2 win.
"Thank God for the defense," said Louisville junior quarterback Dave
Ragone, who hit Zek Parker for a 7-yard touchdown with six minutes left
in the first half to account for the only Cardinals score.
The Memphis Tigers, whose offense produced only 182 yards, were thinking
the same thing.
 |
|---|
|
Memphis true freshman Darron White caught four passes for 49 yards
against Southern Miss. In the previous game at Louisville, White had six
catches for 75 yards and scored his first college touchdown on a pass
from fellow freshman Danny Wimprine.
White, 6 feet and 180 pounds, set
every offensive record in the 78-year history of Covington (Tenn.) High,
according to the Memphis media guide. That included 3,867 yards rushing
in his career, 1,142 yards receiving, and 1,875 yards in returns. He had
18 interceptions and scored 83 touchdowns. His prep coach was Jeff
McFerrin, a former linebacker for the Tigers. White also considered Ole
Miss and Arkansas in the recruiting process.
|
|
|
|
 |
|---|
|
HOT:
Tulane RB Mewelde Moore
Set a school record with 249 rushing
yards and a C-USA mark with 336 all-purpose yards at Cincinnati.
NOT:
East Carolina QB David Garrard
Was limited to 109 yards passing at
North Carolina.
HOT:
Army RB Josh Holden
Ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns against Houston.
NOT:
UAB's offense
Has produced just 14 points in three road games.
|
|
|
| |
 |
|---|
|
East Carolina sophomore running back Art Brown was thinking touchdown as
he approached the goal line on a kickoff return at North Carolina on
Saturday.
But Derrick Johnson of the Tar Heels came from behind and
knocked the ball from Brown's grasp. The fumble rolled through the end
zone and out of bounds for a touchback. UNC got the ball at its own
20-yard line and its 21-13 lead was preserved early in the fourth
quarter. The Tar Heels won 24-21.
"He came from my blind side and made a great play," Brown said.
|
|
|
|
 |
|---|
|
 Cincinnati QB Gino Guidugli
Freshman completed 22 of 32 passes for 312
yards and four touchdowns in his first start at home, a 46-33 win over Tulane.
Cincinnati RB DeMarco McCleskey
Had 29 rushes for 139 yards against the Green Wave.
Louisville WR Deion Branch
Had seven catches for 92 yards
against Colorado State.
|
|
|
| |
 |
|---|
|
League-leading Cincinnati (2-0 C-USA) visits UAB (1-1 C-USA), which has
been much more productive offensively in home wins over Montana State
(41-13) and Army (55-3) than on the road, where the Blazers have managed
a scant 14 points in three games.
UAB hopes to rediscover its offense after being shut out 3-0 at
Southern Miss before losing 24-7 last week at Central Florida.
"Two straight weeks of the same thing," said Blazers coach Watson Brown.
"We're in the tank offensively right now but it's correctable."
The Bearcats had good offensive balance with the passing of Gino
Guidugli and the running of DeMarco McCleskey last week. Cincinnati also
has excellent special teams personnel. Punter Adam Wulfeck averaged 51.0
yards on five punts last week. Kicker Jonathan Ruffin led the nation
last season in field goals with 26.
Cincinnati beat UAB 33-21 at Nippert Stadium last year. The Bearcats
haven't played at Legion Field since 1996, the Blazers' first year in
Division I-A.
League play is intensifying. East Carolina is at Army, TCU visits Tulane
and Houston hosts Memphis. Southern Miss visits Louisville in a new
concept on ESPN2, a Tuesday night game, on Oct. 16.
|
|
|
| |
 |
|---|
|
Houston safety Hanik Milligan had 20 tackles at Army, including 13
solos. ... ECU linebacker Pernell Griffin was credited with 22 tackles
at UNC. ... Houston now has the league's longest losing streak, eight
games. ... Tulane's Mewelde Moore, the league's offensive player of the
week, leads the nation in all-purpose yardage with 228.3 yards per game.
... Louisville and Tulane share the national lead in fumbles recovered
with nine each. ... Cincinnati's 539 yards of total offense against
Tulane were the most for the Bearcats in Rick Minter's eight years as
head coach. ... With Bearcats junior defensive end Antwan Peek serving a
one-game suspension for receiving improper benefits, walk-on freshman
Andre Frazier stepped in and recorded 10 tackles, including three for
losses, two sacks and a forced fumble. ... ECU's average scoring drive
this season has been 63.5 yards in only 1:57. ... The Pirates plan to
play three true freshmen as a result of injuries to their receiving
corps. ... Colorado State was held without a touchdown for the first
time since 1997 by Louisville. ... Southern Miss was limited to 60
rushing yards on 34 attempts by Memphis, which had the nation's No. 1
rushing defense last season. ... Southern Miss sophomore Etric Pruitt
blocked two punts at Memphis. ... Tulane quarterback Patrick Ramsey
leads the nation in consecutive games with a touchdown pass with 27.
|
|
|
