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NCAA Football Recap (So Mississippi-Idaho)
Posted: Wed December 30, 1998 at 11:17 p.m. EST IDAHO 42, SO MISSISSIPPI 35BOISE, Idaho (Ticker) -- John Welsh's fourth touchdown pass of the game, a 28-yard strike to Ryan Prestimonico with 4:36 to play, lifted underdog Idaho to a 42-35 upset of Southern Mississippi in the second annual Humanitarian Bowl. Southern Mississippi closed within 35-28 on Lee Roberts' seven-yard scoring toss to Sherrod Gideon with 9:25 left. The Golden Eagles got a big break when Mike O'Neal's 22-yard punt gave them possession at the Idaho 45-yard line. Six plays later, they tied it when Derrick Nix barreled in for a 15-yard TD run. Idaho needed only four plays to score the winning touchdown. Welsh rolled right and lofted a pass into the right corner of the end zone for Prestimonico, who avoided defensive back Terrence Parrish to make the catch. Southern Mississippi approached midfield when it got back the ball, but Nix fumbled when hit by linebacker Ryan Skinner and the Vandals recovered at the Eagles 45. Idaho got the two first downs it needed to run out the clock. Jerome Thomas returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter for the Vandals (9-3), who won a bowl game in just their third season of Division I-A competition. In 1995, Idaho played for the Division I-AA national championship. But the Vandals earned a berth in this game as champions of the Big West Conference. Idaho entered as a 17-point underdog but recovered five Southern Mississippi fumbles and scored three touchdowns in the final minutes of the second quarter to rally from a 14-point deficit. Nix ran for 122 yards and three scores on 29 carries for Southern Mississippi (7-5), which was appearing in the postseason for the second straight year. The Golden Eagles defeated Pittsburgh, 41-7, in last year's Liberty Bowl. Cincinnati defeated Utah State, 35-19, in the inaugural Humanitarian Bowl last season. Nix's one-yard TD run just under five minutes into the second quarter gave the Golden Eagles a 21-7 lead. But everything fell apart for Southern Mississippi over the final 5:32 of the half as the Vandals exploded for three touchdowns. Welsh, who completed 24-of-41 passes for 291 yards, began the outburst by hitting Jeffrey Townsley for a 12-yard score. After Nix's fumble put Idaho at the Southern Miss 45, Welsh capped a four-play drive with a 21-yard scoring strike to tight end Mike Roberg. The Golden Eagles were driving late in the half when Roberts was hit from behind and lost the ball, giving the Vandals possession at their own 42. A 19-yard completion from Welsh to running back Willie Alderson put the ball at the Eagles 2 with two seconds left. Instead of settling for a field goal, Vandals coach Chris Tormey gambled, and it paid off when Welsh hit Michael Moody for a two-yard TD. Roberts completed 30-of-51 passes for 342 yards for Southern Mississippi, while Gideon had 12 catches for 117 yards. Joel Thomas' one-yard TD plunge with 2:59 left in the third quarter gave the Vandals a 35-21 advantage. Thomas racked up 86 yards on 22 carries. Thomas fumbled twice in the first quarter and Southern Mississippi took advantage of the second miscue when Roberts hit Gideon for a two-yard touchdown. But the Eagles' lead lasted only 17 seconds. Thomas tppl the ensuing kickoff at his own 2, dashed up the middle of the field before cutting toward the left sideline and was gone for the touchdown. An eight-yard run by Nix with 48 seconds left gave the Eagles a 13-7 lead but the extra point was blocked. © 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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