Sep 5, 2007, 16:15 GMT
Knoxville, TN - The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles fly into Knoxville this weekend for a non-conference battle with a group of Tennessee Volunteers who are undoubtedly eager to take the field.
Southern Miss opened the season last Saturday with a 35-13 victory over lowly Tennessee-Martin. There are a number of starters from last year's squad back in place, especially on defense. The Golden Eagles posted their 13th straight winning season in 2006 and made an appearance in the Conference USA title game.
Tennessee needs to score a victory in this contest, as it dropped a 45-31 decision to California in the opener. There is certainly reason for optimism, as the Vols are 45-4 against current members of Conference USA, including 32-0 at home.
Tennessee has won all four previous meetings with Southern Miss. The most recent matchup took place in 2000, and the Vols barely escaped with a 19-16 win.
Last season, Southern Miss averaged more rushing yards (169.9 ypg) than passing yards (161.2 ypg). In the season-opening victory over Tennessee-Martin, Southern Miss had five rushing touchdowns by four different players. The Golden Eagles racked up 310 rushing yards as compared to 122 passing yards. As a result of their dominance, they were able to keep possession of the ball for over 34 minutes. They also made good on 11-of-19 third down conversion attempts en route to 25 first downs. Leading the way for the offense was Damion Fletcher, who rushed for 156 yards and one touchdown on only 19 carries. Jeremy Young, the team's quarterback, posted 55 rushing yards and one score, overshadowing an 11-of-26 passing performance. Keep an eye on Torris Magee on the outside, as he appears to be a favorite target of Young.
It comes as no surprise that Southern Miss played strong defense in the opener. After all, nine starters are back in the fold for the Golden Eagles, including five all-conference performers. Last season, they ranked 30th in the nation in total defense, and there is no reason that this year's club won't be even better. Against UT-Martin, Southern Miss yielded only 257 total yards, including 72 rushing yards. The only touchdown allowed by the defense came late in the fourth quarter long after the outcome had been decided. Although Southern Miss did not cause many turnovers or rack up a high sack total, the fact that the defense permitted only 3-of-13 third down conversion attempts to be successful is impressive.
It is hard to blame the Tennessee offense for the loss to Cal in the opener. After all, the Vols did generate four offensive touchdowns and nearly 400 total yards against a highly-ranked opponent. Erik Ainge connected on 32-of-47 passes for 271 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the loss. He threw a pair of touchdown strikes to Chris Brown, who finished with seven grabs for 54 yards. Lucas Taylor also proved to be a dangerous target, as he recorded six catches for 103 yards. The top ground gainer for Tennessee in the tilt was Arian Foster, as he posted 89 yards on 13 rushing attempts. Ainge fought through injury last season to pass for nearly 3,000 yards and 19 touchdowns with only nine interceptions. He is clearly one of the better quarterbacks in the nation.
The fact that Tennessee allowed 45 points to Cal in the opener suggests that the defense did not play nearly as well as the fans and coaches envisioned. To be fair, Cal did score one touchdown on special teams and another on defense. Still, the Vols surrendered 471 total yards, as the Golden Bears managed well over 200 yards both on the ground and through the air. Tennessee did not manage a single sack in the tilt and closed out the contest with only one takeaway. The fact that the Vols permitted over six yards per carry on the ground may be the scariest stat of all, especially considering that a run- oriented team is coming to town this weekend. Tennessee may be without the services of defensive end Xavier Mitchell in this contest. Mitchell, who entered this season as one of the top players for defense, suffered a concussion against Cal and will be a game-time decision.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Your Talkback on this Story