2012 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

The 2012 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the East Division of Conference USA. They were led by first-year head coach Ellis Johnson and played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The 2012 squad finished the season winless with a final record of 0–12^[1] one year after finishing 12–2 and winning the conference championship. The biggest single season decline in FBS history,^[2] and after only one year at the helm, Johnson along with his entire staff were fired.^[3]

2012 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Conference	Conference USA
Division	East Division
Record	0–12 (0–8 C-USA)
Head coach	Ellis Johnson (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Steve Buckley (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Tommy West (1st season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons ← 2011 2013 →

2012 Conference USA football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
UCF xy		7	–	1					10	–	4
East Carolina x		7	–	1					8	–	5
Marshall		4	–	4					5	–	7
Memphis		4	–	4					4	–	8
UAB		2	–	6					3	–	9
Southern Miss		0	–	8					0	–	12
West Division
Tulsa xy$		7	–	1					11	–	3
SMU		5	–	3					7	–	6
Rice		4	–	4					7	–	6
Houston		4	–	4					5	–	7
UTEP		2	–	6					3	–	9
Tulane		2	–	6					2	–	10
Championship: Tulsa 33, UCF 27
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	2:30 pm	at No. 17 Nebraska*	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska	ABC	L 20–49	85,425
September 15	2:30 pm	East Carolina	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, Mississippi	CBSSN	L 14–24	34,140
September 22	6:00 pm	at Western Kentucky*	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, Kentucky	ESPN3	L 17–42	23,252
September 29	7:00 pm	No. 19 Louisville*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, Mississippi	CBSSN	L 17–21	23,492
October 6	11:00 am	Boise State*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, Mississippi	FSN	L 14–40	25,337
October 13	7:00 pm	at UCF	Bright House Networks Stadium Orlando, Florida	CBSSN	L 31–38 2OT	34,514
October 20	6:00 pm	Marshall	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, Mississippi	CBSSN	L 24–59	24,093
October 27	12:00 pm	at Rice	Rice Stadium Houston, Texas	CSS/CSNH	L 17–44	14,927
November 3	6:30 pm	UAB	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, Mississippi	CSS/CSNH	L 19–27	22,874
November 10	2:30 pm	at SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium University Park, Texas	FSN	L 6–34	16,343
November 17	7:00 pm	UTEP	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, Mississippi	CBSSN	L 33–34	23,757
November 24	2:30 pm	at Memphis	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee (Black and Blue Bowl)	CSS/CSNH	L 24–42	21,305
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Personnel

2012 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Tracy Lampley Sr QB 2 Anthony Alford Fr RB 3 Tyre Bracken Fr WR 5 D. J. Thompson Fr QB 6 Arsenio Favor  So RB 7 Desmond Johnson  Sr QB 7 Kyle Sloter Fr QB 8 Ricky Lloyd  Fr WR 9 Chris Briggs So QB 11 Cole Weeks  So WR 12 Jarell Aaron Fr QB 13 Chris Campbell  Jr TE 17 Stanley Tart Fr WR 18 Dominique Sullivan Jr RB 21 Jeremy Hester Jr WR 23 Markese Triplett Jr WR 24 Dimitri Smith Jr WR 25 Justin Sims  Jr RB 29 Kendrick Hardy  Jr RB 30 Jalen Richard Fr FB 36 Bruce Johnson  Jr OL 51 Darius Barnes  Sr OL 52 Jason Weaver  Sr OL 57 Garrett Clark  Fr OL 60 Chaz Cavignac  Fr OL 60 Brandon Farmer Fr OL 61 Bradley Nugent  Fr OL 62 Austin Quattrochi  Sr OL 66 Jordan Greene  Fr OL 67 Dyron White  Sr OL 68 Joe Duhan  Sr OL 70 Vincent Brown Jr OL 71 Randal Agee  Fr OL 73 Rashod Hall  Fr OL 74 Cedric Chisolm So OL 75 Oliver Bates Fr OL 76 Michael Brinson  Fr OL 77 Ed Preston  Jr OL 78 Jonathan Guerry  Jr OL 79 Taylor Peterson  So TE 80 Collin Jarbo So TE 81 Ryan Hanks Sr WR 82 Justin Burdette Fr WR 83 Cooper Harrington  Fr TE 84 Max Mason  Fr WR 85 Quentin Pierce  Sr WR 87 Francisco Llanos  Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 2 Martez Thompson Sr DB 3 Antonio Thomas Jr. Fr DB 5 Jerrion Johnson  Jr DL 8 Jamie Collins Sr DB 11 Kalan Reed Fr DB 12 Emmanuel Johnson So DB 13 Reggie Hunt Sr LB 14 Terrick Wright  Fr DB 15 Marcal Robinson  Sr DB 16 Alex Smith  Jr DB 17 David Bertucci  Fr DL 18 Brandon Francesconi Sr DB 19 Clifford Johnson Sr DB 20 Ed Wilkins  Fr DB 21 Marcus Turner Fr DB 22 Deron Wilson  Jr DB 23 DeBarrious Miller Fr LB 24 Chauncey Smith  Fr DB 28 Jacorius Cotton Jr DB 31 Alexander Walters Jr LB 35 Justin Penn  So LB 37 Alan Howze Jr LB 38 Jerry McCorvey Fr LB 42 Ta'Dren Kennedy  So DL 45 Dasman McCullum  So DL 46 Will Freeman Fr DL 47 Nic Bekkers  So DL 49 Adam Williams Jr LB 53 Jamil Murray  Fr LB 54 Lelland Ducksworth Fr LB 55 Dylan Reda Jr DL 89 Joel Ross  Sr DL 91 Michael Smith  Fr DL 92 Casey D'Angelo  So DL 93 Dalvin Craft Fr DL 94 Anthony Wilson Jr DL 95 Khalid Wilson Sr DL 96 Roderick Henderson Fr DL 97 Rakeem Nunez-Roches So DL 98 Khyri Thornton  Jr DL 99 Octavius Thomas  Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P, K 25 Corey Acosta  So P 30 Matthew Moseley So P 39 Peter Boehme Sr LS 50 Lance Schuffert  Fr	Head coach Ellis Johnson Coordinators/assistant coaches Steve Buckley Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Tommy West Defensive coordinator/linebackers Rickey Bustle Running backs Lorenzo Costantini Defensive line Maurice Drayton Secondary Broderick Fobbs Wide receivers Tucker Peavey Offensive line Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: June 29, 2025

Game summaries

At No. 17 Nebraska

See also: 2012 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	7	10	0	3	20
No. 17 Cornhuskers	14	14	14	7	49

Statistics	USM	NEB
First downs	20	33
Total yards	260	632
Rushing yards	185	278
Passing yards	75	354
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	28:22	31:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Chris Campbell	6/11, 69 yards, TD
	Rushing	Anthony Alford	15 rushes, 84 yards
	Receiving	Tracy Lampley	2 receptions, 27 yards
Nebraska	Passing	Taylor Martinez	26/34, 354 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Ameer Abdullah	15 rushes, 81 yards
	Receiving	Quincy Enunwa	6 receptions, 70 yards

East Carolina

See also: 2012 East Carolina Pirates football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	3	21	0	24
Golden Eagles	7	0	0	7	14

Statistics	ECU	USM
First downs	13	20
Total yards	228	324
Rushing yards	57	91
Passing yards	171	233
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	30:07	29:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Carolina	Passing	Shane Carden	13/27, 171 yards, TD
	Rushing	Vintavious Cooper	13 rushes, 51 yards
	Receiving	Justin Hardy	5 receptions, 92 yards, TD
Southern Miss	Passing	Chris Campbell	11/21, 145 yards, TD
	Rushing	Desmond Johnson	13 rushes, 76 yards
	Receiving	Markese Triplett	4 receptions, 66 yards, TD

At Western Kentucky

See also: 2012 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	3	7	7	17
Hilltoppers	14	7	21	0	42

Statistics	USM	WKU
First downs	16	25
Total yards	264	560
Rushing yards	163	369
Passing yards	101	191
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	24:18	35:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Ricky Lloyd	4/5, 72 yards, TD
	Rushing	Desmond Johnson	10 rushes, 39 yards
	Receiving	Dominique Sullivan	1 reception, 46 yards
Western Kentucky	Passing	Kawaun Jakes	12/18, 172 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Antonio Andrews	15 rushes, 136 yards, TD
	Receiving	Antonio Andrews	4 receptions, 74 yards, TD

No. 19 Louisville

See also: 2012 Louisville Cardinals football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Cardinals	6	6	3	6	21
Golden Eagles	10	7	0	0	17

Statistics	LOU	USM
First downs	17	13
Total yards	269	249
Rushing yards	184	224
Passing yards	85	25
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	35:22	24:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisville	Passing	Teddy Bridgewater	9/13, 85 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Senorise Perry	22 rushes, 118 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	DeVante Parker	2 receptions, 37 yards, TD
Southern Miss	Passing	Ricky Lloyd	2/8, 25 yards
	Rushing	Desmond Johnson	14 rushes, 94 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Richard	1 reception, 13 yards

Boise State

See also: 2012 Boise State Broncos football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	7	16	7	10	40
Golden Eagles	0	0	7	7	14

Statistics	BSU	USM
First downs	18	21
Total yards	310	424
Rushing yards	109	181
Passing yards	201	243
Turnovers	1	5
Time of possession	29:25	30:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Boise State	Passing	Joe Southwick	18/27, 195 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	D. J. Harper	13 rushes, 47 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kirby Moore	5 receptions, 61 yards, TD
Southern Miss	Passing	Ricky Lloyd	12/21, 143 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Desmond Johnson	15 rushes, 116 yards, TD
	Receiving	Dominique Sullivan	7 receptions, 63 yards

At UCF

See also: 2012 UCF Knights football team

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	Total
Golden Eagles	0	7	7	10	7	0	31
Knights	7	10	0	7	7	7	38

Statistics	USM	UCF
First downs	20	25
Total yards	359	454
Rushing yards	194	182
Passing yards	165	272
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	25:41	34:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Anthony Alford	14/27, 165 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jalen Richard	13 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Francisco Llanos	4 receptions, 63 yards
UCF	Passing	Blake Bortles	27/40, 272 yards
	Rushing	Storm Johnson	18 rushes, 94 yards, TD
	Receiving	J. J. Worton	8 receptions, 117 yards

Marshall

See also: 2012 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	10	21	14	14	59
Golden Eagles	3	14	0	7	24

Statistics	MRSH	USM
First downs	32	25
Total yards	629	331
Rushing yards	275	216
Passing yards	354	115
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	29:37	30:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Marshall	Passing	Rakeem Cato	31/42, 340 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kevin Grooms	12 rushes, 119 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tommy Shuler	11 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TD
Southern Miss	Passing	Anthony Alford	9/21, 65 yards
	Rushing	Kendrick Hardy	8 rushes, 50 yards
	Receiving	Quentin Pierce	2 receptions, 39 yards

At Rice

See also: 2012 Rice Owls football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	3	7	7	0	17
Owls	7	14	17	6	44

Statistics	USM	RICE
First downs	19	19
Total yards	372	370
Rushing yards	116	198
Passing yards	256	172
Turnovers	5	3
Time of possession	31:47	28:13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Arsenio Favor	10/22, 180 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Arsenio Favor	19 rushes, 65 yards, TD
	Receiving	Tracy Lampley	4 receptions, 101 yards
Rice	Passing	Driphus Jackson	4/6, 92 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Turner Petersen	19 rushes, 136 yards, TD
	Receiving	Turner Petersen	1 reception, 38 yards, TD

UAB

See also: 2012 UAB Blazers football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blazers	0	0	14	13	27
Golden Eagles	0	16	3	0	19

Statistics	UAB	USM
First downs	25	16
Total yards	435	295
Rushing yards	207	183
Passing yards	228	112
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	33:37	26:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UAB	Passing	Austin Brown	17/29, 203 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Darrin Reaves	35 rushes, 223 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jackie Williams	4 receptions, 57 yards
Southern Miss	Passing	Anthony Alford	10/26, 112 yards, INT
	Rushing	Jalen Richard	9 rushes, 82 yards, TD
	Receiving	Justin Sims	1 reception, 56 yards

At SMU

See also: 2012 SMU Mustangs football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	6	0	0	6
Mustangs	10	17	0	7	34

Statistics	USM	SMU
First downs	10	20
Total yards	178	435
Rushing yards	51	186
Passing yards	127	249
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	23:14	36:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Chris Campbell	8/18, 93 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jalen Richard	10 rushes, 40 yards
	Receiving	Chris Briggs	4 receptions, 33 yards
SMU	Passing	Garrett Gilbert	27/43, 249 yards, TD
	Rushing	Garrett Gilbert	5 rushes, 94 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jeremy Johnson	8 receptions, 97 yards

UTEP

See also: 2012 UTEP Miners football team

	1	2	3	4	Total
Miners	3	17	0	14	34
Golden Eagles	10	7	3	13	33

Statistics	UTEP	USM
First downs	16	19
Total yards	359	532
Rushing yards	170	158
Passing yards	189	374
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	30:13	29:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTEP	Passing	Blaire Sullivan	9/17, 155 yards
	Rushing	Blaire Sullivan	19 rushes, 98 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Leslie	2 receptions, 41 yards
Southern Miss	Passing	Arsenio Favor	16/22, 374 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Desmond Johnson	16 rushes, 59 yards, TD
	Receiving	Quentin Pierce	2 receptions, 125 yards, TD

At Memphis

See also: 2012 Memphis Tigers football team and Black and Blue Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	3	7	0	14	24
Tigers	0	21	21	0	42

Statistics	USM	MEM
First downs	16	23
Total yards	288	437
Rushing yards	95	275
Passing yards	193	162
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	27:38	32:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Anthony Alford	6/9, 110 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jalen Richard	12 rushes, 43 yards
	Receiving	Tyre Bracken	3 receptions, 67 yards, TD
Memphis	Passing	Jacob Karam	12/18, 162 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Brandon Hayes	19 rushes, 115 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Tevin Jones	4 receptions, 88 yards