2018 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

The 2018 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Eagles played their home games at the M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by third-year head coach Jay Hopson. They finished the season 6–5, 5–3 in C-USA play to finish in a three-way tie for second in the West Division. Despite being bowl eligible, they were not invited to a bowl game.

2018 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Conference	Conference USA
Division	West Division
Record	6–5 (5–3 C-USA)
Head coach	Jay Hopson (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Shannon Dawson (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Co-defensive coordinators	Tim Billings (1st season) Derek Nicholson (1st season)
Base defense	Multiple
Home stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 Conference USA football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Middle Tennessee x		7	–	1					8	–	6
FIU		6	–	2					9	–	4
Marshall		6	–	2					9	–	4
Charlotte		4	–	4					5	–	7
Florida Atlantic		3	–	5					5	–	7
Old Dominion		2	–	6					4	–	8
Western Kentucky		2	–	6					3	–	9
West Division
UAB x$		7	–	1					11	–	3
North Texas		5	–	3					9	–	4
Louisiana Tech		5	–	3					8	–	5
Southern Miss		5	–	3					6	–	5
UTSA		2	–	6					3	–	9
UTEP		1	–	7					1	–	11
Rice		1	–	7					2	–	11
Championship: UAB 27, Middle Tennessee 25
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lou Groza Award[1]	Parker Shaunfield	K	SR
Wuerffel Trophy[2]	Picasso Nelson, Jr.	DB	SR

C-USA preseason awards

On July 16, 2018, Conference USA released their preseason awards, including the preseason all-CUSA team.^[3] Kicker Paker Shaunfield was selected as the preseason special teams player of the year. He was the only player named to the all-CUSA team.

Preseason media poll

Conference USA released their preseason media poll on July 17, 2018, with the Golden Eagles predicted to finish in fourth place in the West Division.^[4]

West Division
Predicted finish	Team
1	North Texas
2	Louisiana Tech
3	UAB
4	Southern Miss
5	UTSA
T–6	Rice
T–6	UTEP

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:00 p.m.	Jackson State*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	W 55–7	29,176
September 8	6:00 p.m.	Louisiana–Monroe*	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN3	L 20–21	19,579
September 15	2:30 p.m.	at Appalachian State*	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	ESPN+	Cancelled [a]
September 22	6:00 p.m.	Rice	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	W 40–22	20,159
September 29	3:00 p.m.	at No. 10 Auburn*	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	SECN	L 13–24	83,792
October 13	1:00 p.m.	at North Texas	Apogee Stadium Denton, TX	ESPN3	L 7–30	18,252
October 20	6:00 p.m.	UTSA	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	ESPN+	W 27–17	21,259
October 27	1:00 p.m.	at Charlotte	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	ESPN3	L 17–20	8,687
November 3	2:00 p.m.	Marshall	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	Stadium	W 26–24	20,375
November 10	6:30 p.m.	at UAB	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	beIN	L 23–26 OT	25,618
November 17	2:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS (Rivalry in Dixie)	Stadium	W 21–20	19,142
November 24	2:00 p.m.	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	ESPN+	W 39–7	14,962
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[5]

1. This game was cancelled in anticipation of Hurricane Florence.

Game summaries

Jackson State

See also: 2018 Jackson State Tigers football team

Week One: Jackson State Tigers at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	0	7	0	7
Golden Eagles	14	27	7	7	55

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

• Date: September 1
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 29,176
• TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Leading Passers JSU – USM – Leading Rushers JSU – USM – Leading Receivers JSU – USM – Leading Tacklers JSU – USM –

Louisiana–Monroe

See also: 2018 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team

Week Two: Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Warhawks	14	0	7	0	21
Golden Eagles	10	7	3	0	20

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

• Date: September 8
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: 87° · Partly Cloudy · SSW – 7 mph.
• Game attendance: 19,579
• Referee: Marshall Lewis
• TV: ESPN3

Game information

First quarter USM - Jaylond Adams 75-yard TD pass from Jack Abraham, Parker Shaunfield kick good, 14:47 (USM 7-0) ULM - Sam Miller 0-yard fumble return for TD, Craig Ford kick good, 12:05 (TIE 7-7) ULM - Marcus Green 49-yard TD pass from Caleb Evans, Ford kick good, 4:37 (ULM 14-7) USM - Shaunfield 42-yard field goal, 2:01 (ULM 14-10) Second quarter USM - Quez Watkins 5-yard TD pass from Abraham, Shaunfield kick good, 6:36 (USM 14-17) Third quarter ULM - Green 4-yard TD pass from Evans, Ford kick good, 14:03 (ULM 21-17) USM - Shaunfield 47-yard field goal, 6:51 (ULM 21-20) Leading Passers ULM - Caleb Evans - 15/28, 195 yards, 2 TD, INT USM - Jack Abraham - 31/46, 378 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Leading Rushers ULM - Austin Vaughn - 9 carries, 85 yards USM - Tez Parks - 17 carries, 42 yards Leading Receivers ULM - Marcus Green - 4 receptions, 96 yards, 2 TD USM - Jaylond Adams - 9 receptions, 158 yards, TD Leading Tacklers ULM - Collin Turner – 10 tackles USM - Picasso Nelson Jr. – 7 tackles

Rice

See also: 2018 Rice Owls football team

Week Four: Rice Owls at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	8	7	0	7	22
Golden Eagles	10	14	10	6	40

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

• Date: September 22
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 20,159
• TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Leading Passers RICE – USM – Leading Rushers RICE – USM – Leading Receivers RICE – USM – Leading Tacklers RICE – USM –

At Auburn

See also: 2018 Auburn Tigers football team

Week Five: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Auburn Tigers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	3	3	7	13
No. 10 Tigers	7	7	7	3	24

at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL

• Date: September 29
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NW 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
• Game attendance: 83,792
• Referee: David Smith
• TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D.J. Shockley (analyst), Dawn Davenport (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter AUB – Seth Williams 46 yd pass from Jarrett Stidham (Anders Carlson kick), 3:39 (AUB 7–0) Second quarter USM – Parker Shaunfield 44 yd field goal, 12:51 (AUB 7–3) AUB – Anthony Schwartz 6 yd run (Anders Carlson kick), 6:43 (AUB 14–3) Third quarter USM – Parker Shaunfield 51 yd field goal, 7:20 (AUB 14–6) AUB – Chandler Cox 2 yd pass from Jarrett Stidham (Anders Carlson kick), 5:39 (AUB 21–6) Fourth quarter USM – Quez Watkins 12 yd pass from Jack Abraham (Parker Shaunfield kick), 13:47 (AUB 21–13) AUB – Anders Carlson 23 yd field goal, 2:00 (AUB 24–13) Leading Passers USM – Jack Abraham – 30/44, 215 yards, TD, 2 INT AUB – Jarrett Stidham – 19/33, 245 yards, 2 TD Leading Rushers USM – Trivensky Mosley – 4 carries, 25 yards AUB – Kam Martin – 24 carries, 90 yards Leading Receivers USM – Jaylond Adams – 8 receptions, 47 yards AUB – Darius Slayton – 5 receptions, 91 yards Leading Tacklers USM – Shannon Showers – 8 tackles AUB – Deshaun Davis – 10 tackles

At North Texas

See also: 2018 North Texas Mean Green football team

Week Seven: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at North Texas Mean Green – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	7	0	0	7
Mean Green	0	10	6	14	30

at Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX

• Date: October 13
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Overcast and rain • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: NE 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
• Game attendance: 18,252
• Referee: Justin Elliot
• TV: ESPN3

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter UNT – Jalen Guyton 53-yard pass from Mason Fine (Cole Hedlund kick), 13:11. Mean Green 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 99 yards, 2:45. USM – Quez Watkins 44-yard pass from Jack Abraham (Parker Shaunfield kick), 11:06. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:05. UNT – Cole Hedlund 41-yard field goal, 7:11. Mean Green 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 3:55. Third quarter UNT – DeAndre Torrey 6-yard run (Cole Hedlund PAT blocked), 0:34. Mean Green 16–7. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:29. Fourth quarter UNT – DeAndre Torrey 8-yard run (Cole Hedlund kick), 10:45. Mean Green 23–7. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:22. UNT – DeAndre Torrey 34-yard run (Cole Hedlund kick), 0:33. Mean Green 30–7. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:33. Leading Passers USM – Jack Abraham – 29/42, 318 yards, TD, INT UNT – Mason Fine – 24/38, 292 yards, TD Leading Rushers USM – Trivenskey Mosley – 11 carries, 73 yards UNT – DeAndre Torrey – 17 carries, 95 yards, 3 TD Leading Receivers USM – Jordan Mitchell – 12 receptions, 135 yards UNT – Jalen Guyton – 7 receptions, 124 yards, TD Leading Tacklers USM – Picasso Nelson – 8 tackles UNT – E. J. Ejiya – 12 tackles

UTSA

See also: 2018 UTSA Roadrunners football team

Week Eight: UTSA Roadrunners at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Roadrunners	0	3	7	7	17
Golden Eagles	6	14	7	0	27

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

• Date: October 20
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 21,259
• TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Leading Passers UTSA – USM – Leading Rushers UTSA – USM – Leading Receivers UTSA – USM – Leading Tacklers UTSA – USM –

At Charlotte

See also: 2018 Charlotte 49ers football team

Week Nine: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Charlotte 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	0	0	3	14	17
49ers	14	0	3	3	20

at Jerry Richardson Stadium, Charlotte, NC

• Date: October 27
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 8,687
• TV announcers (ESPN3): Bobby Rosinski, Reggie Walker, Libby Clark

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Leading Passers USM – CHAR – Leading Rushers USM – CHAR – Leading Receivers USM – CHAR – Leading Tacklers USM – CHAR –

Marshall

See also: 2018 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Week Ten: Marshall Thundering Herd at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Thundering Herd	3	7	7	7	24
Golden Eagles	3	14	3	6	26

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

• Date: November 3
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 20,375
• TV: Stadium

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Leading Passers MARSH – USM – Leading Rushers MARSH – USM – Leading Receivers MARSH – USM – Leading Tacklers MARSH – USM –

At UAB

See also: 2018 UAB Blazers football team

Week Eleven: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Charlotte 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Golden Eagles	7	6	0	7	3	23
Blazers	0	7	13	0	6	26

at Legion Field, Birmingham, AL

• Date: November 10
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: 25,618
• TV: beIN

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Leading Passers USM – UAB – Leading Rushers USM – UAB – Leading Receivers USM – UAB – Leading Tacklers USM – UAB –

Louisiana Tech

See also: 2018 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team and Rivalry in Dixie

Week Twelve: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Southern Miss Golden Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	10	0	3	20
Golden Eagles	7	7	0	7	21

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

• Date: November 17
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C); mostly sunny
• Game attendance: 19,142
• Referee: Dan Gautreaux
• TV: Stadium

Game information

First quarter USM - Steven Anderson 1-yard TD run, Briggs Bourgeois kick good, 6:54 (USM 7-0) LT - Adrian Hardy 5-yard TD pass from J'Mar Smith, Bailey Hale kick good, 1:28 (TIE 7-7) Second quarter USM - Neil McLaurin 49-yard TD pass from Jack Abraham, Bourgeois kick good, 10:32 (USM 14-7) LT - Kam McKnight 6-yard TD run, Hale kick good, 4:39 (TIE 14-14) LT - Hale 24-yard field goal, 0:00 (LT 17-14) Fourth quarter LT - Hale 23-yard field goal, 13:40 (LT 20-14) USM - Anderson 6-yard TD run, Bourgeois kick good, 6:02 (USM 21-20) Leading Passers LT – J'Mar Smith – 27/43, 243 yards, TD USM – Jack Abraham – 24/29, 195 yards, TD Leading Rushers LT – Israel Tucker – 9 carries, 24 yards USM – Steven Anderson – 12 carries, 29 yards, 2 TD Leading Receivers LT – Adrian Hardy – 11 receptions, 110 yards, TD USM – Quez Watkins – 9 receptions, 110 yards Leading Tacklers LT – Collin Scott – 9 tackles USM – Xavier Marion – 8 tackles

At UTEP

See also: 2018 UTEP Miners football team

Week Thirteen: Southern Miss Golden Eagles at UTEP Miners – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Eagles	16	3	7	13	39
Miners	0	0	0	7	7

at Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX

• Date: November 24
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
• Game attendance: 14,962
• TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Leading Passers USM – UTEP – Leading Rushers USM – UTEP – Leading Receivers USM – UTEP – Leading Tacklers USM – UTEP –