2020 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

The 2020 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 2020 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 (CUSA). Head coach Jay Hopson, who was in his fifth year, resigned after one game and was replaced by interim head coach Scotty Walden. Walden himself resigned after four games to become the head coach at Austin Peay and was replaced by Tim Billings.

2020 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
ConferenceConference USA
DivisionWest Division
2020 record3–7 (2–4 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMatt Kubik (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinatorScotty Walden (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorTony Pecoraro (1st season)
Home stadiumM. M. Roberts Stadium
(Capacity: 36,000)
2020 Conference USA football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
Marshall xy  4 –1     7 –3  
Florida Atlantic  4 –2     5 –4  
Western Kentucky  4 –3     5 –7  
Charlotte  2 –2     2 –4  
Middle Tennessee  2 –4     3 –6  
FIU  0 –3     0 –5  
Old Dominion†   –      –  
West Division
UAB xy$  3 –1     6 –3  
UTSA  5 –2     7 –5  
Louisiana Tech  4 –2     5 –4  
North Texas  3 –4     4 –6  
Rice  2 –3     2 –3  
Southern Miss  2 –4     3 –7  
UTEP  0 –4     3 –5  
Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: † Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion has suspended the 2020 football season.
Rankings from AP Poll.

Previous season

The Golden Eagles finished the 2019 regular season 7–6, 5–3 in CUSA play to finish in third in the West Division. The team was invited to play in the Armed Forces Bowl against Tulane, where the Golden Eagles took their sixth loss of the season.[1]

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award Player Position Year
TBD

CUSA media days

The CUSA Media Days will be held virtually for the first time in conference history.[2]

Preseason All-CUSA teams

To be released

Schedule

Southern Miss announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020.[3] The 2020 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.

The Golden Eagles had games scheduled against Auburn, Jackson State, Tennessee Tech and UTEP that were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] It was announced on August 6, 2020 that Auburn would be replaced by Tulane and Jackson State would be replaced by Tennessee Tech.

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 3 8:00 p.m. South Alabama*
CBSSN L 21–32 0
September 19 6:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech
ESPN2 L 30–31 7,140
September 26 1:30 p.m. Tulane*
Stadium L 24–66 0
October 3 6:30 p.m. at North Texas
Stadium W 41–31 6,490
October 24 5:00 p.m. at Liberty*
ESPN3 L 35–56 1,000
October 31 2:00 p.m. Rice
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN3 L 6–30 0
November 7 2:00 p.m. North Alabama*
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN3 W 24–13 0
November 14 5:00 p.m. at Western Kentucky
CBSSN L 7–10 3,815
November 21 2:00 p.m. UTSA
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
ESPN+ L 20–23 0
December 10 5:30 p.m. Florida Atlantic
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
CBSSN W 45–31 0

[6]

Game summaries

South Alabama
South Alabama at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
• Jaguars 13 0106 29
Golden Eagles 0 1038 21
      
See also: 2020 South Alabama Jaguars football team
Pregame lineOver/under
USM −1255[7]
StatisticsSouth AlabamaSouthern Miss
First downs2320
Total yards529409
Rushing yards16695
Passing yards363314
Turnovers20
Time of possession29:0830:52
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
South AlabamaPassingDesmond Trotter16/27, 299 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
RushingCarlos Davis15 carries, 85 yards
ReceivingJalen Tolbert6 yards, 169 yards, 2 TD
Southern MissPassingJack Abraham22/32, 314 yards
RushingFrank Gore, Jr.12 carries, 32 yards
ReceivingTim Jones6 receptions, 139 yards

Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
• Bulldogs 7 3147 31
Golden Eagles 0 13143 30
      
See also: 2020 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team and Rivalry in Dixie
Pregame lineOver/under
USM −759[8]
StatisticsLouisiana TechSouthern Miss
First downs2620
Total yards381377
Rushing yards163137
Passing yards218240
Turnovers11
Time of possession27:5227:02
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Louisiana TechPassingLuke Anthony13/21, 149 yards, 3 TDs
RushingJustin Henderson18 carries, 69 yards
ReceivingAdrian Hardy5 receptions, 79 yards, 1 TD
Southern MissPassingJack Abraham23/31, 240 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
RushingDon Ragsdale11 carries, 56 yards
ReceivingTim Jones8 receptions, 160 yards, 2 TDs

Tulane
Tulane at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
• Green Wave 7 242114 66
Golden Eagles 14 730 24
  • Date: September 26, 2020
  • Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium
    Hattiesburg, MS
  • Game start: 1:36 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 44 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Partly Sunny
  • Referee: Joe Lehring
  • TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and AJ Hawk (analyst)
          
See also: 2020 Tulane Green Wave football team and Battle for the Bell (Southern Miss–Tulane)
Pregame lineOver/under
TULN −3.554.5[9]
StatisticsTulaneSouthern Miss
First downs2719
Total yards572369
Rushing yards43070
Passing yards142299
Turnovers12
Time of possession29:0830:52
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
TulanePassingMichael Pratt8/18, 142 yards, 2 TDs
RushingCameron Carroll15 carries, 163 yards, 3 TDs
ReceivingJha'Quan Jackson1 reception, 42 yards, 1 TD
Southern MissPassingJack Abraham23/38, 299 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
RushingDee Baker6 carries, 44 yards
ReceivingJason Brownlee3 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD

at North Texas
Southern Mississippi at North Texas
1 234Total
• Golden Eagles 17 3714 41
Mean Green 3 7714 31
  • Date: October 3, 2020
  • Location: Apogee Stadium
    Denton, TX
  • Game start: 6:36 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutes
  • Game attendance: 6,490
  • Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 7 MPH
  • Referee: Chris Bynum
  • TV announcers (Stadium): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and AJ Hawk (analyst)
        
See also: 2020 North Texas Mean Green football team
Pregame lineOver/under
UNT –1.574[10]
StatisticsSouthern MissNorth Texas
First downs2227
Total yards437483
Rushing yards202144
Passing yards235339
Turnovers13
Time of possession35:1624:44
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Southern MissPassingJack Abraham16/30, 235 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
RushingFrank Gore Jr.23 carries, 103 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingJason Brownlee4 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD
North TexasPassingAustin Aune28/47, 339 yards, 2 TDs
RushingDeAndre Torrey15 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingDeonte Simpson5 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD

at Liberty
Southern Mississippi at Liberty
1 234Total
Golden Eagles 7 0217 35
• Flames 14 21714 56
  • Date: October 24, 2020
  • Location: Williams Stadium
    Lynchburg, VA
  • Game start: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 27 minutes
  • Game attendance: 1,000
  • Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: W 5 MPH
  • Referee: Billy Williams
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Matt Warner (play–by–play), Joe Jauch (analyst), Emily Austen (sideline reporter)
         
See also: 2020 Liberty Flames football team
Pregame lineOver/under
LIB −1459.5[11]
StatisticsSouthern MissLiberty
First downs1925
Total yards416537
Rushing yards215192
Passing yards201345
Turnovers11
Time of possession27:3732:23
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Southern MissPassingTate Whatley15/26, 188 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingTate Whatley12 carries, 52 yards, 4 TDs
ReceivingJason Brownlee5 receptions, 114, 1 TD
LibertyPassingMalik Willis24/31, 345, 6 TDs
RushingMalik Willis12 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingDemario Douglas6 receptions, 115 yards, 1 TD

Rice
Rice at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
• Owls 3 2007 30
Eagles 0 600 6
  • Date: October 31, 2020
  • Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium
    Hattiesburg, MS
  • Game start: 2:05 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 2 hours and 59 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: ESE 2 MPH
  • Referee: Ken Antee
  • TV announcers (ESPN3): Jason Baker (play–by–play) and Dustin Almond (analyst)
    
See also: 2020 Rice Owls football team
Pregame lineOver/under
RICE −159[12]
StatisticsRiceSouthern Miss
First downs2211
Total yards412269
Rushing yards179100
Passing yards233169
Turnovers13
Time of possession36:5223:08
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
RicePassingMike Collins12/17, 233 yards, 4 TDs
RushingJuma Otoviano25 carries, 111 yards
ReceivingAustin Trammell7 receptions, 143 yards, 3 TDs
Southern MissPassingJack Abraham12/17, 112 yards, 1 INT
RushingFrank Gore Jr.11 carries, 71 yards
ReceivingAntoine Robinson3 receptions, 41 yards

North Alabama
1 2 3 4 Total
Lions 7 3 3 0 13
Golden Eagles 0 7 0 17 24
See also: 2020 North Alabama Lions football team

at Western Kentucky
Southern Mississippi at Western Kentucky
1 234Total
Golden Eagles 0 007 7
• Hilltoppers 7 30 10
See also: 2020 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team
Pregame lineOver/under
WKU –7.545[13]
StatisticsSouthern MissWestern Kentucky
First downs1319
Total yards221304
Rushing yards154121
Passing yards67183
Turnovers00
Time of possession25:1834:42
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Southern MissPassingTrey Lowe6/14, 67 yards
RushingKevin Perkins8 carries, 71 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingAntoine Robinson2 receptions, 25 yards
Western KentuckyPassingTyrrell Pigrome19/30, 183 yards
RushingJakairi Moses12 carries, 40 yards
ReceivingXavier Lane5 receptions, 90 yards

UTSA
Texas–San Antonio at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
• Roadrunners 0 9140 23
Golden Eagles 3 737 20
  • Date: November 21, 2020
  • Location: M. M. Roberts Stadium
    Hattiesburg, MS
  • Game start: 2:05 p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 12 minutes
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: Calm
  • Referee: Chris Bynum
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Baker (play–by–play) and Dustin Almond (analyst)
    
See also: 2020 UTSA Roadrunners football team
Pregame lineOver/under
UTSA –953[14]
StatisticsUTSASouthern Miss
First downs1618
Total yards304347
Rushing yards23375
Passing yards71272
Turnovers11
Time of possession31:3028:30
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
UTSAPassingFrank Harris12/19, 71 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingSincere McCormick32 carries, 173 yards, 2 TDs
ReceivingJoshua Cephus5 receptions, 44 yards
Southern MissPassingTate Whatley22/39, 272 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
RushingFrank Gore Jr.13 carries, 70 yards
ReceivingTim Jones5 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD

Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic at Southern Mississippi
1 234Total
Owls 7 10140 31
• Golden Eagles 10 14147 45
        
See also: 2020 Florida Atlantic Owls football team
Pregame lineOver/under
FAU −8.541[15]
StatisticsFlorida AtlanticSouthern Miss
First downs1922
Total yards326514
Rushing yards164305
Passing yards162209
Turnovers13
Time of possession28:4131:19
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
Florida AtlanticPassingNick Tronti17/33, 162 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingJames Charles16 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD
ReceivingBrandon Robinson5 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD
Southern MissPassingTrey Lowe13/19, 209 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
RushingFrank Gore Jr.9 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingJason Brownlee3 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD

References
  1. "Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane - Game Summary". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  2. "Conference USA to hold virtual football media days due to COVID-19". ktsm.com. May 5, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  3. "Football Announces 2020 Schedule". University of Southern Mississippi Department of Athletics. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  4. Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  5. Visser, David (July 21, 2020). "SWAC Suspends Fall Football Season". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  6. "2020 Southern Miss Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  7. "South Alabama Jaguars vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  8. "LA Tech Bulldogs vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  9. "Tulane Green Wave vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  10. "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs North Texas Mean Green". Odds Shark. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  11. "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs Liberty Flames". Odds Shark. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  12. "Rice Owls vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  13. "Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs WKU Hilltoppers". Odds Shark. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  14. "UTSA Roadrunners vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles". Odds Shark. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  15. "Florida Atlantic vs Southern Mississippi". ESPN. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
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