1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

Last updated

1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Conference USA champion
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 41–7 vs. Pittsburgh
Conference Conference USA
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 19
Record9–3 (6–0 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorLarry Kueck (1st season)
Offensive scheme Pro-style
Defensive coordinator John Thompson (6th season)
Base defenseMultiple
Home stadium M. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons
←  1996
1998  →
1997 Conference USA football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 19 Southern Miss $  6 –0   9 –3  
Tulane  5 –1   7 –4  
East Carolina  4 –2   5 –6  
Cincinnati  2 –4   8 –4  
Memphis  2 –4   4 –7  
Houston  2 –4   3 –8  
Louisville  0 –6   1 –10  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Golden Eagles were led by eighth-year head coach Jeff Bower and played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium. In their second year in the Conference USA, they claimed their second-straight conference championship with a 6–0 C-USA record and a 9–3 record overall. [1] They were invited to the 1997 Liberty Bowl, where they defeated Pittsburgh, 41–7. In the final AP and Coaches Polls of the season, the Golden Eagles were ranked 19th, which was the first ranked finish in school history. [2]

Contents

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 30at No. 2 Florida *
L 6–2185,439 [3]
September 6at Illinois *
 ESPN2 W 24–744,519 [4]
September 20 Nevada *
W 35–1926,481 [5]
September 27at No. 21 Alabama *
 PPV L 13–2783,091 [6]
October 4 Louisville
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 42–2423,028 [7]
October 11at East Carolina
W 23–1333,904 [8]
October 25 Tulane
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS (rivalry)
W 34–1326,092 [9]
November 1at Cincinnati No. 24
W 24–1723,799 [10]
November 8at No. 8 Tennessee *No. 24
PPVL 20–44107,073 [11]
November 15 Houston
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 33–020,091 [12]
November 22at Memphis
W 42–1817,243 [13]
December 31vs. Pittsburgh *No. 22
 ESPN W 41–750,209 [14]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP ——————————2424——23222219
Coaches ——————————25——24232219

References

  1. ↑ "1997 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles School History". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Gators survive Golden Eagles". Pensacola News Journal. August 31, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Loss is no shock for Illini". Chicago Tribune. September 7, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Fourth quarter foils Wolf Pack". Reno Gazette-Journal. September 21, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Turnovers costly to USM". Hattiesburg American. September 28, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Cards 'just disappointing' again, 42–24". The Courier-Journal. October 5, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Eagles rally past ECU". Hattiesburg American. October 12, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Eagles beat emotion out of Wave 34–13". The Clarion-Ledger. October 26, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Mistakes are costly for Bearcats". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 2, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Vols rip Southern Miss". The Jackson Sun. November 9, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Southern Miss secures Liberty bid". The Commercial Appeal. November 16, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Eagles close deal in C-USA". The Clarion-Ledger. November 23, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Panthers miss-fire". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1998. Retrieved September 11, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
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