Like TCU, It's Time for Bulls to Ruin USM Streak

[Brad]

Southern Miss looking for more success against USF

JOEDY McCREARY

Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. - Southern Mississippi found its groove on its first play last year against South Florida. Eleven months later, the Golden Eagles haven't looked back.

Dustin Almond, benched weeks earlier against Nebraska, returned to the starting lineup and entrenched himself as Southern Miss' top quarterback 14 seconds into the game by hitting Marvin Young with an 80-yard touchdown pass.

Anthony Harris asserted himself as Southern Miss' best rusher with a strong second half in a breakout game against the Bulls.

And the Golden Eagles bounced back from a 3-3 start to win six straight and claim their fourth Conference USA championship.

With South Florida (2-1, 1-0 C-USA) ahead in the teams' final meeting as league foes, Southern Miss wants to keep its flow - and its' winning streak - going. The Golden Eagles (2-0, 1-0) have won eight straight regular-season games, though they did lose to Utah in the Liberty Bowl.

"That (South Florida) game really helped everything out," Almond said. "We started getting on a roll, and we ended that season out with wins. To start off with an 80-yard touchdown and, really, just to come out with a win in that game."

If the opening play started Almond's coming-out party, Harris took his turn after halftime.

Coach Jeff Bower put in Harris at tailback in the second half. He responded, rushing for 102 yards and punctuating the 27-6 rout with a 27-yard touchdown run.

"When I got in, I got in the game full-speed and never looked back," Harris said. "They decided to finish the season out with me and ended up winning the conference championship. Dustin performed for us, helped us win the championship and the whole offense clicked on all cylinders."

The Golden Eagles' offense this season has needed some time to get clicking.

Southern Miss was held to three first-half field goals against Nebraska, then failed to get a first down in the first quarter of the Tulane game.

Harris and the Golden Eagles picked it up after halftime. Harris ran for a touchdown and had 118 of Southern Miss' 305 rushing yards against the Green Wave.

"We planned on coming out the first two games with the rushing attack, but we kind of had some setbacks," Harris said.

Late against Tulane, "we kind of got rolling. Now, the offense has the confidence to know what we've got to do to finish out the season - keep our game plan going all through the fall of being a physical team, because that's what Southern Miss football is based on," he said.

South Florida exits C-USA after this season and joins the Big East, but Harris said the Bulls aren't wearing bull's-eyes.

"We know if we want to win the conference this year outright, that we're going to have to win all the conference games," Harris said. "And they're the next conference game on our schedule. We're going to have to go down and earn it."

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Time to crash their party leaving nothing but bad memories about the South Florida Bulls.