Scouting the Southern Miss football team

FACTS AND FIGURES

Where: Hattiesburg, Miss. (population: 50,233)

Founded: 1910

Enrollment: 15,000

Colors: Black and gold

Nickname: Golden Eagles

Conference: Conference USA

Record: 2-3 overall, 0-2 C-USA

Last game: Lost to UTEP 40-37 in double overtime

Next game: at Rice on Oct. 18

COACH

Larry Fedora was hired at the end of last season to replace Jeff Bower, who led the Golden Eagles to bowl games in 10 of the past 11 years. Fedora served as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State (2005-07), Florida (2004) and Middle Tennessee (1999-2001). Five of those seven teams finished in the top 20 in the nation in scoring or total offense.

OFFENSE

The Golden Eagles rank 17th in the nation in total offense with 457.6 yards per game but have struggled to convert those drives into points - partly because of eight turnovers and five missed field goals. They run a no-huddle, spread, balanced attack that adjusts to what defenses do.

"We've just got to be consistent," said freshman quarterback Austin Davis, who has 12 total touchdowns. "Last game we got chances to score, and six out of 10 times we had to attempt field goals. We've got to get better at finishing drives."

The Eagles' offense begins with junior tailback Damion Fletcher, who is well on his way to a third straight 1,000-yard season. He is seventh in the nation with 136 rushing yards per game.

The receiving corps includes 6-foot-6, 228-pound true freshman DeAndre Brown, a five-star recruit who averages 16.1 yards per catch.

DEFENSE

The Eagles only returned four defensive starters from last year's team - and that inexperience has shown up. They rank 80th or worse in total defense (406.4 yards per game), scoring defense (29.2 points per game), rush defense (180.6 ypg) and pass defense (225.8 ypg). All but the passing numbers are worse than last year.

However, the Eagles have continued a tradition of forcing turnovers with 11 takeaways this year. They rank eighth nationally in takeaways since 2001.

The star is junior linebacker Gerald McRath, who is tied for seventh in the nation with 11 tackles per game. He was the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year last year.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Two Southern Miss kickers have combined to miss five field goals and a PAT this season. However, the Eagles have strong special-teams units that are excellent in coverage, a threat to block punts and capable of busting long kickoff returns. Defensive backs Chico Hunter and Jamison Hughes "cover kicks as hard as anybody I've ever watched on film," Boise State special teams coach Jeff Choate said.

DID YOU KNOW?

M.M. Roberts Stadium at Southern Miss is frequently called "The Rock." The stadium got the nickname in 1938 when players were recruited to haul the concrete used to build an addition to the stadium. The stadium's roots date back to 1932.

Chadd Cripe