As Conference USA loses Southern Miss and other teams to the Sun Belt Conference this fall, here is a look back 25 years ago at the 1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles-C-USA champs.
THE 1997 C-USA STANDINGS:
- Southern Miss 9-3
- Cincinnati 8-4
- Tulane 7-4
- East Carolina 5-6
- Memphis 4-7
- Houston 3-8
- Louisville 1-10
1997 SOUTHERN MISS FOOTBALL NOTES:
The ’97 version of the “Nasty Bunch” was manned by such standouts as Lytrell Pollard, who led the team with 114 tackles, Patrick Surtain (6 INTs), Marchant Kenney (106 tackles, 13 TFLs), Adalius Thomas, Perry Phenix, Terrance Parrish, to name a few.
As a result, this stingy defense ranked in the Top 30 in the country:
- #18 in Total Defense (314 yards per game allowed).
- #14 in Rushing Defense (107 yards per game allowed).
- #22 in Scoring Defense (18 points per game allowed).
- #11 Pass Efficiency Defense ( allowed opposing QBs just 52.6% completion pct.).
- Tied for 9th in Turnovers Gained (31 takeaways).
RB Harold Shaw led C-USA in several categories, including:
- Rushing yards
- Rushing Touchdowns
- Plays from Scrimmage
- Rushing Attempts
- Yards from Scrimmage
Shaw was 2nd in the conference in scoring with 96 points. KR Eric Booth led the NCAA in kickoffs returned for touchdowns with (2).
KEY GAMES OF 1997
- 34-13 win vs Tulane: The Golden Eagles intercepted Tulane QB Shaun King (C-USA Offensive Player of the Year in 1997) three times, with DB Patrick Surtain picking off two himself.
- 24-17 win vs #24 Cincinnati: USM scored 17 points to take the lead, and once again it was DB Patrick Surtain making the big play, intercepting a pass at the goal-line to secure the victory for the Golden Eagles.
- 33-0 win vs Houston: The Golden Eagle defense played lights out. They allowed just 5 yards rushing and 147 total yards for the game.
- 42-18 win vs Memphis: Sherrod Gideon set the school record for receptions in a season, and caught 6 balls for 141 yards in the win over the Tigers.
And, the Golden Eagles’ three losses came at the hands of SEC teams: a 21-6 loss to the defending national champion Florida Gators; a 27-13 loss to Alabama; and a 44-20 loss to the Peyton Manning-led Tennessee Volunteers.
1997 SOUTHERN MISS C-USA STAT LEADERS/AWARDS:
- Rushing Yards: Harold Shaw, Southern Mississippi, 1045 yards, 16 TDs
- Receiving Yards: Sherrod Gideon, Southern Mississippi, 54 rec, 1008 yards, 9 TDs
- Interceptions: Patrick Surtain, 6 INTs
- C-USA Coach of the Year: Jeff Bower, Southern Mississippi
- C-USA Defensive Player of the Year: DB Patrick Surtain, Southern Mississippi; 2nd Team All-American (Football News, Sporting News).
BOWL GAME APPEARANCE-LIBERTY BOWL
The Golden Eagles racked up 516 yards of total offense in a 41-7 rout of the Pitt Panthers in front of 50,000+ fans at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
WR Sherrod Gideon hauled in three touchdown passes from QB Lee Roberts and the defense recorded three touchdowns of their own.
Southern Miss outscored Pitt 27-0 in the 2nd half, and the 34-point margin of victory was the largest in Liberty Bowl history until 2013. Gideon was named the game’s MVP.
1997 FINAL AP TOP 25 RANKING:
Southern Miss finished the season ranked at #19.
1997 SOUTHERN MISS ALL-CONFERENCE USA SELECTIONS
1st Team:
- DL Robert Brown
- WR Sherrod Gideon
- OL Kasey Keith
- LB Marchant Kenney
- DB Perry Phenix
- RB Harold Shaw
- DB Patrick Surtain
- DE Adalius Thomas
2nd Team:
- DL Jamal Alexander
- KR Eric Booth
- TE Terry Hardy
- OL Henry McClendon
- QB Lee Roberts
Freshman All-American
- John Nix
The 1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles were arguably the deepest team with regard to talent and one of the best teams in school history.
Thanks for reading.