Jason Munz/Hattiesburg American
Ballhawks the Golden Eagles were not last season.
In fact, collectively, Southern Miss was one of the worst units in the nation at creating turnovers. In 13 games, the defense caused a mere 15 takeaways which tied for 99th in the FBS. Four of them came in the final two games of the season and only 25 teams ended the year with fewer overall.
The Southern Miss defensive coaching staff was desperate to find something to buck such a disturbing trend. Defensive coordinator Tony Pecoraro believes he’s found a winner.