Southern Miss football nearly erased a 17-point deficit at Rice on Saturday night, battling back before falling 24-19 to open Conference USA play.
Jason Brownlee was a bright spot for the Golden Eagles, catching seven passes for 118 yards.
Rice scored 24 of the game's first 31 points, but Southern Miss produced back-to-back scoring drives to narrow the gap to one score. Ultimately, an interception late in the fourth quarter ended any comeback hopes for the Golden Eagles. A Hail Mary pass fell short and Southern Miss fell to 0-1 in conference play.
USM is 1-4 overall.