The stats didn’t point to this, and neither did the history, as Seth Littrell’s Mean Green had defeated Jay Hopson’s Southern Miss every year these two had met as head coaches— including a 30-7 shellacking last year.
But this is why we play the games.
The Golden Eagles struck first on Saturday and never looked back, opening up a 13-7 lead in the first quarter as the explosive Jack Abraham out-Mason-Fined Mason Fine. With a botched extra point, USM never trailed by more than one, finally opening it up in the second quarter.