By By Stan Caldwell/EMG Sports Writer
August 31, 2002
HATTIESBURG The road to redemption begins Saturday for the University of Southern Mississippi.
The Golden Eagles open their 2002 football season tonight when they host Jackson State in front of what is expected to be an overflow crowd of over 33,000 at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the USM campus. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
The matchup arose when the NCAA allowed Division I teams to add a 12th game this season, and to allow games against Division I-AA teams this season to count toward the six wins necessary to become bowl-eligible.
USM tried to land a road game against a national power for its 12th game, talking to such schools as Oregon and Kansas State, but when those plans fell through, it was decided to invite JSU to come to town. It will be the second meeting ever between the Eagles and Tigers; the two teams met in 1987 with USM winning 17-7.
USM is anxious to atone for its subpar 6-5 season in 2001, when the Golden Eagles failed to earn a bowl bid for the first time since 1996. JSU is also coming off a somewhat disappointing season, after finishing 7-4 last year.
Davis and the USM defense will be the center of attention Saturday as they try to defend against Tiger quarterback Robert Kent, who has been described as a lot like Steve McNair, the former Alcorn State star who is now a standout with the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.
Kent, a 6-5, 218-pound junior from Indianola, completed 245 of 453 passes last season for 3,640 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also scored nine touchdowns rushing.
USM will pin its offensive hopes on senior tailback Derrick Nix, who is back after missing all of the 2001 season because of illness. Nix gained 1,180 yards in 1998 and 1,054 yards in 1999, and has looked in tip-top shape in preseason practice.
Having Nix will take a lot of pressure off USM's new quarterback, redshirt sophomore Micky D'Angelo, who replaces the graduated Jeff Kelly. D'Angelo, a 6-3, 215-pounder from Long Beach, won the job after a tough competition with fellow sophomores Zac White and Dustin Almond.
JSU head coach Robert Hughes, entering his fourth season at the Tigers' helm, returns 14 starters, including seven on defense. He and his team know the Golden Eagles are decided favorites, but the Tigers say they'll be coming to win.
Bower knows not to take the Tigers lightly. He pointed to a game back in 1983 when he was an assistant coach at SMU and the third-ranked Mustangs played Grambling at Shreveport, La.
USM officials say Saturday's game is virtually sold out, although a few scattered tickets might be available at the ticket office throughout the day before kickoff.