Conferences

C-USA: Golden Eagles punish Tigers' errors

By Wire services
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 14, 2003

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Marvin Young made the big play on special teams Saturday that Southern Mississippi wasn't getting from its offense.

Young returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and USM took advantage of Memphis' six turnovers in a 23-6 victory.

"I was sort of looking to make a big play because I wasn't doing too much on offense," the junior receiver said. He wasn't alone.

The Golden Eagles beat the Tigers for the ninth time in the past 10 meetings with only a little help from their offense, which passed for 102 yards and squandered excellent field position all night.

Timmy Blackwell ran for 96 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown with 1:50 left, to make the final score look more one-sided than the game really was.

Memphis was looking to go 3-0 for the first time since 1973. But after scoring 84 in the first two games, the Tigers couldn't get into the end zone against an opportunistic defense.

"We know what we had in front of us," said Southern Miss linebacker Rod Davis, who had nine tackles and forced a fumble. "They were a 500-yard plus offense. No.4 in the country. We took it upon ourselves as a challenge and did a pretty good job."

DeAngelo Williams ran for 158 yards on 28 carries, but also had one of Memphis' three lost fumbles.

Danny Wimprine was 16-for-35 for 182 yards and threw three interceptions. None was more costly than the last early in the fourth quarter.

Memphis faced third and goal at the 1 when Wimprine floated a pass to the back of the end zone. But Southern Miss safety Etric Pruitt reached up and tipped the pass to himself for the interception.

"I was probably the worst Division I quarterback in the country today," Wimprine said.

The Golden Eagles' offense bogged down (307 total yards) and played the second half without injured starting quarterback Micky D'Angelo.

D'Angelo took several hard hits in the first half and was held out thereafter. School officials said he was checked by a doctor at halftime, but did not reveal the nature of his injury. Dustin Almond played the second half and was 3-for-14 for 44 yards.

TROY ST. 20, UAB 9: DeWhitt Betterson rushed 18 times for 90 yards and the go-ahead touchdown to lead the visiting Trojans. UAB turned it over five times, including Dan Burks' fumble with just more than six minutes to go. Nick Hayes kicked three field goals for the Blazers, who fell to 1-3 all-time against the second-year Division I-A program.

RUTGERS 36, ARMY 21: Ryan Hart completed 17 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns for the visiting Scarlet Knights, who led 13-0 at halftime. Rutgers opened the second half with a three-play, 19-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard touchdown by Tres Moses for a 20-0 lead.

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