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1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

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American college football season

1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Conference USA champion
Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 41–7 vs. Pittsburgh
ConferenceConference USA
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 19
Record9–3 (6–0 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorLarry Kueck (1st season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorJohn Thompson (6th season)
Base defenseMultiple
Home stadiumM. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons← 19961998 →
1997 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 19 Southern Miss $   6 – 0     9 – 3  
Tulane   5 – 1     7 – 4  
East Carolina   4 – 2     5 – 6  
Cincinnati   2 – 4     8 – 4  
Memphis   2 – 4     4 – 7  
Houston   2 – 4     3 – 8  
Louisville   0 – 6     1 – 10  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Golden Eagles were led by eighth-year head coach Jeff Bower and played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium. In their second year in the Conference USA, they claimed their second-straight conference championship with a 6–0 C-USA record and a 9–3 record overall. They were invited to the 1997 Liberty Bowl, where they defeated Pittsburgh, 41–7. In the final AP and Coaches Polls of the season, the Golden Eagles were ranked 19th, which was the first ranked finish in school history.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
August 30at No. 2 Florida*L 6–2185,439
September 6at Illinois*ESPN2W 24–744,519
September 20Nevada*W 35–1926,481
September 27at No. 21 Alabama*PPVL 13–2783,091
October 4Louisville
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 42–2423,028
October 11at East CarolinaW 23–1333,904
October 25Tulane
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS (rivalry)
W 34–1326,092
November 1at CincinnatiNo. 24W 24–1723,799
November 8at No. 8 Tennessee*No. 24PPVL 20–44107,073
November 15Houston
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 33–020,091
November 22at MemphisW 42–1817,243
December 31vs. Pittsburgh*No. 22ESPNW 41–750,209
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP——————————2424——23222219
Coaches——————————25——24232219

References

  1. "1997 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. "Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles School History". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  3. "Gators survive Golden Eagles". Pensacola News Journal. August 31, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Loss is no shock for Illini". Chicago Tribune. September 7, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Fourth quarter foils Wolf Pack". Reno Gazette-Journal. September 21, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Turnovers costly to USM". Hattiesburg American. September 28, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Cards 'just disappointing' again, 42–24". The Courier-Journal. October 5, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Eagles rally past ECU". Hattiesburg American. October 12, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Eagles beat emotion out of Wave 34–13". The Clarion-Ledger. October 26, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Mistakes are costly for Bearcats". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 2, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Vols rip Southern Miss". The Jackson Sun. November 9, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Southern Miss secures Liberty bid". The Commercial Appeal. November 16, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Eagles close deal in C-USA". The Clarion-Ledger. November 23, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Panthers miss-fire". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1998. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
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