1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

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.[1]

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
1997 record9–3 (6–0 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorLarry Kueck (1st season)
Defensive coordinatorJohn Thompson (6th season)
Home stadiumM. M. Roberts Stadium
(capacity: 33,000)
1997 Conference USA football standings
ConfOverall
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

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultSource
August 30at No. 2 Florida*L 6–21
September 6at Illinois*W 24–7
September 20Nevada*W 35–19
September 27at No. 21 Alabama*L 13–27[2]
October 4Louisville
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburgh, MS
W 42–24
October 11at East CarolinaW 23–13[3]
October 25Tulane
W 34–13[4]
November 1at CincinnatiNo. 24W 24–17
November 8at No. 8 Tennessee*No. 24L 20–44
November 15Houston
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 33–0
November 22at MemphisW 42–18
December 31vs. Pittsburgh*No. 22
W 41–7
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Source:[5]

References

  1. "Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles School History". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  2. "Turnovers costly to USM". Hattiesburg American. September 28, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Eagles rally past ECU". Hattiesburg American. October 12, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Eagles beat emotion out of Wave 34–13". The Clarion-Ledger. October 26, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "1997 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
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