Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward MageeNews.com a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
By Andy Baeuerle
Throughout their 111-year history, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles have been known for being able to take on big teams. Whether on the road or in Hattiesburg, the Eagles have taken down some of the biggest teams and players in college football history. Most of these big teams are Power 5 schools. For those who are not familiar with the term “Power 5,” let me explain. Power 5 and Group of 5 Conferences were created when the College Football Playoff was brought into existence in 2014. The Power 5 Conferences consist of the larger conferences, which are the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Big 10, and PAC-12. The Group of 5 Conferences are smaller conferences, those being Conference USA, the Sun Belt, Mountain West, Mid-America, and the American. Southern Miss, who is in the Sun Belt, actually has an impressive record against the Power 5, racking up 97 total wins in the last 76 years.
I asked the Southern Miss fanbase on Twitter, “What are Southern Miss’s Top 5 Power 5 Wins?” I posted five polls with four options each, totaling 20 total games. Voters, around 70 per poll, voted for each game they thought was the best. So. Here are the top 5 Southern Miss Power 5 Wins of all time. Note that these are not in a ranked order, just by year.
- October 17, 1970: Southern Miss @ #4 Ole Miss
- The Southern Miss Southerners traveled to Oxford to face the Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss was ranked #4 in the country with wins already over Memphis, Kentucky, #17 Alabama, and Georgia. Ole Miss also had Heisman Trophy-nominated quarterback Archie Manning at the helm. The Southerners were off to a 3-2 start with wins over SW Louisiana, Texas-Arlington, and Richmond.
- Archie Manning threw two touchdowns in the first half, scoring the Rebels’ only game points. Southern Miss found success in quarterback Rick Donegan, runningbacks Willie Heidelburg and Bill Foley, and Gerry Scruggs, who scored on a 60-yard punt return late in the third quarter. Punter Ray Guy also had big game, including completing a 47-yard field goal to give Southern a 17-14 lead at halftime.
- Final Score: Southern Miss 30, #4 Ole Miss 14
- Southern Miss would go on to finish the season 5-6 under 2nd-year head coach P.W. Underwood. Ole Miss finished the 1970 season 7-4 and 4-2 in the SEC under 24th-year head coach Johnny Vaught.
- Attendance: 27,200 (78.8% of Hemingway Stadium at the time)
- November 7, 1981: #20 Southern Miss vs. #14 MS State
- On November 7, Southern Miss and MS State traveled to Jackson to take each other on in what is always an exciting matchup. MS State was #14 in the country and 6-2 with wins against Memphis, Vandy, Florida, Colorado State, #13 Miami (FL), and Auburn. Their two losses came to Missouri and #8 Alabama. Southern Miss was 6-0-1, with wins against SW Louisiana, Tulane, Richmond, Texas-Arlington, Memphis, and North Texas. That one tie came in a matchup against #7 Alabama that ended in a score of 13-13.
- MS State kicker Dana Moore scored the Bulldogs’ only points of the game with a field goal in both the first and second quarters. Late in the second half, USM running back Sammy Winder took a 1-yard dive into the endzone to get the Golden Eagles on the board. Following the extra point from kicker Steve Clark, the Golden Eagles took a 7-6 lead. This would turn out to be the final score, following impressive defense from both teams in the second half.
- Final Score: #20 Southern Miss 7, #14 MS State 6
- Southern Miss would finish the ‘81 season with an over 9-2-1 and a loss in the Tangerine Bowl to Missouri. Head Coach Bobby Collins would also leave to take the HC job at SMU following the bowl game. MS State finished the season 8-4 and 4-2 in the SEC and gained a win over Kansas in the Hall of Fame Classic.
- Attendance: 64,112 (102.5% of MS Veterans Memorial Stadium. Largest attendance in stadium history)
- September 2, 1989: Southern Miss vs. #6 Florida State
- For Southern Miss Football, the 1980s are considered the “Eagle Fever” days, and this matchup proves there was indeed an epidemic of Eagle Fever. In 1988, under 13th-year head coach Bobby Bowden, the FSU Seminoles finished #3 in the country with an 11-1 record. The 11 wins included a win over #7 Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. Under year one coach Curley Hallman in 1988, the Golden Eagles finished 10-2 with an Independence Bowl win over UTEP.
- Junior USM quarterback Brett Favre exploded on the FSU defense, completing 21 passes for 282 yards and two touchdowns. The main issue in the game was that “Southern Miss never stood a chance against FSU.” Going into halftime, the Golden Eagles, who “never stood a chance,” only trailed 10-17. By the fourth quarter, only a single point separated the two teams 24-23 as FSU carried the lead. In the final 23 seconds of the game, Favre and the Eagles marched down the field in 13 plays on 58 yards to score the game-winning touchdown as the clock hit 0:00. When asked about the game, FSU coach Bobby Bowden claimed, “That game disappoints me, but doesn’t surprise me.” Curley Hallman was also questioned, answering, “This may not be the biggest win in USM history, but it certainly has to rank near the top.”
- Final Score: Southern Miss 30, #6 FSU 26
- Southern Miss finished the ‘89 season with a disappointing 5-6 record, but this game was the season’s highlight. Florida State finished 1989 10-2, with a win over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl.
- Attendance: 48,746 (59.7% of Gator Bowl Stadium)
- September 16, 2000: #25 Southern Miss vs. #15 Alabama
- In the time of Jim Carmody, Curley Hallman, and Jeff Bower, Southern Miss and Alabama came to consider themselves rivals. Alabama has long been a major power in college football, winning 12 national championships between 1892 and 1999. Southern Miss could long be called “America’s Team,” as they could frequently take down powerhouses such as Florida State, MS State, Ole Miss, LSU, and the Crimson Tide themselves.
- The 2000 matchup of these two teams proved interesting. Starting early in the first quarter, Alabama QB Andrew Zow threw an interception to USM cornerback Raymond Willis, who took the ball 54 yards to the house for the Golden Eagles’ first points. Early in the second quarter, Jeff Kelly sent a five-yard pass to LeRoy Handy, who took it to the endzone to extend the Golden Eagle lead to 14-0. In the kickoff following this score, USM’s Etric Pruitt stripped the ball from Bama’s Michael James’ hands. The ball rolled on the ground before being picked up by Joe Henley on the 18-yard line, who ran the ball back to the endzone for yet another USM touchdown. This would be the final time the Golden Eagles scored. Alabama came up scoreless.
- Final Score: #25 Southern Miss 21, #15 Alabama 0
- Southern Miss finished 2000 8-4 and 4-3 in Conference USA. Later wins in the season included some against Oklahoma State, South Florida, and #13 TCU in the GMAC Mobile, AL Bowl. Alabama finished 3-8 and 3-5 in the SEC. Alabama suffered another shutout at the end of the year in a 9-0 loss to Auburn. Alabama did grab wins against Ole Miss, #23 South Carolina, and Vanderbilt.
- Attendance: 83,091 (100% of Legion Field)
- December 3, 2011: #24 Southern Miss @ #7 Houston
- Southern Miss and Houston were the rulers of Conference USA from 1996 to Houston’s departure in 2013. If one wasn’t winning the conference championship, it was the other. In fact, the first season of CUSA football featured Houston and Southern Miss as co-champions. From 2013 to 2022, Houston was a member of the American Athletic Conference, meaning they were still a Group of Five school. But in 2023, Houston, UCF, and Cincinnati officially joined the Big 12 Conference, making them all Power 5 schools.
- In 2011, Southern Miss had one of their greatest seasons, and their first 10-win season since 1988. Then, it was announced Southern Miss would represent the CUSA East in the championship game against undefeated Houston from the CUSA West. In the game, USM QB Austin Davis threw 17 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Houston QB Case Keenum threw 41 passes for 373 yards and 2 touchdowns. Houston’s stats stacked way above USM’s; however the Golden Eagles pulled out with more points on the board and won their fourth CUSA Championship.
- Final Score: #24 Southern Miss 49, #7 Houston 28
- This game had the most points scored on Houston and the least amount Houston scored in the entire 2011 season. Houston finished 13-1 (8-0 CUSA) with a win in the TicketCity Bowl over #24 Penn State. Southern Miss went on to finish the season 12-2 (6-2 CUSA) after topping Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. Head Coach Larry Fedora left USM for North Carolina following the season’s end.
These teams were the runners-up for each poll:
- Poll 1
- September 18, 1953: MS Southern 25, #5 Alabama 19
- Poll 2
- September 24, 1977: Southern Miss 27, Ole Miss 19
- Poll 3
- November 13, 1982: Southern Miss 38, #17 Alabama 29
- Poll 4 (Two Games Tied for Second)
- September 8, 1990: Southern Miss 27, #13 Alabama 24
- December 31, 1997: #22 Southern Miss 41, Pitt 7
- Poll 5
- November 20, 2000: Southern Miss 40, #10 TCU 28
Southern Miss has gathered many impressive wins over the last 76 years. I thank the USM fans who helped me get certain games on the polls, as well as those who voted for each game.
MageeNews.com is an online news source serving Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
