1996 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

1996 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Conference USA co-champion
ConferenceConference USA
Record8–3 (4–1 C-USA)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorNorman Joseph (3rd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorJohn Thompson (5th season)
Base defenseMultiple
Home stadiumM. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons
← 1995
1997 →
1996 Conference USA football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Houston +   4 – 1     7 – 5  
Southern Miss +   4 – 1     8 – 3  
Cincinnati   2 – 3     6 – 5  
Louisville   2 – 3     5 – 6  
Memphis   2 – 3     4 – 7  
Tulane   1 – 4     2 – 9  
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1996 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Golden Eagles were led by seventh-year head coach Jeff Bower and played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium. In the inaugural season of Conference USA, Southern Miss claimed a share of the conference championship with Houston after finishing 4–1 in conference, and 8–3 overall.[1]

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 31at Georgia*
W 11–781,067[2]
September 7at No. 14 Alabama*
L 10–2082,338[3]
September 14Utah State*
W 31–2424,307[4]
September 21Southwestern Louisiana*
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 52–2723,169[5]
September 28at Louisville
W 24–736,462[6]
October 10at East Carolina*
W 28–734,480[7]
October 19Memphis
W 16–025,601[8]
October 26at TulaneNo. 24
W 31–2820,394[9]
November 2at CincinnatiNo. 23
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 21–1725,241[10]
November 9at HoustonNo. 20
L 49–5618,107[11]
November 16at No. 3 Florida State*No. 25
L 14–5477,280[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1996 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP—————————24232025—————
Coaches—————————2422——————

Roster

1996 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
TE 86 Matt Coghlan Jr
WR 80 Todd Pinkston Fr
OL 79 Brian Bell Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 24 Terrence Parrish Fr
DB 20 Perry Phenix So
DL 99 Quantrelis Phillips Jr
DE 53 Adalius Thomas Fr
CB 3 Rod Thomas Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

References

  1. ^ "1996 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Donnan's debut a dud". Ledger-Enquirer. September 1, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "No offense: Alabama 20, USM 10". Hattiesburg American. September 8, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Interception spells doom for the Ags". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 15, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Golden Eagles pound Cajuns". The Crowley Post-Signal. September 22, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Mistakes cost Cards against Eagles". Messenger-Inquirer. September 29, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Eagles take wing, 28–7". The Clarion-Ledger. October 11, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "USM hurls shutout at Tigers". The Commercial Appeal. October 20, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Eagles nearly lose game". Sun Herald. October 27, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Southern Miss clinches share of title". The Courier-Journal. November 3, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Houston slows USM bid". Sun Herald. November 10, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Showdown is on track, FSU stays unbeaten with 54–14 victory". The Miami Herald. November 17, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.


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