The signature play of the game, and there were a lot of good plays for the Blazers, particularly offensively, was the beautiful 32 yard diving catch by Patrick Hearn that set the Blazers up for the game winning field goal. Hearn leapt in the air, stretched out and pulled the ball down. Maybe the play of the year for the Blazers who knocked off 20th ranked Southern Miss, 34-31, before 14,103 at Legion Field. Wish there had been a better crowd, but if the University Board of Trustees for the state colleges will get it together and help this University build an on campus stadium, that would go a long way towards making this program a marquee program in C-USA.
The keys to the game were the play of the offensive line, Jonathan Perry, his receivers and the defense doing enough good things to slow down Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis and his offensive mates, who had put up huge numbers coming in.
Seniors Matt McCants (left tackle), Caleb Thomas (left guard), Darion Smith (center), Terence Edge (right guard) and junior Chris Hubbard played exceptional.
“That was our statement going in was we had to win the battle up front offensively to have a chance because, to be quite honest with you, I thought Southern Miss was a very good defensive football team,” Callaway said. “They had 21 sacks on the year and had just been a very physical group and I do think our offensive line played extremely well. I think our running backs ran well so that went a long way in helping us win the football game. We had a pretty good edge in time of possession (36:48 to 23:12) and all that has to do with those guys and being able to run the football and not giving up sacks. I think JP (Jonathan Perry) got hit once, maybe twice, and we only gave up one sack. So those guys did play well.”
It was tremendous balance. JP was 17-of-26 for 236 yards, one TD pass, a three yarder to D.J. Vinson, and no interceptions. Great night from JP, a sophomore. Sophomore running back Greg Franklin ran for 85 yards on 17 carries and scored on a three yard TD run. Freshman Darrin Reaves ran for 62 yards on 19 carries and scored on a two yard run. And JP ran for 49 yards on 13 carries and scored on a three yard run. The Blazers ran for 189 yards on the night. Southern Miss ran for 251 led by Jamal Woodyard who ran for 95 and a TD and Desmond Johnson ran for 85 yards on 14 carries. Davis was 20-of-29 for 264 yards with two TDs and one int.
Senior Marquis Coleman had a beautiful interception with the Blazers down 14-7 that led to the tying touchdown The Blazers trailed 14-0 with 11 minutes left in the first quarter.
“We actually put them in a bind early like we’ve done a couple of times this year,” Callaway said. “They got up 14-0 early on a fumble and then they got their fake field goal for their third touchdown (to go up 21-14), We gave up more yardage than we’d like to (523 for Southern Miss, 425 for Blazers), but at the same time, we did a decent job of keeping them out of the end zone and making them go a long way. We’re not good enough to stone anybody, but if we get to where we don’t give up the easy ones and make’em go a long way then I think it’s going to help us.”
Ty Long kicked a 38-yard field goal with 3:04 left to put the Blazers ahead 34-31, then the defense had to bow up. They did. They were aided by a chop block penalty, but made the plays when they had to. And Jamie Bender knocked down a Davis pass on fourth and six to seal the victory for the Blazers, who moved to 3-8 overall and 3-5 in C-USA. Southern Miss dropped to 9-2 overall and 5-2 in conference. Southern Miss hosts Memphis next week to try and clinch a spot in the C-USA championship game against either Houston or Tulsa. The Blazers finish their season off in Boca Raton next Saturday against Florida Atlantic.
Callaway was pleased with JP at quarterback.
“Overall I was very pleased with what he did,” Callaway said. “He’s still learning some things, but he’s obviously making enough good plays to help us win.”
Callaway was also very pleased with how his receivers played; a young group for the most part that keeps getting better.
“I think there was one drop all night and four or five outstanding catches,” Callaway said. “Pat Hearn, Jackie Williams and Nolan Smith off the top of my head made catches that you just go ‘wow,’ when they caught’em. It’s good to see those guys step up. Going into the year we thought we had six guys we could play with and we got off to a slow start but the last four, five games we’ve got six guys we can go play with and not really worry about it. The skill guys, a lot of them are young and they’re stepping up and doing a lot of good things.”
Redshirt freshman Jamarcus Nelson continues to impress, also. I asked Coach what the locker room was like afterwards.
“It was about as excited as I’ve seen it,” he said. “Any win is big especially when you struggle like we have. We’re just excited we beat a team that is ranked No.20 in the country. We knew that was a good football team coming in. Our guys were very excited.”
Callaway said the Blazers will have to get back to work on Sunday when they hit the practice field and get ready for Florida Atlantic.
“Last night was proof that you can’t overlook anybody because I’m sure Southern Miss came in here assuming they were going to beat us. But when you walk between the lines all bets are off. You’ve got to be ready. We have to be ready for Florida Atlantic.”
Callaway said this should be a boon for recruiting.
“We’ve got 15 guys committed so far and a lot of them are local guys which is good. We need to beat Florida Atlantic and that would give us three wins in a row and I think that’ll certainly help propel us into the recruiting season.”
Great effort by Coach Callaway, his coaches and his players.
(Coach Callaway and JP get’er done.)