Southern Mississippi

Southern Mississippi enjoyed its trips to Alabama this season. The Golden Eagles completed a sweep of teams from their neighboring state, rallying to beat 15th-ranked Auburn, 13-12, Saturday on Brett Favre's 10-yard touchdown pass play to Anthony Harris with 46 seconds left. "This was a big win," said Southern Mississippi Coach Curley Hallman, whose team beat Alabama, 27-24, Sept. 8. "It's the biggest win for our coaches, players in the three years I have been here."

James Henry returned 2 punts for touchdowns and set 2 game records to lead Southern Mississippi to a 38-18 victory over Texas El Paso Friday night in the 13th Independence Bowl. Henry scored on returns of 65 and 45 yards as Southern Mississippi ended the season at 10-2. Texas El Paso finished at 10-3.

Southern Mississippi's win in the New Orleans Bowl was a lot like the rest of the Golden Eagles' season -- a struggle. Shawn Nelson caught a pair of second-half touchdowns, and Cody Hull had 161 yards rushing to lead Southern Mississippi over Arkansas State, 31-19, Tuesday night in the first of the season's 28 bowl games. Southern Mississippi endured plenty of turmoil long before arriving in Lafayette, where the New Orleans Bowl was moved because of Hurricane Katrina.

A hostile environment doesn't bother Southern Mississippi. The Golden Eagles have made a name for themselves by giving Southeastern Conference teams fits on the road. On Saturday, it was Florida's turn. The 14th-ranked Gators survived the challenge but needed a fourth-quarter touchdown and a late defensive stand to hold on, 24-20, before a crowd of 82,882 at Florida Field. It marked the first time Florida has won after trailing in the fourth quarter under Coach Steve Spurrier.

Derrek Hamilton scored 18 points and Randolph Keys provided a second-half spark Friday night as Southern Mississippi opened defense of its National Invitation Tournament championship by defeating Clemson, 74-69, in a first-round game at Hattiesburg, Miss. In the previous 50 NITs, only St. John's in 1943-44 has won consecutive titles. Southern Mississippi (19-10) trailed, 66-64, with 2:52 to play but scored 10 straight points, including reserve Jurado Hinton's go-ahead basket with 2:01 to play.

SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (7-5) VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE (9-3) When: Tonight, 5:30 PST. Where: New Orleans. About Southern Mississippi: The Golden Eagles are in the New Orleans Bowl for the second straight season. Receiver DeAndre Brown, who suffered a broken leg in last year's 30-27 overtime win against Troy, has five touchdowns in his last five games. About Middle Tennessee State: The Blue Raiders are riding a six-game winning streak. Quarterback Dwight Dasher has accounted for 3,580 total yards and 32 touchdowns.

Randolph Keys and John White scored all of Southern Mississippi's points during a 15-2 second-half spurt that broke open a close game and gave the Golden Eagles an 82-75 victory over Nebraska Tuesday night at New York in the semifinals of the 50th National Invitation Tournament. Southern Mississippi (22-11) will face La Salle (20-12) in Thursday night's title game. Arkansas Little Rock (26-10), after losing to La Salle in Tuesday's other semifinal, meets Nebraska (20-12) for third place.

Kicker Van Tiffin and quarterback Mike Shula helped lead the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide to a 31-17 nonconference victory Saturday over Southern Mississippi. Tiffin kicked four extra points, giving him 105 in a row to break the SEC record of 101 set by Georgia's Rex Robinson in 1977-80. Tiffin's conversions extended Alabama's NCAA record to 164, dating back to 1981.

Bo Jackson scored twice and rushed for 205 yards Saturday to lead No. 1-ranked Auburn to a 29-18 victory over Southern Mississippi at Auburn, Ala. Tommie Agee also scored two touchdowns to help Auburn improve to 2-0. The Golden Eagles are 1-1. Both of Jackson's touchdowns came on two-yard runs. Agee scored on a 15-yard run and an 18-yard pass reception. Jackson's two-game totals are 495 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Clarence Weatherspoon hit two key baskets and Russell Johnson made four free throws in the final eight seconds to help No. 19 Southern Mississippi defeat No. 21 South Carolina, 64-58, Thursday night in a Metro Conference game at Columbia, S.C. With the score tied, 54-54, Weatherspoon drove the lane for a dunk to give Southern Mississippi (7-1 overall, 2-0 in the conference) the lead for good with 3:19 left. He muscled inside for another basket with 2:42 left to stretch the lead to 58-54.