2007 Southern Miss Football Preview
July 23, 2007
Southern Miss Preview in PDF Format
Prior to the 2006 season, there were a number of questions that the Southern Miss Golden Eagles needed to answer. On offense, there were some personnel concerns after losing some key players in the skill positions, primarily the loss of three-year starting quarterback, Dustin Almond. The losses were even greater on the defensive side of the ball, as the team needed to fill key spots vacated by the departed seniors, including Conference USA player of the Year, Kevis Coley, and twin brother, Trevis, and standout defensive back, John Eubanks. With that in mind, it was most likely wishful thinking to imagine that the Golden Eagles would finish as the East Division champions in Conference USA. And after a luke-warm 4-4 start, the likelihood of Southern Miss continuing the streak of 13-straight winning seasons and another postseason appearance seemed to be slipping. But the Golden Eagles turned things around at the right time, winning the final four regular season games to earn a spot in the title game. After losing the championship to Houston, Southern Miss responded with a decisive 28-7 victory over Ohio in the GMAC Bowl. When it was all said and done, the team finished with a 9-5 record and won its third-straight bowl game, extending the respective streaks in the process. For the team to finish the way it did, after the start that it had, there is a lot to build on entering the 2007 campaign. "We finished with some momentum and made a good run there at the end of the season," Southern Miss Head Coach Jeff Bower said. "That's always good to finish up the season with a win in the bowl game. You feel a lot better about yourself going into the offseason program, and the attitude is a little more positive. Overall, it was a good year, and that may help us this year." Some of the big reasons for the Golden Eagles' success in 2006 were the steady play by quarterbacks Jeremy Young and Stephen Reaves, along with the emergence of standout freshman running backs, Damion Fletcher and Tory Harrison and the stalwart performance by the veteran offensive line, one that included senior anchors George Batiste, Travis Cooley and Robby D'Angelo. In fact, the Golden Eagle offense had one of their better years in school history, finishing with 356 points and 4,635 yards of total offense, with Fletcher putting up the best single-season by a Southern Miss freshman with 1,388 yards and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, the Golden Eagles didn't suffer too much from the key personnel losses. For as has been the tradition of the Southern Miss' "Nasty Bunch" defense, the team didn't rebuild, it reloaded. Strong performances from seniors Caleb Hendrix and Jasper Faulk, along with juniors Matthew Chatelain, Martavius Prince and Brandon Sumrall and underclassmen Gerald McRath, James Denley and Tumbo Abanikanda, helped anchor a defensive unit that again ranked among the league leaders in numerous statistical categories. While last season's success was slightly unexpected, the bar has been set and the expectation is high for the upcoming campaign. The Golden Eagles feature 17 returning starters, including six on offense and nine on defense. The team also returns more than three-quarters of its offensive production from a year ago and seven of the top 10 leading tacklers on defense - making success in 2007 a more than viable result. "We had a pretty good year defensively last season and this season we have the core of our defense back so I believe that is one our strengths," Bower said. "Offensively, we have a lot of key personnel back, but we do have concerns with the young receivers, holes on the offensive line and building depth is another task, because we are thin at a lot of positions. "However, we had a really good attitude and work ethic, and had 15 days of fun during the spring. The guys really worked hard and I liked their attitude, effort and work ethic." The Offense "That was a bonus to have two kids come in with their kind of ability, and they were able to come a long way in a short period of time to get themselves in the mix," Bower said of the two freshmen rushers. "They played well for us and gave us something that we hadn't had in quite some time in that position. But our strength was the offensive line. I thought they played well, the run blocking was good and they pass-protected well." The offense excelled in several areas and led the league in rushing offense, while ranking No. 25 nationally in that category. The team reeled off 25.4 points per game and 331.1 yards of total offense an outing, both of which were among the better team performances in recent history. "Overall, I thought we did some positive things last year," said third-year Offensive Coordinator Jay Johnson. "We really improved in running the football, and that was probably because of our two freshmen - Damion Fletcher and Tory Harrison. At the same time, when we put everything together in the passing game, I felt we performed pretty well. When we didn't do that, we weren't as good. Overall, I thought we were respectable, but I still think there is great room for improvement in certain areas. That will come with continued experience and the young guys learning the system a little bit more." Unlike last year, there aren't many concerns when it comes to quarterback play or at the running back position. Signal caller Jeremy Young returns to claim his starting role at quarterback, while transfer Stephen Reaves also returns with a year of experience in a Golden Eagle uniform. Fletcher and Harrison both hope to build on their 2006 numbers. In addition, tight end Shawn Nelson returns with hopes of returning to the success he had in 2005. There are some areas of concern on the offensive side of the ball, however, with personnel losses on the offensive line and at wide receiver. "There is no question that this year will be a huge change for us, especially on the offensive line," Johnson said. "With our interior three, the guards and center, that is very critical as far as replacing experience. That is definitely a big void that we need to address, and also at wide receiver. I do think we have some young, talented players but they are young. Those two areas are certainly areas where we need to find some young guys who can come in and mature quickly and help us continue to improve." The coaching staff is looking to Jeremy Young, Chris Clark, Ryan McKee and Chris Johnson to provide leadership on and off the field. The Quarterbacks Jeremy Young (6-3, 218, r-Sr.) returns to claim his starting role as the team's field general. In 2006, the Jackson, Miss., native led the team in every passing category, finishing with 1,769 yards and 12 touchdowns on 161-of-281 passing with six interceptions. He also contributed 224 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, leading the team with 1,993 yards of total offense. Stephen Reaves (6-1, 205, r-Sr.) also looks to compete for the starting position. Last season, Reaves, who hails from Tampa, Fla., completed 37-of-72 passes for 488 yards and two touchdowns, playing in eight games overall. Following the pair on the depth chart is Todd Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 201-pound redshirt-junior walk-on and 6-foot-1, 187-pound redshirt-freshman Martevious Young. The Running Backs Fletcher, the top true freshman rusher in the nation and No. 11 overall, finished with a school and Conference USA freshman rushing record 1,388 yards on 52 carries, an average of 5.0 yards per carry and scored 11 touchdowns. He also finished with over 1,500 yards of all-purpose yards and was the second-leading scorer on the team. He was named a first-team All-Conference USA selection, selected to the Freshman All-American team by several organizations and was the most valuable player of the GMAC Bowl. He finished with a freshman record seven 100-yard rushing performances and had a season-high 177 yards against NC State. Harrison was forced into duty for the Virginia Tech due to injuries on the squad. He finished with 52 carries for 326 yards, an average of 6.3 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns. He had a season-high 138 yards at Memphis and scored a 50-yard touchdown in the GMAC Bowl. Also looking to add to the mix in the upcoming season will be Antwain Easterling (5-11, 185, Fr.), the No. 5 running back in the nation, from Miami Northwestern High School, VJ Floyd (5-10, 191, Fr.) from Bishop Moore High School in Orlando, Fla., and walk-on Christian Fletcher (5-9, 185, r-Fr.). Easterling finished with over 2,800 yards and scored 33 touchdowns, and Floyd ran for 1,229 and scored 13 touchdowns as a senior. Battling for the starting position at the fullback position will be Marcus Raines (6-3, 246, r-Sr.), Josh Barton (5-11, 225, r-So.) and Don Loehr (6-0, 238, r-Sr.). Raines was moved from linebacker at the end of last season and seemed to do a solid job at the position. He worked hard in the spring and kept improving with each practice. Barton and Loehr, another player moved from defense, will compete for playing time this season. The Wide Receivers Morgan and Gray will battle at the split end position, Johnson, Gray and Turner will be used at the other wide receiver position and Magee and Rhoden will compete at the flanker position. Johnson played in all 14 games last season, starting five of them. He was tied for the second-most receptions on the team with 23 catches for 253 yards, an average of 11.0 yards per catch and scored a team-leading five touchdowns. He had a season-high 61 yards at UCF and scored two touchdowns against Memphis. Gray showed signs of being an outstanding receiver last season but needs to be more consistent. He had a good spring and looks to step up and become more of an offensive playmaker. He finished with 16 catches for 160 yards, an average of 10.0 yards a catch and had a long catch of 39 yards. Morgan also showed promise last year and has good speed as well. He played in seven games and finished with seven receptions for 116 yards and scored a touchdown against East Carolina. He had a season-long catch of 47 yards at Tulane. Rhoden has been hampered by injuries throughout his career and played in five games last season. Others looking to add to the mix at the receiving positions will be walk-ons Gerald Baptiste (6-0, 177, r-So.), Justin Whiddon (5-10, 170, r-Jr.), Brandon Trobridge (6-2, 207, r-Jr.), Stuart Davidson (6-1, 200, r-So.) and redshirt freshman Ryan Ellis (6-2, 183, r-Fr.). The Offensive Line The offensive line lost three starters from last year's talented veteran group, losing All-American guards George Batiste and Travis Cooley, as well as all-conference center Robby D'Angelo. All three of these players not only were outstanding on the field but were leaders as well. Both tackles return this season, Chris Clark (6-5, 295, r-Sr.), an All-Conference USA selection and an All-American candidate, and sophomore starter Ryan McKee (6-6, 275, Jr.), an all-conference candidate. Both were impressive last season and will be back to anchor this year's line. The question mark heading into this season will be replacing the center and guard positions and as it is every year, building quality depth. Clark saw action in over 800 snaps last year, gave up three sacks and finished with four pancake blocks and 71 knockdowns. He was named the team's "Hawg of the Week" a team-high six times. McKee was used in almost 800 plays, gave up three sack and had five pancake blocks and 55 knockdowns. Wesley Housley (6-2, 293, r-Jr.) and Ryan Hebert (6-5, 307, r-So.) are slated to start at the guard positions, and Rick Thompson (6-0, 275, r-Jr.) at center. All three have playing experience and have showed that they should be able to handle the new responsibility right away. Housley played in seven games and started three, Hebert saw action in five games and Thompson was used in nine games. Thompson finished with seven knockdowns, Hebert had one pancake block and five knockdowns and Housley collected 12 knockdowns. Seniors Nick Dean (6-3, 282, Sr.) and Dwayne Paulin (6-7, 280, Sr.) will be the back-ups at the tackle positions, redshirt junior Johnathan Landor (6-3, 285, r-Sr.) and redshirt sophomore Micah Brown (6-2, 275, r-So.) will add depth at the guard positions and redshirt freshman Cameron Zipp (6-1, 285, r-Fr.) will give support at the center position. Dean saw action in six games, and Paulin played in three games. Landor sat out the entire season after sustaining an internal injury and Brown played in five games. The Defense In league play, the Golden Eagle defenders led all teams in both scoring defense and pass efficiency defense, while ranking second overall in total defense, rush defense and pass defense. Nationally, the unit was in the top 30 in four categories, including pass efficiency defense, total defense, scoring defense and pass defense. "The good news is that for the second year in a row we led the conference in scoring defense," third-year Defensive Coordinator Jay Hopson said. "For us to do that back to back, it shows that we have made improvement. We were certainly pretty pleased with how we did last year, finishing in the top 30 in the defensive categories and finishing No. 1 in scoring and No. 2 in total defense in the league." And with the top seven tacklers returning from a season ago, and eight of the top 10, the expectations for another successful defensive run are there. Led by redshirt-sophomore Gerald McRath, senior defensive back Brandon Sumrall and redshirt-senior linebacker James Denley, the defensive unit is again primed for a solid performance. "One of the strengths will be our linebacking corps," Hopson said. "With Tumbo Abanikanda, James Denley, Gerald McRath and Jerome Lyons, there is a lot of experience in that position. Our safeties are really good, too, and they have been playmakers for us." While there is a bevy of experience returning in the linebacker unit and in the safeties, there is a concern with having to replace the experience - and leadership - from the losses of key players Matt Chatelain, Caleb Hendrix and Jasper Faulk. But Hopson is confident that there will be those who will step up and make the contribution to be successful. "Questions will be in the corners because those are the two spots where we lost starters," Hopson said. "But we have players like LeVance Richmond, Eddie Hicks and Brandon Sumrall who are going to be on the field at all times, and others like Eddie Willingham and Ivory Bradshaw who will be battling at that other corner spot." Despite the returning experience, though, the Golden Eagles are not going to rest on the laurels from a year ago. "There is probably more experience going into this year than last year," Hopson said. "That doesn't change anything though. We are going to do what we do. We are not going to be anything different than what we are. Every one has to come together, and if we do that, we will be fine." The coaching staff is looking to its defensive seniors, Matthew Chatelain (DE), James Denley (LB), Robert Henderson (DE), Sean Merrill (DT), Martavius Prince (DT), LeVance Richmond (DB) and Brandon Sumrall (DB) to provide leadership on and off the field this season. Defensive Line Redshirt senior Martavius Prince (6-3, 295, r-Sr.), an all-conference performer, returns for his final season as a two-year starter at defensive tackle and will be counted on for leadership on and off the field. He was the ninth leading tackler on the team last season with 49 total tackles, including 23 unassisted stops, a team-leading 15 tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Redshirt senior Robert Henderson (6-3, 280, r-Sr.), an all-conference performer, returns for final season as a two-year starter at the bandit end position. He was a consistent performer on the defense last season and had an outstanding year. He tied for the team's fourth-leading tackler with 59 stops, including 36 unassisted tackles. He tied for the team lead in quarterback sacks (4.5), was second in tackles for loss (12), broke up three passes, forced two fumbles and recovered another one. He also will be counted on for leadership on and off the field. Senior Sean Merrill (6-3, 294, Sr.) returns for his final season as the starter at the nose tackle position. He fought through injuries during different parts of the season but finished the season strong, collecting 24 tackles, including 12 solo stops, 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. If he stays healthy this season, he is looking to have a big season for the Golden Eagles and make the line even stronger. Chatelain is returning for his fourth year as the starter at the defensive end position. He looks to be one of the defensive leaders again this season. He registered his best season last year, finishing with 37 total tackles, tied for team lead with 4.5 sacks and had two pass breakups. Redshirt freshmen David Boyce (6-6, 243, r-Fr.), Anthony Gray (6-0, 316, r-Fr.), Roshaad Byrd (6-3, 247, r-Fr.) and redshirt juniors Chris J. Johnson (6-1, 288, Sr.), Mam Nyang (6-1, 264, r-So.) and Eric Phillips (6-7, 291, r-Jr.) will add depth and look to battle for playing time this season. Linebackers McRath returns to anchor the defensive unit at the middle linebacker position. A redshirt-sophomore from Powder Springs, Ga., he shined in his first full season in 2006, leading the team with 104 stops, 59 of which were solos, and was third overall with 11 tackles for loss and had two sacks. He was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team and to several Freshman All-American teams. Following McRath in the position will be Jerome Lyons (6-1, 225, r-Sr.). Last season, the Houston, Miss., native played in nine games and finished with 35 tackles, 24 of which were solos. Junior college transfer Blake Spiers (6-2, 230, Jr.) and Noah Slater (6-3, 215, r-Fr.) will look to add to the mix this season. At the strong-side linebacker position, Denley returns for his third year as the starter. He was the third-leading tackler on the team last season, finishing with 63 tackles, including 40 unassisted stops, nine tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He finished five or more tackles in five games and was named the GMAC Bowl Defensive MVP after finishing with four tackles and returning his first interception of the season 18 yards for a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Martez Smith (6-0, 205, r-Fr.) and Chaz Richards (5-11, 229, r-Sr.) will be battling for backup duties. Richards adds depth in the middle linebacker slot, but should see plenty of time on special teams. In 2006, Richards played in all 14 games on special teams, registering one tackle. Abanikanda returns for his third year on the squad and second as the starter at the weak-side linebacker position. He had a solid year last season, finishing fourth on the team in tackles with 59, including 35 solos, 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Brandon Davis (6-1, 208, So.), and Octavius Everett (6-0, 230, r-So.), will compete for the backup role. Davis saw action in 12 games as a true freshman, seeing time mostly on special teams. The Defensive Backs Both Sumrall and Richmond will be counted on for leadership on and off the field. Backup free safety Hicks saw a lot of playing time on the field last season and should see plenty of time in the secondary and extensively on special teams. Sumrall, a two-time All-Conference USA selection who earned third-team honors last season, will be back for his third year as the starter at the rover position. He was the Golden Eagles' second-leading tackler with 80 total tackles, two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, two interceptions and a team-leading three forced fumbles. Adding depth and looking to add to the mix at the rover position will be Justin Wilson (5-11, 185, r-Fr.) and junior college transfer Antrone Harris (5-11, 202, r-Jr.). Richmond is back for his third year and second year as the starter at the free safety position. He was the team's seventh-leading receiver with 54 stops, including 34 solo stops and tied for the team lead in fumble recoveries and four interceptions and forced two fumbles. He finished with five or more tackles in five games last season, returned an interception 20 yards and returned a fumble 50 yards for a touchdown at Tulane. Hicks will add depth at free safety and should be used as the nickel back. He played in all 14 games last year and finished with 26 total tackles, including 18 solo stops, two tackles for loss, and had a pass breakup. He returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown, setting a school record against East Carolina. Michael McGee (5-10, 181, So.) and Ivory Bradshaw (6-1, 189, r-Jr.) are competing for the starting field cornerback position. McGee played in eight games last year, mostly on special teams but saw some action in the secondary. He finished with three solo tackles. Bradshaw played in 14 games and saw extensive action on special teams and limited time on defense. He finished with 11 tackles, including seven solo stops. Eddie Willingham (5-10, 175, r-Jr.) is slated to start at the boundary cornerback position coming out of spring. He played in 12 games and started two as a freshman, finishing with 21 tackles, including 14 solos, an interception, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups. Last season he saw limited time at cornerback, but saw plenty of action on special teams. He finished with six total tackles. Greg Wingfield (6-1, 175, r-Fr.) and Kevin North (5-11, 207, Jr.) will add depth and compete for playing time this season. Special Teams Britt Barefoot (6-0, 180, r-Jr.) returns as the starting punter and has the kickoff duties for the second year but also is battling for the starting kicking duties. He finished with 52 punts for 2,007 yards, an average of 38.6 yards per punt. He had a long punt of 68 yards, finished with six punts of 50 yards or more and had 14 punts land inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He worked hard in the offseason and looks for more consistency this season. Coming out of spring, Barefoot is slated as the starting kicker. He has a strong leg and has been working hard on his accuracy. Battling Barefoot for the punting and kicking duties this year are redshirt freshmen Brett Hicks (6-0, 185, r-Jr.) and Kyle Hopton (5-9, 167, r-Fr.). Speedy receivers Ralph Turner and Ed Morgan will compete for the kickoff return duties and receiver Chris Johnson and defensive back Michael McGee will compete for the starting punt return duties. Morgan returned nine kickoffs for 173 yards, an average of 19.2 yards per return and had a long return of 26 yards. There will be outstanding competition for the return duties during preseason practice. The Schedule In Conference USA competition, Southern Miss faces Memphis, Rice, SMU and UCF at home and will travel to East Carolina, Marshall, UAB and UTEP.
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