July 28, 2007

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss Head Football Coach Jeff Bower, sophomore running back Damion Fletcher and redshirt senior defensive lineman Martavius Prince will represent the Golden Eagle Football Program at the Conference USA Media Days at the Royal Sonnesta Hotel in New Orleans, La., on Monday, July 30, and Tuesday, July 31.

On Monday, July 30 at 5 pm CT, CSTV will air a special two and a half-hour exclusive broadcast live from the Conference USA Football Media Day in New Orleans. Hosted by Carter Blackburn and Brian Jones, the Conference USA Football Media Blitz will offer fans an inside look at C-USA football and preview the 2007 season, featuring interviews with all 12 head football coaches, two players from each team and C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky.

Bower, the dean of Conference USA coaches, is in his 17th season at the helm of the Southern Miss Football Program. He boasts a 112-77-1 record at Southern Miss, has won four C-USA championships, won the 2006 East Division Championship and has led his program bowl games in nine of the past 10 years, including five straight. Last season, the Golden Eagles finished 9-5, won the C-USA East Division Championship and defeated Ohio, 28-7, to capture the 2007 GMAC Bowl Championship in Mobile, Ala.

Fletcher finished his true freshman season last year with the best rushing performance by a Golden Eagle freshman, by a freshman in Conference USA and the 13th-best in NCAA history. He accumulated 1,388 yards, averaged 5.0 yards a carry and scored 11 touchdowns. He also has 18 catches for 142 yards. He has a school freshman-record seven 100-yard or more rushing yard performances and had a season-high 177 yards against NC State. He also rushed for three of the top 10 freshman rushing marks in the school's history and is second on the school's single-season rushing list.

Fletcher, the GMAC Bowl MVP, was named to the Scripps Freshman All-American team, second team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News, rivals.com and scout.com, All-Conference USA first team, All-Conference USA Freshman team and was finalist for the Conerly Trophy, signifying the best player in the state of Mississippi.

In the 2007 preseason, he was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year by CollegeFootballNews.com and selected All-Conference USA by Athlon Sports (first team), CBSSportline.com (first team), CollegeFootballNews.com (first team), C-USA Coaches (first team), Lindy's (first team), Phil Steele's (first team) and The Sporting News (first team). He was selected Top 10 NFL Talent in Conference USA by Lindy's, honored as the toughest running back to bring down by Lindy's and named No. 46 on top 67 running backs in the nation by Phil Steele's.

Prince was named to the second team on the Coaches' All-Conference USA team, after being named to the third team on the Media team. He was the ninth-leading tackler on the team with 45 tackles, including 22 solo stops, two sacks and a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss. He also had an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

In the 2007 preseason, Prince was named All-Conference USA by Athlon Sports (first team), CBSSportline.com (first team), C-USA Coaches (first team), Lindy's (second team), Phil Steele's (first team) and The Sporting News (first team). He was selected the "Best Run Stuffing Tackle" by The Sporting News and was rated No. 51 on top 60 defensive tackles in the nation by Phil Steele's.

The preseason No. 24 ranked Golden Eagles finished 9-5 last season and won the Conference USA East Division Championship. Southern Miss defeated Ohio University, 28-7, in the GMAC Bowl, marking its ninth bowl appearance in the past 10 years. The Golden Eagles return 40 letterwinners, including 17 starters, from last year's team and open their season on Sept. 1 against Tennessee-Martin at 6 p.m., at "The Rock".

For ticket information, call the Southern Miss Ticket Office, 1-800-844-TICK or 601-266-5418.