Sophomore Quentin Pierce returns after a 25 catch, 247-yard freshman year and should be the answer at slot receiver in Fedora’s spread offense. In the ground game, the Eagles will have to replace Damion Fletcher, the school’s all-time leading rusher, and Tori Harrison, last season’s leading rusher. Senior V.J. Floyd returns as the team’s most veteran rusher with 398 career yards on 100 carries and a pair of touchdowns, and sophomore Tracey Lampley is the team’s returning leader from last year with 122 yards on 21 carries and a score. Lampley is likely to be more of a slot-receiver/third-down back than a traditional runner, but Floyd took some big steps in the spring towards being the back Anderson needs him to be in the fall, and rushed for 83 yards on 12 carries and caught five passes for 112 yards in the spring game. Red shirt freshman Kendrick Hardy, the long-term answer at running back for USM, is expected to get plenty of carries in 2010 as well. But don’t let that talent fool you, the success of the Southern Miss offense begins and ends at the quarterback position, which junior Austin Davis and senior Martevius Young will continue to compete for in the fall. Davis, who started every game as a freshman in 2008, started the first five games of the 2009 season before suffering a season-ending ligament tear in his left mid-foot. Young took over having thrown three collegiate passes, and proceeded to throw for 233 yards per game and just one interception in the final eight games of the season, leading Southern Miss to a 4-4 record as the starter. Fedora has said he’s looking forward to the competition, and that the job is Davis’s to lose. With two full seasons as productive as his freshman year, Davis could still break several school records including career yards and touchdowns. The black and gold offenses rolled to 746 total yards in the spring game, and if that’s any indication of things to come, the Eagles shouldn’t have problems moving the football. The offensive tempo at Southern Miss has picked up tremendously since Fedora took over, and there’s no indication they’ll slow down in 2010. DEFENSE If there’s another area of the game the Golden Eagles want to get quicker, it’s pass defense. Southern Miss was picked apart early and often on defense last year, and finished the season ranked 109th against the pass giving up just over 261 yards a game through the air. The odd part about that statistic is this one: the Golden Eagles ranked 18th nationally in sacks with 35 last season, and were right in the middle of the pack nationally in interceptions (50th) and opposing quarterback rating 62 - Mississippi Sports Magazine
Photo by Bobby McDuffie
(62nd). The answer for Southern Miss defensive coordinator and secondary coach Todd Bradford seems to be becoming smaller and faster. Senior C.J. Bailey and sophomore Marcal Robinson sit atop the depth chart at cornerback now that Alabama transfer and two-year experiment Alonzo Lawrence has officially left campus. Senior Justin Wilson is expected to slide over to free safety, a spot left vacant when Jamie Collins moved from safety to outside linebacker. At 6’2” and 200 pounds, Kendrick Presley certainly has the size of division one strong safety, but he’ll have to overtake senior Chico Hunter to earn the playing time. The Eagles might miss departed senior corner Andre Watson, and if some younger players don’t step up, the secondary could struggle like they did in 2009. When it comes to Collins, the secondary’s loss is the linebacking corps’ gain. The sophomore is a trim 6’3” and 225 pounds, and was often the most physical player on the field for Southern Miss last year.
IT’S TIME FOR A TITLE: COACH LARRY FEDORA begins year three at the helm of Southern Miss and most fans are ready for him to put together a team that will compete to win the Eagles fifth C-USA championship. Collins made the move to outside linebacker in the spring, and is expected to be used as a 3-4, 4-3 hybrid in order to utilize his speed in rushing the quarterback. Collins’ 2009 tackle total of 48 should balloon in the coming season if he can get the playing time. He might have trouble, considering the Eagles also return the teams’ top three returning tacklers in middle linebacker Korey Williams and outside ‘backers Ronnie Thornton and Martez Smith. With Hendrick Leverette and Tim Green providing further support, the linebacking corps may well be the deepest position on the team. They will combine with a veteran defensive line to try and improve on a run defense that ranked 43rd nationally, allowing 130 yards per game. That line is solid at the ends with juniors