OUCH: The Big Decline

On Tuesday night, one result saddened us:  South Alabama absolutely humiliated Southern Miss, 55-3.  Believe it or not, the score might not have reflected the full degree of domination by USA.  Total yardage in the first half:  402-26 in favor of South Alabama!

In my youth, I was so impressed that Southern Miss, a “small kid on the block,” who would regularly play the local SEC big boys (Alabama, Mississippi State and Ole Miss) and do  very respectably despite rarely having the luxury of playing in Hattiesburg.  To this day, the Golden Eagles have a lifetime 15-14-1 record versus Mississippi State – although the tide has turned as Southern Miss’ last victory in the series was in 1988 at neutral site Jackson.  Ole Miss stopped scheduling the Golden Eagles after 1984, no doubt piqued at losing 4 of their last 5 to the Golden Eagles.

Southern Miss’ glory days came during a time when there were many fewer “Group of 5” programs playing at the highest level.  Remember how Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss were lauded for beating Alabama two years consecutively in 2014-15?  Southern Miss had performed the same feat in 1953-54, back in the day when their nickname was the unimaginative Southerners.

Today, I was reading Sports Illustrated’s 1982 College Football preview issue (great coverage and writing which makes a mockery of their current preseason issue) Southern Miss was coming off a stellar 9-1-1 season and was tabbed #14 in their preseason rankings.  What would surprise many was the reverence for the tie!  Those in Hattiesburg proudly celebrated the tie with bumper stickers proclaiming “I was there when we tied the Bear.”  Reggie Collier was their do-it-all QB on a squad that also featured future pro stars, Sammy Winder and Louis Lipps.  A far cry from USM’s last meeting with Alabama in 2021, a 63-14 thrashing in favor of the Tide.

Last month, Florida State trashed Southern Miss, 65-15.  The 1981 Southern Miss squad also played FSU (  coached by Bobby Bowden).  The Golden Eagles soared in a 58-14 rout.  What a contrast!

The success of the 1981 team was not a fluke.  The 2000 squad shutout Alabama, 21-0. The Odyssey was in Hattiesburg in late November 2003 when USM upset an undefeated TCU team.  On a later trip to Southern Miss, the Golden Eagles gave a very talented Cal team, led by Aaron Rodgers, all the Golden Bears could handle.

What has happened over the past decade plus?  Southern Miss has become a shell of its former self.  In the college conference realignment carousel, USM was not attractive from a media standpoint.  While I would not say that Hattiesburg is in the middle of nowhere, one might be able to see nowhere from the city limits.  I also felt that the ascension of South Alabama to FBS really hurt the Golden Eagles.  Mobile is only 90 miles from Hattiesburg.  Three of the 4 SEC teams in Alabama and Mississippi are from the Northern parts of the state.  Even Auburn is nowhere near the Gulf.  Geographically, USM was in good position to get Gulf  Coast gridders who wanted to stay close to home.  When South Alabama ascended in division ranking, a very attractive Gulf alternative arose.

Last, Southern Miss is not located in an affluent part of the state (if, in fact, there is an affluent part).  The NIL era does not rate to be kind to the Golden Eagles.

Childhood likes do not have to be rational.  A kid from Michigan was in love with Southern Miss.  Which makes the recent era sad in that regard.