Jackson Free Press

It wasn’t pretty at times, and it seemed insanely long, but the University of Southern Mississippi has back-to-back winning football seasons. The Golden Eagles went winless in 2012, hitting rock bottom after winning 12 games the year before.

USM lost 23 consecutive games before finally getting a 62-27 win over the University of Alabama at Birmingham to end the 2013 season. There was more progress in the 2014 season with three wins.

Finally, a breakthrough happened for USM in the 2015 season. The Golden Eagles had nine wins and went to a bowl game, but lost the final two games of the season.

In the offseason, Southern Miss lost head coach Todd Monken to the NFL. Monken left Hattiesburg to become the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. USM hired former assistant coach and then-head coach of Alcorn State University Jay Hopson.

There were high hopes entering this season, even with a new head coach, because of all the talent returning from the previous season.

Early on, it looked like USM would live up to those expectations with a 4-1 start to the season, including a win over the University of Kentucky out of the SEC. The University of Troy was the lone loss for the Golden Eagles in the first five games.

Southern Miss lost five of the next six games, suffering shocking defeats to the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the University of North Texas. All three of those teams finished with losing records after UTSA lost the New Mexico Bowl to the University of New Mexico.

The Golden Eagles needed to defeat Louisiana Tech University just to reach a bowl game, scoring a 39-24 win over the Bulldogs to play in the New Orleans Bowl.

In the bowl game, Southern Miss wide receiver Allenzae Staggers put on a show, making 11 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown to set a New Mexico Bowl record and school record for most receiving yards in a bowl game. USM quarterback Nick Mullens went 25 for 40 in passing, with 346 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and one lost fumble. Running back Ito Smith rushed for 138 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns and one catch for six yards and a touchdown.

The trio of stars helped the Golden Eagles to a 28-21 win over the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, but USM’s defense did its part with six sacks, three quarterback hurries, nine tackles for a loss and one interception. However, ULL scored two touchdowns off of Mullens’ turnovers as a result of short fields.

Most of the night, Ragin’ Cajuns quarterback Anthony Jennings was under siege from the Golden Eagle defense. USM found ways to bottle up ULL’s star running back, Elijah McGuire, for parts of the game, even as he rushed for 99 yards on just 17 carries.

The New …

After watching bowl games all Saturday, there is no reason to stop during the next week. Except for Christmas Day—that is for NFL games—there are bowl games every day from Dec. 19 to Dec. 24.

There are eight bowl games with three in the afternoon and five during the primetime hours of 7 to 10 p.m.

Outside of fans of the teams playing, most people don’t truly care about these games. They’re a great way to waste three-and-a-half to four hours. Nothing says “happy holidays” like an insane amount of video reviews and teams you probably didn’t watch all season.

Just in case you are on the fence about watching these bowl games, here are some reasons to tune in to every game. These facts have been gleaned from bowl previews around the web.

Looking for a reason to call in sick or leave early from work on Monday, Dec. 19? How about being home to watch the Miami Beach Bowl on ESPN at 1:30 p.m.

This game features Central Michigan University out of the MAC and the University of Tulsa out of the AAC—two “Group of Five” teams entering the postseason on opposite trends.

The UT Golden Hurricane enters the matchup on a two-game winning streak but the CMU Chippewas enter having lost four of the last five games played. Why should you watch?

Central Michigan beat Oklahoma State University on a controversial Hail Mary with a lateral in one of the craziest games of the year. If this game is close at the end, it could provide a memorable finish for the Chippewas.

Tulsa is playing for a 10-win season, and wide receiver Josh Atkinson needs just 73 receiving yards to make the Golden Hurricane the first team with two 1,000-yard running backs, two 1,000-yard receivers and a 3,000-yards passing quarterback. Who doesn’t like seeing history made?

The Boca Raton Bowl shouldn’t need much to get you to tune in to ESPN at 6 p.m. on Dec. 20. This game features 10-3 Western Kentucky University from C-USA and the 8-4 University of Memphis out of the AAC.

There will be plenty of offense on display as both teams average 40 points per game. Both have also returned interceptions and kick returns for touchdowns this season. Pour some spiked eggnog and enjoy the fireworks.

There are former conference foes battling in the Poinsettia Bowl at 8 p.m., Dec. 21, on ESPN, as Brigham Young University, formerly of the Mountain West Conference, takes on the University of Wyoming still in the MWC.

The score should be close late in the game since both teams have played seven games that were decided by eight-points or less. The Cougars lost four games by a combined eight points.

Wyoming is in its first bowl game in five years, and a win would put the program at 7-7 for bowl games. The Cowboys knocked off Boise State University in an exciting game.

The Famous …