Austin Davis threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns and Southern Miss won its fourth straight game to earn bowl eligibility with a 28-12 win over SMU on Saturday.
For June Jones, the loss capped a forgettable debut at SMU. The Mustangs finished 1-11, same as last season when they fired Phil Bennett and lured Jones from Hawaii with a salary worth about $2 million a year.
Jones led Hawaii to the Sugar Bowl last year.
Southern Miss (6-6, 4-4 Conference USA) scored 21 unanswered points in an eight-minute span to bury SMU by the fourth quarter. Damion Fletcher had 59 yards and a touchdown, and V.J. Floyd had another TD run for the Golden Eagles.
For Fletcher, the game was also a testament to his durability touting the ball. He broke the school’s career record for carries with a two-yard rush in the second quarter and finished the day at 788.
Fletcher is also five scores away from breaking the school’s career touchdown mark.
That, in a season where the Golden Eagles were forced to pass more than any season prior — Southern Miss also broke a team record for pass attempts in a season, with 423.
The Eagles’ defense was sharp as well, holding the Mustangs to four rushing yards for the game. Playing from behind, SMU took to the air in the second half, and had minus-five rushing yards after the break.
One bright spot for SMU was Jesse Henderson, who set an NCAA record with 2,945 career kickoff return yards. The previous record was 2,922, set by Tulane’s Jeff Liggon from 1993-96.
Southern Miss set a single-season school record with 5,220 yards of total offense, breaking the previous mark set just last year.
SMU’s Bo Levi Mitchell was 26-of-49 for 253 yards, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. Justin Willis, SMU’s former quarterback, caught 11 passes for 88 yards.
