1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
ConferenceIndependent
Record5–6
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJeff Bower (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorEllis Johnson (2nd season)
Home stadiumM. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons
← 1988
1990 →
1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Miami (FL)   –   11 – 1 – 0
No. 2 Notre Dame   –   12 – 1 – 0
No. 3 Florida State   –   10 – 2 – 0
Northern Illinois   –   9 – 2 – 0
No. 15 Penn State   –   8 – 3 – 1
No. 17 Pittsburgh   –   8 – 3 – 1
No. 21 West Virginia   –   8 – 3 – 1
Syracuse   –   8 – 4 – 0
Southwestern Louisiana   –   7 – 4 – 0
Akron   –   6 – 4 – 1
South Carolina   –   6 – 4 – 1
Virginia Tech   –   6 – 4 – 1
Louisiana Tech   –   5 – 4 – 1
Army   –   6 – 5 – 0
Louisville   –   6 – 5 – 0
East Carolina   –   5 – 5 – 1
Tulsa   –   6 – 6 – 0
Southern Miss   –   5 – 6 – 0
Tulane   –   4 – 8 – 0
Navy   –   3 – 8 – 0
Rutgers   –   2 – 7 – 2
Boston College   –   2 – 9 – 0
Memphis State   –   2 – 9 – 0
Cincinnati   –   1 – 9 – 1
Temple   –   1 – 10 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern Mississippi as an independent during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach Curley Hallman, the team compiled a 5–6 record.[1]

The 1989 Golden Eagles, led offensively by quarterback Brett Favre and defensively by linebacker Orlando Harris, had one of the biggest upsets of the college football season when they beat Florida State by a score of 30–26. In a game against Louisville, Southern Miss was on its own 21-yard line with six seconds left in a 10–10 tie. This was the result of a missed field goal by Louisville would have given them the lead. Favre threw a Hail Mary pass that was deflected, but it bounced off the helmet of Southern Mississippi's Michael Jackson and into the hands of wide receiver Darryl Tillman, who scored a touchdown with no time left. The play was later voted on as one of the "Top 5 Memorable Moments" in college football history in an online vote at ESPN.com.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 2vs. No. 6 Florida State
TBSW 30–2648,746[2]
September 9Mississippi StateNo. 18
L 23–2634,189[3]
September 16at No. 5 Auburn
L 3–2483,465[4]
September 23at TCU
L 17–1915,839[5]
September 30at No. 22 Texas A&M
L 14–3158,843[6]
October 7Tulane
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS (rivalry)
W 30–2118,891[7]
October 14at Louisville
W 16–1038,484[8]
October 21at Southwestern Louisiana
  • M.M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
L 21–2420,732[9]
October 28at Memphis State
W 31–718,572[10]
November 18at No. 4 Alabama
L 14–3770,123[11]
November 25East Carolina
  • M. M. Roberts Stadium
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 41–2711,189[12]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

Florida State

#6 Florida State vs. Southern Miss
1 234Total
Seminoles 10 0133 26
• Golden Eagles 3 14013 30
      
Scoring summary
Q1FSUDexter Carter 11-yard run (Mason kick)FSU 7–0
FSUBill Mason 24-yard field goalFSU 10–0
0:17USMChuck Davis 22-yard field goalFSU 10–3
Q2USMEddie Ray Jackson 3-yard run (Davis kick)Tied 10–10
0:11USMAlfred Williams 4-yard pass from Brett Favre (Davis kick)USM 17–10
Q3FSULawrence Dawsey 23-yard pass from Peter Tom Willis (Mason kick)Tied 17–17
FSUDexter Carter 9-yard run (kick failed)FSU 23–17
Q4USMRickey Bradley 10-yard run (Davis kick)USM 24–23
6:57FSUBill Mason 27-yard field goalFSU 26–24
0:23USMAnthony Harris 2-yard pass from Brett Favre (pass failed)USM 30–26

See also: 1989 Florida State Seminoles football team

[13][14]

Roster

1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 4 Brett Favre Jr
TE 80 Anthony Harris Jr
RG 56 Chafan Marsh So
RT 78 Chris Ryals So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 32 Chuck Davis
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Team players in the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Eugene Rowell Wide receiver 9 240 Cleveland Browns
Reginald Warnsley Running back 11 285 Detroit Lions

References

  1. ^ "1989 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "S. Mississippi surprises Florida State". The Charlotte Observer. September 3, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "State tames USM by 26–23 score". Enterprise-Journal. September 10, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Auburn cruises past USM". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 17, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Frogs upset Golden Eagles". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 24, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Lewis breaks loose in 31–14 Aggies win". Austin American-Statesman. October 1, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Tulane falls to USM, 30–21". Daily World. October 8, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Hail Mary fling on last play shoots down U of L". The Courier-Journal. October 15, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Last second field goal puts Cajuns past So. Miss. 24–21". The Crowley Post-Signal. October 22, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Memphis State loses". The Jackson Sun. October 29, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Early hope turns to dust for Eagles". Hattiesburg American. November 19, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "USM goes out 41–27 winner over ECU". Hattiesburg American. November 26, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Eagles Get A Break Vs. Seminoles (FSU Isn't Angry Over A Loss To UM)". Sun-Sentinel. September 2, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  14. ^ "Florida State Is Upset At Finish". The New York Times. September 3, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.


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