USM Starts Fast, Holds Off Louisiana In SBC Clash, 39-24
A fired up Southern Miss football squad scored 20 points in the opening period and held off a second-half rally for a 39-24 victory over the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns in a nationally-televised Sun Belt Conference game on Thursday at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
Louisiana (4-4, 2-3 SBC), which returns home to host SBC West Division leader Troy on Nov. 5 for Senior Day, trailed 20-5 at the end of the first quarter and 29-11 at halftime before getting to 32-24 when Terrence Williams scored from 1-yard out with 3:12 remaining.
But after Louisiana forced punt with 2:15 remaining, Natrone Brooks iced the game with a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:14 left.
Louisiana got a career-high six receptions from Michael Jefferson for 179 yards – the ninth-most in a single game in Ragin' Cajuns history, but turned the ball over a season-high four times which led to 17 USM points while falling to 1-24 overall all-time in Hattiesburg.
Kris Moncrief's interception on USM's first play of the night gave Louisiana excellent field position at the USM 37, but the Golden Eagles defense would hold as Chris Smith was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-3 at the USM 30.
USM would score two possessions later after Malik Shorts' 30-yard interception return to the UL 19. The Golden Eagles would score five plays later when Janari Dean scored on a 1-yard plunge with 7:29 remaining in the first half before Trey Amos blocked Briggs Bourgeois' PAT attempt and returned it for a defensive 2-point conversion.
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ESPN 1420 Cajuns Fall Short On the Road Against Southern Miss
