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American college football season
The 2000 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season . The Golden Eagles were led by head coach Jeff Bower and played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium . They were a member of Conference USA .
For the second time in three years, the Golden Eagles earned a preseason top 25 ranking, coming in at No. 23. Despite a season-opening loss to 13th-ranked Tennessee , the Golden Eagles recovered, winning the next 6 games, with 5 of those wins coming by 21 or more points, including a 21–0 shutout over 15th-ranked Alabama . Following a near-upset on the road against Houston , Southern Miss was ranked 13th in that week's AP poll, the school's highest ranking in nearly 20 years, when they were ranked 9th during the 1981 season . The Golden Eagles win streak ended that week against eventual conference champions Louisville , and they would go onto lose two more games to finish the regular season with a 7–4 record, 4–3 in Conference USA play. Despite the late season struggles, the Golden Eagles earned a trip to the Mobile Alabama Bowl , where they defeated 13th-ranked TCU , 28–21.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 2 6:45 pm at No. 13 Tennessee * No. 22 ESPN L 16–19108,064 [ 1]
September 16 8:00 pm at No. 15 Alabama * No. 25 ESPN2 W 21–083,091 [ 2]
September 23 7:00 pm at Oklahoma State * No. 22 W 28–641,205 [ 3]
September 30 2:30 pm Memphis No. 21 FSN W 24–330,658 [ 4]
October 7 6:00 pm South Florida * No. 17 M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS W 41–726,559 [ 5]
October 14 11:00 am at Tulane No. 16 FSN W 56–2427,645 [ 6]
October 28 2:30 pm at Houston No. 14 W 6–317,565 [ 7]
November 4 2:30 pm Louisville No. 13 M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS FSN L 28–4931,667 [ 8]
November 11 2:30 pm at UAB No. 25 Legion Field Birmingham, AL W 33–30 2OT 25,000 [ 9]
November 18 12:00 pm at Cincinnati No. 24 L 24–2721,958 [ 10]
November 24 12:30 pm East Carolina M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS FSN L 9–1425,152 [ 11]
December 20 7:00 pm vs. No. 13 TCU * ESPN2 W 28–2140,300 [ 12]
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time
2000 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final AP 23 22 25 25 22 21 17 16 15 14 13 25 24 — — — — Coaches Poll 25 24 24 — 23 21 18 16 15 14 11 22 20 — — — — BCS Not released 14 — — — — — — Not released
^ "Tennessee gets past Southern Miss 19–16" . The Courier-Journal . September 3, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Tide not ready for prime time" . The Montgomery Advertiser . September 17, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Southern fried" . The Daily Oklahoman . September 24, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Eagles 'Rock' on" . Hattiesburg American . October 1, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Kelly has hand in 5 TDs as No. 17 USM rolls 41–7" . The Clarion-Ledger . October 8, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "USM pounds Green Wave" . Daily World . October 15, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Hand it to the defense, Southern Miss hangs on to beat Houston" . Hattiesburg American . October 29, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Cards in Happysburg" . The Courier-Journal . November 5, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "USM escapes with 33–30 win" . Enterprise-Journal . November 12, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Bearcats bowl over So. Miss" . The Cincinnati Enquirer . November 19, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Eagles finish with splat" . The Clarion-Ledger . November 25, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Southern Miss at the buzzer 28–21" . The Clarksdale Press Register . December 21, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
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