1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

The 1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Golden Eagles were led by eighth-year head coach Jeff Bower and played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium. In their second year in the Conference USA, they claimed their second-straight conference championship with a 6–0 C-USA record and a 9–3 record overall.^[1] They were invited to the 1997 Liberty Bowl, where they defeated Pittsburgh, 41–7. In the final AP and Coaches Polls of the season, the Golden Eagles were ranked 19th, which was the first ranked finish in school history.^[2]

1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Conference USA champion Liberty Bowl champion
Liberty Bowl, W 41–7 vs. Pittsburgh
Conference	Conference USA
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19
AP	No. 19
Record	9–3 (6–0 C-USA)
Head coach	Jeff Bower (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	Larry Kueck (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	John Thompson (6th season)
Base defense	Multiple
Home stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons ← 1996 1998 →

1997 Conference USA football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 19 Southern Miss $		6	–	0					9	–	3
Tulane		5	–	1					7	–	4
East Carolina		4	–	2					5	–	6
Cincinnati		2	–	4					8	–	4
Memphis		2	–	4					4	–	7
Houston		2	–	4					3	–	8
Louisville		0	–	6					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	at No. 2 Florida*		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL		L 6–21	85,439	[3]
September 6	at Illinois*		Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	ESPN2	W 24–7	44,519	[4]
September 20	Nevada*		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 35–19	26,481	[5]
September 27	at No. 21 Alabama*		Legion Field Birmingham, AL	PPV	L 13–27	83,091	[6]
October 4	Louisville		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 42–24	23,028	[7]
October 11	at East Carolina		Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC		W 23–13	33,904	[8]
October 25	Tulane		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS (rivalry)		W 34–13	26,092	[9]
November 1	at Cincinnati	No. 24	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH		W 24–17	23,799	[10]
November 8	at No. 8 Tennessee*	No. 24	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	PPV	L 20–44	107,073	[11]
November 15	Houston		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 33–0	20,091	[12]
November 22	at Memphis		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Black and Blue Bowl)		W 42–18	17,243	[13]
December 31	vs. Pittsburgh*	No. 22	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	ESPN	W 41–7	50,209	[14]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ 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	16	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	24	24	—	—	23	22	22	19
Coaches	—		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	25	—	—	24	23	22	19

References

1. "1997 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
2. "Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles School History". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
3. "Gators survive Golden Eagles". Pensacola News Journal. August 31, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Loss is no shock for Illini". Chicago Tribune. September 7, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Fourth quarter foils Wolf Pack". Reno Gazette-Journal. September 21, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Turnovers costly to USM". Hattiesburg American. September 28, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Cards 'just disappointing' again, 42–24". The Courier-Journal. October 5, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Eagles rally past ECU". Hattiesburg American. October 12, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Eagles beat emotion out of Wave 34–13". The Clarion-Ledger. October 26, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Mistakes are costly for Bearcats". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 2, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Vols rip Southern Miss". The Jackson Sun. November 9, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Southern Miss secures Liberty bid". The Commercial Appeal. November 16, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Eagles close deal in C-USA". The Clarion-Ledger. November 23, 1997. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Panthers miss-fire". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1998. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.