Oct. 16, 2009

MEMPHIS, TENN. -

The Memphis Tigers will face the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in a Conference USA East Division matchup on Saturday at Roberts Stadium.  Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. in Hattiesburg.

Saturday's game will be the 60th overall meeting between the two teams on the gridiron. Southern Miss leads the all-time series 37-21-1. The Tigers, though, have won four of the last five meetings, including their last two trips to Hattiesburg. Memphis posted victories over the Golden Eagles at M.M. Roberts Stadium in 2005 (24-22) and 2007 (29-26). Southern Miss holds an 18-4 series lead in games played in Hattiesburg. Prior to their last two victories in Hattiesburg, the Tigers had dropped 10 straight at Southern Miss from 1986-2003.

Memphis and Southern Miss have played every season since 1952, with the exception of the 1980 campaign. Since the two programs began play in Conference USA, the Golden Eagles hold an 8-5 series lead. Under head coach Tommy West, Memphis is 4-4 versus Southern Miss and 2-2 against the Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg.

Tiger fans can watch the game online through the Memphis Tigers All-Access subscription package.  The package also includes exclusive press conferences, interviews and various Tiger games, home and away. For more information or to sign up for All-Access, please go to:

http://www.gotigersgo.com/allaccess/

Three In A Row?

When the Tigers take the field Saturday against Southern Miss, they will be going after a third-straight win in the Black and Blue series. The last time Memphis won three or more straight encounters in the series was from 1966-71 when the Tigers posted six-consecutive victories over Southern Miss.

On This Date

The Tigers have a 10-7-1 record when they play on Oct. 17 in the program's history. Memphis has won its last three Oct. 10 games, including a 41-23 victory over Cincinnati in its last Oct. 10 encounter in the 1998 campaign.  The Tigers and Golden Eagles played a previous Oct. 17 game in their histories. Memphis dropped a 10-0 home decision to No. 19 nationally-ranked Southern Miss.

Tiger Coaches Versus Their Alma Maters

Saturday's game at Southern Miss is the second of four times this season that a member of the Tiger coaching staff faces his alma mater in 2009. This Saturday has Memphis cornerbacks coach Lyrell Pollard squaring off against his alma mater, Southern Miss.

Pollard, who earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Miss, played linebacker for the Black and Gold from 1994-97. In his senior campaign in 1997, Pollard led the Golden Eagles with 114 tackles and helped his team to a 9-3 record, the Conference USA crown and a Liberty Bowl title. He also served on the coaching staff at Southern Miss from 1999-2007.

The Longest Series

When Memphis faces Southern Miss Saturday, the series will remain the longest in Tiger football history. The Tigers and Golden Eagles have met 59 previous times, making Saturday's match-up No. 60.  The Memphis-Southern Miss series just edges out the Tiger-Rebel Mid-South rivalry. The Memphis-Ole Miss series is at 59 games (Rebels lead 47-10-2), including the meeting earlier this year.

A Notable Win For West

Memphis head coach Tommy West's first Conference USA victory came against Southern Miss in the 2001 campaign. The Tigers defeated the Golden Eagles 22-17 on Oct. 6, 2001.

Turnovers Are Key In Memphis-USM Series

In most football games, turnovers play a major role in which team wins. And, turnovers have made that case in recent Memphis-Southern Miss encounters. In the seven of the last 10 contests, the team with the fewest turnovers has won the game six times.

Yr.          TO (UM-USM)   Result

2008       1-2          UM, 36-30

2007       2-1          UM, 29-26

2006       0-0          USM, 42-21

2005       2-2          UM, 24-22

2004       2-1          UM, 30-26

2003       6-2          USM, 23-6

2002       2-1          USM, 33-14

2001       0-5          UM, 22-17

2000       3-2          USM, 24-3

1999       2-0          USM, 20-5

* italics indicates team with fewest TOs won the game

Hattiesburg Homecoming For Two Tigers

When Memphis travels to Hattiesburg this Saturday to play Southern Miss, it will be a homecoming for two Tigers -- one player and one staff member.

Freshman offensive lineman Jamie McCoy calls Hattiesburg home. McCoy played his prep career at Hattiesburg High School and was an All-State pick his senior season.  McCoy saw his first game action for the Tigers last weekend versus UTEP.  He played several downs at right tackle in the C-USA victory.

Former Tiger quarterback Martin Hankins, who is now an administrative intern for the offense, is also making a homecoming this Saturday. Hankins is from Hattiesburg and played his prep career at Hattiesburg High School. In his last trip as a Tiger player to Hattiesburg in the 2007 season, Hankins directed the Tigers to a thrilling come-from-behind 29-26 win over the hometown Golden Eagles.

Sophomore Akeem Davis, who tore a ligament in his knee and is out for the rest of the year, calls Laurel, Miss., home, a town just 33 miles from Hattiesburg.  Davis prepped at Laurel HS and played at Jones County JC before signing with the Tigers.

For the complete Tiger Football release, go to:

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/mem/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/weekly-release.pdf