American college football season
The 1996 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Golden Eagles were led by seventh-year head coach Jeff Bower and played their home games at M. M. Roberts Stadium. In the inaugural season of Conference USA, Southern Miss claimed a share of the conference championship with Houston after finishing 4–1 in conference, and 8–3 overall.[1]
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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August 31 | at Georgia* | | | W 11–7 | 81,067 | [2] |
September 7 | at No. 14 Alabama* | | | L 10–20 | 82,338 | [3] |
September 14 | Utah State* | | | W 31–24 | 24,307 | [4] |
September 21 | Southwestern Louisiana* | | - M. M. Roberts Stadium
- Hattiesburg, MS
| W 52–27 | 23,169 | [5] |
September 28 | at Louisville | | | W 24–7 | 36,462 | [6] |
October 10 | at East Carolina* | | | W 28–7 | 34,480 | [7] |
October 19 | Memphis | | | W 16–0 | 25,601 | [8] |
October 26 | at Tulane | No. 24 | | W 31–28 | 20,394 | [9] |
November 2 | at Cincinnati | No. 23 | - M. M. Roberts Stadium
- Hattiesburg, MS
| W 21–17 | 25,241 | [10] |
November 9 | at Houston | No. 20 | | L 49–56 | 18,107 | [11] |
November 16 | at No. 3 Florida State* | No. 25 | | L 14–54 | 77,280 | [12] |
- *Non-conference game
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked | Week |
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
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AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | 23 | 20 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — |
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Coaches | — | | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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1996 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
Roster |
- ^ "1996 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ "Donnan's debut a dud". Ledger-Enquirer. September 1, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "No offense: Alabama 20, USM 10". Hattiesburg American. September 8, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Interception spells doom for the Ags". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 15, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Golden Eagles pound Cajuns". The Crowley Post-Signal. September 22, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mistakes cost Cards against Eagles". Messenger-Inquirer. September 29, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eagles take wing, 28–7". The Clarion-Ledger. October 11, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "USM hurls shutout at Tigers". The Commercial Appeal. October 20, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Eagles nearly lose game". Sun Herald. October 27, 1996. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Southern Miss clinches share of title". The Courier-Journal. November 3, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Houston slows USM bid". Sun Herald. November 10, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Showdown is on track, FSU stays unbeaten with 54–14 victory". The Miami Herald. November 17, 1996. Retrieved September 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |