Justin Wilson News

Southern Miss players wore black bands saying 'finish' on their wrists during Saturday's game.

Southern Miss, which got two fourth quarter interceptions by Justin Wilson, remains in the hunt for a Conference USA championship with a 27-20 win at Marshall.

THE FEAR when Martevious Young took over the starting quarterback job for Southern Miss in the sixth game is that he would fall into the same mistakes he made when he lost the battle to start in 2008.

You could call it a battle of redemption. Who wants it more, Marshall or Southern Mississippi? As the teams enter their Conference USA contest at 4:30 p.m. today at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, the similarities are striking, starting with the identical records of 5-4 overall, 3-2 in the league.

Safety Eddie Hicks continues to play the role of ball hawk for the Southern Miss football team with a team-leading five interceptions this season.

The Laney College football team sits atop the Golden Gate Conference standings with a 4-0 record after a scintillating 29-19 victory over visiting Modesto on Nov.

Mountain Football used a dominating first half and a punishing ground game to easily dispatch Bakersfield Christian last week at home, 40-12. Trying to recover over in-game miscues over Shafter the week before, the Warriors righted the ship in all phases to bolt to a 34-0 lead, not needing a single pass attempt the entire night.

Martevious Young threw a pair of touchdowns and Southern Miss scored in all three phases of the game en route to a 43-6 win against Tulane Saturday before an announced M.M. Roberts homecoming crowd of 30,541. The Golden Eagles, now 5-3 overall, moved into a three-way tie in Conference USA's East Division at 3-1 with East Carolina and Marshall.

Southern Miss has knocked off enough major conference football opponents that it's difficult for athletic director Richard Giannini to get top programs to agree to games against the Golden Eagles - especially in Hattiesburg.

Entering the season, the Southern Miss safeties were considered one of the more quality groups in Conference USA, with three experienced and talented options.

HATTIESBURG When the Southern Miss defense struggled during the first half of last season, the biggest problem was controlling the line of scrimmage.

In offensive-minded Conference USA, Southern Miss was third in the league in scoring defense during the 2008 season and could have been rated even higher with better pass coverage.

While former Southern Miss tight end Shawn Nelson is trying to earn a starting job with the Buffalo Bills, coach Larry Fedora and his staff are trying to find a suitable replacement.

SOUTHERN MISS fans can tune in at 7 p.m. today to watch a pair of former Golden Eagle standouts play in the first NFL preseason game of the season Gerald McRath will suit up for the Tennessee Titans and Shawn Nelson will be catching passes for the Buffalo Bills.

Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora is more at ease these days compared to when he first stepped on the Hattiesburg campus.

Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora is more at ease these days compared to when he first stepped on the Hattiesburg campus.

I hope all of you saw our special section on "Young & Upcoming" people in the Tiftarea.

No matter what Southern Miss cornerback Michael McGee does the rest of his career at USM, the moment that will likely always be associated with him was his blocked field goal in overtime to seal his team's 30-27 victory over Troy in last year's New Orleans Bowl.

Canadian racing an important part of IndyCar Series: The United States and Canada share a border, but philosophies about auto racing are worlds apart.