Senior quarterback Jameel Sewell took the direct snap from Southern Mississippi's four-yard line, faked left and broke right into the end zone to build a seemingly insurmountable 27-10 lead at halftime. The Golden Eagles (3-0), though, outscored Virginia (0-3) 27-7 in the second half to win the game, 37-34.
Despite the strong performance of Sewell, who completed 24 passes for a career-high 312 yards, threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two more, Southern Mississippi stormed back with a relentless rushing attack and superior special teams play. After trailing the entire game, the Golden Eagles finally took the lead on a 57-yard run by senior running back Tory Harrison with 8:01 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The second half began on an ominous note for the Cavaliers. Senior wide receiver Freddie Parham returned the Virginia kickoff 35 yards to the Southern Mississippi 35-yard line and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by freshman defensive back Jamie Collins and taken to Virginia's 32-yard line. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Davis capitalized on the favorable field position by orchestrating a drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown pass to freshman tight end Ryan Hanks, closing the Virginia lead to 10 points.
After another Sewell touchdown, the Golden Eagles responded quickly, as Parham returned the next kickoff 100 yards for a score. Southern Mississippi then closed the lead to three at the start of the fourth quarter when senior running back Damion Fletcher took a direct snap and ran for a 10-yard touchdown.
The first half, however, saw a different Virginia team. On Virginia's second possession, Sewell completed a 69-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Tim Smith to take a 7-0 lead. The Cavaliers forced a fumble on each of Southern Mississippi's next two possessions, resulting in two field goals by sophomore kicker Robert Randolph and increasing the squad's lead to 13-0. Later in the half, Sewell engineered a 76-yard scoring drive, tossing a 29-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Kris Burd to push Virginia's lead to 20-7. The Cavaliers, however, could not hold on and allowed the Golden Eagles to close the gap.
-compiled by Andrew Seidman
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