In a wet and ugly game, Southern Miss hung on to beat Central Florida 26-19.
Damion Fletcher added another 100 yard game with 103 yards and touchdown. The offense was out of synch tonight, but still managed to gain over 400 yards against a good UCF defense.
DeAndre Brown played for the first time since breaking his leg last season. He didn't appear to be as fast, but he still drew double coverage from UCF. On his first catch, he received a standing ovation from the fans at M.M. Roberts Stadium. He finished the night with seven catches for 75 yards.
Overall, the Golden Eagle defense played a stellar game, holding the Knights to less than 200 yards offense, only 15 on the ground. Linebacker Martez Smith started the Southern Miss scoring with a fumble return for a touchdown.
The kicking game was far from special tonight. Justin Estes missed an early field goal and there was a botched snap on a PAT late in the game. Kick returner Freddie Parham dropped three straight punt return opportunities. Parham fell on two of the three, but one recovered by UCF led to a Knights score. Andre Watson replaced him and dropped his lone return opportunity. Luckily he fell on the ball.
As usual, the Conference USA officials were subpar. Have they ever heard of a horse collar?
It was ugly, but a win is a win. Southern Miss, now 2-0 (1-0) on the season, returns to action next week at home against winless Virginia. Game time is set for 2:30 and the game will be televised by CBS College Sports.
