2003 Statistics

NEBRASKA

Quarterback
Junior Dustin Almond is a rapidly improving QB Southern Miss can ride to a conference crown. Almond has the size and footwork to see what he wants and either run or pass to get it. Sacks were a problem and signal that Dustin may not have the pocket presence needed for consistently productive improvising, but his two-to-one TD-to-INT ratio show he avoids mistakes. Damion Carter provides a sharp backup capable of possibly more than Almond, if ever given the nod to do such. Mickey D'Angelo also is good enough to allow the offense to never skip a beat when he enters. None is a Bret Favre, but either was Brett at such a young age. Almond was rated as the 65th best NCAA QB in '03, and we expect him to be a top 50 guy, at least, by campaign's end.

Running Back
Anthony Harris is the lone bright spot here. Depth is hurting in this one-back approach, with few on Harris' par. James Walley has disappointed, with a mere 2.2 yard per carry average last time, and only 3.5 before that. We expect him to be displaced by summer, or this squad will be in trouble. The rarely-run FB position is well manned with Bobby Weekly, but his game time is marginal. There is little reason to believe this unit would improve without the line returning (essentially) in tact.

Wide Receiver
The three top WRs for USM from '03 return to make this unit the offenses' strongest. Lawrence, Courington, and Young are all sizeable targets Almond would have to try to (southern) miss. Out of any of them, Marvin Young seems to have the go-to designation - his seven TDs make him Almond's bread-and-butter. Reserves are not nearly as experienced, but all will contribute well. In the three- and four-receiver sets USM likes so much, the depth is essential for fresh legs to tax marginal pass defenses. It will be on Almond to get the ball to these snarlers - another pass ranking in the 70s wouldn't be their fault.

Tight End
Otto Graves is who we see taking over for two departees. He, along with Pat Corbett, will be rather (a) huge presence here. Run plays are that much more likely to achieve with both, but passing catching is a 50-50 for the unit. This area is under construction for the one lone question mark as to how this offense will click.

Offensive Line
Well, it's a mixed blessing with a line that returns mostly all its starters, but marginally failed with them. The two seniors on the outsides were the ones primarily responsible for the 32 sacks allowed. The two sophomore guards must take deep battle scars and somehow turn them into quality experiences of learning. Maybe the new senior center can bolster this interior, but something has to be done so 2003's 3.0 average yards per carry isn't repeated. We won't say this is a weakness, but the line's play will again go a long way towards translating what this entire team can accomplish in '04. Expect an iffy start to graduate to a quality second half for the unit's performance.

OFFENSIVE BREAKDOWN
Anyone who follows Southern Miss can tell you of how ball movement can be a (teeth) grinding experience. For whatever reasons, USM was seemingly castrated at the half in most '03 games - how else do we explain the way they scored 181 in first halves, but only 114 in second halves? The line seems to hold the cards for most of the offenses fates - depending on how long it takes them to shake off their dismal efforts previously. Expect the efficiency of the offense to increase, with more creative plays to allow the big, quick hands guys to do damage in the open spaces provided. Nine of the last eleven are back, so it won't be inexperience to blame again if things go south. If their third-down conversion rate stays in the low 30s, their offensive results stagger to the same benign levels as last time.

Defensive Line
Eric Ruffin and Chad Scott return the bulk of this line with their constant penetration. Both, along with Terrence Ford, provide constantly churning legs that make this unit strong for a full sixty minutes. The depth here is capable and proven. But we must question, like we do their offensive brethren, what a marginal unit from last time will do this time to make things differ. They were an un-USM-like 61st in run stopping, while they only gave up a respectable 3.6 per carry and 12 ground scores. This shows promise that will further surface and make '04 the year this line again is of the best in both CUSA and the nation.

Linebacker
This crew is even stronger as they enter spring ball. Senior Mike Boley is a first team NC.net all-American who can cover the field, a receiver, or a ball carrier at will. He is sized well to cover WRs and can run down RBs from behind that are running full stride. We can go on (three forced fumbles, 22 tackles for loss, 11 sacks)…but the supporting cast of fellow-seniors Antoine Cash and LeVon Pears will surely be worthy of praise once their efforts are tallied, too. Senior MLB Dillon Cleckler is the weakest link, but his production will pickup as he gets the preseason starting nod for his first time. This unit of glue is why the pass defense was so stellar last year, taking the underneath out of most opponents' game plans. USM gave it hard to TCU this way for their big upset, making the plays meant to be intermediate pickups disastrous. Expect more as the wrecking just won't end until the gun sounds and January rolls around.

Defensive Back
This area will drop off, and just how much will go a long way toward revealing the Golden Eagle's final fate. Junior Trevis Coley and John Eubanks are the lone returning guys with knowledge of what it will take to again rank 5th in pass defense. But there are question marks galore beyond them, so we know of little to tell you here. Just know that this facet is all-important with conference foes who recruit offense (and especially passing offenses) as a past-time. Boley is sure to be a fifth roamer back there, but his run-support abilities will force stunts and blitz packages so creative formulas can apply and work.