Hawaii Bowl: Southern Miss Holds Off Nevada

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Hawaii Bowl: Southern Miss Holds Off Nevada | NCAA College Football

Hawaii Bowl
Southern Miss Holds Off Nevada
Jojo Doria

Honolulu, HI

Austin Davis shook off tentativeness most of the tilt by making it count on the game-winning drive, a 4-yarder late in the game, and the No. 22 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles topped the Nevada Wolf Pack 24-17 Saturday night in the Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium.

The triumph earned the Golden Eagles (12-2) a school-record 12th victory.

Apart from establishing a school mark for wins in a season, the Conference USA champion Golden Eagles made a memorable send off for head coach Larry Fedora.

Fedora is leaving after four successful seasons in Southern Mississippi to take over at North Carolina. He accepted the Tar Heels head coaching job earlier this month.

Davis had just 59 yard passing at halftime, but the senior quarterback made plays when it counted to send Fedora out a winner.

USM was up 17-14 at the break despite being outgained 235-109 in the first half.

Davis, the 2011 Burlsworth Trophy winner as the nation's top former walk-on, had scrambled right on third-and-goal before finding Kelvin Bolden for the four-yard score that shattered a 17-17 tie.

The game-winning drive capped a seven-play, 68-yard drive by the Golden Eagles, coming off their fifth C-USA crown at the expense of previously unbeaten Houston.

Davis threw for 165 yards and two scores on an 18-of-41 efficiency. Desmond Johnson had 77 yards rushing for the victors.

Defense also keyed the win as USM managed in the second half to shutdown the Wolf Pack's vaunted pistol attack anchored by Lampford Mark.

Cordarro Law, who was the USM MVP for the game, led the second-half shut down of Nevada. The Golden Eagles defensive end totaled seven tackles, 4.5 of those for lost yardage, and had two monster sacks.

Mark rushed for 183 yards and two scores for the Wolf Pack (7-6), who also received a combined 117 yards passing from quarterbacks Cody Fajardo and Tyler Lantrip.

Nevada starting signal-caller Fajardo was 8-of-19 for 60 yards. He gave way to Lantrip after being held to just 14 yards rushing on nine carries.