CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2003 Southern Miss

9–⁠4 (8–⁠0 Conference USA), coached by Jeff Bower.

Schedule and results

Southern Miss in 2003, game by game: lost at California 2–34; won at UAB 17–12; won vs. Memphis 23–6; lost vs. No. 15 Nebraska 14–38; won at Cincinnati 22–20; lost at Alabama 3–17; won vs. South Florida 27–6; won vs. Louisiana 48–3; won at Houston 31–10; won vs. Tulane 28–14; won vs. No. 10 TCU 40–28; won at East Carolina 38–21; lost vs. Utah 0–17+45−32Lost 2–34 at California-32CaliforniaWon 17–12 at UAB+5UABWon 23–6 vs. Memphis+17MemphisLost 14–38 vs. No. 15 Nebraska-24No. 15 NebraskaWon 22–20 at Cincinnati+2CincinnatiLost 3–17 at Alabama-14AlabamaWon 27–6 vs. South Florida+21South FloridaWon 48–3 vs. Louisiana+45LouisianaWon 31–10 at Houston+21HoustonWon 28–14 vs. Tulane+14TulaneWon 40–28 vs. No. 10 TCU+12No. 10 TCUWon 38–21 at East Carolina+17East CarolinaLost 0–17 vs. Utah-17Utah
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30atCaliforniaL 2–⁠3444%
Sep 4atUABW 17–⁠1244%
Sep 13vsMemphisW 23–⁠664%
Sep 25vs15NebraskaL 14–⁠3848%
Oct 4atCincinnatiW 22–⁠2033%
Oct 11atAlabamaL 3–⁠1730%
Oct 25vsSouth FloridaW 27–⁠645%
Nov 1vsLouisianaW 48–⁠385%
Nov 8atHoustonW 31–⁠1055%
Nov 15vsTulaneW 28–⁠1473%
Nov 20vs10TCUW 40–⁠2841%
Nov 29atEast CarolinaW 38–⁠2181%
Dec 31Bowls & playoffvsUtahLiberty BowlL 0–⁠1751%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Utah 17–⁠0 in the Liberty Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; Conference USA champions.

In program history: The 12th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 90 on file).

Players on this team

Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 2003.

Conference USA champions8–⁠0 in the conference

Record
9–⁠4
Conference
8–⁠0 first in Conference USA
AP final
Unranked
Points
293–⁠226
Coach
Jeff Bower
Elo
1587 +78 this season
SP+ rating
7.6 No. 47 of 117; offense No. 88, defense No. 16
SRS
1.5 No. 52 of 117 in Division I-A
Recruiting class
No. 80
Offensive coordinator
Rip Scherer
Defensive coordinator
Tyrone Nix
Offense
Pro-style
Defense
3–⁠4

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense0.0own 33— allowed
Defense-0.2own 35— caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Top recruits in the 2003 class

Larry Thomas RB★★No. 1050
Damion Carter PRO★★No. 1050
Andy Nobles OG★★No. 1050
Derek Chapman TE★★No. 1050
James Nelson WR★★No. 1050

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2003 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.767
Running backs12.00.767
Receivers52.00.767
Offensive line32.00.767
Defensive line22.00.767
Linebackers12.00.767
Defensive backs12.00.767
Athletes and specialists22.00.767
Whole class162.00.767

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2004

The 2004 draft
Rd 5Rod Davis LBMinnesota Vikings
Rd 6Greg Brooks DBCincinnati Bengals
Rd 6Etric Pruitt DBAtlanta Falcons

2003 Conference USA standings

TeamConf.OverallAP final
Southern Miss8–⁠09–⁠4
TCU7–⁠111–⁠225
Louisville5–⁠39–⁠4
Memphis5–⁠39–⁠4
South Florida5–⁠37–⁠4
Houston4–⁠47–⁠6
UAB4–⁠45–⁠7
Tulane3–⁠55–⁠7
Cincinnati2–⁠65–⁠7
East Carolina1–⁠71–⁠11
Army0–⁠80–⁠13

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.