Everything you need to know about UTEP-Southern Miss, including beer options
Saturday’s Southern Miss-UTEP football game in Hattiesburg will mark the first time in Mississippi history that fans will be legally allowed to consume alcoholic beverages at an on-campus college sporting event.
USM fans can wander to 10 different beer stations inside M.M. Roberts Stadium to check out the drink selection during Saturday’s 6 p.m. game against the Miners (1-2).
USM announced on Aug. 19 that it would become the first state university to sell beer and light wine at football games. Ole Miss followed on Aug. 30 with news that it will start selling beer on Oct. 19 for the Texas A&M contest in Oxford.
On Thursday, USM athletic director Jeremy McClain revealed to the Sun Herald a list of 10 beer options that fans (21 years and older) can choose from at Roberts Stadium: Miller Lite, Coors Light, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Yuengling, Suzy B, Redds Apple Ale, Blue Moon, Henry’s Hard Sparkling Kiwi Strawberry and Terrapin Luau Krunkles.
Suzy B, which is made by the Southern Prohibition brewery in Hattiesburg, is the only Mississippi craft beer to make the menu.
Domestic beers will cost $6. Specialty and craft beers will be $8 each.
“We’ve gotten a lot of good help from our partners in town in preparation,” McClain said. “I’m sure there will be some things we figure out after the first game. We’re prepared for Saturday.”
Beer sales will only be available at the 10 satellite stations and not in the stadium’s regular concession stands. Some beer stands will have all 10 drink options while others will have a smaller menu.
McClain has been encouraged by ticket sales prior to the game.
“We feel good about the crowd we’ll have on Saturday,” he said. “It’s always interesting when you’ve been gone three weeks. It’s almost like Game 1 all over again. We’ve had quite a bit of a break. We hope people are excited about getting back in ‘The Rock’ and getting going.”
QB troubles for UTEP
UTEP head coach Dana Dimel said this week that he plans to start junior Brandon Jones against the Golden Eagles (2-2), but he could reach as far down the depth chart as the No. 3 option — sophomore Gavin Hardison.
Jones has completed 51.2 percent of his passes for 395 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Dimel also expects to play Kai Locksley, who isn’t much of a passing threat.
Jones played in six games last season, including a 39-7 loss to USM in El Paso. He completed 11 of 23 passes for 114 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
UTEP ranks 120th in the nation in passing offense, averaging 146 yards a game.
“Hopefully they’re throwing the ball a lot because that means that we’re ahead of them,” USM defensive coordinator Tim Billings said. “They like to run the ball. The thing for us in early downs is to get them in passing situations. That’s what happened last year. We got them in third-and-long a lot. We got them to throw the football, something they really don’t like to do on third-and-long.”
Injury report
Southern Miss played last week without three key players — sophomore running back Trivinskey Mosley, redshirt junior linebacker Racheem Boothe and freshman guard Coker Wright.
USM head coach Jay Hopson has refused to discuss injuries this season, but it seems unlikely that any of the three players will be available on Saturday. Wright may be the closest to returning.
USM ground game
While the USM rushing attack has shown some early progress against tough competition, it has yet to piece together a breakout game.
Saturday’s UTEP contest may give the Golden Eagles a prime chance to put up a big number on the ground.
USM ran 48 times for 252 yards against the Miners in El Paso last season. Mosley ran 14 times for 107 yards and a TD. Steven Anderson carried 19 times for 92 yards and a score.
So far in 2019, UTEP is allowing 159.7 yards a game on the ground.
USM’s average rushing total dipped to 92.5 after last week’s 52-yard effort in a 49-7 loss at Alabama.
TV info
The Southern Miss-UTEP game will only be available to watch for subscribers to ESPN-plus, which is an over-the-top video streaming subscription service available through ESPN.com and the ESPN app. The cost for ESPN+ is $4.99 a month.
The ESPN app is available on tablets, laptops and streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast.
The series
Southern Miss leads the all-time series against UTEP with a 7-4 mark. The first meeting between the two teams was the 1954 Sun Bowl in El Paso with the Miners earning a 37-14 victory at Kidd Field.
USM has dominated the series of late, winning the last four games in the series by the total score of 131-27.
However, USM hasn’t been great on its home field against UTEP with a 2-2 record against the Miners in Hattiesburg.
This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 3:21 PM.
