A revised USM football schedule features an old rival and a new season opener date
For the first time in a century, the Southern Miss football program is scheduled to host seven games.
USM announced a revised football schedule on Thursday as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding two opponents that replace games lost to cancellation — a home game against Jackson State (Sept. 19) and a trip Auburn (Sept. 26).
Tennessee Tech will now travel to Hattiesburg for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Sept. 19 for USM’s lone game of the season against FCS competition.
At 6 p.m. on Sept. 26, old school rival Tulane will come to M.M. Roberts Stadium.
Even before the new contest was announced, some USM players were holding out hope that Tulane would be added to the schedule.
Tulane beat USM 30-13 in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan. 4.
“That Tulane game would be big,” USM redshirt senior defensive end Jacques Turner said Thursday. “I think that bowl game, we let it slip away from us. To get that rematch, that would be good.”
Tulane may have a former Golden Eagle as its starting quarterback with Laurel native Keon Howard in the mix to get the top job.
The only other time that USM has hosted seven games was in 1920.
The other significant change on the schedule was moving the South Alabama contest from Sept. 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3.
“The move to Thursday night to open the season allows us more time to address health and safety concerns inside the stadium and with our student-athletes between Game 1 and Game 2,” USM athletic director Jeremy McClain said in a press release. “Our focus will continue to be on monitoring the situation daily, and moving forward cautiously towards the start of the season.”
The only other game time that’s set on the schedule is a 5 p.m. kickoff at Libery on Oct. 14.
Attendance at sporting events in Mississippi is currently limited to 25 percent capacity.
2020 Southern Miss schedule
Sept. 3 — South Alabama, 7 p.m.
Sept. 12 — Louisiana Tech, TBA
Sept. 19 — Tennessee Tech, 6 p.m.
Sept. 26 — Tulane, 6 p.m.
Oct. 3 — North Texas, TBA
Oct. 10 — Florida Atlantic, TBA
Oct. 17 — UTEP, TBA
Oct. 24 — Liberty, 5 p.m. Lynchburg, Va. 5 p.m.
Oct. 31 — Rice, TBA
Nov. 14 — WKU, TBA
Nov. 21 — UTSA, TBA
Nov. 28 — UAB, TBA
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 2:37 PM.
