1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

The 1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season and were led by Brett Favre.

1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Conference	Independent
1989 record	5–6
Head coach	Curley Hallman (2nd season)
Home stadium	M.M. Roberts Stadium

1989 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Miami (FL)			–					11	–	1	–	0
No. 2 Notre Dame			–					12	–	1	–	0
No. 3 Florida State			–					10	–	2	–	0
Northern Illinois			–					9	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Penn State			–					8	–	3	–	1
No. 17 Pittsburgh			–					8	–	3	–	1
No. 21 West Virginia			–					8	–	3	–	1
Syracuse			–					8	–	4	–	0
Southwestern Louisiana			–					7	–	4	–	0
Akron			–					6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina			–					6	–	4	–	1
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	4	–	1
Louisiana Tech			–					5	–	4	–	1
Army			–					6	–	5	–	0
Louisville			–					6	–	5	–	0
East Carolina			–					5	–	5	–	1
Tulsa			–					6	–	6	–	0
Southern Miss			–					5	–	6	–	0
Tulane			–					4	–	8	–	0
Navy			–					3	–	8	–	0
Rutgers			–					2	–	7	–	2
Boston College			–					2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State			–					2	–	9	–	0
Cincinnati			–					1	–	9	–	1
Temple			–					1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

Regular season

The 1989 Golden Eagles, led offensively by quarterback Brett Favre and defensively by linebacker Orlando Harris, had one of the biggest upsets of the college football season when they beat Florida State by a score of 30–26. In a game against Louisville, Southern Miss was on its own 21-yard line with six seconds left in a 10–10 tie. This was the result of a missed field goal by Louisville would have given them the lead. Favre threw a Hail Mary pass that was deflected, but it bounced off the helmet of Southern Mississippi's Michael Jackson and into the hands of wide receiver Darryl Tillman, who scored a touchdown with no time left. The play was later voted on as one of the "Top 5 Memorable Moments" in college football history in an online vote at ESPN.com.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	11:30 AM	vs. No. 6 Florida State		Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL	TBS	W 30–26	48,746
September 9		Mississippi State	No. 18	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		L 23–26
September 16		at No. 5 Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL		L 3–24	83,465
September 23		at TCU		Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX		L 17–19
September 30		at No. 22 Texas A&M		Kyle Field College Station, TX		L 14–31	58,843
October 7		Tulane		M.M Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS (Battle for the Bell)		W 30–21
October 14		at Louisville		Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY		W 16–10	38,484[1]
October 21		at Southwestern Louisiana		M.M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		L 21–24
October 28		at Memphis		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN		W 31–7
November 18	1:30 p.m.	at No. 4 Alabama		Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL		L 14–37	70,123
November 25		East Carolina		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 41–27	11,189
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 4 Brett Favre Jr TE 80 Anthony Harris Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 32 Chuck Davis	Head coach Curley Hallman Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Season summary

Florida State

#6 Florida State vs. Southern Miss

1 2 3 4 Total Seminoles 10 0 13 3 26 • Golden Eagles 3 14 0 13 30 Date: September 2 Location: Gator Bowl Stadium, Jacksonville, FL Game start: 12:30 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 48,746 Television network: TBS

Scoring summary Q1 FSU Dexter Carter 11-yard run (Mason kick) FSU 7–0 FSU Bill Mason 24-yard field goal FSU 10–0 0:17 USM Chuck Davis 22-yard field goal FSU 10–3 Q2 USM Eddie Ray Jackson 3-yard run (Davis kick) Tied 10–10 0:11 USM Alfred Williams 4-yard pass from Brett Favre (Davis kick) USM 17–10 Q3 FSU Lawrence Dawsey 23-yard pass from Peter Tom Willis (Mason kick) Tied 17–17 FSU Dexter Carter 9-yard run (kick failed) FSU 23–17 Q4 USM Rickey Bradley 10-yard run (Davis kick) USM 24–23 6:57 FSU Bill Mason 27-yard field goal FSU 26–24 0:23 USM Anthony Harris 2-yard pass from Brett Favre (pass failed) USM 30–26

See also: 1989 Florida State Seminoles football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
7–12–1	1988	L 13–49

[2] [3]

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
Eugene Rowell	Wide Receiver	9	240	Cleveland Browns
Reginald Warnsley	Running back	11	285	Detroit Lions

• Brett Favre, Michael Jackson and Simmie Carter would be drafted in the 1991 NFL Draft.[4]

References

1. "Louisville - 2018 Football Media Guide - page 204". www.guide.provations.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
2. "EAGLES GET A BREAK VS. SEMINOLES (FSU ISN'T ANGRY OVER A LOSS TO UM)". Sun-Sentinel. September 2, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
3. "Florida State Is Upset At Finish". The New York Times. September 3, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
4. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/1990.htm