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Southern Miss football looks to continue its rise in 2020

By Michael Hanich

HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 26: Head coach Jay Hopson of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles watches players warm up before the game against the Rice Owls on October 26, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 26: Head coach Jay Hopson of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles watches players warm up before the game against the Rice Owls on October 26, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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Southern Miss football will look to push for more productivity on both sides of the ball especially with the talent returning in 2020.

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles have been a program on the rise for almost 30 years. The Golden Eagles are looking to reclaim their best season since 2011 when they finished with a 12-2 record in Larry Fedora’s last season.

In the past 29 seasons, the Golden Eagles have been one of the most consistent and well-recognizable non-Power Five programs. Through that time, they have accumulated an overall record of 193-161 with 24 winning seasons and five C-USA championships.

It was only until recently in the past five seasons with Todd Monken’s last season as head coach and the last four seasons with Jay Hopson as head coach where they gained that success back. In the last five seasons, the Golden Eagles have accounted for a 37-27 record (27-13 C-USA) and four postseason bowl appearances.

Hopson is responsible for the Golden Eagles accounting for a 28-22 record (20-12 in conference play). He is also responsible for bringing a desire to win on and off the field. The Golden Eagles finished in fifth place in the conference in the 2020 recruiting class.

This season will be a difficult hurdle as Southern Miss will play a tough league that includes two of the top projected teams in the East and a tough non-conference if they are not canceled. There is good news for the Golden Eagles as they return 15 talented starters from this past season.

Last season, the Golden Eagles started on a 7-3 run with five wins and only one loss in C-USA conference play. They then experienced two tough conferences to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Florida Atlantic. The Golden Eagles lost to the Tulane Green Wave in the Armed Forces Bowl with a 30-13 score.

If the Golden Eagles wish to avoid another collapse throughout the season, they will need to maintain focus. It helps that the tougher games in the conference are more separated than last season.

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