Southern Miss Shocks Houston In 2011 C-USA Championship

Wind-afflicted Case Keenum has only 152 yards on 22 attempts, though SMU’s D deserves plenty of credit in keeping the nation’s top offense contained for 30 minutes. With the ball to start the third quarter, the Eagles boast the momentum in addition to the lead.

Very interested to see whether the SMU defense can keep holding on.

Just two minutes later after a Southern Miss three-and-out, the Cougars evened it up at 14. The quick strike drive was highlighted by another big play to Justin Johnson. Keenum hit Johnson in stride in the middle of the field, and the Cougar wideout raced down the middle of the field to the one yard line. Just one play later, Michael Hayes would go over the top to tie the game.

Keenum is now 15 of 21 for 152 yards, and has hit on his last 11 throws as the Cougars look to get their high powered offense rolling after a silent first quarter. The Golden Eagles have managed to put pressure on Keenum for much of the afternoon, but the Cougars look like their back on track in the second quarter.

Still! We’ve got ourselves a competition here in Texas.

For more on this game, visit SB Nation Houston.

Southern Miss finished its regular season 10-2 with a win over Memphis to clinch the East Division by one game over Marshall. The Golden Eagles suffered a hiccup the week before as they were upset by UAB. Southern Miss appeared to be back in true form last week which could have the Cougars a little worried.

Houston is predicted to be playing for a BCS birth, which would be the first in school history. The Cougars are 12-0 as they have run the table so far this season. Last week against Tulsa, which entered the contest undefeated in conference play, Houston dominated, as it outscored the Golden Hurricane 48-16 to clinch the West Division title.

Houston leads the nation in points per game, scoring 52.7 points per contest, behind their top-ranked pass attack. SB Nation Houston’s BJ Kissel broke down how important Keenum has been to the Cougars dominance:

It’s almost impossible to talk about this game and not have the focus be on the Cougars’ starting quarterback Case Keenum and the season he has been having. He’s thrown for 4,726 yards this season on a 73 percent completion percentage, throw in 43 touchdowns and just three interceptions and you have the reason why he is a Heisman trophy hopeful.Southern Miss has had a strong season in its own right, losing just twice to Marshall on Sept. 10 and UAB two weeks ago.