The 1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern Mississippi as an independent during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season . In their second year under head coach Curley Hallman , the team compiled a 5–6 record.[ 1]
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.
Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 2 vs. No. 6 Florida State TBS W 30–2648,746 [ 2] September 9 Mississippi State No. 18 L 23–2634,189 [ 3] September 16 at No. 5 Auburn L 3–2483,465 [ 4] September 23 at TCU L 17–1915,839 [ 5] September 30 at No. 22 Texas A&M L 14–3158,843 [ 6] October 7 Tulane M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS (rivalry ) W 30–2118,891 [ 7] October 14 at Louisville W 16–1038,484 [ 8] October 21 at Southwestern Louisiana M.M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS L 21–2420,732 [ 9] October 28 at Memphis State W 31–718,572 [ 10] November 18 at No. 4 Alabama L 14–3770,123 [ 11] November 25 East Carolina M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS W 41–2711,189 [ 12] Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
#6 Florida State vs. Southern Miss
1
2 3 4 Total
Seminoles
10
0 13 3
26
• Golden Eagles
3
14 0 13
30
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
[ 13] [ 14]
1989 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Pos.
#
Name
Class
QB
4
Brett Favre Jr
TE
80
Anthony Harris Jr
RG
56
Chafan Marsh So
RT
78
Chris Ryals So
Defense
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
K
32
Chuck Davis
Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) Ineligible
Team players in the NFL
edit
^ "1989 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 28, 2021 .^ "S. Mississippi surprises Florida State" . The Charlotte Observer . September 3, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "State tames USM by 26–23 score" . Enterprise-Journal . September 10, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Auburn cruises past USM" . The Montgomery Advertiser . September 17, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Frogs upset Golden Eagles" . Fort Worth Star-Telegram . September 24, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Lewis breaks loose in 31–14 Aggies win" . Austin American-Statesman . October 1, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Tulane falls to USM, 30–21" . Daily World . October 8, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Hail Mary fling on last play shoots down U of L" . The Courier-Journal . October 15, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Last second field goal puts Cajuns past So. Miss. 24–21" . The Crowley Post-Signal . October 22, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Memphis State loses" . The Jackson Sun . October 29, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Early hope turns to dust for Eagles" . Hattiesburg American . November 19, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "USM goes out 41–27 winner over ECU" . Hattiesburg American . November 26, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .^ "Eagles Get A Break Vs. Seminoles (FSU Isn't Angry Over A Loss To UM)" . Sun-Sentinel . Retrieved December 30, 2018 .^ "Florida State Is Upset At Finish" . The New York Times . Retrieved December 30, 2018 .^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com" . Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.
