ccs178

Hwy 49 does go right by USM and more specifically it goes right by Roberts Stadium affectionately known as The Rock amongst Southern Miss fans.

I'm glad to have y'all on board and I hope lots of you can make it to Hattiesburg when the time comes.

And this is a prime example of why I don't post here more often.

Normally I enjoy your posts because you do have a pretty good grasp of college sports, but I have to say you are dead wrong on this point. At least where you include USM. Basketball has a pretty strong tradition at Southern Miss. Admittedly, it was allowed to fall into some dark times, but the last couple of years we've been trying really hard to get back on track. Football has been king for as long as anybody can remember, but our administration has finally recognized the importance of being successful in basketball. Now, if we can just get the local fans to wake up we'd be doing quite well. It will take awhile longer before we become a regular threat for the conference championship or a regular participant in the big dance, but it is something we're striving for.

Exactly. This was my point. I'm not worked up about it or worried that Butler will leave. I've never met him or RV. I have no personal axe to grind. I just thought it was kinda crappy to encourage him to apply, regardless of who contacted whom first, only to basically cut his legs out from under him almost immediately. The theory that RV was just trying to get a buddy's name in the mix doesn't fly when he craps on him while doing it. Again, good luck on your search.

You forgot: C. Sure man, we're looking for someone with HC experience but I'll throw you in there to get your name public and almost immediately tell everybody that you aren't a contender.

Well, I don't how many friends or how much work experience you have, but I think it's pretty crappy to encourage your "good friend" to apply for a job, but then basically tell everybody else (via the internet no less) that he has no chance to get hired.

I'd agree that it is pretty cold to do that and to go on to an internet message board to announce it. C'est la vie, I guess. Good luck on your HC search.

I hear ya, Rick and I agree, but my point was to the nature of the Southern Miss fan psyche. The fickleness. The 2003 Liberty Bowl sticks out in my mind, mostly because I was there. No, it wasn't some catastrophic loss, but dang if it didn't feel that way at the time. I'll tell you, and I'm just speaking for myself, I've never really liked that motto. I've never really liked it because, for the most part, we haven't really lived by it. There is a cadre of Southern Miss fans and supporters that throw nasty fits if we even consider scheduling any "mid-major" teams for OOC games. There are lots of non-BCS teams that have approached us for a series or two. From what I understand, Troy approached us for a 2-1 deal that we turned down. The deal was to be twice in Hattiesburg and once in Mobile, AL. Mobile is less than 100 miles from Hattiesburg. For all intents and purposes, it would've been like a extra home game for USM. From what I understand, we turned it down. I'd be willing to bet that North Texas has approached us for a series. I've heard San Jose State's name thrown around too. I'm sure the list goes on and on. Personally, I see it to be a wee bit hypocritical for us to complain that SEC or ACC teams won't schedule us when we are refusing to schedule Troy or North Texas. Anyway, again I'm only speaking for myself and I'm not trying to speak for the whole Southern Miss community.

Our last blowout loss, according to the Southern Miss psyche, was to TCU and/or Cincinatti and/or Memphis in 2004. Those hit harder than any egg we dropped in the 1990's. Another blowout loss was in the 2003 Liberty Bowl. That egg hurt too much. Most Southern Miss fans remember every loss and are way too fickle when it comes to attending games. When they started promoting the game day, as well as the game, it reminded alot of our fans that it can be fun anyway. You are right though, 13 consecutive winning seasons does help matters, but keep in mind that we still struggle with our OOC games. Are our situations perfectly parallel? Certainly not, but they ain't apples to oranges either.

Agreed!

We weren't as good then either. Rather mediocre actually. It can be done, it isn't impossible.For many, many people perception is reality. Before you can change the perception of North Texas from the outside, you have to change the perception from the inside. Though if you win, just don't call it a miracle. If you win, it is earned and not divine intervention. Just my $0.02. Take it for what it's worth.

Southern Miss last played LSU in 1994 in Baton Rouge. I was at that game. It was the first away game I ever attended. We were 5-5 going into that game. That season we had lost to Virgina Tech by 10 points, Texas A&M by 24 points, East Carolina by 21 points, Alabama by 8 points and Florida by 38 points. No one gave us a chance in H3ll of winning against LSU. We finished the season with a 6-5 record after beating LSU 20-18. Because the team never gave up. Period. I've never seen a stadium so big and and so full of people empty so quickly. By contrast, the 1000 USM fans stayed in the stands. We didn't want to leave. The team cameback on the field and over to our section and we all danced and cheered. Don't give up on your team so soon, guys. It can happen. I've been there and I've seen it first hand.

No harm, no foul. To be honest, a lot of crap was slung during the time period you referenced. As a mod I had to wade through a good bit at it. It's possible that in dealing with some UNT fans that UNT got caught in the crossfire, collateral damage as it were. I do have a lot of respect for UNT though and I'm old enough to remember when Southern Miss was having to deal with the very same issues you guys are right now. If I had my way I'd schedule a series between Southern Miss and UNT. We could call it the "Rumble For The Roost" or something like that.