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Sun Belt, community proved themselves in bowl
Dec 22, 2005
Author: Dan McDonald
Sun Belt, community proved themselves in bowl
Arkansas State lost control of game late to Southern Miss.
Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

The final score may have been in double figures, but Arkansas State's football team acquitted itself and represented the Sun Belt Conference well in Tuesday's New Orleans Bowl at Lafayette.
So, for that matter, did the local community.


The attendance of 18,338 was more than most anticipated for the game relocated in October following Hurricane Katrina. And ASU's Indians were a lot closer to Southern Mississippi's defending bowl champions going into the fourth quarter than most anticipated.

But a turnover early in the fourth quarter set up the Golden Eagles' final score, and by that time ASU had run out of comeback magic after tying the game three earlier times.
The Indians also didn't have answers for the one-two combination of Eagle running back Cody Hull and tight end Shawn Nelson, who teamed for 282 yards and three scores in USM' 31-19 win.

"Shawn made some big plays at critical times and that was key to us winning," said Eagle coach Jeff Bower. "I didn't anticipate we were going to give Cody the ball 37 times, but we were able to control the clock with him running the football."

Nelson, named the game's Most Outstanding Player, had two touchdown grabs in the second half from quarterback Dustin Almond.

"Shawn stretches the field for us and makes big plays," said Almond, who finished with 253 yards passing.

Hull had a New Orleans Bowl record 161 rush yards on a bowl-record 37 carries, while Nelson set a bowl record with his 121 receiving yards.

"The tight end hurt us several times making big plays," said ASU coach Steve Roberts. "We have them third-and-11 with five minutes to go in the game and if we make a stop we're still in the game, but he came up with another big play. I thought they really got their running game going in the second half."

USM's defense also rose to the forefront in the final two quarters. Except for one 80-yard ASU march, the Indians totaled only 34 offensive yards.

"We weren't playing Southern Miss football in the first half," Almond said. "We came out in the second half with a higher level of intensity."

That defense bedeviled ASU quarterback Nick Noce, who threw for 213 yards and a score and also scrambled his way for 55 rush yards and one score. His mobility gave him almost as many rush yards as the Indians' normally-potent tailback combination of Antonio Warren and Shermar Bracey combined.

"They were giving me some room playing the pass," said Noce, whose bootleg just before halftime tied the game at 10. "Getting that touchdown was a good motivator, but give credit to Southern Miss because they played an excellent second half."

Noce actually was ahead of the bowl game record for total offense before a late sack. In all, USM recorded four sacks.

"I thought we played well defensively," Bower said. "Their quarterback really hurt us running the football. Our plan was to stop the run and we did a good job with that."




Originally published December 22, 2005

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