HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss overcame a 17-point deficit at halftime to beat Virginia 37-34 in a home game at M.M. Roberts Stadium on Sept. 19, 2009, according to the university’s athletic department.
Trailing after a tough first half, the Golden Eagles scored two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to secure their eighth straight victory at the time. Virginia’s visit marked its only game ever in Hattiesburg.
Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora praised his team’s resilience after the game. “I think it says a lot about our team,” Fedora said. “I knew that we would not quit. I knew we would play all the way to the end.”
The Golden Eagles’ offense entered the game averaging 507.5 yards per contest but managed only 344 yards against Virginia. Damion Fletcher rushed for 115 yards, and Tory Harrison added 101 yards — one of just 24 games in school history with two players exceeding 100 yards on the ground. Fletcher scored on a 6-yard run in the first quarter and a 10-yard touchdown in the fourth. Harrison’s 57-yard run sealed the victory.
Quarterback Austin Davis completed 14 of 26 passes for 130 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown to Ryan Hanks in the third quarter. Freddie Parham sparked the rally in the third quarter with a 3-yard kickoff return touchdown, prompting Virginia coach Al Groh to call it a momentum changer. “Clearly that was a momentum changer,” Groh said.
Virginia took an early lead, with a 69-yard pass from Jameel Sewell to Tim Smith and two field goals. Sewell also scored twice on short runs, helping the Cavaliers build a 27-10 lead at halftime. Sewell finished 24 of 46 for 312 yards and threw two touchdowns.
Southern Miss had struggled early, committing turnovers and penalties that allowed Virginia to establish a 13-0 advantage after the first quarter. The Cavaliers’ lead grew as Sewell’s 4-yard run extended their lead before halftime. The game concluded a three-game homestand for the Golden Eagles, who had previously beaten Alcorn State and UCF.
Virginia’s only visit to Hattiesburg ended in defeat, marking a memorable upset in Southern Miss’s 2009 football season.
