It was a beautiful fall afternoon on the University of Southern Mississippi campus last Saturday.
The temperature, for a 2017 football game day, was perfect, around 70, not too warm, not too cool. Just right.
Golden Eagle fans had their tailgating areas set up, their grills were hot and the smell of barbecue wafted throughout the campus.
Those fans, and thousands more coming to the game, were all over campus, enjoying the day, enjoying the sights, enjoying the friendship of others who also enjoyed following their favorite football team.
At least one band was playing up-tempo songs right there on the lawn, getting people in the spirit.
Even Jim Carmody, a former head coach and assistant coach at Southern Miss, was on campus, in the bookstore signing books titled “Big Nasty.”
Once upon a time, when the legendary Carmody was the defensive coordinator at Southern Miss, his defensive players named themselves the Nasty Bunch. Carmody was the leader of that group, so they gave him the nickname “Big Nasty.”
The bookstore was playing a grainy black and white film of an old Golden Eagle game, adding to the 100-year-old tradition of Southern Miss football. I’ve seen a lot of games in my lifetime, starting about 1967 (Tommy Boutwell was the quarterback) but was put to shame by this lady who was watching the film, naming many of the players. I mean, I can’t tell you who No. 54 in 1982 was. But this lady could.
I rushed out of the bookstore to find a spot for the Eagle Walk. And found a good one, at the south end of M.M. Roberts Stadium, surrounded by fans who were there to see the band, the cheerleaders, the Dixie Darlings, the military unit and, of course, the coaches and the players march partway around the stadium.
Their coaches.
Their players.
As the players walked down the street, there was some polite applause. There was a little cheering.
But for the most part, I was struck by the silence of the Eagle Walk.
Not much cheering.
A few high-fives. An occasional yell. But many were just watching.
I thought it was like a funeral march.
Maybe the fans who were into loud cheering were at the beginning of the Eagle Walk. Or the end. Because they sure weren’t around me. It was the quietest pre-game Eagle Walk crowd I’d ever seen.
Two hours later, the game against UAB started. Southern Miss scored on its first play. That was exciting to the 19,101 fans at the game.
After that, UAB regrouped. And Southern Miss didn’t. UAB went on to win 30-12, and deserved the victory.
USM did not play well enough to win. The coaches said it, the players said it. No excuses.
By 9 p.m., that beautiful day for football had turned into one of those “shaking my head” type days.
The team didn’t have a good day. No doubt. The fans didn’t have a good day, either. They weren’t too excited before the game or during it. Or after it.
Of course, there weren’t many fans. Never are. The season opener against an SEC team, Kentucky, drew only 22,761. Southern (La.) had 24,337, and hundreds came to see Southern and its band. In the first Conference USA home game, against North Texas, there were 21,907. UTEP drew 21,790. And then below 20,000 for UAB,
Some fans want to join another conference. A bigger, better conference. With those attendance numbers, along with a small TV market, don’t expect it to happen.
There is hope for a beautiful Saturday one more time this season — 2 p.m. Nov. 18, when the Golden Eagles will host Charlotte in the final home game.
Southern Miss has thousands of great fans. They need to show up Nov. 18. And they need to yell for more than the barbecue.
Alan Hinton is a freelance sports journalist who has been going to Southern Miss football games for 50 years.
