1980 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

American college football season

1980 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Independence Bowl champion
Independence Bowl, W 16–14 vs. McNeese State
Conference	Independent
Record	9–3
Head coach	Bobby Collins (6th season)
Home stadium	M. M. Roberts Stadium
Seasons ← 1979 1981 →

1980 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 2 Pittsburgh		–		–		11	–	1	–	0
Tennessee State		–		–		9	–	1	–	0
No. 5 Florida State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 8 Penn State		–		–		10	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Notre Dame		–		–		9	–	2	–	1
No. 18 Miami (FL)		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–		9	–	3	–	0
Navy		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
South Carolina		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–		8	–	4	–	0
Boston College		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Rutgers		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
UNLV		–		–		7	–	4	–	0
Tulane		–		–		7	–	5	–	0
Colgate		–		–		5	–	4	–	1
North Texas State		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
Villanova		–		–		6	–	5	–	0
West Virginia		–		–		6	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Richmond		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–		5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Illinois State		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Temple		–		–		4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–		3	–	7	–	1
Holy Cross		–		–		3	–	8	–	0
Cincinnati		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Memphis State		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
William & Mary		–		–		2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–		1	–	9	–	1

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern Mississippi as an independent during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth year under head coach Bobby Collins, the team compiled a 9–3 record.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at Tulane		Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, LA (rivalry)		W 17–14	44,698	^[2]
September 20	Louisiana Tech		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS (rivalry)		W 38–11	24,640	^[3]
September 27	at East Carolina		Ficklen Memorial Stadium Greenville, NC	WITN	W 35–7	20,037	^[4]
October 4	vs. Ole Miss		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS		W 28–22	47,211	^[5]
October 11	at Mississippi State		Scott Field Starkville, MS		W 42–14	36,211	^[6]
October 18	Arkansas State		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 35–0	21,915	^[7]
October 25	No. 1 Alabama	No. 20	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)		L 7–42	60,210	^[8]
November 1	Lamar		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 36–10	30,485	^[9]
November 8	Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL		L 0–31	56,800	^[10]
November 15	Richmond		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		W 33–12	17,320	^[11]
November 22	Louisville		M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS		L 3–6	21,210	^[12]
December 13	McNeese State		Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl)		W 16–14	42,600	^[13]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

^ "1980 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
^ "Southern rallies to best Tulane 17–14". The Greenwood Commonwealth. September 7, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Mississippi upends LaTech". The Times. September 21, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "'Sammy Winder night' gives USM easy win". Hattiesburg American. September 28, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southern whips Rebels again". Enterprise-Journal. October 5, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "42–14: USM hands out a 'Dog-whippin'". The Clarion-Ledger. October 12, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Nasty Bunch stifles ASU, makes USM triumph easy". Hattiesburg American. October 19, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bama clobbers Southern Miss". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 26, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Golden Eagles route Lamar". The Greenwood Commonwealth. November 2, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tigers dominate USM in homecoming victory". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 9, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "S. Mississippi rips Richmond 33–12". Daily Press. November 16, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Betz sits in slop, watches as his kick wins for U of L". The Courier-Journal. November 23, 1980. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Southern Miss wins Independence Bowl". Daily Press. December 14, 1980. p. D3. Retrieved March 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

v t e Southern Miss Golden Eagles football
Venues	Kamper Park (1912–1931) M. M. Roberts Stadium (1932–present) Ladd Stadium (alternate, 1950–1974) Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (alternate, 1952–1988)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Louisiana Tech: Rivalry in Dixie Memphis: Black and Blue Bowl Tulane: Battle for the Bell
Culture & lore	Seymour d'Campus "Southern Mississippi to the Top" Pride of Mississippi Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917–1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold