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Perennial Power Nebraska and Conference USA Co-Champion, TCU, visit "The Rock" and trips to Cal and Alabama highlight the 2003 football slate
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Six home dates for the second year in a row and second time in 21 years, including Big 12 perennial power Nebraska and Conference USA co-champion and Liberty Bowl champion, TCU, along with first-year Conference USA member South Florida, winners of nine games last season, highlight the home portion of the 2003 schedule.

Six road dates, including a season-opening trip to Pac-10 member Cal, a contest at Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and a game with Conference USA Co-Champion, Cincinnati, highlight the 2003 road schedule.

The Golden Eagles are scheduled to host Nebraska on Sat., Sept. 20. The date has not been finalized. Officials with ESPN and both schools are considering a possible date change to secure the largest audience possible for a special national telecast. A possible third televised game, along with times will be released on a later date.

“For the second year in a row, we are pleased to have six quality football games in Hattiesburg next fall." Southern Miss Director of Athletics Richard Giannini said. "Three of the six teams played in bowl games last year, and the series with Memphis is a rivalry game. The South Florida series is turning into a rivalry, and Louisiana-Lafayette is one of the longest running series in our football history. The schedule is broken down into four games before an open date, then two more games before an open date, and then the season will finish with four-of-six games at home, which benefits us from a competition standpoint.

"We're excited about having a home game with Nebraska from the Big 12 Conference and the ESPN Thursday night home game with Conference USA Co-Champion TCU, giving the Southern Miss football program outstanding national attention. The rating that ESPN receives with a Thursday night game is truly a benefit to our football program."

The 2003 schedule consists of four teams that received bowl invitations in 2002, and the combined overall record for the 12 opponents is 78-71(.534), including a 34-29 non-conference record. TCU finished with a 10-2 record, Alabama was 10-3 and South Florida was 9-2 to round out the three best records. Southern Miss holds a combined 131-86-4 overall series record against the 2003 schedule.

The Golden Eagles open the 2003 schedule with two road games at Cal (8/30) and the Conference USA opener at UAB (9/6). The season opener at Cal marks the first road season opener since the 2000 season when Southern Miss opened at Tennessee. It also marks the first game against a team which hails from the Pac 10 Conference, and the third time the Golden Eagles have travelled to play in the state of California, having played San Diego State twice before. This will be the second year in a row that Southern Miss has played at UAB and fourth game in a series in which the Golden Eagles lead 3-0.

The Black and Blue series will resume in Hattiesburg for the second-straight year when Memphis and Southern Miss play for the 54th time on Sept. 13, in Southern Miss' longest-running series. The Golden Eagles will tangle with the Cornhuskers on Saturday, Sept. 20., for the second game in the series. Nebraska won the first meeting between the two schools on Sept. 18, 1999, in Lincoln, Neb. This meeting with Nebraska also marks the sixth year in a row that Southern Miss will have played a team which hails from the Big 12 Conference.

The Golden Eagles travel to Co-Conference USA champion Cincinnati on Oct. 4 and at Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Oct. 11, before having the second open week on Oct. 18. The series with Cincinnati is tied at 7-7 after the Golden Eagles won the 2002 meeting in Hattiesburg, 23-14. Cincinnati scored 20 fourth-quarter points to come from behind and defeat Southern Miss, 27-24, in the last meeting at Nippert Stadium during the 2000 season.

Southern Miss hosts first-year Conference USA member South Florida on Oct. 25, in the third game of the series that is tied at 1-1. The Golden Eagles won the first meeting in Hattiesburg during the 2000 season, 41-7, and South Florida escaped with the win during the 2002 season, 17-14, in Tampa, Fla. The long-time series with Louisiana-Lafayette resumes again with the 50th meeting between the two schools in Hattiesburg on Nov. 1. The Golden Eagles lead the series 37-11-1 after winning the last six in a row against the Ragin' Cajuns.

Southern Miss travels to Houston on Nov. 8 for the seventh meeting in a series that the Golden Eagles lead 4-2. USM narrowly escaped with a 6-3 victory the last time the two teams met in Houston during the 2000 season. Southern Miss defeated the Cougars, 58-14, the last time the two teams met during the 2001 season in Hattiesburg.

The Battle for the Bell is rekindled on Nov. 15, when Tulane comes to Hattiesburg for the 25th meeting in a series that started in 1979. The Green Wave defeated Southern Miss, 31-10, in New Orleans this past season, after the Golden Eagles won 13 out of 15 meetings prior to the 2002 game. TCU comes to Hattiesburg for the second time on Thursday, Nov. 20, and the two teams play for the fifth time overall in the series that started in 1989, resumed during the GMAC Bowl in 2000 and been going on ever since TCU became a member of Conference USA in 2001.

The season closes out with a Thanksgiving weekend contest at conference-rival East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. This marks the 29th meeting in the series that started in 1951. The Golden Eagles post a 21-7 series advantage over the Pirates, having won the last two meetings and the past six out of seven.

"Our schedule, once again, is attractive, featuring four bowl teams, conference rivals and outstanding non-conference opponents." Southern Miss Head Football Coach Jeff Bower said. "Nebraska, an outstanding football team that goes to bowls and plays for national championships, is coming to Hattiesburg for a game that is sure to receive national attention. TCU, last year's Conference USA Co-Champion and Liberty Bowl Champion, will also come to Hattiesburg for a Thursday night ESPN game, which will give our program additional national attention. The road games at Cal and Alabama, the rivalry games with East Carolina, Memphis and UAB and bowl teams Cincinnati and Tulane make our schedule an exciting one, not only for our fans and supporters but for the city of Hattiesburg."

Season ticket information will be mailed prior to the spring game on April 12, and the season ticket priority deadline will be May 30, 2003.