A week ago, Southern Miss was coming off its second bye week, looking to make a statement in the first of its final four tests in November.
USM (6-3, 4-1 C-USA) defeated the University of Alabama-Birmingham in a dominant performance in all three aspects of the game.
In the postgame news conference following the game, USM coach Jay Hopson said it will be important for USM’s defense to play at a high level if the Golden Eagles want to remain in the hunt for a spot in the Conference USA championship game.
"I feel like you're going to see this defense play really well over the next month," Hopson said.