Tigers can't see in the dark

              The Southern Miss Golden Eagles had a successful return to the Rock with a 36-16 victory over the Memphis Tigers.

              "Its good to get back on that side of the column," head coach Larry Fedora said.  "It was good to be at home at the Rock -- great crowd tonight.  That was probably the most complete game that we've played."

              Special teams stood out especially, accounting for one touchdown and the setup of another.

              "We really feel good about our return game," said Fedora. "I thought they did an excellent job tonight. They made plays when they needed to make plays."

              One of the biggest players in the special teams was Tracy Lampley, who had 53 punt return yards with a touchdown in the game. Lampley was quick to thank his blockers.

              "I took plenty back in high school," said Lampley. "I have to thank the ten guys out there on the punt return team with me for making those holes for me and letting me catch the ball and make some plays."

              The Southern Miss running game also did its part in the victory, with running backs Damion Fletcher and Tory Harrison scoring three of the team's five touchdowns.

              "They did a nice job running the football tonight," said Fedora.  "Offensive line has to get credit. We did a much better job of being efficient running the football."

              The defense also stepped up, containing Memphis receivers Carlos Singleton and Duke Calhoun and minimizing their big gains.

              "It was a real big thing," safety Eddie Hicks said.  "[Singleton] and Calhoun are two big playmakers on their offense.  Stopping the jump ball is what we practiced all week."

              The Southern Miss defense was able to contain Memphis running back Curtis Steele early on, even though he finished the game with 136 total yards, but no scores.

              "It started with our defensive line," linebacker Martez Smith said.  "Hats off to them because they did an awesome job tonight."

              One of the momentum-changing plays for the defense was linebacker Korey Williams' stop of Curtis Steele on a goalline stand for the Eagles.

              "Great teams make plays on the goal line like that," Williams said. "Great defenses."

              Next week the Eagles will attempt to have another balanced game at home for Homecoming against the Tulane Green Wave.