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FACTS & STATS: Site: Marshall University Stadium (38,016) -- Huntington, West Virginia. Television: CSS. Home Record: Southern Miss 1-0, Marshall 0-0. Away Record: Southern Miss 0-0, Marshall 0-1. Neutral Record: Southern Miss 0-0, Marshall 0-0. Conference Record: Southern Miss 0-0, Marshall 0-0. Series Record: Southern Miss leads, 5-1.

GAME NOTES: Southern Mississippi will travel to Huntington, West Virginia this weekend to meet Marshall in the Conference USA opener for both teams.

Southern Miss wasn't expected to go down to the wire last weekend against Louisiana Tech in the season opener in Hattiesburg, but that is what happened. Tropical Storm Lee brought a torrential downpour to the game, and the Golden Eagles relied on a 49-yard field goal by Danny Hrapmann with 2:32 remaining to secure a 19-17 win over the Bulldogs. Head coach Larry Fedora continued to taste success at home against non-league opponents, as the win gave him a 6-1 record.

Marshall had a thunderous start in the Coal Bowl against West Virginia in Morgantown, as Andre Booker returned a punt 87 yards for an early 7-0 lead. Everything went downhill from there for Marshall however, as West Virginia built a third quarter lead before the game was delayed for over three hours due to inclement weather. Play resumed, but the game was eventually called at the 14:36 mark of the fourth quarter, with the Mountaineers ahead 34-13.It was a sour start to Doc Holliday's second year at the helm for Marshall, who are now 0-8 when playing in Morgantown against its in-state rival.

Southern Miss leads the all-time series 5-1 against Marshall, including last year's 41-16 win in Hattiesburg.

The Golden Eagles put up a disappointing seven points in the first half in a game that was dictated by inclement weather. Quarterback Austin Davis completed 21-of-37 passes for 226 yards, which was his 23rd 200-yard passing game of his decorated career. He also led the team in rushing with 51 yards on nine carries. But the offense never had momentum, gaining a modest total of 379 yards and punting six times, which kept Louisiana Tech around for much of the game, as did two turnovers (including one interception from Davis).

The Southern Miss defense, on the other hand, turned in a stellar night and wasn't as sluggish overall as the offensive unit. The defense was on the prowl from the beginning, generating 12 tackles for loss, with 3.5 of those coming from C-USA Defensive Player of the Week Cordarro Law, who also had two sacks against the Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech was held scoreless in the first half, but was clean with the football, not giving up any turnovers. The Bulldogs, who started true freshman Nick Isham at quarterback were held to 244 yards of total offense. One of the C-USA's best running backs, Louisiana Tech's Lennon Creer, was held to 53 yards on 17 carries (3.1 ypc) and finished with one score.

Marshall received a huge boost in the arm following Booker's first quarter punt return against West Virginia. The offense didn't inherit great field position against the Mountaineers, and only put together three drives into West Virginia territory, none of which resulted in a touchdown. Holliday has a young team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Freshman quarterback Rakeem Cato went 15-for-21 for 115 yards in his first collegiate start, and sophomore running back Tron Martinez led the ground attack with 76 yards on 10 carries. Projected starting quarterback AJ Graham is still nursing an ankle injury and his status for a return to the lineup remains unknown. Booker was the most potent player on the field for the Thundering Herd, as he finished with 180 all-purpose yards on the night.

Defensively, Marshall struggled to contain Mountaineer quarterback Geno Smith. As one of the Big East's best signal callers already, Smith showed even more polish in just three quarters of play against Marshall, completing 26-of-35 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Marshall forced a three-and-out on the first possession, and West Virginia came back with a vengeance, scoring 20 unanswered points on the next four possessions. The silver lining was that Marshall showed signs of a team that will get into opposing backfields in 2011, as the Thundering Herd recorded nine tackles for 32 yards of loss.

Southern Miss should get back on track offensively against Marshall's defense, as Davis is a player capable of being the best in the Conference USA. The Golden Eagles have to be delighted in their defensive performance in the season opener. Expect the unit to get after Marshall's freshman signal caller Cato this weekend, should he start in place of Graham again.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Southern Mississippi 38, Marshall 21