The Southern Miss Golden Eagles opened up the second half by going three-and-out. After the punt, Navy scored on just three plays to bring the score to 35-14. John Howell had a 25-yard run, immediately followed by a 43-yard touchdown pass from Kriss Proctor to Brandon Turner.
On Southern Miss' next drive, the Golden Eagles pounded the football and milked clock until they got to about mid-field. After that, quarterback Austen Davis hit a few passes then picked up 35-yards with his legs to get in the redzone. Davis then hit Kelvin Bolden for a 10-yard touchdown to push their lead 42-14 to cap off the 9 play drive, Davis' third touchdown pass of the day.
Navy got the ball back, needing to answer to have any hopes of staying in the game, but their drive stalled out going just 21 yards on seven plays, including another failed fourth down attempt. After turning it over on downs, Southern Miss put Navy on their heels thanks to the good field position, but wound up turning the ball over when Austen Davis fumbled the ball. Mike Stukel broke free on a 41-yard run on the ensuing Navy possession to get in the redzone. Delvin Diggs punched the ball in for the 1-yard touchdown to bring the score 41-21.
Unfortunately for Navy, Southern Miss returned the kick off 57-yard and two plays later, Quentin Pierce hit Collin Jardo for the 18-yard touchdown pass to further their lead, 49-21.
We'll be following the lead-up to this game in this StoryStream. As always, the SB Nation NCAA Football hub is your top source for college pigskin coverage.