1953 Mississippi Southern Southerners football team

The 1953 Mississippi Southern Southerners football team represented Mississippi Southern College (now known as the University of Southern Mississippi) in the 1953 college football season. The team played in the Sun Bowl against Texas Western.[1] The Southerners compiled a 9–2 record, and outscored their opponents 280 to 122. They were ranked for three weeks in the AP poll, and defeated a top 5 Alabama team that won the SEC to begin the season.

1953 Mississippi Southern Southerners football
Sun Bowl, L 14–37 vs. Texas Western
ConferenceIndependent
Record9–2
Head coach
Home stadiumFaulkner Field
Seasons
← 1952
1954 →
1953 Southern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Arkansas State     8 0 2
Delaware     7 1 0
Maryland State     7 1 0
Mississippi Southern     9 2 0
Navy     4 3 2
Memphis State     6 4 0
Florida State     5 5 0
Tampa     6 6 0
Miami (FL)     4 5 0
Sewanee     3 5 0
Marshall     2 5 2
Chattanooga     3 7 0
Louisville     1 7 0
Virginia     1 8 0

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 18at No. 5 AlabamaW 25–1914,500[2]
September 26Parris Island MarinesW 40–0[3]
October 3Tampa
  • Faulkner Field
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 42–67,000[4]
October 10at Southwestern LouisianaNo. 20W 41–14[5]
October 17Southeastern LouisianaNo. 18
  • Faulkner Field
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 7–0[6]
October 31at Memphis StateNo. 19L 13–27[7]
November 7Florida State
  • Faulkner Field
  • Hattiesburg, MS
W 21–0[8]
November 14at Louisiana TechW 30–07,000[8]
November 21GeorgiaW 14–024,000[9]
November 26at ChattanoogaW 33–197,000[10]
January 1, 1954vs. Texas WesternL 14–3712,000[11]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

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  1. ^ "1953 Football Schedule". Southern Miss. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  2. ^ "Red Drew has no alibis for 25–19 Bama defeat". The Huntsville Times. September 20, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Mississippi Southern wins over Parris Island Marines by 40–0". The Clarion-Ledger. September 27, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Mississippi Southern beats Tampa". The Tampa Tribune. October 4, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Mississippi Southern crushes SLI, 41–14". The Daily Advertiser. October 11, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Mississippi Southern keeps record intact with 7–0 victory over Southeastern Lions". The Clarion-Ledger. October 18, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Southern bowl hopes fade in 27–13 defeat". The Clarion-Ledger. November 1, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "Mississippian eleven topples Seminoles in 21 to 0 setback". Tallahassee Democrat. November 8, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Pepper and McElroy lead Southern to win over Georgia". The Clarion-Ledger. November 22, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Moccasins play inspired ball, but lose to Mississippi Southern 33 to 19". Chattanooga Daily Times. November 27, 1953. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Miners down Mississippi Southern, 37–14". The El Paso Times. January 2, 1954. Retrieved March 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.