INSIDE SLANT

Explosive wide receiver DeAndre Brown is peaking at the right time and has Southern Miss in the hunt for a conference championship.

The sophomore caught three passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, including a 95-yarder, as the Golden Eagles (7-4, 5-2 C-USA) set up an East Division showdown with East Carolina by beating Tulsa (4-7, 2-5) on Saturday in stormy Hattiesburg.

The winner of next week’s game between the Golden Eagles and Pirates in Greenville, N.C., will represent the division in the Dec. 5 league title game.

Brown was the nation’s top freshman in 2008 with 67 grabs for 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns before suffering a broken leg in the New Orleans Bowl victory against Troy. He missed the 2009 opener and did not have his first 100-yard game until Saturday, but still leads the team with 36 catches for 575 and seven scores.

“I was trying to help the seniors out by trying to get that win and giving them something to remember for their final game here,” Brown said. “A lot of people have said I haven’t shown my speed yet, but tonight I showed that I still have it.”

His 95-yard touchdown in the third quarter was the second-longest of his career. He hauled in a school-record 97-yarder in last season’s 21-3 victory against East Carolina.

“We’ve been saying week in and week out that he’s close to being back,” head coach Larry Fedora said. “I know some people think he can’t run as well. I know he feels pretty good about where he’s at. He played a heck of a game.”

NOTES, QUOTES

• Southern Miss can earn a spot in the C-USA championship game with a victory Saturday at East Division-leading East Carolina, which has won eight of its last nine home games vs. league opponents. The Golden Eagles, who last won their division in 2006, have not lost in Greenville, N.C., since 1994.

• The game against Tulsa was delayed for 50 minutes in the fourth quarter due to lightning.

• The Golden Eagles finished the season unbeaten at Roberts Stadium (6-0) for the first time since 1999. They also improved to 36-4 since 2001 when scoring at least 30 points.

Game Ball Goes To:   QB Martevious Young—He completed 12-of-21 passes for 276 yards and a career-high four touchdowns (12, 34, 60 and 95 yards) and rushed 11 times for 59 net yards. In his last four games, he has thrown 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

Keep An Eye On:   RB Damion Fletcher—He needs 123 rushing yards to record his fourth straight 1,000-yard season, something only seven others in FBS history have done. With 5,164 career yards, he needs 14 more to pass two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin of Ohio State (1972-75) for 10th place.

Quote To Note:   “We’re ecstatic about getting the win at home for our seniors. (To go 6-0) is something that’s never been done in the history of the school and there have been a lot of great teams here. We’re honored to do that.”—Southern Miss head coach Larry Fedora.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Looking Good:   The defense forced three more turnovers, boosting the season total to 25 with multiple takeaways in nine games. Sophomore DeAndre Brown made his three receptions count, racking up a season-high 135 yards with a 34-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter and a 95-yarder in the third. RB Tory Harrison extended his streak to six straight games with a rushing TD. LB Ronnie Thornton (16), CB Andre Watson (15) and LB Martez Smith (13) had double-digit tackles. Peter Boehme averaged 46.8 yards per punt with a long of 63.

Still Needs Work:   Tulsa rolled up 589 yards against the defense, which had no answer for speedy WR/KR Damaris Johnson (320 all-purpose yards) and FB Charles Clay (162 yards from scrimmage, four touchdowns). Southern Miss converted just 3-of-12 third downs and hurt itself with nine penalties (72 yards) and a missed extra point.

Roster Report:  

• DE Cordarro Law has thrived since replacing the injured Roshaad Byrd in the starting lineup five games ago. He forced two fumbles and recorded a sack against Tulsa and leads the defense with 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

• True freshman Tracey Lampley notched his first career touchdown reception with a 12-yard score in the second quarter. He also has scored TDs this season on the ground and on punt and kickoff returns.