BY TOM GROESCHEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Too many penalties. Too many turnovers.

Too much rain. Not enough rain.

UC defender Shawn Ferguson, right, interferes with Southern Miss's Eddie Shaw in the fourth quarter, setting up the deciding TD. (Doug Cochran photo) | ZOOM |

All contributed to the University of Cincinnati losing 24-17 to No. 24 Southern Mississippi on Saturday at Nippert Stadium. A chilled Homecoming crowd of 23,799, UC's largest of the year, watched through intermittent rains.

UC (6-3, 1-3 Conference USA) was mathematically eliminated from the eventual six-game league race. The Bearcats cling to faint hopes for a postseason bowl game, should they beat Louisville and East Carolina in their final two games.

The Bearcats committed two pivotal pass-interference penalties in the second half, with both yellow flags keeping Southern Miss touchdown drives alive. UC also made three turnovers, the last of which was a game-ending interception in the end zone by Southern Miss.

''You can't turn the ball over and have as many penalties as we did (six overall) and expect to win,'' UC coach Rick Minter said. ''We were our own worst enemies.''

It was a weird weather game that began in mid-afternoon with rain, cleared briefly with sunshine, turned ugly with torrential downpours, then finished with clear skies under the stadium lights.

USM'S Harold Shaw fumbles a handoff on the Eagles' goal line in the first quarter. UC's DuJuan Gossett, lower right, recovered for a TD. (Doug Cochran photo) | ZOOM |

''I thought, going in, that the bad weather would be in our favor because they have a more pass-oriented offense,'' Minter said. ''But that did not prove to be the case.''

Southern Miss quarterback Lee Roberts, who has now thrown a touchdown pass in 14 straight games, used the clear-weather windows to throw two TDs to wideout Sherrod Gideon. The last, a 3-yarder with 5:55 remaining, proved to be the clincher.

League leader Southern Miss (6-2, 4-0 C-USA) rallied from a 17-7 third-quarter deficit, and took another step toward icing the Liberty Bowl bid accorded the C-USA champ.

UC players lamented the opportunity to beat the first nationally ranked team they played this season.

''We played well enough to win,'' said fullback Landon Smith, who scored one touchdown. ''We just made some careless mistakes.''

The Bearcats had 341 total yards to 285 for Southern Miss. UC thumped the nation's No. 11 rushing defense for 261 ground yards, but had only 80 passing.

USM quarterback Lee Roberts reacts in dismay as UC players celebrate Gossett's fumble recovery and TD. (Doug Cochran photo) | ZOOM |

Quarterback Chad Plummer led UC rushers with 133 yards, setting a school record for his position with his third career 100-yard rushing game. But Plummer, thanks partially to the rain and wet ball, completed only 8-of-31 passes for 80 yards with two interceptions.

''It was hard to throw, because the ball stays wet and the receivers can't get out of their cuts as fast,'' Plummer said. ''But the footing was pretty good for the most part.''

Plummer made no excuses, and needed none since he was UC's best offensive weapon. But the Bearcats continue to show signs of being a player or two short, which Minter freely admits.

For instance, starting tailback Daryl Royal did not play most of the second half because of a nagging toe injury. He rushed 14 times for 62 yards (4.4 per carry) before exiting.

UC also lost receiver Jason Collins-Baker, who was the team's leading receiver with four catches, to an unspecified injury in the fourth quarter.

USM's Shaw, who rushed for 142 yards, leaps over UC's Gossett. (Doug Cochran photo) | ZOOM |

UC took a 10-7 lead to halftime when senior placekicker Eric Richards made a career-long 50-yard field goal. The Bearcats made it 17-7 when Smith scored from 7 yards out early in the third period. USM's Harold Shaw, who rushed for 142 yards, cut the gap to 17-14 with a 2-yard run midway through the third period. The Golden Eagles clinched it on Roberts' pass to Gideon in the fourth period with 5:55 left.

In the end, UC faced first-and-10 at the Southern Miss 15-yard line with four seconds left. Plummer drifted back and fired toward wideout Cornelius Bonner in the end zone, but Southern Miss cornerback Patrick Surtain intercepted.

If nothing else, the Bearcats again gave fans their dollars' worth. UC has had six straight games go down to the final minutes, with a 4-2 record in that span. But they have lost two of the last three.

''We've lived by the seat of our pants a little bit,'' Minter said. ''At the end, we were squeezed out of breath.''

PLUMMER WON"T PASS UP CHANCE TO RUN Tim Sullivan column
GAME STATISTICS

SEASON IN STORIES