CBS SportsLine wire reports
Sept. 19, 1998

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Even with his playing time limited, Dante Hall was too much for Southern Mississippi.

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Hall, bothered by back spasms since preseason practice and by a sore calf the last week, scored two touchdowns in his first four carries Saturday, sparking No. 17 Texas A&M (2-1) to a 24-6 victory.

Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum said he didn't expect Hall to play and under ordinary circumstances he probably would have spent the day on the sidelines. But the Aggies' offense was struggling and leading rusher D'Andre Hardeman was suspended indefinitely.

"We were looking for a little spark, and he said he could go so we gave him a try," Slocum said.

TEXAS A&M HAD JUST FOUR first downs and two field goals when Hall entered the game late in the first half. Two plays later, he broke four tackles and sidestepped one last defender on a 44-yard TD run that gave Texas A&M a 14-0 lead.

After Jason Webster intercepted a deflected pass and returned it 33 yards to the Southern Miss 25 in the third quarter, Hall returned to the game and carried twice to score again. He followed a 9-yard gain with a 16-yard TD run on which he bounced off a defender at the line and then broke outside.

"I strained the muscle early in the week, but it felt better as the game went on," said Hall, who rushed for 76 yards on just eight carries. "I got some great blocks, and after making the cut that got me one-on-one with a defender toward the end.

"This was one of those days when everything seemed to work right," he said.

Southern Miss, which was No. 21 in the preseason poll, is 0-2 for the first time since 1976. The Eagles dropped their opener 34-6 at No. 8 Penn State two weeks ago.

Dante Hall forgot about his aches and pains Saturday and became a pain in the neck to Southern Miss' defense. (AP)

The Eagles had five turnovers, three of which led to Texas A&M scores. They avoided their first home shutout since 1984 when Lee Roberts threw a 7-yard touchdown to Sherrod Gideon with 53 seconds left in the game.

"WE COULDN'T PROTECT at all. In the first half, we couldn't run the ball," Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower said. "Offensively, it's hard to play with emotion when you can't get much going."

Southern Miss actually outgained Texas A&M 176 yards to 171. Texas A&M drove more than 25 yards on just two of its 16 possessions, and Southern Miss had no drive of more than 41 yards until going 73 yards for its only touchdown late in the game.

Russell Bynum kicked the first of his three field goals for A&M midway through the first quarter, a 31-yarder three plays after Ronald Flemons recovered a fumble at the Southern Miss 6.

Bynum's second field goal, from 41 yards with 9:46 left in the first half, came after Branndon Stewart was sacked for a 9-yard loss. But Stewart hit Chris Cole for gains of 25 and 20 yards on the drive, and Burnest Rhodes had a 3-yard run as the Aggies converted on fourth down for the sixth consecutive time this season.

Hall's injury added to the pregame problems for Texas A&M's running game. Hardeman, who had all four of the Aggies' rushing TDs in the first two games, was suspended indefinitely prior to the game and Sirr Parker is still slowed by ankle and hamstring problems.

HALL SHOWED NO SIGNS of his physical problems when he finally entered the game. He carried for seven yards on his first play and two plays later broke loose for his first touchdown. Parker ran for the 2-point conversion.

"Losing Tiki (Hardeman), we wanted to react good," A&M tight end Dan Campbell said. "Dante ran good, he looked good. You give him a crack, maybe just a foot, and he runs through it."

Roberts, who was 19-of-36 for 142 yards, threw two of his three interceptions in a span of three offensive plays in the third quarter.

Jay Brooks came up with the interception tipped by teammate Brandon Jennings at the 8, but A&M punted after Parker lost six yards on three carries. Southern Miss got the ball back for only two plays before Webster's interception.

"Our defensive line was the key to our defense. ... They came through and put a lot of pressure on the quarterback, which allowed us to make some big plays," A&M linebacker Warrick Holdman said.