Southern Miss back in AP Poll after 7-year absence

A seven-game winning streak has ended Southern Mississippi's seven-year absence from The Associated Press Top 25. The Golden Eagles entered the national poll at No. 25 on Sunday, one day after beating East Carolina 48-28. ''It's good to be noticed,'' Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora said. ''Our guys have a special type of chemistry that comes with a lot of maturity. We're excited, but we also understand there's a lot more that we want to accomplish. There are plenty of teams that were in the AP poll earlier this season that have fallen out of it.'' Southern Miss now has an 8-1 record and is all alone in first place of Conference USA's Eastern Division with a 4-1 league mark. The Golden Eagles were last ranked in the AP Top 25 on Oct. 31, 2004. Southern Miss stumbled early in the season with a 26-20 road loss to Marshall on Sept. 10, but hasn't lost since. The Golden Eagles have dominated the past five games, winning by at least two touchdowns against Rice, Navy, SMU, Texas-El Paso and East Carolina. Fedora's four-year coaching tenure has always produced plenty of points, but it's an improved defense that's lifted the Golden Eagles into national relevance. Southern Miss scored four non-offensive touchdowns in Saturday's victory against East Carolina, including two on defense and two on special teams. Jamie Collins scored on a 97-yard interception return and Deron Wilson returned another interception 79 yards for a touchdown. Tracy Lampley scored on a 60-yard punt return and Emmanuel Johnson scooped up a blocked punt and ran 15 yards for the touchdown. ''Our defense and special teams are really playing at a high level,'' Fedora said. ''It's the product of a lot of hard work.'' The Golden Eagles are also getting healthy. Desmond Johnson returned from a knee injury on Saturday, rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown in his first action since the season opener against Louisiana Tech. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound junior entered the season as the team's No. 1 back and now joins Jamal Woodyard, Jeremy Hester and Lampley in a deep backfield. ''It was great that Desmond was able to knock off some rust,'' Fedora said. ''He made a few really good runs and it was great to see him out on the field, because we're going to need every man possible over these final games.'' USM hosts Central Florida (4-5, 2-3 C-USA) on Saturday at Roberts Stadium.