Virginia survived a back-and-forth slugfest Saturday, scoring four runs in the 10th inning to defeat Southern Miss 15-11 in an NCAA Tournament elimination game at the Hattiesburg Regional.
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The win had special meaning to Liberty Head Coach Hugh Freeze, a 1992 Southern Miss graduate. Willis added 97 rushing yards on 12 carries, and his rushing touchdown gave him seven total touchdowns. Southern Miss quarterback Tate Whatley (52 yards rushing, 188 yards passing) rushed for a Williams Stadium record-tying four touchdowns and added a passing touchdown. After Liberty held each of its previous three opponents to below 100 rushing yards, the Golden Eagles totaled 215 rushing yards. Southern Miss scored with less than a minute left to set the final score.
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“I want to beat Southern Miss. I have fond memories of being at Southern Miss, meeting my wife there and so many dear friends there that I met but … you want to win,” Freeze said. Southern Miss hasn’t played since Oct. 3, having had two games postponed due to COVID issues. And just Tuesday, Southern Miss announced that interim head coach Scotty Walden tested positive for the virus. And we have a game with Southern Miss on Saturday, we don’t entertain the possibility it could be canceled.
