Southern Miss still is tough on defense

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They are fresh off an impressive victory against NC State. And on paper at least, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles likely will be favorites for the second consecutive year when they face UCF in the Conference USA opener for both teams.

But Southern Miss Coach Jeff Bower isn't ready to call his team the favorite to repeat its 52-31 winning performance of 2005 yet.

Kyle Hightower: Sentinel Staff Writer