HATTIESBURG — The defense came to play in Southern Miss’ 2017 Black and Gold Spring Game, leading to a 14-7 victory for the Gold squad on Saturday afternoon inside The Rock.

The two teams were decided by a draft between coaches earlier in the week. Southern Miss also welcomed back former head coaches Jeff Bower and Bobby Collins to take control of the two squads.

It took until the final minutes of the second half for some points on the board, and it came via an eight-yard connection from Kwadra Griggs to Korey Robertson just inside the left pylon. 

Keon Howard made quite the impression in back-to-back plays in the third quarter, first finding Isaiah Jones for an easy 47-yard completion and then Trevor Terry in space for a 24-yard, catch-and-run touchdown in which he dodged a few tackles before the endzone. 

Gold won the game in the final minute when linebacker Jeremy Sangster picked off a pass at the midfield logo and ran untouched for a score.

There were two other interceptions in the game, one each tossed by starting quarterbacks Howard and Griggs. The first one was a Tarvarius Moore running grab and the second a diving snag from Xavier Marion, just moments after he prevented a long Tez Parks run with a shoelace tackle.

The biggest highlight for the Golden Eagle fans in attendance was Jordan Mitchell’s one-handed grab in one-on-one coverage as he ran down the field, resulting in a 42-yard connection from Griggs. Chase Whitehead also had a 41-yard reception as part of a three-catch day.

Four Golden Eagles led the way with three catches apiece in Mitchell (87 yards), Jones (80), Whitehead (58) and Allenzae Staggers (62). Keon Howard’s passing line was 12-for-24 and 199 yards, while Griggs was 15-for-25 for 207.

Aside from the three interceptions, other strong defensive plays included Walden Davis stepping in to blow up a screen attempt early in the game and Rachuan Mitchell breaking up a pass in the corner of the endzone in his solo coverage.