The Wiz of Odds

Southern Mississippi

Larry Fedora has plenty to work with as he begins his second season as coach of the Golden Eagles Sixteen starters return, eight on each side of the ball. Quarterback Austin Davis will try to build on his freshman season, when he passed for 23 touchdowns and rushed for nine more. Receiver DeAndre Brown had a spectacular freshman season, catching 67 passes for 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns. But Brown suffered a gruesome injury to his right leg in the New Orleans Bowl and has not been cleared to participate in contract drills. Thanks to Kirstin and Nicole! Poster designed by Old Hat Creative.

Southern Mississippi Receiver on Road to Recovery

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DeAndre Brown's recovery from a gruesome fracture of his left tibia in New Orleans Bowl last December is nothing short of miraculous. The 6-foot-6 Southern Mississippi receiver is no longer using crutches and now walks with a large protective boot. He is on course to play this fall.

Brown lost 30 pounds after surgery was performed to insert a rod into the leg and has been steadily putting on weight. He is now 221 pounds and has improved his bench press from 315 to 340 pounds.

"Hopefully, I can come back out there and make a few crushing blocks and run a couple of people over," he said.

Graphic Video of Injury to Southern Miss Receiver

This video comes with a strong warning. Southern Mississippi freshman receiver DeAndre Brown suffers one of the most gruesome injuries of the season, a fracture of his lower left leg, during Sunday night's New Orleans Bowl.

Update: Brown had surgery overnight. "The surgery went smooth. It went as well as possible. The doctors inserted a rod in the leg and we expect a full recovery," coach Larry Fedora said. Brown will not participate in spring drills.

Also, D.J. Schneider has posted a collection of not-for-the-faint-of-heart injury videos on Redux. There are 13 videos, but be advised, some of these are difficult to watch.

Southern Mississippi

The Larry Fedora era at Southern Mississippi kicks off Saturday night when the Golden Eagles play host to Louisiana Lafayette. Fedora replaced Jeff Bower, who was forced out after 17 seasons. Bower's departure was controversial, considering his tenure at Hattiesburg was longer than all but three coaches in Division I-A — Penn State's Joe Paterno (42), Florida State's Bobby Bowden (32) and Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer (21). Bower's only losing seasons came in 1991 and '93. Thanks to Zac at Old Hat Creative.