HATTIESBURG — One Bowl Championship Series foe down and now another is in sight for unbeaten Southern Miss.

Last Saturday at M.M. Roberts Stadium, the Golden Eagles (3-0) rallied from a 34-17 deficit with seven minutes left in the third quarter to upend the Virginia Cavaliers, 37-34. The win marks the fourth time in six tries Southern Miss has beaten a BCS team in Hattiesburg. The previous three victims included Oklahoma State, North Carolina State and Ilinois.

Next up is a trip to No. 20 Kansas (3-0) this Saturday in Lawrence.

Former Warren Central product and current USM safety Chico Hunter, was just glad to get a win over the Atlantic Coast Conference-based Cavaliers.

“I’m not really thinking about Kansas. I just want to celebrate a win over Virginia,” Hunter said.

Hunter and his secondary mates got a lot of work against Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell. Sewell carved up the Golden Eagles for three quarters, throwing for two touchdowns and running for two more. He finished 24-of-46 for 312 yards.

“He was really good. Big, strong guy,” Hunter said of Sewell, who returned after missing all of last season for unspecified reasons. Sewell led Virginia to a 9-4 season and a win in the 2007 Gator Bowl.

Facing a top-flight quarterback like Sewell should help the Golden Eagles prepare to face Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing. The Jayhawks went 8-5 with Reesing under center last year and are off to a 3-0 start this season. Reesing has completed 66 of 102 passes for 806 yards and six touchdowns.

“Kansas looks real good on film,” added Southern Miss defensive end Terrance Pope, whose sack of Sewell with 1:30 left put the Cavaliers in a tough third-and-19 bind that they were unable to recover from. “Sewell was real solid and Reesing is just as good, maybe, better. ”

The Golden Eagles, however, will have confidence following its 17-point comeback said tailback Damion Fletcher, whose 10-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter broke the school record for career touchdowns with 40.

“To beat a Virginia, a big school from the BCS, is big for us. Now, we can focus on Kansas,” said Fletcher, who finished with 115 yards and two touchdowns.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com