An 0-12 record didn’t sit well with Southern Mississippi athletic director Jeff Hammond, who fired Ellis Johnson after one year. The Golden Eagles have already begun their search for a new coach.

Southern Mississippi becomes the second opponent Nebraska will face next year that has a new coach. Purdue fired Danny Hope Sunday.

It’s still not clear where next year’s Nebraska-USM game will be played. It’s the Golden Eagles’ home game, but New Orleans, Kansas City and even Lincoln have been bandied about as potential game locations. There’s some sense that Southern Mississippi needs more money to buy out Johnson’s contract than a home game vs. Nebraska can provide.