NEW ORLEANS — Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher notched yet another milestone in his career at Southern Miss.

But it wasn’t the way he liked.

The senior tailback joined a club of only nine rushers in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. He finished the season with 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns and was the only rusher in school history to average 100 yards per game.

“I just wish we would have come out with a win,” Fletcher said. “That’s definitely more important than individual recognition.”

He finished his career as the school’s leading rusher, running for 78 yards on 17 carries with no touchdowns in a 42-32 loss to Middle Tennessee State in the New Orleans Bowl on Sunday.

As the yards counted down, the Southern Miss crowd got behind the diminutive back and he earned the milestone on a 17-yard scamper in the final minute. The play set up a touchdown that cut it to 42-32, but a missed two-point conversion sealed the outcome.

The cheers of “Damion, Damion,” only got louder.

“It was a great feeling for me to hear the fans cheering for me in my last game,” Fletcher said. “It was great playing and being a Golden Eagle.”

Fletcher finished his career with 5,302 yards rushing and 44 touchdowns, and his name on every career rushing mark in the school’s record book.

Fletcher set the single-season mark as a sophomore with 1,586 yards, and the Southern Miss career record last season.

This season’s total of 1,015 yards was the lowest of any of his four seasons and was partly a result of missing one game with a hamstring injury.

“That’s incredible because that doesn’t happen very often,” USM coach Larry Fedora said. “We’re definitely going to miss him and each and every one of those seniors.”

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Contact Steve Wilson at swilson@vicksburgpost.com