Another primetime, non-conference showdown with a BCS conference foe looms for Southern Miss.

Will it be a letdown? Or will it be an early testament to the talent coach Larry Fedora has accumulated at Southern Miss and the possibility of a Conference USA title and more?

Tonight at 6:30 presents an opportunity for the Golden Eagles to show their mettle against a South Carolina club that will be contending for the SEC Eastern Division title.

Two seasons in a row, the Golden Eagles ended up in the New Orleans Bowl. Considering the hype that surrounded Fedora when he took over the USM job, the results haven’t measured up with two 7-6 seasons.

“I’ve felt pressure since the day I took the job, but it’s not outside pressure I felt,” Fedora said. “It’s not from fans. That pressure comes from my house, from me. That’s just the way I am. I don’t know of anyone who’s going to put any more more pressure on me than myself.”

While his marvelous spread offense has put up extraordinary numbers, the defense has been more of a yield rather than a stop sign. Last season, the ‘D’ gave up more than 25 points per contest and yielded 261 yards per game through the air.

That’s got to improve. The Golden Eagles will have the best linebacking corps and the deepest defensive line, but the secondary will be relatively untested, a recipe for disaster in C-USA, where the spread offense is more prevalent than hippies at a Grateful Dead concert.

The offense, despite missing leading rusher Damion Fletcher and most of last year’s wide receiving corps, could be more explosive than last season’s with a healthy Austin Davis running the show at quarterback and wideout DeAndre Brown back to 100 percent.

They’ll face a South Carolina team with another excellent defense, but with an offense quarterbacked by Stephen Garcia that hasn’t exactly hit its stride. The days of the “Fun and Gun” are long over for South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier. The once-ebulliently confident Spurrier is talking like this season may be his last.

Just don’t tell Fedora that.

“We understand that South Carolina has one of their best teams they’ve had in years,” Fedora said. “We also understand what Coach Spurrier and his staff are capable of doing. But our guys are going to go out there and expect to win, just like they do every game.”

Fedora, during media day in July, was very careful to point out he didn’t want to trade barbs with the infamously acerbic Spurrier, especially playing the Gamecocks in primetime.

“I’ve got to be careful what I say,” Fedora said with a laugh. “Seriously, there is a lot of excitement in our football players. There are about 78 million college football fans and it is exciting to know that everyone will be itching to watch a college football game. Our guys are excited about the opportunity to go out and compete against South Carolina.”

When the notes of “Thus Spake Zarathusa” (the “2001, a Space Odyssey” theme) fade out and the Gamecocks take the field, it’ll be an opportunity to start this season with a huge victory.

Will the Golden Eagles take advantage?

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Steve Wilson is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. You can follow him on Twitter at vpsportseditor. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.