Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: Louisville vs. Southern Mississippi

Louisville (6-6, 3-4 Big East) vs. Southern Mississippi (8-4, 5-3 Conference USA)
December 21, 2010 8:00 PM ET ESPN

History: This will be the third year of what is now known as the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, played annually in St. Petersburg, Florida.  The first game, which was called the magicJack Bowl in 2008, saw South Florida blow out Memphis.  The second contest, which occurred post-name switch, featured a Rutgers victory over UCF.

For the fan who really doesn’t give a crap about watching the game, the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl is the place to be!  Here’s why: the Bud Light Lounge.  It’s described as a “cafe setting” at field level, in contrast to the traditional luxury box high above the action.  For $175, you can have access to a full buffet featuring pub fare and desserts, mostly courtesy of….Beef ‘O’ Brady’s!  Mmmm.  Southern Miss is the team that lucked out and will have this little oasis behind their bench.

Upon looking into other fun facts about the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, I was prompted to do a double-take that nearly loosened several vertebrae upon seeing the following headline: Kellen Winslow to be featured speaker for Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl luncheon.  What ??!!!  Then I remembered that the Kellen Winslow who came to my mind (and perhaps to yours), is only the son of Kellen Winslow, Sr.  Phew.

I couldn’t confirm whether or not they were serving Beef ‘O’ Brady’s food at the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s luncheon featuring Kellen Winslow, Sr., but I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.

The matchup between Louisville and Southern Miss will actually be the 29th meeting between the two schools, as both teams were members of Conference USA in the past.  Southern Miss leads the all-time series 18-9-1, and the teams faced off as recently as last season, a game won by Louisville.  They are scheduled to play each other again in 2012.

Louisville
A look at Louisville’s record and win-loss profile over the course of the season does not exactly make them appear to be a strong opponent.  They squeaked into the bowl realm with an end-of-season victory over Rutgers that came on the heels of tough losses to both South Florida (24-21 in OT) and West Virginia (17-10).  Prior to Rutgers, the lineup of wins on the season looked like this: Eastern Kentucky, Arkansas State, Memphis, Connecticut, and Syracuse.  Not what you would call a murderer’s row, although the win over UConn has some significance.

Louisville does feature a defense that ranked 15th in the land in terms of points allowed.  Much of the credit for the strong Cardinals defense can be given to first-year coach Charlie Strong, who has led Louisville to its first bowl game since 2006.  After winning the Orange Bowl in 2006, Louisville went into a nosedive and was picked to finish last in the Big East at the start of this most recent season, but proved the doubters wrong and have some momentum on their side now.   A focal point of Louisville’s offense will be running back Bilal Powell, who racked up 1330 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.  The quarterback situation for the Cardinals is somewhat unclear, as injuries have caused the team to use multiple starters leading up to Tuesday’s game.

Louisville/Buckeye connections: Buckeye freshman linebacker Jordan Whiting hails from Louisville, KY.  That’s all I got.

Southern Mississippi
In contrast to Louisville’s defensive strength, Southern Miss puts the 15th best offense in the country on the field, in terms of points scored per game.  The Golden Eagles’ offense in led by quarterback Austin Davis, who threw for 2,898 yards and 18 touchdowns while also contributing over 400 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on the ground.  Davis’ favorite targets through the air are Johdrick Morris and Kelvin Bolden, and the running game features multiple backs, including freshman Kendrick Hardy.

The team has had to overcome some adversity this year of a very serious nature, as three members of the defense were involved in an altercation outside a nightclub that involved a shooting.  Tragically, the shooting incident left team member Martez Smith paralyzed from the waist down.

Southern Mississippi’s signature win on the season came against #25 UCF in November, a win that brought the Golden Eagles their seventh victory on the season and promise of a bowl game.  Tuesday’s game will be the ninth straight bowl game for the team and the 13th in the last 14 years.

Southern Mississippi/Buckeye connections: Mysteriously, the first three letters of “Southern” are S-O-U, which can be rearranged to spell OSU.

Who are we picking?

• Mali – Southern Miss
• Jeff – Louisville
• Jay – Southern Miss
• Eric – Louisville
• Joe – Louisville
• Jim – Southern Miss

It’s a split decision in this matchup.  It should be a classic game of a strong offense against a strong defense between these two old rivals.