Tropicana Field (28,000/FieldTurf)
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Television
ESPN
Rece Davis, Lou Holtz, Mark May and Rob Stone
National Radio
ESPN Radio
Dave Lamont and JC Pearson
Louisville Radio
WHAS-AM 840 (flagship)
THE GAME
The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg debuted in 2008 when USF was a 41-14 winner against Memphis … The game is played at Tropicana Field, which is home to Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays … The facility has hosted the World Series, Stanley Cup playoffs, the NCAA Final Four and arena football … The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl is the only college football game played at the site … The bowl pairs the BIG EAST representative against an opponent from Conference USA … This year’s game will be the 29th meeting between Louisville and Southern Mississippi … The Golden Eagles have a 19-8-1 series lead, but the Cardinals have won the last four meetings … Louisville head coach Charlie Strong and Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora coached together at Florida from 2003-04 when Strong was the Gators’ defensive coordinator and Fedora was the offensive coordinator.
BEEF ‘O’ BRADY’S BOWL ST. PETERSBURG HISTORY
12-20-08 USF 41, Memphis 14
12-19-09 Rutgers 45, Central Florida 24
LOUISVILLE (6-6)
Head Coach
Charlie Strong (Central Arkansas ’82)
6-6, first season at Louisville
6-7, first full season as collegiate head coach
NOTES
Louisville is making its first postseason appearance since the 2006 season after the Cardinals became bowl-eligible in their final regular-season game Nov. 26 at Rutgers … Louisville’s last bowl appearance was a 24-13 win against Wake Forest in the 2006-07 FedEx Orange Bowl … The Cardinals had appeared in nine straight bowl games from 1998-2007 … Louisville is 6-7-1 all-time in bowl games and has won two of its last three … Head coach Charlie Strong shared the BIG EAST Coach of the Year award with Connecticut’s Randy Edsall after taking the Cardinals to the postseason in his first year at Louisville … Louisville had not played in a bowl game in the three years prior to Strong’s arrival … The Cardinals lead the BIG EAST in rushing, entering the postseason with an average of 180.4 rushing yards per game … RB Bilal Powell ranks second in the BIG EAST, and 10th nationally, in rushing at 120.9 yards per game … Powell ran for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns in the regular season … QB Justin Burke is expected to start behind center against Southern Miss … Burke replaced QB Adam Froman, who had started the first eight games before suffering a leg injury against Pittsburgh … Burke has completed 55 of 97 passes for 612 yards and eight touchdowns against three interceptions … TE Cameron Graham was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team after leading the Cardinals in receptions (37) and receiving yards (439) … CB Johnny Patrick (five interceptions) also was an All-BIG EAST First Team pick … SS Hakeem Smith, who leads the Cardinals with 80 tackles, was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.
2010 RESULTS
|
September
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
Kentucky
|
L
|
16-23
|
|
11
|
Eastern Kentucky
|
W
|
23-13
|
|
18
|
at Oregon State
|
L
|
28-35
|
|
October
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
at Arkansas State
|
W
|
34-24
|
|
9
|
Memphis
|
W
|
56-0
|
|
15
|
CINCINNATI
|
L
|
27-35
|
|
23
|
CONNECTICUT
|
W
|
26-0
|
|
30
|
at PITTSBURGH
|
L
|
3-20
|
|
November
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
at SYRACUSE
|
W
|
28-20
|
|
13
|
USF
|
L
|
ot 21-24
|
|
20
|
WEST VIRGINIA
|
L
|
10-17
|
|
26
|
at RUTGERS
|
W
|
40-13
|
|
December
|
|
|
|
|
21
|
vs. Southern Mississippi
|
8 p.m.
|
|
BIG EAST games in CAPS
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (8-4)
Head Coach
Larry Fedora (Austin ’85)
22-16, third season
NOTES
Southern Mississippi finished the regular season at 8-4 overall and 5-3 in Conference USA … Southern Miss is making its ninth consecutive bowl appearance and its 13th postseason trip in the last 14 years … Southern Miss is 9-11 all-time in bowl games … The Golden Eagles have registered their 17th consecutive winning season … Southern Miss ranks 15th nationally in total offense (458.2 yards per game) and has scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive games … The Golden Eagles have scored at least 40 points in seven of their last eight games … Southern Miss has scored points in 26 consecutive quarters and two overtime periods … QB Austin Davis has completed 259 of 410 passes for 2,898 yards and 18 touchdowns with six interceptions … Davis has rushed for 436 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns as well … RB Kendrick Hardy is the leading rusher with 855 yards and seven TDs … RB Desmond Johnson has rushed for 509 yards and seven TDs … WR Johdrick Morris and WR Kelvin Bolden bring nearly identical numbers into the postseason … Morris has 46 catches for 663 yards and four touchdowns, while Bolden has 41 receptions for 667 yards and six TDs … K Danny Hrapman is the leading scorer in Conference USA with 129 points (26-30 FG, 51-51 PAT) … The Golden Eagles rank 13th nationally in rushing defense (113.3 yards per game) … LB Korey Williams has a team-high 80 tackles with three sacks and 11 tackles for loss … DE Cordarro Law has team highs of six sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles … S Justin Wilson leads the team with four interceptions.
2010 RESULTS
|
September
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
at South Carolina
|
L
|
13-41
|
|
11
|
Prairie View A&M
|
W
|
34-7
|
|
17
|
Kansas
|
W
|
31-16
|
|
25
|
at Louisiana Tech
|
W
|
13-12
|
|
October
|
|
|
|
|
2
|
MARSHALL
|
W
|
41-16
|
|
9
|
EAST CAROLINA
|
L
|
43-44
|
|
16
|
at MEMPHIS
|
W
|
41-19
|
|
30
|
ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM
|
L
|
ot 49-50
|
|
November
|
|
|
|
|
6
|
at TULANE
|
W
|
46-30
|
|
13
|
at CENTRAL FLORIDA
|
W
|
31-21
|
|
20
|
HOUSTON
|
W
|
59-41
|
|
26
|
at TULSA
|
L
|
50-56
|
|
December
|
|
|
|
|
21
|
vs. Louisville
|
8 p.m.
|
|
Conference USA games in CAPS
