And The Games Continue.,....

If I had to pick one company to sponsor my bowl game, I personally wouldn't choose a restaraunt chain with a name like Beef O'Brady's. But, the organizers of this game have done just that, and tonight, we'll see they can deliver, as Louisville and Southern Missisppi kick off at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
Tonight's game starts a string of four straight days with one bowl game, and after an excruciatingly long (for some, that is) two-day break from college football, why not tune in tonight??

Examining both teams on paper, Louisville has had a fairly unremarkable .500 season, with an OT loss to South Florida and non-conference defeats to bowl-eligible Kentucky and a 5-7 Oregon State team. The major blemish on their record is a 35-27 loss to a four-win Cincinnati squad in which their secondary was burned for five scores through the air-that game says alot about the talent level on that side of the football.

The Cardinals do have some offensive firepower, though. Going into their late-season showdown with West Virginia, they were the Big East's top rushing squad, and even after that game, they still boast the nation's 30th-best ground attack, with a per-game average of nearly 181 yards. RB Bilal Powell will be the Cardinals' workhorse tonight, as he's carried the ball 211 times this year, at nearly 7 yards a pop.

Southern Miss, on the other hand, finished second in Conference USA's East Division, and also has a potent  offense-they ranked 15th in the country in average points for. As a team, they also rank in the top third in two other categories as well, and have thrown the ball over 30 times in all but two contests this year. QB Austin Davis will chuck it early and often in this one as well, which usually works for Southern Miss-they've won seven games in which they scored thirty or more points this season, and against vulnerable Cardinal defensive backs, I expect that to continue. On paper, the Golden Eagles can definitely throw, pass, and put points on the scoreboard.
Their Achilles' heel lies in their inability to stop any opposing offense-in their four losses, they've given up 40-plus  points. If Louisville pounds the rock like they did throughout the season, and Southern Miss unleashes their full offensive arsenal, the fireworks will fly in St. Petersburg tonight. My prediction: So will the Golden Eagles.

--Beau