Bowl season kicks off Saturday with six games, with Southern Mississippi set for the nightcap.
The Golden Eagles (6-6) will meet Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl at 8 p.m at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Southern Miss will be playing in its fifth New Orleans Bowl, holding a 3-1 record there. It is the fifth New Orleans bowl for the Ragin’ Cajuns in six years.
It's the first matchup between the two teams since 2008. The Golden Eagles hold a 38-11-1 advantage in the series and are 38-4-1 since 1930.
The two teams will face off in a game that pits two teams with plenty of similarities against one another. Both squads feature a strong run game on offense and both bring in a defense ranked in the top 40 in the FBS.
Perhaps more than that, though, while Southern Miss and Louisiana-Lafayette may have struggled at times this season, both teams finished strong to reach bowl eligibility. The Ragin’ Cajuns needed to win their last two games to get to six wins, while the Golden Eagles had to beat Louisiana Tech on Nov. 25 to hit the same plateau.
“Both teams really showed a lot of grit at the end,” USM coach Jay Hopson said. “I think both teams did what they had to do at times when it looked like the odds were against them. But, yeah, that should be a story line in this game because that’s what it’s all about.”
After a nine-win season a year ago, Southern Mississippi gained bowl eligibility in its regular-season finale, beating Conference USA West Division champion Louisiana Tech on 342 yards passing from Nick Mullens. Despite missing three games, the veteran quarterback threw for 2,926 yards and 22 touchdowns in 10 games. His 86 career TD passes are a school record.
Hopson said Mullens is back at full strength after the talented gunslinger dislocated a bone in his right (throwing) thumb in a 55-32 loss at Texas-San Antonio on Oct. 8 and then suffered a concussion later in the season.
“It’s the most amazing thing from a quarterback that I’ve seen,” Hopson said. “He was throwing some balloon balls out there, but the bottom line is that’s the competitor in him. He’s a young man who kept fighting and battling. … (Now) he’s 100 percent.”
One of Mullens’ targets is Greenwood sophomore Korey Robertson, who ranks fourth on the team in receptions with 32 for 388 yards and three touchdowns. The former Greenwood High School standout has played in all 12 games and started in four.
The Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette played consistently on defense all season — led by linebackers Otha Peters and Tre’maine Lightfoot — but the offense has finally shown signs of life, said coach Mark Hudspeth. Running back Elijah McGuire has had three consecutive seasons of rushing for at least 1,000 yards (215 carries, 1,028 yards this season), and Jennings, the LSU transfer, finally seems to be settling in.
Although the bowl game is flying below the radar, both teams’ fans bases are within 130 miles of New Orleans and should travel well.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow on Twitter:@Bill_Burrus.
