Louisville @ Southern Mississippi preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 10, 2009 ) Southern Mississippi 23, Louisville 25

The Skinny: Southern Miss doesn’t always make its way into the national spotlight, but it certainly knows how to win. The 2010 campaign marked the 17th straight winning season for the Golden Eagles. They will be familiar with their opponent in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl, with Louisville and Southern Miss splitting seven C-USA titles between 1996-2004 before the Cardinals left for the Big East.

Louisville has been in a free fall basically since Bobby Petrino did his dance with the NFL and left the program. Enter Charlie Strong this season and some low expectations. But Strong has proven to be the right man to resurrect the program, leading the Cardinals back to a .500 record that includes a 26-0 victory over BCS-bound Connecticut and a 40-13 pasting of Rutgers in the regular season finale that made them bowl eligible.

Strong, who was named co-Coach of the Year in the Big East, decided to lean on an under-appreciated group of seniors instead of starting a complete rebuild and was rewarded with a defense that played hard and kept the team in games and an experienced offense that pounds the ball behind the best offensive line in the Big East.

Point Spread: Southern Miss +2.5. Over/Under 57.

Southern Miss’ Edge: A defense that carried the team early in the season slacked off over the back half, putting more pressure on the offense. Thankfully, quarterback Austin Davis was up to the task, thanks in part to a strong rushing attack that ranked 21st in the country while averaging 203.4 yards per game.

Southern Miss also ranked in the top-20 nationally in turnover margin and rushing defense, which should make for a nice matchup with the Cardinals’ strength.

Louisville’s Edge: Bilal Powell. A first-team all-Big East performer this season, Powell used his blend of size and speed to rush for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns. The offensive line certainly works to his advantage, with Powell possessing the speed and vision to hit the holes his line opens and the patience to wait for those holes to develop.

The Quarterbacks: Southern Miss relies heavily on Austin Davis both in the passing game and on the ground. Davis finished the season strong, passing for eight scores and rushing for four more while throwing only one interception over the last four games. On the season, the junior passed for 2,898 yards and 18 scores while chipping in 10 rushing touchdowns.

Louisville has some questions going into the bowl at the most important position, as senior Adam Froman is getting over a thigh bruise and his backup, senior Justin Burke dealing with back spasms. No matter who starts, the goal is to get the ball to Powell or tight end Cameron Graham. Froman took the bulk of the snaps and averaged 204 yards per game through eight games while throwing 11 touchdowns.

NFL Prospects: Southern Miss - DT Anthony Gray, DT John Henderson, S Justin Wilson. Louisville - TE Cameron Graham, RB Bilal Powell, CB Johnny Patrick

Bowl History: Southern Miss - The Golden Eagles are 9-11 all-time in bowl games and will be making their ninth straight bowl appearance. They most recently lost the 2009 New Orleans Bowl, 42-32, to Middle Tennessee. Louisville - The Cardinals are 6-7-1 all-time in bowl games but have not been invited to one since beating Wake Forest, 24-13, in the 2006 Orange Bowl - the school’s only trip to a BCS Bowl.

Etc.: Louisville cornerback Darius Ashley was arrested and charged with DUI on December 2 and his status for the bowl game has yet to be determined.