Southern Miss returns to the postseason in Heart of Dallas Bowl

Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl
Washington (6-6) vs. Southern Miss (9-4)
Dallas
Dec. 26, 2015

Welcome back to the postseason, Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles used to be a bowl game staple, going to 16 straight from 1996 to 2011, but they hit a three-season lull where they won just four combined before this renaissance that has them back in familiar territory.

Southern Miss is coming off an unexpected Conference USA West Division title and though it was blown out in the championship game by Western Kentucky, the Golden Eagles proved they are more than a formidable foe.

Southern Miss is a rare team that excels on both sides of the ball. It’s allowing opponents to average 364 yards per game and 24.2 points per game while ranking sixth in the country in total offense with 520 yards per game and 40.6 points per game.

The Golden Eagles are led by quarterback Nick Mullens, who has thrown for 4,145 yards and 36 touchdowns while completing 63.4 percent of hi passes.

That’s why Washington’s defense will have to be at its best on Saturday. The Huskies rank 12th in the country allowing just 17.8 points per game and have allowed just nine passing touchdowns this season.

The Washington offense seemingly came to life toward the end of the season as the Huskies scored a combined 97 points in its final two contests to earn bowl eligibility. However, neither Oregon State nor Washington State had the type of defense the Huskies are going to see Saturday.

For Washington, a win in the Heart of Dallas Bowl would give coach Chris Peterson his first bowl win as the head coach of the Huskies.

Picks

Graham: I wanted to pick Southern Miss in this game, but the tank job against WKU in the C-USA final gave me doubts. I think the Golden Eagles will have a tough time against this stout Washington defense. Washington 31, Southern Miss 14.

Nick: Middling Pac-12 team or top Conference USA team? Last year’s game between the Big Ten and Conference USA went to C-USA. Let’s go with the small guys again. Southern Miss 23, Washington 20.

Sam: Washington QB Jake Browning got better as the year progressed, but so did Southern Miss as a team. Todd Monken has done a great job rebuilding this program, and getting to 10 wins would be a nice accomplishment. Southern Miss 27, Washington 23.

For more Southern Miss news, visit BigGoldNation.com.

For more Washington news, visit TheDawgReport.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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