Southern Miss will take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Sunday, December 20 at 7pm in the Louisiana Superdome. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
With the selection of MTSU, bowl officials eliminated the chance of a rematch of last year's game between USM and Troy. Bowl officials worked with the Sun Belt Conference and made arrangements for Troy, the Sunbelt champion to go to the GMAC Bowl to face MAC champion Central Michigan.
The Blue Raiders (9-3) finished second in the Sun Belt. Their three loses were to quality opponents (Clemson, Mississippi State and Troy). Middle Tennessee led by quarterback Dwight Dasher, who is ninth nationally in total offense averaging 298.3 yards per game. This will be the Blue Raiders first bowl appearance since the 2006 Motor City Bowl.
The Golden Eagles will be making its second consecutive appearance in the New Orleans Bowl and has a 3-0 record in the game.
This will be a great matchup between two good football teams. Dasher is similar to UAB's Joe Webb. For those who don't remember, Webb gave the USM defense fits earlier this season in UAB's victory over the Golden Eagles.
This is an easy trip for a large majority Golden Eagle fans, so there only a few acceptable excuses not to be at the game. Take advantage of the great restaurants, seasonal hotel deals and the entertainment New Orleans has to offer. Smart fans will come in a day early and checkout the Saints play the Cowboys on Saturday night (December 19). Get tickets to the bowl game or the Saints/Cowboys game here.