Idaho
(8-3 record; Chris Tormey, 4th year) |
Southern Miss
(7-4 record; Jeff Bower, 8th season) |
School's Bowl Record: 0-0
Coach's Bowl Record: 0-0
Last Bowl Appearance: None
Record in Humanitarian Bowl: First appearance |
School's Bowl Record: 1-1
Coach's Bowl Record: 2-3
Last Bowl Appearance: December 1997 Liberty Bowl (beat Pittsburgh 41-7)
Record in Humanitarian Bowl: First appearance |
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Offensive Stud |
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Joel Thomas, RB, Sr. (227 carries, 1,202 yards, 16 TDs): The 5-foot, 6-inch back got a sixth year of eligibility thanks to a medical redshirt and was one of three players to share Big West offensive player of the year honors
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Sherrod Gideon, WR, Jr. (66 catches, 1,186 yards, 13 TDs): Owns most of the school's receiving records
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Defensive Stud |
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Ryan Skinner, LB, Sr. (115 tackles): A first team All-Big West selection
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Adalius Thomas, DE, Sr. (12.5 sacks): Conference USA's defensive player of the year, he has the school career sack record with 25.5.
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Player to Watch |
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Chris Nofoaiga, LB, So. Second team All-Big west, he led the team in sacks
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Derrick Nix, RB, Fr. (226 rushes, 1,180 yards, 10 TDs): Led the conference in rushing
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Key Stats |
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The Vandals are 19th in the country in total offense at 444.1 yards per game.
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Averaging 398 yards per game in total offense, 34th in the country but only 4th in the conference. However, they are averaging 539 yards per game in its last two contests.
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Surprise Stat |
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They have allowed 162.5 yards per game in rushing, good for second in the conference but just 65th in the nation.
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Idaho was the odds-on choice to finish last in the Big West at the beginning of the season.
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1998 Turning Point |
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Down 6 in overtime in the season finale against Boise State, Thomas ran for a TD, then scored the winning 2-point conversion on a trick play to clinch the Big West title and a berth in the Humanitarian Bowl.
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The Golden Eagles were 1-3 when they faced Louisville and QB Chris Redman, who had thrown for 431 yards the week before. They scored 21 points in the first quarter and held Redman to a season-low 201 yards passing in a 56-21 rout. Southern Miss lost just one more game after this point.
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Key to Victory |
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Making sure the defense can stop the Golden Eagles' weapons and avoid a possible shootout. |
Need to continue their hot offensive streak as well as stopping Idaho's ground game.
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Outlook |
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The Vandals are riding an emotional high by making their first bowl. They could ride that wave and their productive offense to pull off an upset.
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Southern Miss has a very effective offense and could have enough defense to shut down high-powered Vandals. The question is how happy will the team be considering they're playing in Boise.
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