Miami Beach Bowl
South Florida (8-4) vs. Western Kentucky (11-2)
Miami, Florida
Dec. 21, 2015
The inaugural Miami Beach Bowl (and subsequent brawl) will be hard to top, but the 2015 version features a pretty intriguing matchup.
South Florida head coach Willie Taggart was on the hot seat early this year, but his Bulls turned things around in a big way by winning seven of their final eight games after a 1-3 start.
USF’s turnaround came on the shoulders of two speedy sophomores – quarterback Quinton Flowers and running back Marlon Mack. With Flowers (883 yards, 10 TDs) and Mack (1,273 yards, 8 TDs) leading the way, the Bulls boast the nation’s 11th-best rushing attack.
The running game makes the offense go, but Flowers can toss it around, too. He finished the year with 2,023 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air, and threw only two interceptions in his team’s final six games. He also completed nearly 70 percent of his passes in consecutive wins over Temple, Cincinnati and UCF.
The USF offense needs to operate at a high level to keep pace with Western Kentucky, Taggart’s alma mater and previous head coaching gig.
The No. 25 Hilltoppers won Conference USA with a perfect 8-0 record in league play. WKU’s only two losses came to Power Five opponents Indiana and LSU.
Led by standout senior quarterback Brandon Doughty, the Hilltoppers have one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 519.8 yards (10th nationally) and 44.2 points (fourth) per game. Doughty (4,594 yards, 45 TDs) led the nation in touchdown passes for a second straight season while becoming the only quarterback in FBS history to throw for 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in consecutive seasons.
Doughty has a slew of dependable targets at wideout, led by Taywan Taylor (79 catches, 1,363 yards, 17 TDs) and Jared Dangerfield (76 catches, 752 yards, 7 TDs). The Hilltoppers lost star running back Leon Allen to a knee injury early in the year, but the combination of Anthony Wales (986 yards, 7 TDs) and D’Andre Ferby (604 yards, 11 TDs) filled in admirably. Tight end Tyler Higbee, a first team All-C-USA selection, is not expected to play after injuring his knee in the conference title game against Southern Miss.
Expect plenty of offense in this one.
Picks
Graham: Actually think this will be a better game than advertised. WKU’s offense won’t have an easy time against an underrated USF defense. I think USF pulls off the stunner 24-21.
Nick: It's up to WKU and USF to not establish the Miami Beach Bowl as the brawling bowl. I have confidence they can do it. And Brandon Doughty will throw some TD passes. WKU 34-21.
Sam: South Florida got better and better as the season progressed, but the Bulls haven't seen an offense as explosive as Western Kentucky's. Doughty's career will end on a high note in a Hilltoppers win. WKU 41, USF 31.
For more USF news, visit RunningTheBulls.com.
For more Western Kentucky news, InsideHilltopperSports.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
