Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl at TradeWinds for Beach Bash

Sunday, December 19th

Jenna Laine Reporting! Had a blast on Saturday night at Jannus Live and now the Beach Bash at TradeWinds Island Resorts with Southern Miss and Louisville! It’s been an amazing two days. I can’t wait for the Bowl Game on December 21 at Tropicana Field. Kick-off at 8pm. On ESPN!

I just got back from Beach Bash, and boy was it CHILLY! The St. Petersburg area has experienced some unusually cold weather in the last week, with temps in the 40s. The wind on the water sure makes it feel a lot colder! Thankfully, the teams didn’t mind. I’m sure it beats Louisville and Hattiesburg’s weather right now. Beach Bash featured large water slides, arcade-style basketball, inflatable bounce-house sumo wrestling, and a series of contests by the pool to get the competitive juices flowing. Apparently, Coach Strong won the “Sexiest Legs Contest.” The Cards also won the dance-off.

My favorite event was the belly-flop contest though, although most of the players were apprehensive to get wet. Southern Miss offensive lineman Darius Barnes won (go figure at 6ft 4, 315 lbs he wins it). Seems like his ‘pancake blocks’ came in handy! I also got the chance to chat with Southern Miss’s Coach Larry Fedora today. I’m impressed with the way this program had no drop-off when he took over in 2008, with the team appearing in its ninth consecutive bowl game. I also think that having such a balanced attack on offense and a ‘running back by committee’ system could pose an advantage for the Golden Eagles, even against a stingy Louisville defense that produced two shutouts this year.

If there’s a weakness to the Cards, it’s stopping the run. U of L allowed, on average, 142.2 yards on the ground this season. Meanwhile, Southern Miss averaged over 200 yards per game.

In the holiday spirit, just wanted to take a minute to say how blessed I am each day. I wake up and get to pursue something I truly love. Having a moment with Coach Fedora to reflect on football and life is why I always wanted to be a sports journalist.

Learn more about the title sponsor Beef ‘O’ Brady’s! They have a very cool web site!

And, check out TradeWinds Island Resorts, a one-of-a-kind destination on world-renown St. Pete Beach.

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Related posts:

1. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl at Jannus Live Welcome Party
2. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Introducing Jenna Laine
3. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl at Kickoff Luncheon with NFL Hall-of-Famer Kellen Winslow
4. My Life & Times with Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl
5. The Bowl After-Effects

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