The Bowl After-Effects
Hey gang – Jenna Laine reporting! Hopefully you all enjoyed your time in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida. I had an absolute blast covering the Bowl game; plus all of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Week festivities! It was so much fun being a part of the excitement on the field, although my favorite place of all was the Bud Light Lounge. When you watched other college bowl games, you didn’t see anything like it! From the location of the seating (right behind Southern Miss’s bench), the buffet-style all-you-can-eat food & drinks (and dessert), the plush leather couches, flat screen TV’s, AND having the ESPN Broadcast booth just overhead – sitting in the Bud Light Lounge made for an incredible experience!
Interviewing Devon & Jennifer, who won their tickets to the Bud Light Lounge in a contest put on by Beef 'O' Brady's.
The game itself was a real treat for the fans. Southern Miss jumped on the board early with two touchdowns in the first quarter, but Louisville came roaring back to tie it up just before halftime. Needless to say, this made the atmosphere at Tropicana Field absolutely ELECTRIC!
My two favorite plays of the game:
1. U of L’s 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Jeremy Wright.
2. USM quarterback Austin Davis’ on-arm touchdown CATCH! Davis’ two touchdowns gave him 53 touchdown passes in his three-year career; making him Southern Miss‘s new all-time career TD pass leader; just ahead of Brett Favre & Lee Roberts! WOW!
The Cards clinched a lead in the fourth quarter on a 36-yard field goal by Chris Philpott with 6:30 remaining – a lead the Cards would not relinquish. The Cards ran down the clock in the final 3;30 to win the Third Annual Bowl 31-28. Seeing elated Cards coach Charlie Strong get a celebratory Gatorade bath “up close” was a very special moment for me. More moving was seeing the Louisville seniors take turns hoisting the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl trophy overhead; particularly when running back Bilal Powell had his turn. His arms were shaking and his face began to quiver. You could tell it was a very emotional moment for him – he played his heart out.
Many of the seniors like Powell and Tight End Cameron Graham were recruited after Louisville’s magical 2006 season, when the #6 Cards won the Orange Bowl over Wake Forest. Yet they waited four years before the school would return to a College Bowl game – what a thrill for them!
I spoke to Graham after the game on what the victory meant to him. His 11-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Justin Burke gave the Cards the momentum after a sluggish start. Yet, he attributed it all to Coach Strong.
While the last three years have been rocky for U of L, a Bowl win gave this program some much needed momentum. The future looks bright for guys like wide receiver Josh Bellamy, a St. Petersburg native and former JUCO standout. Like Louisville’s football team, Bellamy’s path to success hasn’t been on the straight and narrow, but he persevered.
Related posts:
- Southern Miss Accepts Conference USA spot in 2010 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg
- Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl Recap of Fun!
- My Life & Times with Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl
- UCF vs. Southern Miss; Predict the Score and Win
- Game of the Week Recap: Houston Avoids a Close Call, Pittsburgh Extends to 8-1
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