University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Bower: South Florida "Much Improved"
10/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Bower: South Florida "Much Improved"
Hattiesburg, Miss. - An off week has added zest to this week's Southern Miss football practices, and another quality opponent coming up continues to add importance to each of those practices.
Head Coach Jeff Bower's Golden Eagles take on South Florida Saturday night, in Tampa, Fla., and Bower says this year's version of the Bulls is a much different one than the team Southern Miss beat 41-7 midway through the 2000 season. "I think they're a really good football team, much improved over the one we faced a couple of years ago," Bower said.
"When you watch the tape, you're impressed with them. They've got some outstanding players on defense, the quarterback is a heck of a player and they have quality receivers. We'll have to play really well in every aspect of the game if we want to win the game."
Bower also says the first off week of the season has been a plus for his players, who went through a lengthy fall practice session and five-straight games, before getting last weekend's break. "It helped us get some players well, and allowed the players to get a break mentally, he said. "That was important, and I think the players came back with renewed enthusiasm. We've had two really good practices this week, and need two more."
The South Florida game ends a three-game road trip that has the Eagles going from Alabama, to West Point, N.Y. (Army), to Tampa, Fla. (South Florida). The game in Tampa also will be the first for the Southern Miss football team since a P.W. Underwood team beat Tampa, 11-10, in a late-November game to end the 1974 season.
Following the South Florida game, Southern Miss will return home for an Oct. 19 homecoming game against Cincinnati, at 1 p.m., ct. A variety of events are scheduled in connection with that homecoming game, and tickets remain available at the Athletic Ticket Office in The Ferlise Center, or by calling 601-266-5418 or 1-800-844-TICK.
