Bowl Practices Begin Thursday Night for Golden Eagles
12/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - With final exams for the fall semester out of the way, the Southern Miss football team began its preparations for the 2015 Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl here Thursday night at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
The Golden Eagles, which sport a 9-4 record and a Conference USA West Division championship, went through their first practice for about an hour and a half in helmets and shorts to begin prep work against their Pac-12 opponent in the game, Washington.
For third-year Southern Miss coach Todd Monken, who was named the C-USA Coach of the Year on Wednesday, the extra practice time gives his team not only the opportunity to get ready for its bowl game, but also the opportunity to help the program's younger players develop as they head into next season.
"I really liked our energy tonight," said Monken on his team's first bowl practice. "We just put the helmets on and had a short little go. This is a great time during these first few days of keeping our ones fresh, but getting our twos (ready). These guys are going to be back and we are able to get them a lot of reps and get them to compete. That is something that we missed the last three years without being in a bowl game. It's big for those (younger) guys and big for us as a staff."
The Golden Eagles return to the practice fields Friday afternoon with bowl practice No. 2.
The Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl against the Huskies takes place Saturday, Dec. 26, at 1:20 p.m. (CT), at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Tickets for the game can be purchased online at SouthernMissTickets.com, over the phone at 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or in person at the Pat Ferlise Ticket Office weekdays from 8 a.m., until 5 p.m.