The college football bowl season is in full swing as teams begin to wrap up their year with one more matchup. On Monday South Beach is getting two teams looking to end their year's on a high note as the Miami Beach Bowl features a matchup between two teams that have shown success throughout the year. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers rank first in Confernce USA with an 11-2 record while the University of South Florida finished 8-4 with a second place finish in the American Athletic conference. Now they meet up to put two high-flying offenses to the test.
Western Kentucky looked like a real contender at moments this year. The team started their season with a nice SEC victory that saw them beat Vanderbilt thanks to a stuffed two-point conversion with 33 seconds left in the game. That really set the tone for the Hilltoppers who performed well in Conference USA. Western Kentucky did falter to put themselves on the map when they came close to upsetting another Power 5 team, but ultimately fell short against Indiana. However, despite the loss the Hilltoppers proved they have talent on the team which will be on display against Miami.
The x-factor for Western Kentucky will be quarterback Brandon Doughty who became the third QB in FBS history to put up 4,000 passing yards and 40 touchdowns in their career. The quarterback has had a tremendous season and is looking to head to the NFL as he wraps up his sixth year in the NCAA. A good performance by Doughty in the bowl game should gain the attention of scouts.
South Florida has been building themselves back up under Willie Taggart. Wins over Cincinnati and Temple proved that to be true while they also defeated Syracuse for their lone Power 5 win of the season. The team gained 540 yards of offense in that game including 281 on the ground. Marlon Mack was the main reason for that. The running back turned down Florida to play for South Florida and is now one of the best in the country with seven 100-yard games to his name this year including 230 yards against Temple. He has paired well with quarterback Quinton Flowers who has 2,023 passing yards on the year. That dynamic offense could get them the big win over Western Kentucky in the Miami Beach Bowl.
Watch Western Kentucky vs. South Florida live stream, click here.