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Southern Miss Notes: Saturday 12/11
Dec 12, 2004
Author: USM
Football Begins Practice For Wyndham New Orleans Bowl

NEW ORLEANS, La.– The Southern Miss football team continued preparations for the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl today, with a two-hour practice at Tulane’s on-campus practice facility.

The team practiced Friday afternoon at M.M. Roberts Stadium, before traveling to New Orleans Friday night.

Southern Miss Head Football Coach Jeff Bower said the team needs a good week of preparation to get ready to play a good North Texas team.

“We’re playing a good football team that knows how to win,” Bower said. “They’ve won four-straight Sun Belt Conference Championships and four-straight games. They certainly have won and know how to win. They’re really good at running the football. Not only do we have to prepare for that, but they are also good at running play action. We will have to play well with our eyes.”

Bower said the playing in a bowl game is an important achievement for the players, along with all the perks they receive from earning the bowl berth.

“This bowl game is a big deal for these players,” said Bower. “We’re playing for a lot of reasons. One for a winning season, two to send the seniors out with a win, three to spring board the program into the offseason with a win, and most important, because we are playing against a good team.

“Everyone wants to go to a bowl,” Bower said. “Just to have a chance to play another game and enjoy the bowl-week festivities. They like the bowl gifts and the extra clothes.”

The Wyndham New Orleans Bowl will be played during exam week for the Southern Miss players. Bower said that the players will participate in study halls on Saturday and Sunday, and some exams will be administered while the team is in New Orleans.

Bower added that senior linebacker Dillon Cleckler is “extremely doubtful” for the bowl game. Senior tight-end Otho Graves and sophomore defensive Matthew Chatelain are “probable”, but are day-to-day, depending on how they improve.

Southern Miss (6-5) will close out its 2004 season in the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl, facing the University of North Texas (7-4) on Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 6:30 p.m., at the Louisiana Superdome (69,767). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.

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