Armed Forces Bowl Preview: Tulane vs Southern Miss in The Battle For The Bell

The Tulane Green Wave (6-6) square off against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-5) in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, airing Jan 4th 10:30 AM CT on ESPN.

Former conference and regional rivals Tulane and Southern Miss will face off for the first time since 2010, a game in which the Golden Eagles won 46-30 to win the Battle for the Bell. Southern Miss has won the last 6 meetings between the programs, but can the Golden Eagles make it 7 straight against one of the best rushing attacks in the country in Tulane?

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The tale of the tape for tomorrow’s matchup will be Southern Miss’s stout rushing defense against the prolific run game of the Green Wave. Currently, the Golden Eagles rank amongst the top 15 in rushing yards allowed per game, while Tulane currently sits at 11th nationally in rushing offense. Tulane is carried by a multitude of backs and quarterback Justin McMillan has been terrific all season long as a rusher. For Southern Miss, containing McMillan will be key if the Golden Eagles hope to come out on top. 

PREDICTION

ESPN’s Football Power Index currently favors the Green Wave with a 63.2% chance of victory, with most sources around the country setting the line at -7 in favor of the Wave. Expect Southern Miss to have some success in slowing down the Tulane rushing attack, forcing the Wave to attack an Eagle secondary that is allowing nearly 240 yards a game through the air. I predict a low scoring game and see Southern Miss covering the 7-point spread.

SCORE PREDICTION: Tulane 21, Southern Miss 17