5 things to watch for in Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl

The No. 22 Southern Miss Golden Eagles will face off against the Nevada Wolf Pack in the 2011 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24  at 7 p.m. on ESPN. This will be the third match between the C-USA champs and a Western Athletic Conference school. Southern Miss won both the 1997 game (35-19) and the 1998 game (55-28).

1. Old meets new in quarterback battle

Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis could punctuate his record breaking career with his second bowl game victory to go along with the 2008 New Orleans Bowl win over Troy. Davis, who holds virtually every record for a Golden Eagle signal caller, will play in his final game after leading USM to a school record with 11 wins this season. His counterpart from Nevada, freshman Cody Fajardo, has been impressive in nine starts and is a dual threat in the Wolf Pack offense. Fajardo, WAC's freshman of the year, has thrown for 1,647 yards and six touchdowns and run for another 680 yards and 11 scores.

2. Nevada defense

The Southern Miss offense will go up against a solid Nevada defense. The Wolf Pack is the second best total defense, giving up a respectable 372 yards a game and 25 points a game. Defensive lineman Brett Roy led the WAC with 10 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. Defensive back Isaiah Frey is second in the conference with five interceptions.

3. Pistol offense versus 4-2-5 defense

The Nevada offense has revolutionized college football. In 2004, coach Chris Ault unveiled the pistol offense derived from the shotgun in which the running back lines up three yards behind the quarterback. The pistol has allowed Nevada and other schools to be balanced in both the pass and run. This season, the Wolf Pack is ranked fifth in total offense gaining 523 yards a game.

Southern Miss's first-year defensive coordinator Dan Disch has returned the USM defense back to their vaunted "Nasty Bunch" days by implementing his attacking 4-2-5 defensive style. The defense took down the No. 1 offense in the country in their win over Houston. The Golden Eagles are No. 20 against run (112 yards a game) and No. 31 total defense (345 yards a game).

4.Lampley could hit 2,000 yards total

Running back/wide receiver/returner Tracy Lampley has had a great season and shown that he can perform on the national scene. Lampley currently has 474 rushing yards, 549 receiving yards, 350 punt return yards and 405 kick return yards. Overall, he has 1,778 yards with seven touchdowns, and combined with a big day, he could break the 2,000 all-purpose yard mark.

5.  Distractions

A whirlwind of distractions will surround the Golden Eagle program as the search for a new coach begins after head coach Larry Fedora signed with North Carolina. After what many have thought was a bad decision to play in Hawaii over bowls closer by, it is important for USM to make a great showing on national television.