St. Petersburg Bowl: Miami to face Mississippi State

As recently as their last games of the season – or even later – the prospects of Miami and Mississippi State playing in a bowl game, much less meeting in one, seemed, at best, remote.

The RedHawks (6-6) needed to come from behind on Nov. 22 against Ball State in their regular-season finale to pull out a 21-20 win and become bowl-eligible with their sixth consecutive win.

The Bulldogs also won their finale – convincingly – romping past arch-rival Mississippi, 55-20, but that didn’t even make them officially eligible for a bowl. NCAA rules require teams to finish at least .500, but if there aren’t enough qualifying teams to fill bowl slots, than high-achieving academic teams can go. Mississippi State (5-7), which plays in the West Division of the proud Southeastern Conference, dove through that loophole into a berth opposite Miami on Monday in the ninth edition of the St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field.

The Bulldogs were just a few points away from officially qualifying for a bowl and, perhaps, finishing with an even-better record. They lost three games by a combined six points and a fourth in overtime.

RELATED: RedHawks eager to face SEC team

“I know a lot of people on their roster,” third-year Miami coach Chuck Martin said. “I know the players they have. Obviously they played their best football in the last game of the year against Mississippi. They’re a very talented team. So we know there’s a daunting task ahead of us. We told the kids that.

“It’s exciting any time you step up, especially in the Bowl Championship Subdivision realm. We may not feel that way after the first play from scrimmage. We know it’s going to be an exciting challenge.”

Mississippi State, perhaps most recently famous for producing Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, found a worthy replacement in Nick Fitzgerald. The sophomore led the SEC in total offense with 3,530 yards and leads the Bulldogs in rushing with 1,243 yards and passing with 2,287 yards while completing 54 percent of his passes.

Defensively, senior linebacker Richie Brown leads Mississippi State with 93 tackles, four for a loss, and 1-1/2 sacks.

“They have explosive athletes at every single position on the field,” Martin said. “Just the speed of the game will be something that we certainly couldn’t replicate in practice, and it will take a little bit of getting used to. Obviously, a huge dual-threat quarterback. We’ll be challenged at every position, on every play.”

Miami’s surge to the postseason started when the RedHawks turned to third-year sophomore quarterback Gus Ragland following a 0-6 start. Ragland finished 93-of-149 for 1,274 passing yards and 15 touchdowns while not being intercepted. Classmate Alonzo Smith improved his per-carry average from 3.6 yards at the end of October to 4.3 through the end of the season. Fourth-year junior Jared Murphy has a team-high 42 catches while explosive true sophomore James Gardner leads with 658 yards on 40 catches. Both have five receiving touchdowns.

All-Mid-American Conference first-team cornerback Heath Harding, a Dayton Christian grad , finished the regular season with 65 tackles and four interceptions, helping spark a Miami defense that led the MAC. Junior safety Tony Reid led the RedHawks with 84 tackles, two more than true sophomore linebacker Junior McMullen.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen admitted early in the Bulldogs’ practice schedule that he didn’t know much about the RedHawks.

“Flying around recruiting, I am kind of catching up here and there watching film, but looking at them as a team, much different team obviously, the first half of the season and the second half of the season,” he said. “They were one of the top defenses in the MAC. Their quarterback comes back after the second half of the season and a new quarterback is in there lighting it up. … It is going to be a great challenge for us.

“We are going to get this team’s best effort. I’ve been there coaching at Bowling Green. I know the opportunity these guys feel, the excitement they feel and especially being a team that is on a hot streak.”

Miami bowl history

1948 Sun Bowl, El Paso, Tex., 13-12 win over Texas Tech.

1950 Salad Bowl, Tempe, Ariz., 34-21 win over Arizona State.

1962 Tangerine Bowl, Orlando, Fla., 49-21 loss to Houston.

1973 Tangerine Bowl, Gainesville, Fla., 16-7 win over Florida.

1974 Tangerine Bowl, Orlando, Fla., 21-10 win over Georgia.

1975 Tangerine Bowl, Orlando, Fla., 29-7 win over South Carolina.

1986 California Bowl, Fresno, Calif., 37-7 loss to San Jose State.

2003 GMAC Bowl, Mobile, Ala., 49-28 win over Louisville.

2004 Independence Bowl, Shreveport, La., 17-13 loss to Iowa State.

2010 GoDaddy.com Bowl, Mobile, Ala., 35-21 win over Middle Tennessee State.

Monday’s Game