Cincinnati Tops Southern Miss, 31-21, at Papajohns.com Bowl

BIRMINGHAM - There was a limited supply of pizzas available, so many fans made do with hot dogs and nacho chips as No. 20 Cincinnati defeated Southern Miss 31-21 in the second annual Papajohns.com Bowl.

Cincinnati scored twice in the second quarter - including one TD with 24 second left in the half - to build a 14-7 halftime lead. A botched fake punt attempt gave the Bearcats the ball at the Southern Miss 29-yard line in the opening minutes of the third quarter. That led to a third touchdown and a 21-7 lead that the Bearcats never surrendered.

Quarterback Ben Mauk led the Cincinnati offense, completing 30-of-52 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. The yardage total made him the third Bearcat QB in history to surpass the 3,000-yard mark for a season.

The win gave the Bearcats a 10-3 record for the year. Southern Miss fell to 7-6.

The Papajohns.com Bowl, in its second year, features representatives of the Big East and Conference USA. Cincinnati, representing the Big East, entered the game with a 9-3 record and ranked 20^th in national polls. Southern Miss represented C-USA but entered the game with a tinge of controversy.

Golden Eagle coach Jeff Bower was fired prior to the game after 17 years at the helm in Hattiesburg. He was dismissed despite completing 14 consecutive winning seasons for the school. Ironically, Bower finished his career with Southern Miss on the same field - Birmingham's Legion Field - where he coached his first game 17 years ago. That first game was a road contest hosted by the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Most of the fans in the stands paid little attention to the controversy. They were more concerned about supporting their team and finding something to eat for the noon kickoff.

Unlike last year, when a glitch in local regulations prohibited the bowl's sponsor from providing pizzas on the concessions menu, Papa Johns offered personal size pizzas for fans this year. They underestimated the demand, though, selling out of their initial supply five minutes into the contest. A hurried re-supply effort got some more pepperoni and cheese to the concessionaires by the second quarter, but that supply soon disappeared too.

No problem for the fans, particularly the 12,000-plus supporters of the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Ohio school's alumni association leased a fleet of two-dozen busses to bring fans to historic Legion Field.

Their celebrations actually started yesterday, at the Riverchase Galleria in neaby Hoover. The area's shopping mall is also the home of the Winfrey Hotel, the official hotel for the Cincinnati football team. Many of the players roamed the mall Friday afternoon, shopping and signing autographs for fans.

At the game, the Cincinnati fans outnumbered the 10,000-plus Southern Miss fans. The Bearcats were also louder, bolstered by a supply of inflatable "thunder sticks" distributed free to the team's supporters.

Celebrations for both groups started early. The gates were opened at 9 a.m. The early opening gave plenty of time for tailgating and partying. Most of the tailgaters were from Southern Miss, fans who had made the two-hour drive from Hattiesburg. Both groups, though, took advantage of the "Fanzone" - a portable arcade of games for kids - erected on the north side of the field.

The biggest gaffe of the day came late in the third quarter when Southern Miss called a timeout. The SEC referees calling the game credited the timeout to "Mississippi State." That triggered a chorus of boos from the Southern Miss fans. "No wonder we're losing," one shouted. "They don't even know who's playing."

Southern Miss claimed one title for the day, the Papa John's Armchair Pizza Toss. This halftime contest featured fans tossing a football while sitting in a lounge chair and holding a pizza in one hand. A Southern Miss fan won the challenge with a 35-foot heave.

That contest overshadowed the halftime band performances from each school. The Golden Eagles band marched onto the field first, providing a fast and inspiring play list. Cincinnati followed with a similarly energetic performance.

The best musical performance, though, came at the start of the game. Country music newcomer Emma Mae Jacob opened the ceremonies with a soulful rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner." The performance, no doubt, was intended to help air play of her latest single, "What If We Fly." Cincinnati seemed to take inspiration from that song, as their air game dominated the contest.