Washington Huskies: 10 Heart of Dallas Bowl Facts and Figures

As the Washington Huskies prepare to take on Southern Miss, here are some facts and figures which could help decide the outcome of the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

With Christmas Day out of the way, Washington Huskies fans can now concentrate on their team. Currently sitting at 6-6, the Heart of Dallas Bowl gives UW the chance to finish with a winning record, after an inconsistent season.

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All that stands in the way is Southern Miss, who enter the game with a 9-4 record. (That would be the same Southern Miss where a certain Brett Favre used to play.) It should prove to be a fascinating matchup between the Golden Eagles explosive offense and the Huskies smothering defense.

Kickoff at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, is set for 11:25 am (PT). If you’re still trying to decide who’s going to win, here are some facts and figures to consider:

1) The Huskies are 5-0 this season, when they score 30 or more points. On the flip side, they are just 1-6 when they don’t.

2) This season, Southern Miss set a school record with five 50-point games. Furthermore, the Golden Eagles scored 30+ points in all nine of their wins.

3) Southern Miss are aiming for their third 10-win season in school history. They first did it in 1988, when Favre was playing there, and again in 2011, when they set a school record with 12 victories.

4) The Huskies come into the game as favorites by nine points. However, it’s worth noting they entered last season’s Cactus Bowl as 6.5 point favorites against Oklahoma State, but ended up losing 30-22.

5) The Golden Eagles offense has a 4,000 yard passer and two 1,000 yard rushers. Unsurprisingly, they are ranked 10th in yards per game (520) and tied for 11th in points (40.6).

6) On the defensive side of the ball, the Huskies have been almost as impressive this season. They have allowed the 12th-fewest points (17.8) and rank 28th in yards allowed (350).

7) One of the most significant matchups will be Southern Miss quarterback Nick Mullens versus the Huskies secondary. Mullens is seventh in the country in passing yards, while Washington’s secondary tied for 15th, with 15 interceptions.

8) Running back Myles Gaskin is the Huskies first true freshman to have a 1,000 yard season. He has 1,121 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 93.4 yards per game on the ground.

9) The Huskies are 17-17-1 all time in Bowl Games. The Golden Eagles are 10-12.

10) Huskies fans will be delighted to know that Chris Petersen is 4-0 all time, when coaching against Southern Miss. This includes his last matchup against them in 2013, when he won 60-7.

Next: Huskies: What do we know about Keith Taylor?

Prediction: There seems to be a lot of local confidence in the Huskies. The Seattle Times are predicting a 37-20 win, while 710 ESPN Seattle are picking them to triumph 31-16.

However, as last season’s Cactus Bowl loss proved, anything is possible, especially after a four-week layoff. Regardless, the Huskies should prevail, but it will be a lot closer than people are predicting.

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