today’s bowl game

North Texas (7-4) vs. Southern Mississippi (6-5)

Where: Superdome, New Orleans.

Time: Kickoff 5 p.m. PST. TV: ESPN.

Key stats: North Texas has a plus-13 turnover margin. Southern Miss is outgained, on average, by almost 72 yards per game.

About North Texas: This is the Mean Green’s fourth consecutive appearance in this bowl (they’re 1-2). True freshman TB Jamario Thomas leads the nation in rushing (189.9 ypg, 17 TDs) and must run for at least 100 today if the Mean Green are to have a shot at the win; he’ll be going against a run defense that ranks 83rd in the nation. Thomas is 155 yards short of Ron Dayne’s NCAA freshman single-season rushing mark. E Adrian Awasom and FS Jonas Buckles are the defensive standouts. North Texas enters on a seven-game winning streak.

About Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles, making their seventh bowl appearance in the past eight seasons, lost four of their last five regular-season games. The defense has struggled down the stretch, allowing 34.2 ppg in the past five games. LB Michael Boley and FS Trevis Coley are the defensive standouts. Southern Miss needs a big game from TB Anthony Harris because QB Dustin Almond is an inconsistent passer. WR Anthony Perine has 16 catches in his past three games.

The buzz: It’s the first bowl of the season. The nation’s leading rusher will be playing.

– Mike Huguenin, Orlando Sentinel