Miami Beach Bowl Capsule

Dec 20, 2015 - 3:33 PM No. 25 Western Kentucky (11-2) vs. South Florida (8-4), 2:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)

Line: Western Kentucky by 2-1/2

Series Record: USF leads 4-2.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

History for Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty, for starters. The super-prolific senior enters his college finale with 12,394 yards, 991 completions and 108 touchdown passes. He's attracted the eye of NFL scouts for good reason, and gets one last chance to leave an impression on them before draft-jostling season begins. For USF, a rebound season would have to already be considered a success and a bowl win would only make it that much sweeter.

KEY MATCHUP

WKU wide receiver Taywan Taylor against USF's defensive backs. Trying to stop Doughty would be futile, so USF's best hope is trying to slow down his favorite target. Taylor has 17 touchdown catches this season and averages 17 yards a catch, and usually is the guy who gets opponents to soften their defense for the rest of the Hilltoppers - with 15 of his 17 TDs coming in first halves. USF has 15 interceptions so far this season, its most since 2010.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

WKU: RB Anthony Wales. He's gotten handoffs 141 times this season, and has lost yardage on exactly three of them - with each of those being stuffs for just 1 negative yard. He's 14 yards shy of 1,000 for the year.

USF: QB Quinton Flowers. The Miami native has thrown for 21 touchdowns and rushed for 10 more, plus will undoubtedly be bolstered by getting to play a game in his hometown. A true run-pass threat, just like his coach Willie Taggart was when he starred, oddly enough, at Western Kentucky.

FACTS & FIGURES

Howard Schnellenberger will handle the pregame coin-toss duties; Marlins Park is built on the site of the former Orange Bowl, where Schnellenberger coached Miami to the 1983 national championship. ... Conference USA champion Western Kentucky has won five straight games; South Florida, the runner-up in the American Athletic Conference's East Division, has won four straight and is trying to win eight games in a nine-game stretch for the first time since a span encompassing the 2007 and 2008 seasons.