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Bower coaches Southern Miss for final time

Dec 22, 2007 - 12:31 PM Southern Miss (7-5) vs. No. 20 Cincinnati (7-5) 1:00 pm EST Papajohns.com Bowl December 22

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Ticker) -- Jeff Bower will coach Southern Mississippi for a final time when they meet No. 20 Cincinnati in the Papajohns.com Bowl Saturday.

Bower ended one of college football's longest runs when he announced his resignation in early December. He has been the coach at Southern Mississippi for the last 17 seasons, posting a 119-82-1 record while leading the Golden Eagles to 10 bowl appearances.

Southern Mississippi replaced Bower with former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Steve Fedora, who was hired December 12.

Bower's tenure has been longer than all but three coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Only Penn State's Joe Paterno (42), Bobby Bowden (32) of Florida State and Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer (21) have longer runs with their schools.

This season, Bower enhanced his resume by leading the Golden Eagles to their 14th straight winning season. His only losing seasons came in 1991 and 1993.

But Bower came under criticism after the Golden Eagles, who were picked to win Conference USA, got off to a 2-3 start. However, the Golden Eagles recovered to win five of their last seven games.

For one last time, Bower will rely on sophomore running back Damion Fletcher, who rushed for 1,431 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.

Considered a program on the rise, Cincinnati finished in a tie for third place in the Big East Conference, winning nine games in a season for the first time since 1976.

The Bearcats also are in the postseason for a second straight season after posting a 27-24 win over Western Michigan in the International Bowl last January.

While the Golden Eagles are carried by Fletcher's legs, the Bearcats rely on the right arm of senior quarterback Ben Mauk, who has thrown for 2,787 yards and 27 touchdowns.