This was the final game for
head coachJeff Bower, ending his 17-season tenure at Southern Miss.[4] Bower was forced to resign after their disappointing season.[5] After Bower's resignation, the selection of Southern Miss for this bowl game was notable as Bower's first game as head coach of the Golden Eagles was also at Legion Field, in the
All-American Bowl in
1990.
Cincinnati quarterback
Ben Mauk passed for four
touchdowns and 334 yards.[5] Southern Miss quarterback
Jeremy Young went 18-for-32 for 122 yards with two touchdowns and three
interceptions.[5] After being down 31–14 in the fourth quarter,
Jeremy Young cut the lead with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Johnson, but Southern Miss's rally fell short after they couldn't recover an onside kick or convert a fourth-and-1 play on their next possession.[5] Only 35,258 people attended the game, less than half of
Legion Field's capacity.[6] Cincinnati distributed 8,352 tickets, a school record for bowl attendance, while Southern Mississippi distributed around 5,000 tickets.[7] Cincinnati's win brought their record to 10–3, their first 10-win season since
1951. With the loss, Southern Miss's record ended at 7–5.[8]
There was a Birmingham Bowl in January and December of 2015, and none in 2009 or 2019. The game in January 2021 was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
This was the final game for
head coachJeff Bower, ending his 17-season tenure at Southern Miss.[4] Bower was forced to resign after their disappointing season.[5] After Bower's resignation, the selection of Southern Miss for this bowl game was notable as Bower's first game as head coach of the Golden Eagles was also at Legion Field, in the
All-American Bowl in
1990.
Cincinnati quarterback
Ben Mauk passed for four
touchdowns and 334 yards.[5] Southern Miss quarterback
Jeremy Young went 18-for-32 for 122 yards with two touchdowns and three
interceptions.[5] After being down 31–14 in the fourth quarter,
Jeremy Young cut the lead with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Johnson, but Southern Miss's rally fell short after they couldn't recover an onside kick or convert a fourth-and-1 play on their next possession.[5] Only 35,258 people attended the game, less than half of
Legion Field's capacity.[6] Cincinnati distributed 8,352 tickets, a school record for bowl attendance, while Southern Mississippi distributed around 5,000 tickets.[7] Cincinnati's win brought their record to 10–3, their first 10-win season since
1951. With the loss, Southern Miss's record ended at 7–5.[8]
There was a Birmingham Bowl in January and December of 2015, and none in 2009 or 2019. The game in January 2021 was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.