By Staff
BOWL SEASON Alabama quarterback Tyler Watts (14) is swarmed by the Southern Mississippi defense lead by defensive end Cedric Scott (96) in first quarter play at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. AP photo
By Richard Dark/The Meridian Star
Dec. 15, 2000
MOBILE, Ala. It's that time of year.
Along with the ripping of wrapping paper and the sipping of egg nog, the clicking of the remote will be a common occurrence as the college football bowl season gets into full swing.
The bowl season kicks off with none other than the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-4) locking horns with the 13th-ranked Texas Christian Horned Frogs (10-1) and their All-American and Heisman Trophy candidate running back Ladanian Tomlinson in the GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl.
The "Battle by the Bay" will be televised on ESPN2 Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m.
For those interested in making the short trip to Mobile, there are plenty of family-oriented events surrounding the football game.
The Mardi Gras season comes early to Mobile with the city's own version of Fat Tuesday.
On the eve of the game, an event dubbed the Southern Miss Mardi Gras Madness will take place on Dauphin Street from 4-6 p.m. Price for admission is $15 per person and food and soft drinks will be provided.
Immediately following that, there will be a Mardi Gras Parade block party. There is no charge for this event.
Wednesday, there will be plenty of pregame hoopla at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in addition to the usual tailgating. There is a USM pregame buffet at 4:30 p.m. There will be plenty of shrimp, jambalaya, red beans and rice and more served until halftime. Price for the buffet is $20 per person.
Tickets to the game are $45 and can be purchased through the USM ticket office or by calling (800) 844-8425 or (601) 266-5418.
For more information on the Tuesday events, call (601) 266-5299 or 5013.
Of course, USM isn't the only one of the state's Big Three to go bowling this year. The Ole Miss Rebels and Mississippi State Bulldogs will try to end their seasons on high notes as well.
The Rebs (7-4) will make a short drive up to Nashville to face the West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday, Dec. 28. Kickoff for the contest is slated for 4 p.m.
The Bulldogs (7-4) and head coach Jackie Sherrill hook up in the Sanford Independence Bowl against the Texas A&M Aggies on New Year's Eve in Shreveport, La. Sherrill, a former head man at A&M, will face off against his former school for the first time since leaving College Station a decade ago.
Kickoff at Independence Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
Both State and Ole Miss will be carried by ESPN.
Richard Dark is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at rdark@themeridianstar.com.