St. Petersburg Bowl 2010: 10 Things to Know About Louisville

Even if it is the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, Louisville should feel fortunate to even be participating in a bowl game.

While they might not have the most talented team the college football realm has seen, the Cardinals play with the heart, passion and grit necessary to come away with the big W on December 21st when they go against Southern Miss.

Here is what to know heading into the much-anticipated (okay, maybe not) showdown.

The Cardinals are ranked 15th in the FBS for points against this season.

Giving up just 18.7 points per contest, the Louisville defensive unit has really surprised a lot of people around college football.

Most impressively, they've played at an extremely consistent level since September.

Eight of the team's 12 games (67 percent) have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

While most of the games have been tight, going down to the wire, this one might get ugly early.

The Southern Miss defense regularly gives up big points and the Cards' offense packs too potent of a punch for them to not take advantage.

Bilal Powell: 211 carries, 1,330 yards and 10 TDs.

He's a one-man wrecking crew.

If Southern Miss is going to have any prayer of remaining competitive in this one, it starts with a concentrated attack on stopping Powell.

But it might not be enough. This kid is legit.

The Cardinals spread the ball around.

With four receivers on the team with at least 350 receiving yards this season, it's impossible to concentrate on just one or two guys.

It's going to be tough to stop the spread offense with the threat of an elite running game as well.

Bowl eligibility was achieved at season's end.

The Cards didn't even become bowl eligible until the team's very last game, so you can be sure that they'll be looking to prove that they belong.

The Cardinals are ranked 30th in the FBS for rushing yardage per game.

As alluded to earlier, this rushing attack is one of the most dynamic in all of college football.

Look out for a very big dose of the ground game.

The future is extremely bright.

With four freshmen (Jeremy Wright, RB; Brandon Dunn, DL; B.J. Butler, DL; and Hakeem Smith, DB) all making it to the Big East All-Freshman squad, this is a team that can compete well into the future.

The defense always shows up to play.

They aren't among the game's elite defenses just because of a couple shutouts; this team shows up on a weekly basis.

Look for them to be as fired up as ever on game night.

The opposition: Southern Miss.

They're just not that good.

Any defense that gives up more than 30 points on a regular basis is in trouble against this club.

These kids want to win.

Louisville is riding the momentum wave, and the team is looking to come together at the most critical juncture.