Roots run deep and strengths collide when the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the South Florida Bulls get together Monday for the second edition of the Miami Beach Bowl.
USF, 8-4, has coach Willie Taggart to thank for its turnaround, which includes a 7-1 record down the stretch, a top-25 scoring defense and an elite offense.
Taggart, though, knows a thing or two about the high-flying Hilltoppers considering he helped direct the infancy of the program's turnaround for three years before leaving for USF, and he happened to play his collegiate ball there as a quarterback, too.
With Las Vegas expecting big things from explosive offenses, Monday's contest isn't one to miss.