Todd Monken has long trumpeted one of the primary benefits to advancing to a bowl game — extra practice time.
Southern Miss hasn’t been afforded the luxury of lopping on two or three more weeks’ worth of work since 2011, the last time the Golden Eagles made a bowl appearance.
But at 9-4 with a date against Washington on Dec. 26 at the Heart of Dallas Bowl, the team has a chance to capitalize on at least 10 more practice sessions. That helps everyone on the roster but especially the returning players. And even more so the second- and third-teamers that don’t typically get many practice reps during the season.