2015 Miami Beach Bowl, South Florida vs. Western Kentucky: Date, time, location and more

After a brawl put a disappointing cap on an otherwise exciting inaugural edition of the Miami Beach Bowl, the 2015 bowl will look to turn over a new leaf for the game.

When the Memphis Tigers earned a 55-48 victory over the BYU Cougars in 2014, it came after BYU mounted a fourth quarter comeback to force overtime. However, Memphis came out on top thanks to an interception in double overtime, but the game will be best remembered for the bench-clearing brawl that immediately followed the final whistle.

The Miami Beach Bowl is played at Marlins Park with a field that stretches from right field to the third base line endzone-to-endzone. The park opened in 2012 and only hosts football once a year for the Miami Beach Bowl.

Here is everything you need to know to get ready for this year’s Miami Beach Bowl:

Date and time: Mon., Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m. ET

TV channel: ESPN

Location: Miami, Fla.

Stadium: Marlins Park, 34,000

Last year’s score: Memphis 55, BYU 48

Last year’s attendance: 20,761

Last year’s TV rating: 0.9

Last year’s payout for each school:

Team with the most all-time appearances: BYU and Memphis, 1

Team with the most all-time wins: Memphis, 1

After a disastrous first two seasons to start Willie Taggart’s time in Tampa, the former Stanford offensive coordinator and Western Kentucky head coach got the Bulls turned around in 2015, producing their first winning season since 2010. South Florida improved substantially after starting 1-3, ripping off four straight wins in November to finish the regular season and topping a ranked Temple team by three touchdowns.

The Bulls’ most important player is precocious dual-threat sophomore quarterback Quinton Flowers (2,083 passing yards, 21 touchdowns; 883 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns; 64 percent completion rate in 10 games), who threw for 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions during USF’s November blitz. He’s been aided by running back Marlon Mack, whose 1,273 yards on the ground have made him the first player in Bulls history to top 1,000 yards in his first two seasons, and put him within striking distance of Andre Hall’s school record of 1,374.

Taggart’s defense has also gotten saltier as the year progressed. Its points per game allowed have declined each month, falling to a very good 17.5 in November.

Last bowl game: 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl (31-26 win over Clemson)

All-time bowl record: 4-2

Head coach’s bowl record: Willie Taggart went 0-1 at Western Kentucky.

Western Kentucky made it to this point by scoring points at an absolutely absurd pace, averaging 44.2 points per game in the regular season and the Conference USA Championship game. Their only two losses on the season came at the hands of Indiana and LSU. Aside from their 20-point output against the Tigers, and 14 points in their season-opening win over Vanderbilt, the Hilltoppers never scored fewer than 35 points in a single game in 2015.

Stopping Jeff Brohm’s Western Kentucky offense is no easy task. They have a lethal attack through the air, led by Brandon Dougherty (4,184 passing yards, 72.5 percent completion percentage, TD/INT ratio of 42/6) and his favorite target, Taywan Taylor (71 receptions, 1,198 yards, 15 TD). On the ground, Anthony Wales and D’Andre Ferby are equally as devastating (1,480 combined rushing yards, 5.7 yards per carry).

To beat the Hilltoppers, one needs to accept that they will surrender some points, try to limit big plays and be prepared to win in a shootout.

Last bowl game: 2014 Bahamas Bowl (49-48 win over Central Michigan)

All-time bowl record: 1-1

Head coach’s bowl record: Jeff Brohm is 1-0 in bowl games, with last year’s Bahamas Bowl being his first and only bowl win as a head coach.