Miami Beach Bowl: Tulsa vs Central Michigan on Marlins' turf

MIAMI (AP) — Marlins Park is considered pitcher friendly, meaning it's tough to score there during baseball season.

The first two Miami Beach Bowls have seen scoring sprees, and the third edition might provide another when Tulsa (9-3) meets Central Michigan (6-6) on Monday afternoon on a converted baseball field that the Miami Marlins call home.

Tulsa averaged 522.5 yards and 41.4 points a game this season and will be facing Central Michigan quarterback Cooper Rush — who comes into his final college game with 12,653 career passing yards, more than any other active major college player.

Both teams like the perk of finishing the season in balmy Miami — it was 9 degrees in Tulsa on Sunday morning, 14 degrees on Central Michigan's campus and a breezy 81 at their bowl site — but neither coach thought his team would slip into vacation mode.

[...] this game is a return of sorts for Tulsa defensive coordinator Bill Young, who had that role for the University of Miami in 2008, and Bonamego — an assistant with the Miami Dolphins from 2008 through 2010.

The Golden Hurricane are 9-11 in their past bowl appearances, and could hit the double-digit win mark for the first time since winning 11 games in 2011.