Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Matchup Set

College football is coming back to St. Petersburg: the FIU Panthers out of Miami will play the Marshall Thundering Herd from Huntington, WVA will be playing in the 2011 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. 

The game is Dec. 20 at Tropicana Field. It will be nationally televised on ESPN at 8 p.m. 

FIU (8-4, 5-3) will be making its second-ever bowl appearance in school history. 

"FIU brings one of the top young coaches in Mario Cristobal with very talented playmakers and an extremely enthusiastic fan base,” said Brett Dulaney, Executive Director of the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg in a news release.

“It is very impressive to see a program that is only in its 10th season of playing football accomplishing so much success on the football field. I also want to recognize their passionate fans who let us know how excited they would be to come to St. Petersburg with hundreds of posts on our social media pages.”

Marshall (6-6, 5-3) has played the 12th toughest schedule in the nation, according to the GBE College Football Ratings, a news release said. 

“We are thrilled to take part in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl,” said Mike Hamrick, Director of Athletics at Marshall in a news release. “The team will get two weeks of additional practice, along with gaining valuable national television exposure. Marshall University has a significant alumni contingent in, not only the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, but the entire state of Florida. The prospect of showcasing Herd Football to that region is exciting.”

Tickets for the 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg are on sale now and start at $35. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.