Southern Miss
3-9 , 2-6
FIU
1-11 , 0-8
Golden Eagles Finish Football Season with 37-17 Win over FIU
11/27/2021 6:25:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) -- Frank Gore Jr. threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores and Southern Miss started fast in a 37-17 victory overFIU on Saturday.
Dajon Richards scored on a 29-yard run to finish off the first drive for the Golden Eagles (3-9, 2-6 Conference USA), who won its final two games of the season. Max Bortenschlager threw a pick on first down for the Panthers (1-11, 0-8) and Gore needed one play to fire a 34-yard scoring strike to Jason Brownlee — one of his two TD catches — for a 14-0 lead. Southern Miss forced a three-and-out and Natrone Brooks returned the punt 77 yards to the Panthers' 2-yard line. Gore ran it in on the next play for a 21-0 lead and the Panthers never got closer than seven points from there.
Bortenschlager got FIU on the scoreboard with a 91-yard TD pass to Tyrese Chambers with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. It was the longest TD pass in FIU history — topping an 87-yarder from Josh Padrick to tight end Samuel Smith in a 14-10 loss to Maryland in 2004.Southern Miss rushed for a season-high 322 yards, and it was the first time the Golden Eagles went over 300 yards rushing since last season's finale when they tallied 305 against Florida Atlantic.
FIU lost 10 straight games to close out the season after beating FCS-member Long Island University 48-10 in the opener.
Team Stats
FIU 0, USM 7
USM - Richard,Dajon 29 yd run (Bourgeois,Briggs kick), 9 plays, 92 yards, TOP 05:15
FIU 0, USM 14
USM - Brownlee,Jason 34 yd pass from Gore,Frank (Bourgeois,Briggs kick) 1 plays, 34 yards, TOP 00:08
FIU 0, USM 21
USM - Gore,Frank 2 yd run (Bourgeois,Briggs kick), 1 plays, 2 yards, TOP 00:04
FIU 7, USM 21
FIU - Chambers,Tyrese 91 yd pass from Bortenschlager,Max (Gabriel,Chase kick) 2 plays, 96 yards, TOP 00:51
FIU 14, USM 21
FIU - Joseph,Lexington 8 yd run (Gabriel,Chase kick), 7 plays, 79 yards, TOP 03:14
FIU 14, USM 24
USM - Bourgeois,Briggs 25 yd field goal 9 plays, 67 yards, TOP 05:01
FIU 17, USM 24
FIU - Gabriel,Chase 26 yd field goal 11 plays, 66 yards, TOP 05:13
FIU 17, USM 31
USM - Gore,Frank 5 yd run (Bourgeois,Briggs kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 07:29
FIU 17, USM 37
USM - Brownlee,Jason 34 yd pass from Gore,Frank () 1 plays, 34 yards, TOP 00:06
