Southern Miss
7-6 , 4-4
Rice
5-8 , 3-5
Gore Runs over Rice for LendingBowl Triumph
12/17/2022 10:32:00 PM | Football
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Frank Gore Jr. ran for an NCAA bowl-record 329 yards and accounted for three touchdowns to help Southern Miss hold off Rice 38-24 on Saturday night in the LendingTree Bowl.
Gore, the son of the former NFL star, had a 64-yard scoring run in the second quarter, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass in the third and ran for 55 yards for another score in the fourth. He also ran 59 yards to set up the go-ahead touchdown for the Golden Eagles (7-6).
Gore, who had 21 carries, broke the mark of 317 yards set by Appalachian State's Camerun Peoples in the 2020 Myrtle Beach Bowl against North Texas. Gore broke the Southern Miss record of 304 by Sam Dejarnette against Florida State in 1982.
Rice quarterback AJ Padgett threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns — all in the third quarter — to give the Owls (5-8) a brief 24-17 lead. He threw 26 and 32 yards to Isaiah Esdale to tie a game Southern Miss led 17-3 at halftime, then connected with Bradley Rozner to put Rice up 24-17 with 5:06 left in the third.
Gore's 18-yard touchdown pass to Ty Mims — his seventh passing score of the season — tied it at 24 after three quarters. Trey Lowe threw a 26-yard touchdown to Jason Brownlee on the second play of the fourth quarter to give the Golden Eagles the lead at 31-24, and Gore's 55-yarder capped the scoring with 2:57 left.
Linebacker Daylen Gill had three of Southern Miss' season-high five sacks.
Lowe threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jakarius Caston to give Southern Miss a 7-0 lead at the 12:20 mark of the first quarter. Gore's 64-yard run made it 14-0 early in the second.
Field goals of 34 yards by Rice's Christian VanSickle and 18 yards by Southern Miss' Brooks Bourgeois closed out the first-half scoring.
Team Stats
RU 0, USM 7
USM - Caston,Jakarius 19 yd pass from Lowe III,Trey (Bourgeois,Briggs kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:40
RU 0, USM 14
USM - Gore,Frank 64 yd run (Bourgeois,Briggs kick), 1 plays, 59 yards, TOP 00:36
RU 3, USM 14
RU - VanSickle,Christian 34 yd field goal 8 plays, 59 yards, TOP 04:10
RU 3, USM 17
USM - Bourgeois,Briggs 18 yd field goal 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:18
RU 10, USM 17
RU - Esdale,Isaiah 26 yd pass from Padgett,AJ (VanSickle,Christian kick) 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:44
RU 17, USM 17
RU - Esdale,Isaiah 32 yd pass from Padgett,AJ (VanSickle,Christian kick) 1 plays, 32 yards, TOP 00:05
RU 24, USM 17
RU - Rozner,Bradley 18 yd pass from Padgett,AJ (VanSickle,Christian kick) 5 plays, 88 yards, TOP 02:00
RU 24, USM 24
USM - Mims,Tiaquelin 18 yd pass from Gore,Frank (Bourgeois,Briggs kick) 4 plays, 67 yards, TOP 01:08
RU 24, USM 31
USM - Brownlee,Jason 26 yd pass from Lowe III,Trey (Bourgeois,Briggs kick) 5 plays, 98 yards, TOP 02:04
RU 24, USM 38
USM - Gore,Frank 55 yd run (Bourgeois,Briggs kick), 1 plays, 55 yards, TOP 00:13