Southern Miss running back Frank Gore Jr. rushed 21 times for 329 yards and two rushing touchdowns, the most rushing yards in bowl game history, as the Golden Eagles defeated Rice 38-24. Here’s what you needed to know:

• Gore rushed for a career-best 1,382 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games this season.
• Southern Mississippi finished the season 7-6 with the victory.
• Gore even added a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tiaquelin Mims to his record-setting day.

Backstory

Gore led the Golden Eagles from start to finish, scoring on the ground and through the air, failing only to notch a receiving touchdown. The sophomore is son of five-time Pro Bowler Frank Gore and has steadily improved season by season while at Southern Miss. Gore had multiple 55-plus-yard rushing touchdowns in this game, the first was a 64-yarder in the second quarter and he rushed for a 55-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal his team’s victory.

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Better than dad

Gore’s performance shouldn’t come as a shock considering his father is the third-leading rusher in NFL history with 16,000 yards. But Dad didn’t have a game in college or the pros like his. Frank Sr.’s best game in the NFL went for 212 yards and his best at the University of Miami was a 195-yard performance. Frank Sr. set the high school record in Miami-Dade County, though, with 419 yards when he was a senior at Coral Gables High. — Navarro

Transfer portal next?

Gore, a 5-8, 195-pound third-year sophomore, could command some interest in the transfer portal if he decided to give it a try. The market, though, isn’t short on bodies at running back. The top-rated players according to 247Sports are Dillon Johnson (ex-Mississippi State), LJ Johnson (ex-Texas A&M), Trey Sanders (ex-Alabama) and ShunDerrick Powell (ex-North Alabama). – Navarro

What they’re saying

Sounds like Frank Gore Jr. is staying at Southern Miss and not going anywhere. Huge for the Golden Eagles.

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 18, 2022

(Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)