Gazebo Gazette
Frank Gore Jr. ran for a career-high 199 yards and a key touchdown and Southern Mississippi became bowl eligible by defeating UL Monroe 20-10 on Saturday.
The Golden Eagles (6-6, 4-4 Sun Belt) qualified for a bowl for the 19th time since 1997 and will return to the postseason. Southern Miss reached bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2019 season and will go to a bowl game for the 23rd time 28 years. It will be the 27th bowl appearance for the program.
Gore finished the regular season with 1,053 yards and reached 1,000 yards for the first time in his three years with the Golden Eagles. The running back rushed for over 100 yards for the second time this season and the seventh time in his career.
Southern Miss is now 5‐2 in games in which he rushes for at least 100 yards.
Trey Lowe’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Jakarius Caston got the Golden Eagles on the board and Briggs Bourgeois added two short field goals.
Between Bourgeois’s field goals, the Warhawks (4-8, 3-5) scored on a 23-yard pass from Chandler Rogers to Andrew Henry and a 37-yard field goal by Calum Sutherland. UL Monroe trailed 13-10 before Gore sealed the win for Southern Miss with a 33-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.
The Golden Eagles registered at least two sacks in every game during the year, finishing with a season‐high tying four in the contest and 39 for the season. It was the sixth time this season the defense registered four sacks
Southern Miss snapped a three‐game with the victory and the Golden Eagles reached six wins for the 67th time in their history. It was the third‐straight season that the Golden Eagles finished the regular season with a victory.
(Associated Press contributed to the article)
