It’s easy with FBS fans waiting for the playoffs to have so many bowl game performances fall under the radar. Yet one of the greatest performances this year, and at least by his position in the history of college football, occurred in the LendingTree Bowl.
Frank Gore Jr. set a record for bowl rushing yards with 329 in Southern Miss’ 38-24 LendingTree Bowl victory over Rice in Mobile, Alabama.
Gore did this damage on just 21 carries. He averaged a first down and a half each carry (15.7 avg.) and scored on touchdown runs of 64 and 55 yards. He even did some damage with his arm.
Check out this 55-yard TD run (the TV screen said 56-yards, but the official statistic was 55)
Gore also threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Tiaquelin Mims that tied the score at 24-24 with 3:52 left in the third quarter. (Gore was 2-for-3 passing for 19 yards and that one TD in the game.)
It’s not as if Gore just burst on the scene, but Hattiesburg, Mississippi isn’t considered the media capital of the world. Plus, the Golden Eagles didn’t exactly set the college football world on fire this season.
Southern Miss (7-6) didn’t become bowl eligible until winning its final game of the season, 20-10 against visiting Louisiana-Monroe.
That game should have given an indication of things to come concerning Gore. Against ULM, he had the misfortune of ‘only’ averaging 8.3 yards per carry – 199 yards on 24 carries. He also scored on a 33-yard run that made the score 20-10 with 7:32 left.
Gore also found time to complete his only pass attempt for 13 yards.
The 199 rushing yards were a career-high, which of course, he shattered by 130 yards in the LendingTree Bowl.
Gore broke the NCAA bowl rushing mark of 317 yards set by Appalachian State’s Camerun Peoples in the 2020 Myrtle Beach Bowl against North Texas. In addition, Gore also broke the school rushing record of 304 by Sam Dejarnette against Florida State in 1982.
According to Sports-reference.com, the most rushing yards ever in a game is held by former Oklahoma star Samaje Perine, now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. Perine rushed for 427 yards in a 44-7 win over Kansas on Nov. 22, 2014.
Gore is the son of former great NFL running back Frank Gore, 39, who rushed for 16,000 yards and 81 touchdowns during his 16-year pro career.
What to see something unusual?
The elder Gore’s final NFL season was in 2020 with the New York Jets. That was his son’s first season at Southern Miss.
Dad was listed at 5-9 and 212 pounds in his playing days while his son is 5-8 and 195.
The younger Gore has played three full seasons at Southern Miss, although he was considered a sophomore this year (due to a COVID season in 2020 that didn’t count on eligibility).
During his first season, he rushed for 708 yards (5.9 avg.) and two touchdowns. In 2021, he rushed for 801 yards (4.5 avg.) and five touchdowns. This year, with the help of his final two games, he exploded with 1,382 yards (6.1 avg.) and nine touchdowns.
That gives him 2,891 yards (5.5 avg.) and 16 touchdowns. His career passing yards, while working as a part-time wildcat QB, are also interesting — 18 of 31 for 380 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception.
At least Jr. has the old man beaten in the college rushing department. During his three years at Miami, Frank Gore Sr. rushed for 1,975 yards (5.7 avg.) and 17 touchdowns.
That is a lot of production for one family with plenty more on the horizon.
