Southern Miss beat Rice 38-24 on Saturday night in the Lending Tree Bowl, and Frank Gore Jr. was the star of the show.
Gore set the single-game Southern Miss rushing record and – perhaps even more impressively – the single-game rushing record in any FBS bowl game with 329 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 carries. And it was the most rushing yards any by any FBS player in a game this season, surpassing the performance of Pitt’s Israel Abanikanda against Virginia Tech.
After the game, cameras naturally went toward him.
But for a brief moment, Gore had his limelight stolen away by… his auntie?
Yes, his overly enthusiastic auntie who was on the field celebrating his big game. In a hilarious moment, Gore had to politely tell her to calm down so he could finish his interview.
AUNTIE CHILL!!!! – Frank Gore Jr.pic.twitter.com/3f73Or86dF
— Collin Wilson (@_Collin1) December 18, 2022
Gore – and his auntie – had plenty of reasons to be happy.
The victory was the first for Southern Miss in a bowl game since 2016, and it’s the first time since 2019 that it finished the season with a winning record.
And Gore didn’t just rewrite the record book for rushing. He also threw an 18-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. It was the third touchdown pass he had thrown this season and the seventh of his career.
Frank Gore Jr can do it all🔥
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 18, 2022
Indeed, Gore did it all. He averaged 15.7 yards per carry Saturday night and completed two of three passes. He scored by land and air. If he had a boat, he might’ve scored by sea too.
Perhaps his most impressive run of the night was a 64-yard scamper he broke off for a score in the second quarter.
FRANK GORE JR SUPER BACK RUNNING FOR A 14-0 SOUTHERN MISS LEAD IN MOBILE pic.twitter.com/Xp5AuCQwCD
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) December 17, 2022
“We know how impressive Frank is,” Rice coach Mike Bloomgren said after the game. “What a great athlete, what a great runner he is. I thought he was phenomenal.”
This was Gore’s third season of college football, and he finished it with 1,382 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground – his best season so far. And we can’t wait to see what he does in Year Four. If the transfer portal is in his future, maybe he can finally play for Lane Kiffin. If not, we’ll enjoy watching him rip apart Sun Belt defenses.
And yes, reader, it’s OK to feel old reading about the athletic accomplishments of Frank Gore Jr., the son of – well, you know.
Gore Jr. has something to brag about the next time he sees his dad though. Gore Sr.’s best single game rushing performance in college or the pros was 212 yards against the Seahawks in 2006.
Feature image courtesy of ESPN.
