Southern Miss 38, Rice 24 LendingTree Bowl What Happened, What It All Means

Southern Miss 38, Rice 24: LendingTree Bowl what happened, player of the game, and what it all means

Southern Miss beat Rice to win the LendingTree Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?


Southern Miss 38, Rice 24 LendingTree Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means

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LendingTree Bowl What Happened

Frank Gore Jr. ran for 329 yards with two touchdown runs and a scoring pass – punctuated by a 55-yard touchdown run to seal the win – as Southern Miss scored 21 unanswered points over the last 19 minutes.

Southern Miss got up 14-0 helped by a 64-yard touchdown run from Gore Jr., but Rice roared back with three touchdown passes from AJ Padgett with two to Isaiah Esdale for a 24-17 lead carried deep into the fourth.

– It wasn’t the sharpest game from either side, but Rice hung around even with the massive day from Gore Jr. The final score is going to make the game look worse than it was. The Owls were able to fight back early, but they couldn’t hold up late. The defensive front wore down just enough to allow Gore Jr. to take over.

LendingTree Bowl Player of the Game

Frank Gore Jr., RB BYU
He ran 21 times for 329 yards and two scores, and he completed two of his three passes for 19 yards and a touchdown.

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LendingTree Bowl Fun Stats

– The two teams combined for five turnovers, three from Southern Miss and two from Rice.

– The offenses combined for 975 yards. Gore Jr. accounted for 348 of the Southern Miss 550.

– Southern Miss came up with five sacks. LB Daylen Gill led the game with 11 tackles with three sacks.

LendingTree Bowl What It All Means

After two three-win seasons, and without a bowl win since taking the 2016 New Orleans, Southern Miss coming up with a winning season is a big deal in Will Hall’s second season. As part of the new and improved Sun Belt, it’s a nice momentum boost for the program going into the offseason as a potential player in the 2023 conference race.

This might not have been a perfect performance, but considering the rough three-game losing streak late in the season – and the need to beat ULM just to get here – the season changed in a big way late.

Rice was playing with house money.  Of course it would’ve liked to pull off the bowl win, and it had its chances, but as the only 5-7 team in the bowl season, this was a solid game with both sides battling throughout. The run defense got gouged, but there wasn’t any letdown until Gore Jr. finally put it away late.

For all of the problems this year, it was the first bowl game in the five-year run under Mike Bloomgren, and the program’s first bowl appearance since winning the 2014 Hawaii.

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Southern Miss vs Coastal Carolina Prediction Game Preview

Southern Miss vs Coastal Carolina game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 11 game on Saturday, November 12

Southern Miss vs Coastal Carolina prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 11, Saturday, November 12


Southern Miss vs Coastal Carolina How To Watch

Date: Saturday, November 12
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
How To Watch: ESPNU
Record: Southern Miss (5-4), Coastal Carolina (8-1)
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Southern Miss vs Coastal Carolina Game Preview

Why Southern Miss Will Win

Coastal Carolina will be without its star.

QB Grayson McCall is out for at least the rest of the regular season with a foot injury. Bryce Carpenter is a veteran backup option who knows what he’s doing, but here comes the Southern Miss pass rush that’s among the best in the nation.

If the Golden Eagle defense can own third downs, and the Chanticleer attack can stall just enough to make field position matter, the visiting side can pull this off.

However …

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Why Coastal Carolina Will Win

Coastal Carolina doesn’t turn the ball over.

Southern Miss struggles way too much offensively, and that’s with an easy schedule to get through over the last several weeks. It’s winning through the mistakes, but it lost the ball multiple times over the last five games – 13 in all.

Coastal Carolina has given the ball away four times in the last six games, the defense will come up with tow takeaways, and ….

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What’s Going To Happen

Everyone will pick up the slack for the loss of McCall.

The Southern Miss run defense and pass rush are way too strong to get crushed like they did in the 42-14 blowout loss over Georgia State last week, but Coastal Carolina will keep things moving.

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Southern Miss vs Coastal Carolina Prediction, Line

Coastal Carolina 27, Southern Miss 20
Line: Coastal Carolina -4.5, o/u: 48.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3.5
Southern Miss vs Coastal Carolina Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
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Louisiana vs Southern Miss Prediction, Game Preview

Louisiana vs Southern Miss game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 9 game on Thursday, October 27

Louisiana vs Southern Miss prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 9, Thursday, October 27


Louisiana vs Southern Miss How To Watch

Date: Thursday, October 27
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS
How To Watch: ESPN2
Record: Louisiana (4-3), Southern Miss (5-2)
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Louisiana vs Southern Miss Game Preview

Why Louisiana Will Win

It might not be the Ragin’ Cajun team of the past few years, but this version was able to potentially save the season with solid wins over Marshall and Arkansas State.

What’s been different? The defense was a rock in both games allowing fewer than 300 yards of total offense. That, and the offense hit on the big plays down the field.

Southern Miss has a decently balanced offense, but it’s not a killer. It’s going to turn it over a few times – that’s what it does – and the D will allow at least 230 passing yards – that’s what it does.

NFL Expert Picks, Week 8

Why Southern Miss Will Win

The Louisiana running game has to work.

It hit a wall against Rice and ULM and lost both game – the offense has to control the tempo, and that’s not easy to do against Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles don’t do much in the time of possession battle, but it forces teams out of their rhythm with a strong pass rush and a whole lot of plays behind the line.

They might not crank up a ton of points, but they’re great at keeping games close and low scoring. But …

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What’s Going To Happen

Turnovers. Southern Miss was able to overcome giving away five in the last two wins, but the offense gives it up WAY too much. Louisiana also isn’t big on the whole scoring thing, and it’s also having turnover issues lately.

At home, the Southern Miss pass rush will be just a wee bit stronger and more effective in key moments than the Louisiana version.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 9

Louisiana vs Southern Miss Prediction, Line

Southern Miss 20, Louisiana 17
Line: Southern Miss -1.5, o/u: 43.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Louisiana vs Southern Miss Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
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Southern Miss vs Texas State Prediction, Game Preview

Southern Miss vs Texas State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 8 game on Saturday, October 22

Southern Miss vs Texas State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 8, Saturday, October 22


Southern Miss vs Texas State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 22
Game Time: 5:00 ET
Venue: Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Southern Miss (3-3), Texas State (3-4)
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Southern Miss vs Texas State Game Preview

Why Southern Miss Will Win

Can the Golden Eagles put it all together and get the offense going just a little bit?

They’ve been getting by on a killer pass rush and enough overall defense to hold up against the run to keep scores low and slink on by. It would be nice to get their own offense going, but that’s not happening on a consistent basis.

Fortunately, the Texas State offense is sputtering just as much – at least outside of a shocking upset over Appalachian State. There’s no running game to worry about, there’s no downfield passing attack happening, and …

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Why Texas State Will Win

Texas State doesn’t have to worry about the time of possession battle because Southern Miss just can’t seem to keep its offense on the field.

No, the Bobcats aren’t consistent and they aren’t able to do too many things right offensively, but there’s a big reason, actually three: Baylor, James Madison, Troy. Those three defenses can stuff just about anyone. The Southern Miss defense is strong, but they’re not at that level.

The offensive line has to hold up, the attack has to score when it gets its chances – Southern Miss is awful in the red zone – and …

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What’s Going To Happen

Can Texas State own the turnover battle?

Southern Miss is 0-3 when turning it over three times or more and 3-0 when it doesn’t. Texas State can force enough mistakes to be okay, but more importantly, it should be able to finally get the running game going a little bit to go along with the decent passing game.

There won’t be anything attractive about this game. It’s going to be a fight for both sides to generate points, and Texas State will be able to come up with a few more at home.

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Southern Miss vs Texas State Prediction, Line

Texas State 23, Southern Miss 20
Line: Southern Miss -2, o/u: 43.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Southern Miss vs Texas State Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
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Arkansas State vs Southern Miss Prediction, Game Preview

Arkansas State vs Southern Miss game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 7 game on Saturday, October 15

Arkansas State vs Southern Miss prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 7, Saturday, October 15


Arkansas State vs Southern Miss How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 15
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: MM Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Arkansas State (2-4), Southern Miss (2-3)
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Arkansas State vs Southern Miss Game Preview

Why Arkansas State Will Win

The Red Wolves haven’t been able to do anything on the ground, but James Blackman and the passing game have been fine, they’ll hit at least 250 yards against the Southern Miss defense, and then they have to get the pass rush going.

The Golden Eagles aren’t going to control the clock – they’re awful on third downs – partly because the offensive front gives up too many plays in the backfield. The ASU pass rush isn’t anything special, but the line will come up with tackles for loss.

However …

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Why Southern Miss Will Win

The Arkansas State offensive line is scuffling.

It’s having its moments, but the running game isn’t doing much on a consistent basis and it’s not great against good pass rushing fronts. Southern Miss it bringing it in the backfield – it’s second in the Sun Belt and seventh in the nation averaging 3.6 sacks per game.

This isn’t a power-blocking ASU bunch. You can hammer on this USM D, but get wide or have a slow developing play and it’ll pounce.

It’s this simple for the Golden Eagles, though …

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What’s Going To Happen

Turnovers. USM turned it over 12 times in the three losses and didn’t give it away in the two wins. Arkansas State’s defense doesn’t force enough mistakes with just four takeaways on the year.

The offenses will struggle – the running games won’t do much of anything. At home, the Southern Miss defense will be better.

College Football Expert Picks, Week 7

Arkansas State vs Southern Miss Prediction, Line

Southern Miss 30, Arkansas State 24
Line: Southern Miss -4.5, o/u: 55.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Arkansas State vs Southern Miss Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5
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Southern Miss vs Troy Prediction, Game Preview

Southern Miss vs Troy game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 6 game on Saturday, October 8

Southern Miss vs Troy prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 6, Saturday, October 8


Southern Miss vs Troy How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 8
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, AL
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Southern Miss (2-2), Troy (3-2)
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Southern Miss vs Troy Game Preview

Why Southern Miss Will Win

It shouldn’t work, but it does.

Southern Miss has a whole slew of problems. It doesn’t move the chains, it doesn’t control the clock, and the offensive line has issues. But …

The big pass plays are there averaging close to 17 yards per completion, the pass rush is among the best in America, and that’s just enough to make things interesting.

That includes a shocking win at Tulane.

Oh, by the way, Troy is among the worst teams in the country in pass protection. But ..

NFL Expert Picks, Week 5

Why Troy Will Win

The Trojans are playing really, really well.

The passing game might have to deal with too much pressure, and there’s no running game to help, but Gunnar Watson is a consistent passer – this is all assuming he’s good to go after getting hurt last week – the defense has been able to hold up shockingly well in key moments, and like Southern Miss, is shouldn’t work, but it does.

Also like USM, Troy does a great job of getting into the backfield, too.

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What’s Going To Happen

It’s a huge game for both teams. They’re both dangerous enough to beat anyone else in the Sun Belt, but a loss in this makes it tough to make a big push in a loaded league.

Southern Miss will keep up the pace, and the pass rush will be a huge problem, but Troy’s offense will crank up over 300 passing yards and be a bit more effective at home.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 6

Southern Miss vs Troy Prediction, Line

Troy 27, Southern Miss 24
Line: Troy -6.5, o/u: 44.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Southern Miss vs Troy Must See Rating (out of 5): 3
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Southern Miss vs Tulane Prediction, Game Preview

Southern Miss vs Tulane game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 4 game on Saturday, September 24

Southern Miss vs Tulane prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 4, Saturday, September 24


Southern Miss vs Tulane How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 24
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, LA
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Southern Miss (1-2), Tulane (3-0)
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Southern Miss vs Tulane Game Preview

Why Southern Miss Will Win

The Golden Eagles got on the board with a total destruction of Northwestern State, but they weren’t playing all that poorly before the 64-10 win.

The passing attack was okay against Miami, and the running game roared over Liberty, but there was one big problem – actually, there were eight.

The eight turnovers were a killer, but those might have been cleaned up last week. On the other side, Tulane force three takeaways against UMass to start the season but have just one over the last two games.

The USM downfield passing game is strong, the pass rush is fantastic, and …

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Why Tulane Will Win

The Tulane pass defense has been incredible.

It’s No. 1 in the nation on a defense that’s fifth in the country. Granted, UMass, Alcorn State, and Kansas State won’t scare anyone through the air, but the Green Wave did what they were supposed to do against teams that can’t throw.

And they held up against a Kansas State team that can run.

The offensive line is playing great, the running game has been good enough, and the turnovers haven’t been that big of a problem.

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What’s Going To Happen

Southern Miss has had problems getting the points when it has the chance.

The turnovers can’t be there, and the offensive line has to be ready to deal with a potentially dangerous pass rush.

This won’t be a breeze – Southern Miss is going to win some games this year – but at home, the Green Wave will push past two turnovers and a spotty game from the passing attack to get to 4-0.

NFL Expert Picks, Week 3

Southern Miss vs Tulane Prediction, Line

Tulane 30, Southern Miss 17
Line: Tulane -12.5, o/u: 48
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Southern Miss vs Tulane Must See Rating (out of 5): 2.5

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Southern Miss vs Northwestern State Prediction, Game Preview

Southern Miss vs Northwestern State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 3 game on Saturday, September 17

Southern Miss vs Northwestern State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 3, Saturday, September 17


Southern Miss vs Northwestern State How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 17
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: MM Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS
How To Watch: ESPN3
Record: Southern Miss (0-2), Northwestern State (0-2)
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Southern Miss vs Northwestern State Game Preview

Why Northwestern State Will Win

The Demons haven’t been able to get going yet, but having to deal with a loaded Montana team is tough and facing Grambling didn’t help.

They know how to control the clock with their style of offense, the defensive front can get behind the line, and they need to keep on winging it around and keep the pressure on a Southern Miss defense that hasn’t been able to generate enough key stops.

However …

CFN Expert Picks, Week 3

Why Southern Miss Will Win

The Northwestern State offense isn’t working.

It couldn’t do much of anything against Montana, and it couldn’t keep up last week.

Yeah, Southern Miss is 0-2, but it gave Liberty a rough ride in a tough loss and it wasn’t that bad – especially against the run – in the 30-7 loss to Miami. As long as the turnovers stop, there shouldn’t be a problem after coming up with a few early scores. But …

Week 3 Schedule, Predictions, Game Preview

What’s Going To Happen

Yeah, the turnovers.

Southern Miss gave it up five times against Liberty and three more times against Miami. Northwestern State has to generate at least three and has to capitalize on all of them to keep up.

That’s not going to happen. Southern Miss rolls as it tunes up to a slew of road games over the next several weeks.

CFN Week 3 Predictions

Southern Miss vs Northwestern State Prediction, Line

Southern Miss 44, Northwestern State 10
Line: Southern Miss -32, o/u: 48.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5
Southern Miss vs Northwestern State Must See Rating (out of 5): 1.5

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Miami vs Southern Miss Prediction, Game Preview

Miami vs Southern Miss game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 2 game on Saturday, September 10

Miami vs Southern Miss prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 2, Saturday, September 10


Miami vs Southern Miss How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 10
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
How To Watch: ACC Network
Record: Miami (1-0), Southern Miss (0-1)
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Miami vs Southern Miss Game Preview

Why Southern Miss Will Win

The Golden Eagles might have lost the opener to Liberty 29-27 in four overtimes, but they were far more competitive than they were over the last few seasons and looked like they’re going to be a factor in the Sun Belt.

Now they have to chill on the mistakes.

Frank Gore Jr. is one of the better backs Miami will deal with – he ran over the Flames for 178 yards and two scores – and the defense will pressure Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke and the backfield far better than Bethune-Cookman did.

The potential is there to make this a fight for a while, but …

CFN Expert Picks, Week 2

Why Miami Will Win

Yeah, the mistakes.

The passing game struggled against Liberty – to be nice about it – and the team killed itself with ten penalties and five turnovers. The D was able to force three takeaways and Liberty helped with 12 penalties of its own, but Southern Miss has to be perfect this week, and that’s not going to happen.

The Hurricanes got their warm-up scrimmage in with the 70-13 win over Bethune-Cookman. As long as they keep their own mistakes to a minimum – they should be balanced enough on offense to make this easy.

Week 2 Schedule, Predictions, Game Preview

What’s Going To Happen

The Miami defense will load up against the run and dare the Golden Eagles to hit a few downfield passes. That’s not going to go well for the visitors.

The Southern Miss defensive front will be enough of a bother to keep the Canes from marching up and down the field at will, but Mario Crisotbal’s team will look the part for a second straight week.

CFN Week 2 Predictions

Miami vs Southern Miss Prediction, Line

Miami 40, Southern Miss 13
Line:Miami -25.5, o/u: 54.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Miami vs Southern Miss Must See Rating (out of 5): 2

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Liberty vs Southern Miss Prediction, Game Preview

Liberty vs Southern Miss game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 1 game on Saturday, September 3

Liberty vs Southern Miss prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 1, Saturday, September 3


Liberty vs Southern Miss How To Watch

Date: Saturday, September 3
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: MM Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: Liberty (0-0), Southern Miss (0-0)
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Liberty vs Southern Miss Game Preview

Why Liberty Will Win

The help from the transfer portal should make a huge difference right away – getting veteran QB Charlie Brewer is a nice way to keep things going. The receiving corps should be stronger than the 2021 version, the running backs are better, and the front five upgraded the talent in a big way.

It’s the other side of the ball that should take over the game.

The Flame defensive front was going to be good, and it got a whole lot better with Dre Butler coming in from Auburn for the inside to help TreShaun Clark on the end.

That’s all a problem for a Southern Miss offensive line that was totally miserable in pass protection.

Last year’s Golden Eagle attack was horrible on third downs, turned it over way too much, and …

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Why Southern Miss Will Win

The offensive line should be better.

The transfer portal helped the front five with good new parts for former Liberty coach Sam Gregg raising this group up to go along with his offensive coordinator duties.

Yes, the Liberty defensive front is fine, but Frank Gore Jr. and the running backs should in for a bigger year and a good game, the receiving corps will be one of the team’s top strengths, and as long as that O line is just a wee bit better, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem keeping up the pace.

The other side got a ton of help from the transfer portal, too, with the depth getting seven new players for the rotation – the secondary that was already good is going to be fantastic.

Week 1 Schedule, Predictions, Game Previews, Saturday

What’s Going To Happen

Just how quickly can the Southern Miss reboot kick in?

Liberty has the talent and ability to be every bit as good as the eight-win version of last year – even without Malik Willis – but the Golden Eagles will have a far better offense, the defense should be even stronger than the version that was so good at times late in the season, and …

Liberty will get too much offensive balance in the second half to pull away. However, it’ll be a good start for Southern Miss – even if it’s the sixth year in a row with a loss in the first game against an FBS team.

All of the CFN Predictions

Liberty vs Southern Miss Prediction, Line

Liberty 26, Southern Miss 20
Line: Liberty -3.5, o/u: 49.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5

How every college coach does against the spread

Liberty vs Southern Miss Must See Rating: 2.5

5: Gangs of London Season 2
1: Mack & Rita

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