Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Southern Miss Golden Eagles
· New Orleans Bowl
Maverick McIvor rallies Western Kentucky to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss 27-16
Head coach Tyson Helton has led the Hilltoppers (9-4) to a bowl game in seven straight seasons, winning five of them.
McIvor completed 12 of 19 passes for 199 yards with one interception and rushed for a season-high 48 yards and a score on eight carries. Matthew Henry had seven receptions for 126 yards. Jack Cannon kicked two field goals.
Braylon Braxton threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tychaun Chapman in the first quarter and Creighton Wilbanks kicked two field goals in the second to help the Golden Eagles (7-6) take a 13-6 lead into halftime.
Southern Miss piled up 265 yards in the first half, while holding Western Kentucky to 84. The Hilltoppers outgained the Golden Eagles 338-112 after halftime.
Freshman quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr. completed 9 of 20 passes for 65 yards with an interception for Western Kentucky before leaving right before halftime after taking a hard hit.
McIvor, who hadn't played since starting the first seven games, led the second-half charge.
McIvor capped an eight-play drive with an 11-yard touchdown run to tie it 13-all midway through the third quarter before Wilbanks kicked a 41-yard field goal to put Southern Miss up 16-13 heading to the fourth.
McIvor had a 23-yard run to the Golden Eagles' 1 and George Hart III plunged into the end zone two plays later for a 20-16 lead 7:48 remaining.
McIvor completed a 14-yard pass to Matthew Henry on third-and-11 and Marvis Parrish raced 54 yards for a score on the next play to set the final margin with 3:38 left. The Hilltoppers were successful on all eight third-down opportunities in the second half after going 1 for 9 in the first.
Braxton totaled 258 yards on 24-for-47 passing with an interception.
How To Watch
How can I watch Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles?
- TV Channel: Hilltoppers at Golden Eagles 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
FG | 1st Period 11:38 | John Cannon 31 Yd Field Goal |
 |
TD | 1st Period 4:06 | B. Braxton pass to T. Chapman for 35 yds, for a TD (C. Wilbanks KICK) |
|
FG | 2nd Period 11:09 | John Cannon 30 Yd Field Goal |
|
FG | 2nd Period 3:10 | Creighton Wilbanks 25 Yd Field Goal |
|
FG | 2nd Period 0:00 | Creighton Wilbanks 29 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 3rd Period 6:57 | M. McIvor run for 11 yds, for a TD (J. Cannon KICK) |
|
FG | 3rd Period 1:36 | Creighton Wilbanks 41 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 4th Period 7:51 | G. Hart III run for 1 yd, for a TD (J. Cannon KICK) |
|
TD | 4th Period 3:38 | Marvis Parrish 54 Yd Run (John Cannon Kick) |
Statistics
 WKU |
 USM |
|
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1st Downs | 21 |
| 9-17 | 3rd down efficiency | 7-20 |
| 0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 1-3 |
| 422 | Total Yards | 377 |
| 267 | Passing | 258 |
| 22/40 | Comp/Att | 24/48 |
| 6.7 | Yards per pass | 5.4 |
| 155 | Rushing | 119 |
| 33 | Rushing Attempts | 36 |
| 4.7 | Yards per rush | 3.3 |
| 8-74 | Penalties | 12-100 |
| 3 | Turnovers | 1 |
| 1 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 2 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
| 31:24 | Possession | 28:36 |
Game Information
Location: New Orleans, LA
Attendance: 16,693 · Capacity:
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