Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WKU | 3 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 27 |
| 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
Maverick McIvor rallies Western Kentucky to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss 27-16
NEW ORLEANS -- — Quarterback Maverick McIvor came off the bench to lead three second-half touchdown drives and Western Kentucky rallied to beat Southern Mississippi 27-16 on Tuesday night to win the New Orleans Bowl at Caesars Superdome.
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.
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Game Information
New Orleans, LA
2025 Standings
| Conference USA | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Kennesaw State | 7-1 | 10-4 |
| Jacksonville State | 7-1 | 9-5 |
| Western Kentucky | 6-2 | 9-4 |
| Louisiana Tech | 5-3 | 8-5 |
| Missouri State | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| Florida International | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| Delaware | 4-4 | 7-6 |
| Liberty | 3-5 | 4-8 |
| Middle Tennessee | 2-6 | 3-9 |
| New Mexico State | 2-6 | 4-8 |
| UTEP | 1-7 | 2-10 |
| Sam Houston | 1-7 | 2-10 |
| Sun Belt - East | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| James Madison | 8-0 | 12-2 |
| Old Dominion | 6-2 | 10-3 |
| Coastal Carolina | 5-3 | 6-7 |
| Georgia Southern | 4-4 | 7-6 |
| Marshall | 3-5 | 5-7 |
| App State | 2-6 | 5-8 |
| Georgia State | 0-8 | 1-11 |
| Sun Belt - West | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Troy | 6-2 | 8-6 |
| Southern Miss | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| Louisiana | 5-3 | 6-7 |
| Arkansas State | 5-3 | 7-6 |
| Texas State | 3-5 | 7-6 |
| South Alabama | 3-5 | 4-8 |
| UL Monroe | 1-7 | 3-9 |
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