Southern Miss running back Frank Gore Jr. didn't disappoint in what may have been his final game as a Golden Eagle.
After four years, Gore racked up 154 all-purpose yards, including a 57-yard touchdown run to complete in the Golden Eagles' 35-17 loss season-ending loss to Troy. Gore's 95 yards on the ground made him the third player in the Golden Eagles program to rush for over 4,000 career yards.
"Coming here, I was a very good football player (but) I needed to figure a lot of things out with life," Gore said. "I feel like Coach (Will) Hall helped me with that a lot.
"I feel like the (coaches) helped me become a man. This program means everything to me. It's a loss for words for how much I've grown as a person and a teammate. I owe this program everything. I don't want to write anything off. I'm so grateful to come here for all four years."
Gore, a COVID junior, will have to decide on attempting a professional career, transferring as a graduate student, or returning for one more year at Southern Miss. It's a decision that Gore has yet to make, but says he has no timeline.
"I'm going to weigh all of my options. I'm going to talk to Coach Hall. I'll talk to my dad, mom, and my family and see how it lays out.
"I don't want to rush (the decision). I'm 50-50 right now. I'm not going to say I'm ready to leave or go pro or that I'm back. I would love to be back here. If the situation is best, then I will be back. I just have to weigh everything out."
Despite the uncertainty, Gore who is the son of the NFL great Frank Gore, has had a career that has been filled with exciting highlights that led to him rewriting some of the program's history books as he ranks No. 3 all-time in career rushing yards behind only Ito Smith and Damion Fletcher.
"When I got here, I think he was immature but had a lot of promise," Southern Miss coach Will Hall said. "I think he has grown a lot since I've been here. He's going to get a degree, which I think he will tell you is something he wasn't worried about when he first got here…He grew up in the shadow of one of the all-time greatest players to ever play this game. That's extremely hard to try and live up to that every day.
"Frank has been here for four years. He is fixing to graduate. That's up to him. We will see what happens, but we went into this year knowing that's probably not what's going to happen."
With the chance that Gore's game against Troy was his last in the Black and Gold, here's a look back at some of his most memorable games.
No 5. Florida Atlantic Upset - 2020
Gore's freshman year was the now infamous and forgetful season that featured four different head coaches that featured Jay Hopson, Scotty Walden, Tim Billings and ended with Will Hall being named the next coach with one game left in the season.
At the time, the Golden Eagles were limping to the finish line with heavily favored Florida Atlantic looking to become bowl-eligible. Gore, who was originally committed to FAU in high school, carried Southern Miss to a 45-31 win over the Owls. Gore ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. He was then named C-USA Second-Team All-Conference after ending the year with 703 rushing yards.
No. 4 Superback Gore - 2021
Let it not be forgotten that Frank Gore Jr. led nearly the Golden Eagles in passing touchdowns back in 2021. Southern Miss was experiencing an abysmal eight-game losing streak, but in an attempt to pull out a win, Will Hall switched his offense to the Superback, with Gore leading the team under center. The result was a 35-19 win against rival Louisiana Tech, featuring Gore throwing for two touchdown passes and running for another. Entering the 2023 season, Gore's seven career passing touchdowns were the most on the roster.
No. 3 National Television Win - 2022
Arguably, one of Gore's signature highlights was his perfectly thrown 52-yard touchdown pass to Jason Brownlee that helped Southern Miss defeat a favored Louisiana team on national television 39-24. Gore went 2-for-2 throwing for 64 yards and two touchdowns while adding 87 rushing yards to his performance.
No. 2 De Ja Vu? - 2023
Gore delivering a major performance to end a losing streak at Southern Miss was, unfortunately, a little too common in his career. Again, Gore helped guide the Golden Eagles in defeating a favored Louisiana team on national television, but this time on the road. Gore ran for 158 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, which included the game-winning score in overtime to beat the Ragin Cajuns, ending a seven-game losing streak.
No. 1 Record in the LendingTree Bowl - 2022
'Auntee chill!' became a viral sports meme after Gore broke the NCAA bowl record in the Golden Eagles' win over Rice. Gore ran for 329 yards and two touchdowns as well as threw a touchdown in USM's 38-24 victory, leading to a memorable nationally televised postgame interview with ESPN's sideline reporter. That night also made him the first Southern Miss player to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season and gave the Golden Eagles their first bowl win since 2017.
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