MOBILE, Ala. – Frank Gore Jr. said he had no idea what his rushing numbers were nor did he care because his only focus was winning a bowl game for his teammates.
But in his final run of the night, Gore unleashed a 55-yard touchdown that sealed Southern Miss' 38-24 win in the LendingTree Bowl and set the NCAA bowl record and school record for yards in a game with his 329-yard performance. He also accounted for three touchdowns.
But when asked about his night in the postgame press conference, Gore shrugged his shoulders and simply said, 'It is what it is."
For any player it was a moment of glory that every athlete hopes for, but for Gore, who was pleased with his performance, the night was not about him but rather his teammates.
"It's not so forth (about) myself," Gore said. "I'm more proud of my teammates. We have been through a lot. We fought in the last week of the year to get to six wins so we could be here. Then once we got here, I told myself that I can't let them down. I had to win this for them.
"The reason I'm still here (at Southern Miss) are my teammates and the love we have for each other and the love that we have for my coaches and the love they have for me…They gave me a dream to chase."
That thought process was enhanced further when Southern Miss went down 24-17 in the third quarter. And not only did it fuel Gore, but it showed as the 5-foot-8 running back threw for the seventh touchdown pass of his career and put the game away with his late touchdown run.
"Before the game, I was thinking that some of my guys will never play football again," Gore said. "They were up at six o'clock (in the morning) with me. They are working just as hard as me. I want them to reap the benefit of their work. Once we went down, I thought about that, and I told myself that I couldn't let my guys down and that I had to pull it through.
"I didn't even worry about the stats once we went down. The stats went out the door. I was focused on getting the trophy and winning for my teammates."
Gore was quick to point out that credit should go to his offensive line and the fact that Rice's defense made it a point to double team USM "s leading wide receiver Jason Brownlee, but by breaking down Gore's numbers, it only shows his brilliance even more so. Of his 21 touches, Gore had nine runs for over 10 yards and four that were for over 25 yards.
"I see this every day at practice," Brownlee said. "I know what he is capable of. It is exciting to watch him do that."
"That's my dog for life. When you have him and me in the huddle, it's kind of pick your poison. They wanted to break at me all night, and then they leave (Frank) in the box. Then it's just a numbers game. We had the right numbers to hit the holes and gaps. (Frank) just did his thing and made them miss. It's just history."
Gore, who is the son of NFL legend Frank Gore Sr., surpassed his father's best game of 212 yards. While it's bragging rights for the father and son duo, chasing his father's legacy is not something Gore worries about.
"I try not to focus on that because every man is going to be himself," Gore remarked.
At the same time, Southern Miss coach Will Hall was quick to point out that Gore's moment was a product of how he had changed both physically and mentally before the season.
"He couldn't have done that tonight last year," Hall said. "He made a choice to change the way he eats, the way he trains, and the way he works. He changed his body fat content. He gained a little bit of weight and still got faster.
"He's a special guy. He has really learned how to be a leader. He has learned how to handle the responsibility of being Frank Gore Jr., and he has embraced that…Everybody in life wants to get blessed, but not everybody wants the responsibility of being a blessing. He is has accepted that responsibility."
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