Maverick McIvor, George Hart III and Marvis Parrish rushed for touchdowns as Western Kentucky rallied to defeat Southern Miss 27-16 in the New Orleans Bowl on Tuesday.

McIvor, the starting quarterback for the Hilltoppers (9-4) before injuring his non-throwing shoulder in October, entered the game late in the second quarter when Rodney Tisdale Jr., who was starting his sixth consecutive game, was injured.

McIvor passed for 199 yards with an interception and rushed for 48 yards before being named MVP of the game. Tisdale passed for 65 yards with an interception.

“(McIvor) is the epitome of this team,” Western Kentucky coach Tyson Helton said. “He got us off to a great start this season before he got hurt. Rodney did a fantastic job, then he got nicked up today. I’ve been telling Maverick to just keep grinding, that he would get another shot.

“When I saw that look in (McIvor’s) eye (before he entered the game), I felt he would get it done, and he did.”

Braylon Braxton passed for 258 yards with a touchdown and an interception to lead the Golden Eagles (7-6), who were playing their first game under head coach Blake Anderson since he was promoted from offensive coordinator after Charles Huff left to become head coach at Memphis.

On the Hilltoppers’ second possession of the third quarter, McIvor threw a 46-yard completion to Matthew Henry, who finished with 126 yards on seven catches. Three plays later, McIvor ran 11 yards for a tying touchdown. Creighton Wilbanks’ 41-yard field goal then gave the Golden Eagles a 16-13 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Hart ran 1 yard for a touchdown to give Western Kentucky a 20-16 lead with 7:51 left in the game, and then Parrish added a 54-yard touchdown run with 3:38 left.

“Our program and our guys love to compete in bowl games,” Helton said. “This is what college football is all about.”

The Golden Eagles attempted to punt at the end of their first possession, but Reed Harradine fumbled the snap and Koron Hayward recovered for Western Kentucky at the Southern Miss 12. That led to John Cannon kicking a 31-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Braxton’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Tychaun Chapman gave the Eagles a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Cannon’s 30-yard field goal pulled the Hilltoppers within one point, but Wilbanks kicked field goals of 25 and 29 yards to give Southern Miss a 13-6 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media