Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Dec 23, 2025

FINAL

Box Score

	1	2	3	4	T
WKU	3	3	7	14	27
USM	7	6	3	0	16

Game Recap

Maverick McIvor rallies Western Kentucky to a New Orleans Bowl victory, beating Southern Miss 27-16. 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.

Scoring Summary

WKUUSM

Q111:38John Cannon 31 Yd Field Goal.30
Q14:06B. Braxton pass to T. Chapman for 35 yds, for a TD (C. Wilbanks KICK).37
Q211:09John Cannon 30 Yd Field Goal.67
Q23:10Creighton Wilbanks 25 Yd Field Goal.610
Q20:00Creighton Wilbanks 29 Yd Field Goal.613
Q36:57M. McIvor run for 11 yds, for a TD (J. Cannon KICK).1313
Q31:36Creighton Wilbanks 41 Yd Field Goal.1316
Q47:51G. Hart III run for 1 yd, for a TD (J. Cannon KICK).2016
Q43:38Marvis Parrish 54 Yd Run (John Cannon Kick).2716

Game Drives

1st Quarter

Punt — 3 plays, 5 yards, 1:20
00
Downs — 4 plays, -3 yards, 0:46
00
Field Goal — 4 plays, -1 yard, 1:16
30
Punt — 11 plays, 35 yards, 4:54
30
Punt — 3 plays, 9 yards, 1:21
30
Touchdown — 4 plays, 62 yards, 1:22
37
Punt — 7 plays, 21 yards, 3:16
37

2nd Quarter

Punt — 4 plays, -4 yards, 1:33
37
Field Goal — 8 plays, 31 yards, 3:08
67
Punt — 3 plays, 3 yards, 2:08
67
Punt — 3 plays, -6 yards, 0:53
67
Missed FG — 10 plays, 48 yards, 2:33
67
Interception — 2 plays, -10 yards, 0:17
67
Field Goal — 7 plays, 16 yards, 2:11
610
Punt — 6 plays, 18 yards, 2:00
610
Field Goal — 10 plays, 57 yards, 1:10
613

3rd Quarter

Punt — 3 plays, 8 yards, 1:04
613
Fumble — 2 plays, 11 yards, 0:40
613
Punt — 4 plays, 12 yards, 1:55
613
Touchdown — 8 plays, 65 yards, 4:24
1313
Downs — 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:21
1313
Interception — 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:48
1313
Field Goal — 9 plays, 44 yards, 3:15
1316

4th Quarter

Punt — 6 plays, 21 yards, 2:25
1316
Punt — 3 plays, 5 yards, 1:08
1316
Touchdown — 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:12
2016
Punt — 4 plays, 16 yards, 1:28
2016
Touchdown — 7 plays, 83 yards, 2:39
2716
Interception — 9 plays, 37 yards, 1:53
2716
End of Game — 3 plays, 20 yards, 1:45
2716

Team Stats

WKU

USM

27Points16

422Total Yards377

267Pass Yards258

155Rush Yards119

31:24Time of Possession28:36

18First Downs21

3Touchdowns1

2(2)Field Goals(Attempts)3(4)

3Turnovers1

74Penalty Yards100

Game Details

Tuesday, December 23, 2025 · 5:30 PM

Caesars Superdome · New Orleans, LA

attendance: 16,693 (22.9%)

spread: USM -2.5

over/under: 59.5