• Football
  • Western Kentucky Fought Hard And Pulled Out A 27-16 Win Against Southern Miss In The New Orleans Bowl

Western Kentucky Fought Hard And Pulled Out A 27-16 Win Against Southern Miss In The New Orleans Bowl

Details
Football

WKU Football earned a 27-16 win over Southern Miss in the 2025 New Orleans Bowl on Tuesday night at the iconic Caesars Superdome.

Quarterback Maverick McIvor entered the game in the second quarter and threw for 199 yards on 12-of-19 passing and rushed for another 48 yards and one touchdown to lead the Hilltoppers to the victory. McIvor was named the 2025 New Orleans Bowl MVP for his performance.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • WKU struck first on its second possession, taking a 3-0 lead with 11:38 remaining in the opening quarter after John Cannon converted a 31-yard field goal.
  • Southern Miss answered late in the period, pulling ahead 7-3 on a 35-yard touchdown reception at the 4:06 mark.
  • The Hilltoppers trimmed the deficit to one early in the second quarter as Cannon connected again from 31 yards out with 11:09 left before halftime.
  • The Golden Eagles responded with a pair of field goals, including one as time expired in the half, to carry a 13-6 advantage into the break.
  • WKU evened the score midway through the third quarter when Maverick McIvor found the end zone on an 11-yard rush to cap an 8-play, 65-yard drive, knotting the game at 13-13.
  • Southern Miss regained the lead late in the period, 16-13, with a 41-yard field goal.
  • The Hilltoppers went back on top early in the fourth, grinding out an 11-play, 65-yard drive that George Hart III finished with a one-yard touchdown to make it 20-16.
  • WKU then delivered the dagger with 3:38 to play, as Marvis Parrish sprinted 54 yards for a score to extend the lead to 27-16 and seal the victory for the Hilltoppers.

NOTABLES

  • WKU finishes the 2025 season with a 9-4 overall record.
  • The Hilltoppers improved to 8-4 in bowl games during its FBS Era (since 2009).
  • WKU has now played in bowl games in 12 of the last 14 seasons, including seven straight seasons. The Hilltoppers are one of just eight teams in the country, and one of two non-Power Conference programs, that has played in a bowl or CFP game in each of the last six seasons and is also scheduled to play in one or has played in one this season.
  • WKU has played in a bowl game in all seven seasons under Tyson Helton. The Hilltoppers are 5-2 in bowl games under Helton.
  • WKU is now 2-0 when playing in the New Orleans Bowl. In addition to Tuesday's win over Southern Miss, the Hilltoppers beat South Alabama 44-23 in the 2022 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
  • Helton is now 57-36 as WKU's Head Coach. The 57 wins are tied for third-most in program history with Nick Denes, who claimed 57 wins in 11 seasons from 1957-67. WKU has four nine-win seasons under Helton, with an additional two eight-win seasons in seven seasons.
  • WKU's team captains for the game were offensive lineman Marshall Jackson, linebacker Jaylen Wester and punter Cole Maynard.
  • WKU recorded 422 yards of offense in the win, with 267 passing and 155 rushing.
  • Quarterback Maverick McIvor finished with 199 yards on 12-19-1 passing, with an additional 48 yards and one touchdown on eight rushing attempts. It was his first action since the Oct. 10 game against FIU. He was named the 2025 New Orleans Bowl MVP.
  • Eight different Hilltoppers recorded at least one reception on the night, totaling 22 catches and 267 total receiving yards.
  • Wide Receiver Matthew Henry led the way, tying a season-high of seven receptions for 126 yards with a long of 46. It's the fourth time Henry has reached seven receptions in a game this season.
  • Marvis Parrish paced WKU on the ground with 65 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown, on seven rushing attempts. It was Parrish's first career rushing touchdown.
  • George Hart III finished with 28 rushing yards and a one-yard touchdown on five attempts.
  • Linebacker Jaylen Wester had a game-high 12 tackles, including seven solo stops, 1.0 sack, 1.0 tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
  • Linebacker Anthony Brackenridge posted 11 tackles, 1.0 sack and 1.0 tackle for loss.
  • Koron Hayward recorded 4.0 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and one quarterback hurry.
  • Defensive back Jaylen Lewis had the game-clinching interception late in the fourth quarter, his third of the season. He finished with 6.0 tackles, including 3.0 solo, two pass break-ups and 0.5 tackles for loss.
  • Consensus All-American punter Cole Maynard averaged 45.7 yards on six punts in the win. He had two travel 50 yards, with a long of 56. He finishes the season with a program record 48.4 yards per punt.
  • The 2025 season was the second-longest season in program history at 123 days between the first game and last game. The 2019 season was 124 days. The Dec. 23 game was the sixth-latest game WKU has played in a calendar year. 

QUOTABLES

  • "I talk to the guys all the time about how magical bowl games are and how guys wait for their opportunity, and for some reason this stage, bowl games, kind of put guys on that stage. When Rodney got dinged up and we went into halftime, I said, 'What better opportunity for Maverick to go out there and be a rockstar and go lead this team.' When we said that at halftime – 'Hey Mav, you've got it, you're up, babe' – you just saw the light. The locker room lit up. We love Rodney. Rodney is awesome, too. It says a lot about how the guys feel about him and it gave us that spark. Second play of the second half we hit Noah Meyers and we fumble right there, but we're about to go in. I knew right then and there – here we go, the magic is starting. That's why bowl games are so important. That's why you play them. It's for nights like tonight. There's going to be a lot of great memories that were made tonight." – WKU Football Head Coach Tyson Helton, on the New Orleans Bowl win.
  • "Shout out to the guys. They played really hard the whole game. Unfortunately Rodney went down. He's going to be a great player and he played good for us this season. I think when your time's called, you have to be ready to play. Going throughout all these weeks of prep, you've got to stay ready, and when your number is called, it's time for you to go out there and play good. I think today we got that done." – WKU Football quarterback Maverick McIvor, on coming off the bench in the New Orleans Bowl win over Southern Miss.
  • "I would just say it was a blessing to come back. It was a tough loss last game, but Coach says, bowl games matter. Everything is on the line. We just had to come back, come out here and win." – WKU Football wide receiver Matthew Henry, on the New Orleans Bowl win over Southern Miss.
  • "Just embracing the grind, you know? The good and the bad coming together. Knowing that we needed to get this win and everybody being on the same page 11 as one." – WKU Football linebacker Jaylen Wester, on the key for the defense in the New Orleans Bowl win.

NEXT UP

  • WKU will head into the offseason after finishing the season 9-4 with the New Orleans Bowl win.