Freshman running back Myles Gaskin set high marks in rushing yards and touchdowns on Saturday as the Washington Huskies (7-5) defeated the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (9-5) 44-31 in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. Gaskin finished the day with 181 yards on 26 carries on the ground. He also scored four rushing touchdowns including a key 86 yard scamper in the third quarter. The yardage for Gaskin places him third for most rushing yards in a bowl game by a Washington running back.
Washington also saw a very solid game from freshman quarterback Jake Browning who finished the game completing 23-of-34 passes for 284 yards. Browning has finished the season off strong after mid-season struggles. In his last three games, he has completed 74.3% of his passes (55-of-74) for 698 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
The biggest question coming into the game on Saturday would be if the high powered offense of Southern Miss could push around Washington’s stout defense. The answer to that was a big no despite scoring 31 points. It was the first time this season that Southern Miss scored more than 30 points and lost the game.
Southern Miss had the best offense in the nation that you had never heard of coming into the game. The Golden Eagles were averaging 519.8 yards of total offense per game with a record of 9-0 when gaining over 480 yards. They also came into the game with a 4,000 yard passer (Nick Mullens), a 1,000 yard receiver (Michael Thomas), and two 1,000 yard rushers (Jalen Richard and Ito Smith).
On this day though, the offense was shut down by the Husky D. Southern Miss finished the game with just 375 yards gained. It was the second straight game where the Golden Eagles were held to below 400 yards of offense as Western Kentucky kept them to a season-low 340 back on December 5th in the Conference USA Championship Game.
What was even more impressive was Washington limiting the Southern Miss rushing attack to just 22 yards on 30 carries. The Golden Eagles were averaging 192 yards on the ground. Ito Smith finished the game with 40 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
Nick Mullens and Michael Thomas each had a very game. Mullens finishing with 331 passing yards and two touchdowns. Both of those scores going to Thomas who finished with 190 yards on nine catches.
The future looks very bright for the Washington Huskies especially if Browning can become a more consistent quarterback. His numbers in wins as opposed to losses are like night and day. In seven wins, Browning completed 68.1% of his passes with 1,792 yards. He also threw for 13 touchdowns to three interception with a quarterback rating of 169.4. In five losses, Browning only completed 58.2% with 1,163 yards. He only threw for three touchdowns with seven interceptions and a rating of 109.0.
Washington opens the 2016 schedule on September 3rd as they welcome the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to Husky Stadium. Southern Miss will also start their 2016 campaign on September 3rd as they travel to Lexington, Kentucky for a clash with the Kentucky Wildcats.