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Heart of Dallas Bowl 2015, Washington vs Southern Miss, 44-31: Full highlights, final score and more

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Peterson reacts after a play in the game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Peterson reacts after a play in the game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington and Southern Mississippi faced off for the Heart of Dallas Bowl looking to finish the season strong.

The Washington Huskies‘ offense isn’t known for getting off to quick starts, but that’s exactly what happened in Saturday’s Heart of Dallas Bowl as Myles Gaskin scored two first-quarter touchdowns and Jaydon Mickens added a 29-yard scamper of his own to push the score to 21-10.

Playing against one of the best offenses in the Conference-USA, as well as the country, the Huskies knew they would need to put up more than just 21 points as an 11-point lead is never safe around Southern Mississippi.

Washington held on the whole game, though, and kept a lead until the final ticks came off the clock, defeated a 9-4 Southern Mississippi team, 44-31 — each team scored at least one touchdown in every quarter.

Not many predicted a high-scoring affair, but that’s the direction bowl season has been heading so far, so even an average Washington offense put up over 40 points. Both teams played an exciting game and no fans should be disappointed with the quality of the performance.

Three Stars

It would be pretty tough to find someone who performed better than Washington running back Myles Gaskin who finished with 26 carries for 181 yards and four of the Huskies’ five touchdowns.

Southern Mississippi’s Michael Thomas had an incredible game catching the ball, grabbing nine passes for 190 yards and two scores.

Despite Jake Browning having one of his best games of the seas0n with 284 passing yards, Jaydon Mickens deserves the third spot. He finished with a team-high 95 yards receiving on eight catches and added a 29-yard touchdown run in the first half.

Full Highlights

"DAWGS DAWGS DAWGS! BackThePacWatch the HODBowl on ESPN https://t.co/CImbVSvUST— Seattle CP (@SeattleCP) December 26, 2015"

"Jaydon toe-taps along the sideline for a 20-yard gain. #HODBowl#UWHuskies Watch live on @ESPN. https://t.co/CfIW85OHLR— UW Football (@UW_Football) December 26, 2015"

"Myles takes it 86 yards for a score and the lead. #UWHuskies Watch the #HODBowl live on @ESPN. https://t.co/oUYq82A3C6— UW Football (@UW_Football) December 26, 2015"

Betting Odds

Washington was an 8.5-point favorite heading into this one and the over/under was set at a modest 54.5 points. The Huskies covered the spread, winning by 13, and the two teams combined for 75 points.

2016 Openers

Washington will open the 2016 season by hosting the Big Ten’s Rutgers Scarlet Knights. It should be a nice way to kick off the new season against a lower-tier Power-Five conference team.

Southern Mississippi will be traveling north a bit to face the Kentucky Wildcats in the 2016 season opener. Playing an SEC team, and potentially beating them, would be great exposure for the Golden Eagles.

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