Like father, like son. Frank Gore Jr., a freshman running back at Southern Mississippi, followed in dad’s footsteps Saturday by scoring his first collegiate touchdown against North Texas. A former three-star recruit who also received scholarship offers from Kentucky and Florida Atlantic, Frank Jr. had a nice night for himself, rushing for a career-high 130 yards in the Golden Eagles’ 41-31 victory, their first of 2020.
I joked recently that Gore will be sharing an NFL backfield with his son soon, and while that may be ambitious given the almost 20-year gap between them, that possibility does exist. Now third on the NFL’s all-time rushing yards list with 15,521, the 16-year vet has surprisingly vaulted to the top of New York’s running-back depth chart, the result of an early-season injury to workhorse Le’Veon Bell.
A certain Hall of Famer whose NFL resume includes 98 touchdowns (79 rushing, 18 receiving and one fumble return) and five Pro Bowl appearances, Gore acknowledged his son’s touchdown on Twitter, calling himself a “proud papa.” The 37-year-old would probably be under the covers by now under normal circumstances, but Gore doesn’t have to worry about waking up early tomorrow since the Jets already played this week (they fell to Denver on Thursday night).
Personally, I can’t wait for Frank Jr. and Arch Manning to tear up the NFL in a few years. And when that day comes, you can bet Frank Sr. will still be marching toward Emmitt Smith’s all-time rushing mark … if he doesn’t already have it.
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