LAFAYETTE, La. – Shawn Nelson never had the satisfaction of having his father watch him roam the football fields.

Lawrence Nelson died when Shawn was only 8 years old. Lawrence spent time watching his first son, Lawrence Jr., play ball, but when it was Shawn’s turn to show his skills on the field, his father figure became his older brother.

So when the 6-foot, 3-inch true freshman from Gonzalez, La., took the stage to accept his New Orleans Bowl Most Valuable Player award, he dedicated the game and the trophy to the man that never saw him play.

&#8220He died when I was so young, I always wanted him to be able to watch me play,” said Nelson, who set a New Orleans Bowl record with 121 receiving yards on six catches and two touchdowns in a 31-19 Southern Miss win over Arkansas State. &#8220I wanted him to be here.”

Nelson was one of two Golden Eagles who set bowl records during Tuesday night’s win. Sophomore running back Cody Hull ran 37 times for 161 yards and a touchdown, but it was Nelson’s clutch catches that propelled the Eagles to their second straight bowl victory and 12th consecutive winning season.

&#8220That’s back-to-back games for him over 100 yards,” Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower said. &#8220He made some critical catches at critical times.”

Nelson’s showing this season – he earned third-team All-Conference USA and the conference’s All-Freshman team – is more astounding because Nelson had never played tight end before this season.

&#8220My first day at Southern Miss, they moved me to tight end and I was upset,” said Nelson, a standout prep wide receiver at East Ascension Parish High in Gonzalez. &#8220I was ready to go home right there. But I have been through a lot of tough times in my life that I made it through, I felt that God put me in a situation to be strong. I just took it as a challenge.”

Nelson finished first on the team with 419 receiving yards and second in both receptions (29) and touchdowns (3).

His first score Tuesday night proved to be the game-winner. After Arkansas State tied the game at 17 midway through the third quarter, Nelson capped a six-play, 80-yard drive by hauling in a 29-yard touchdown pass from Dustin Almond.

His final score dashed any hopes of an Indians’ comeback. His 6-yard TD catch with 8:22 left in the fourth quarter gave the Golden Eagles a 31-19 lead.

After the score, Arkansas State drove to the USM 42 before the Eagles forced a punt. Like he had all game, Nelson made a huge catch on the ensuing USM drive. Facing a third-and-12 at its own 15, Nelson gained a first down with a 17-yard catch to give Southern Miss a first down. The Eagles took nearly four more minutes off of the clock before giving the ball back to ASU with about a minute to play.

&#8220We knew he was a good player coming into the ballgame and obviously he hurt us with some big plays,” ASU coach Steve Roberts said. &#8220We had them third and 11 with five minutes to play in the ballgame and if we get a stop we get the ball back, and he comes up with another big play He’s just an outstanding football player.”