Why the Armed Forces Bowl means plenty to Arlington Martin product D.Q. Thomas
D.Q. Thomas received a little extra motivation on Thursday, though he probably didn’t need any ahead of Saturday’s Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Thomas, an Arlington Martin product, was already looking forward to ending his college career back in his hometown. And he loved the idea of participating in a bowl game that honors the military.
His brother, Donald, is in the Navy, and his grandfather and uncles served in the Army.
But then Thomas found out that Southern Miss has never won a bowl game in the state of Texas. The Golden Eagles have gone 0-4, falling twice in the Sun Bowl (1953 and 1954) and once in the Houston Bowl (2002) and Heart of Dallas Bowl (2015).
“I didn’t know that until you said that. Now I’ll have that in the back of my head,” Thomas said during an interview with the Star-Telegram. “That would be a really cool thing, knowing that I came from Texas and my last game as a senior we’d win our first bowl game in Texas. That would be a pretty good deal.”
Thomas and his teammates will try and do just that against Tulane on Saturday morning. Yes, morning as the Armed Forces Bowl has a 10:30 a.m. kickoff time at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
For Thomas, it’ll mark the end of what has been a successful college career. He started out at Tyler Junior College before landing at Southern Miss.
The defensive back had a solid first season as a junior in 2018, splitting time in the nickel slot. He finished that season with 16 tackles, including three for losses.
Thomas has closed with a breakout senior season, earning first-team All-Conference USA honors. He enters the bowl game ranking second on the team with 68 tackles, including a team-high 14 for loss and five sacks. He also has a team-leading three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown against UAB.
“In this defense, I’m the guy who gets the best of both worlds,” Thomas said. “I can line up on the D-line or as a DB. The coaches on the staff have done a good job of utilizing me at certain positions, in certain formations, so that’s why you see the stats you do.
“The coaches put me in a good position to make plays.”
Thomas plans to pursue an NFL career after the Armed Forces Bowl, but isn’t getting too far ahead of himself. His priority is to soak in the bowl experience and his final game with his college teammates.
“This is something I’m going to remember for a lifetime,” Thomas said. “I’m going to enjoy being with my team rather than worry about getting more exposure.”
At the end of the day, Thomas is proud of the player he has developed into since leaving Martin. He’s ready to put it on display back in his hometown.
“I’ve matured a lot since my days at Martin,” Thomas said. “In high school, I was playing off instincts. In college, there’s more film study and playing off what you know rather than playing off instincts.
“But I will say the one thing that’s remained the same, from my days at Martin to my days at Southern Miss, is my work ethic and passion for the game. That’s never changed.”
Renewed rivalry
The Armed Forces Bowl is bringing back a rivalry between Southern Miss and Tulane. The schools are separated by 111 miles, and had played in what was dubbed the ‘Battle for the Bell’ annually from 1979-2006.
The ‘Battle for the Bell’ trophy will be on hand for Saturday’s game, located behind the north end zone.
This will mark the first meeting between the schools since 2010. Southern Miss owns the all-time series 23-7.
The schools are scheduled to resume the rivalry again, too, with a future series set to begin in 2022.
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
