Photo Courtesy: Dominic Ceraldi
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
North Texas Mean Green vs Boise State
Saturday – December 16 – 8:15 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Toyota Stadium – Frisco, TX
Records Before the Game
UNT Mean Green (7-6)
Boise State Broncos (9-4)
The last time UNT played in a bowl game in Frisco they took on Miami of Ohio in the Frisco Football Classic. They took the 27-14 loss and made plans to get better. UNT has shown over the past 5 years that they can hang with some of the better teams in the country, but have struggled down the stretch to win some of their higher profile games. Let’s take a closer look at UNT versus Boise State in this year’s Frisco Bowl.
UNT Mean Green
In UNT’s last 5 games the Mean Green went 3 and 2 with wins over Rice, Florida International and Western Kentucky. UNT will have their hands full if the defense doesn’t come to play. The defense has given up 31.5 points per game to the opposition and Boise State knows how to score points. The key will be the play of the Mean Green corner backs creating turnovers and applying tough physical pressure on the wide outs against the Broncos passing game. This game will be a huge game for the Mean Green.
Boise State Broncos
Boise State is a team on a mission. The defense is giving up 18.5 points per game. The defensive line ranks among top 25 in tackles for loss, sacks and turnovers. The defense only allows 120 rushing yards and 160 passing yards to opposition this season. Keep an eye on running back George Holani. He has 1133 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns. He’s extremely physical running between the tackles. Keep in mind he’s only 208 pounds but plays like a prototypical NFL style runner.
Prediction
ESPN has the Broncos with a 66.3% chance of winning this weekend. This is basically a home game for the Mean Green because Frisco is only 30 minutes away from Denton. I’m going with my brain and taking the Broncos by 17. If I’m going with my heart, I’d take UNT by 6! Seth Littrell is gone and the team is looking for direction and leadership.
Final Score
Broncos – 27
Mean Green – 10
