| NEW ORLEANS - Maybe this one was for DeAngelo Williams. |
| Or for those University of Memphis football fans who remember the 1971 Pasadena Bowl. |
| It could have been for the ones who persevered through the recent eight-year losing streak or the back-to-back 1-10 seasons in the early 1980s. And it could have been for the dozens of former players who never played in a bowl, but made the trip here. |
| In a wildly entertaining start to the bowl season, and a memorable night in Tigers football history, Memphis celebrated its return to the postseason - after a 32-year absence - with a 27-17 victory Tuesday night against North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl. |
| New Orleans native Danny Wimprine, the Memphis quarterback, led the Tigers' early charge, and Patrick Cobbs, the nation's leading rusher, directed North Texas's second-half charge before 25,184 at the Superdome. |
| But in the end, the Tigers - minus Williams, Conference USA's offensive player of the year out with a knee injury, and without Derron Parquet, Williams's backup who injured his shoulder in the game - survived. U of M kicker Stephen Gostkowski made certain the 10,000 Tiger fans who made the trip could continue the party on Bourbon Street by nailing a 42-yard field goal with 2:26 left. |
| The kick provided the U of M with a 10-point cushion, and the defense followed with a convincing, overpowering stop in the final two minutes. |
| "It's been a long time coming for this university," Tigers coach Tommy West said. "We fulfilled two of our goals tonight. We got to a bowl game, and we won it. It's just another memory to add to the collection." |
| Williams, the Tigers' standout running back, had to watch Tuesday's game from the sidelines, recovering from a torn knee ligament suffered late in the regular season. Parquet sprained his shoulder in the first quarter. That left a depleted offense in the hands of Wimprine and third-string tailback LaKendus Cole. |
| Wimprine earned MVP honors by completing 17 of 23 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown and Cole, the walk-on from Houston High, added 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on a career-high 27 carries. |
| "This team found a way with two running backs out," West said. "The way they found... to win this game, I thought, was unbelievable. I think we saw tonight what this program can be in the future. It's really exciting to be a part of it right now." |
| The Tigers (9-4) got 109 receiving yards from Darren Garcia and 62 from Mario Pratcher, which offset 110 rushing yards by Cobbs. |
| The Memphis defense held Cobbs for most of the third quarter - 20 yards on his first seven carries - but he broke free on his eighth attempt, sprinting 35 yards for a touchdown. The score trimmed the Tigers' lead to 17-10 with 13 seconds left in the quarter. |
| The Tigers held and drove 62 yards in eight plays, scoring on LaKendus Cole's 5-yard run for a 24-10 lead with 9:08 to go. But North Texas answered with an 86-yard drive. Cobbs got the TD on a 2-yard run before Memphis followed with a time-consuming drive that culminated with Gostkowski's field goal. |
| "I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything in the world," Tiger strong safety Derrick Ballard said. "You never know what it's going to be like until you experience it." |
| North Texas (9-4) was held to 274 yards, and quarterback Scott Hall was pressured into a 9-for-21 performance that included being sacked three times. |
| "You have to take your hat off to Memphis," North Texas coach Darrell Dickey said. "They outplayed us in every phase of the game." |
| The Tigers defense held Cobbs to 42 yards rushing in the first half and the Green Wave to 29 total yards in the second quarter to grab a 17-3 halftime lead. |
| North Texas opened the game by driving 51 yards in 10 plays to the Memphis 30, where the Mean Green settled for a 47-yard field goal by Nick Bazaldua. |
| Wimprine then embarked upon a near-perfect first half, completing 10-of-11 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 11 more and another TD. Wimprine's only incompletion was on a ball he was forced to throw away on third-and-goal from the UNT 4. |
| On the Tigers' opening drive, Wimprine took the U of M 66 yards in six plays, scoring on a 7-yard quarterback draw. The key play in the drive was a 63-yard pass from Wimprine to Darren Garcia on third-and-13 that gave the Tigers a first down at the UNT 6. |
| Memphis missed an opportunity to extend its lead early in the second quarter, when Gostkowski struck the right upright on a 41-yard field goal try. |
| But the Tigers defense held on North Texas's ensuing possession, and Wimprine directed another scoring drive. Again, it was a big-play in the passing game that set up the score. On second-and-24 from the Memphis 36, Wimprine underthrew a deep ball, but Pratcher outmaneuvered cornerback Walter Priestly at the UNT 14. Three plays later, Wimprine found Chris Kelley in the right corner of the end zone with a perfectly placed 10-yard toss, and the Tigers had a 14-3 lead. |
| On the ensuing kickoff, Memphis forced a fumble and recovered at the North Texas 8. Mean Green return specialist Kevin Moore caught Patrick Byrne’s kick 8 yards deep in the end zone and decided to come out. He was hit by Tim Goodwell, had the ball stripped by Shaka Hill, and Cato Mott recovered. Four plays later, Gostkowski connected from 21 yards for a 17-3 lead with 3:39 to go in the half. |
| Memphis gained 208 yards in the opening half and held North Texas to 86. |
| North Texas was playing in its third straight New Orleans Bowl. Memphis was playing in its first since the 1971 Pasadena Bowl, a postseason game that no longer exists. |
| - Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543 |