| NEW ORLEANS - Danny Wimprine rolled right, the football in his right hand and his eyes fixed on the end zone. |
| The University of Memphis junior quarterback had completed all 10 passes he'd attempted, and who could blame him for hanging on so long on this play, even if North Texas had the play covered? |
| Settling for a field goal here, near the end of the first half, seemed puny somehow. |
| With the sideline coming toward him from one direction and defenders coming at him from the other, Wimprine made a decision that typified his MVP performance in Tuesday's New Orleans Bowl. |
| He threw the ball away. |
| Even though he was woozy from the nasty lick he'd taken on the previous play - the Tigers had to call time out so Wimprine could fetch a new helmet - Wimprine made the right decision. |
| Wimprine made more spectacular plays in Tuesday's 27-17 victory over North Texas, but by flinging the ball out of bounds, he showed why there was no more important player on the field. |
| When it was over, his hard-to-please offensive coordinator, Randy Fichtner, found him amid a scrum of media, reached out his hand and gave him a handshake that spoke volumes. |
| It said that Wimprine had earned Fichtner’s respect. |
| ‘‘He made plays when we had to make ’em and he was smart with the ball,’’ Fichtner said. ‘‘It was as complete as he could play. He likes it here and he should. It’s home.’’ |
| In so doing, Wimprine walked out of the Superdome on Tuesday with a heavy trophy in his hand as the Most Valuable Player of the 2003 New Orleans Bowl. |
| That it came in his hometown, in a building where he’d won three state titles for suburban John Curtis High, in front of so many of his friends and family, just magnified the moment. |
| ‘‘This is a great place for me with a lot of great memories,’’ Wimprine said. ‘‘It’s another memory to add to the collection and this is probably the best.’’ |
| Tiger fans know that as accomplished as Wimprine has been in three years as the starting QB, there is Good Danny and there is Bad Danny. |
| Good Danny showed up early on Tuesday and allowed the Tigers to seize early momentum. He launched a perfectly timed throw to Darren Garcia for a 63-yard gain on third-and-13, then finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, on a quarterback draw. He threaded a touchdown pass to Chris Kelly on third-and-6. |
| Before he threw that one important incompletion, Wimprine was 10-for-10 passing for 162 yards. |
| ‘‘This is his backyard,’’ said receiver Maurice Avery. |
| But after taking the big hit, Wimprine wasn’t the same. He felt dizzy, and even though it was determined he didn’t have a concussion, there was a danger that Bad Danny could sabotage all the good work of the first half. |
| Bad Danny is the quarterback who threw four interceptions in the loss to South Florida in the final game of the regular season and went 8-for-26 in the second-to-last game, a win over Cincinnati. |
| U of M coach Tommy West knew this, of course. He also knew that, without running backs DeAngelo Williams and Derron Parquet, Wimprine had to deliver in the second half, dizzy or not. |
| ‘‘He was a little woozy ... but he wanted to go and I wanted him to go,’’ said West. |
| After Memphis’s first drive of the fourth quarter, Wimprine was 2-of-7 passing in the second half, but when the Tigers needed him most, Good Danny took over. |
| He hit Darron White for 20 yards to jump-start Memphis’s final TD drive and provide a 14-point cushion. And when North Texas scored again, Wimprine hit his tight end, John Doucette, for a big first down, then found Mario Pratcher on third-and-8. |
| The drive consumed 4:47 and ended with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal to clinch the victory. |
| In the stands, Barbara Wimprine was jumping up and down with the rest of the Tiger fans delirious with joy. |
| On Aug. 3, Barbara’s ankle got smashed while the family loaded a boat onto a trailer, and doctors initially feared they would have to cut off her foot. |
| They didn’t, and so there she was, drinking in another great moment. |
| Good Danny had delivered ano |
| ther victory. |
| There really is no place like home. |
| Contact reporter Zack McMillin at 529-2564; E-mail: zmcmillin@commercialappeal.com |