| 2003 New Orleans Bowl Notes |
| December 16, 2003 Louisiana Superdome Memphis 27, North Texas 17 |
| MVP Performance: Memphis senior quarterback Danny Wimprine was named Most Valuable Player of the 2003 New Orleans Bowl after completing 17-of-23 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown. He also ran six times for 17 yards and a score, and punted five times for 190 yards (38.0 y/punt average). |
| UNT Win Streak Snapped: North Texas came into the game with an eight-game winning streak which was the third-longest streak in the NCAA behind Miami (Ohio) and Boise State, and they were also 6-0 when scoring the first points of the ballgame. Both streaks came to an end tonight as Memphis downed the Mean Green 27-17. UNT scored the first points of the ballgame courtesy of a 47-yard field goal by Nick Bazaldua, but were outscored 27-14 the rest of the way. |
| Scratching A 30-Year Itch: With tonight’s 27-17 win over North Texas, Memphis won its first bowl game since 1971 when the Tigers downed San Jose State 28-9 in the Pasadena Bowl. Tonight’s contest was just the third ever for Memphis and the Tigers improve to 3-0 in post season contests. |
| Cobb Carries UNT: North Texas running back Patrick Cobbs, who came into the game leading the NCAA with 156.0 yards per game, had another solid game tonigh in the loss. Cobbs ran for 110 yards and a New Orleans Bowl record two touchdowns on 23 carries. |
| Bad Time For Flags: After three quarters of play, North Texas had committed just one penalty – a 15-yard pass interference penalty in the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, after UNT cut the lead to 17-10 and forced a Memphis punt, the Mean Green committed two costly holding penalties that negated big plays and gave momentum back to the Tigers. A penalty on a punt return negated a long return. On the ensuing drive, a holding call behind the line of scrimmage erased a 46-yard run by running back Patrick Cobbs. After forcing UNT to punt, Memphis drove 62 yards on eight plays, capped off by a five-yard run by running back LaKendrus Coles with 9:08 left to play, to give the Tigers a 14-point lead (24-10). |
| The Longest Yard: North Texas’ kicker Nick Bazaldua’s 47-yard field goal with 9:44 to play in the first quarter is the longest field goal in New Orleans Bowl history, eclipsing the former mark of 46 yards by Colorado State’s Kent Naughton in 2001. North Texas came into the game 6-0 when scoring first. |
| The Longest Yard, Part II: Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine’s 63-yard pass to Darren Garcia 8:11 to play in the first quarter is the longest play in New Orleans Bowl history. The play was the fourth longest by Memphis all year and also the third longest allowed by the Mean Green defense in 2003. The former bowl record for longest play was 56 yards by Colorado State’s Bradlee VanPelt to Pete Rebstock in the inaugural New Orleans Bowl (2001). |
| Son Of The Longest Yard: With a 35-yard touchdown run with 13 seconds to play in the third quarter, North Texas running back Patrick Cobbs tied the New Orleans Bowl record for longest run from scrimmage. The original record was set back in the inaugural contest in 2001 when UNT’s Kevin Galbreath galloped 35 yards in a non-scoring effort. Cobbs’ jaunt, therefore, stands as the longest scoring run in bowl history. |
| Going The Distance: Memphis’ nine-play, 76-yard drive in the second quarter is the second-longest drive in New Orleans Bowl history in terms of yardage. Not to be outdone, North Texas answered with an 86-yard touchdown drive (on five plays) in the fourth quarter to set a new bowl record. The former record was 80 yards on 12 plays, set by North Texas in 2001. |
| Hot Start: Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine got off to a red-hot start in tonight’s game, completing his first 10 passes of the contest. His first incompletion of the ball game did not come until a third-and-goal situation with 3:43 to go in the first half. |
| Wimprine Sets Memphis Season Records: With his seventh completion of the ballgame, Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine broke his own Memphis single-season completions record. In 2002, Wimprine set the school record with 235 completions. By going 17-for-23 tonight against North Texas, Wimprine completed the season with 246 completions. With 23 passing attempts, he also broke his own single-season attempts record with 440 tosses. |
| There’s No Place Like Dome: For Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine, the Louisiana Superdome has been a great place to play as the native of River Ridge, La., is now 4-0 in the facility. Wimprine won a pair of state championships (1998, 1999) in the Dome as a prepster at John Curtis High School and helped lead the Tigers to a 41-9 victory over Tulane back on Oct. 25. |
| What A Crowd: Tonight’s crowd of 25,184 marks the best attendance in the three-year history of the New Orleans Bowl. During the inaugural contest in 2001, the actual attendance was 18,898 and last season’s turnstile count was 19,024. Tonight’s crowd was nearly a quarter larger than the 2002 count. |
| For the Record: |
| The following records were broken or tied during the 2003 New Orleans Bowl: |
| Individual Records | |
| New Mark | Old Mark |
| Total Offense: | |
| 271, Danny Wimprine, Memphis, 2003 | 216, Gino Guidugli, UC, 2002 |
| TDs Responsible For: | |
| 2, Danny Wimprine, Memphis, 2003 2, Bradlee VanPelt, CSU, 2001 2, Scott Hall, UNT, 2001 |
|
| Rushing TDs: | |
| 2, Patrick Cobbs, UNT, 2003 | 1 by six players |
| Longest Run: | |
| 35, Patrick Cobbs, UNT, 2003 35, Kevin Galbreath, UNT, 2002 |
|
| Passing Yards: | |
| 254, Danny Wimprine, Memphis, 2003 | 224, Gino Guidugli, UC, 2002 |
| Longest Pass: | |
| 63, Danny Wimprine to Darren Garcia, Memphis, 2003 | 56, Bradlee VanPelt to Pete Rebstock, CSU, 2001 |
| Receiving Yards: | |
| 109, Darren Garcia, Memphis, 2003 | 107, Jon Olinger, UC, 2002 |
| Longest Reception: | |
| 63, Darren Garcia from Danny Wimprine, Memphis, 2003 | 56, Pete Rebstock from Bradlee Van Pelt, CSU, 2001 |
| Yards/Reception: | |
| 54.5, Darren Garcia (2-109), Memphis, 2003 | 36.5, Pete Rebstock (2-73), CSU, 2001 |
| FG Attempted: | |
| 3, Stephen Gostkowski, Memphis, 2003 | 2, Jonathan Ruffin, UC, 2002 |
| FG Made: | |
| 2, Stephen Gostkowski, Memphis, 2003 2, Jonathan Ruffin, UC, 2002 |
|
| Most Punts: | |
| 8, Brad Kadlubar, UNT, 2003 | 7, Brad Kadlubar, UNT, 2002 |
| Team Records | |
| New Mark | Old Mark |
| Fewest Yards: | |
| 274, North Texas, 2003 | 309, Cincinnati, 2002 |
| Fewest 1st Downs: | |
| 11, North Texas, 2003 | 15, Cincinnati, 2002 |
| Time of Possesion: | |
| 34:08, Memphis, 2003 | 33:45, Colorado State, 2001 |
| Fewest Pass Attempts: | |
| 45, Memphis (24)/ UNT (21), 2003 | 51, Colorado State (17)/UNT (34), 2001 |
| Combined Passing: | |
| 406, Memphis (254)/UNT (152), 2003 | 350, Cincinnati (224)/UNT (126), 2002 |
| Team Passing: | |
| 254, Memphis, 2003 | 224, Cincinnati, 2002 |
| Completion Percentage: | |
| .708, Memphis (17-24), 2003 | .559, Cincinnati (19-34), 2002 |
| Team Rushes: | |
| 45, Memphis, 2003 45, Cincinnati, 2002 |
|
| Fewest Combined Rushing Yards: | |
| 210, Memphis (88)/UNT (122), 2003 | 277, Cincinnati (85), UNT (192), 2002 |
| Fewest Points: | |
| 17, North Texas, 2003 | 19, Cincinnati, 2002 |
| Combined Punts: | |
| 14, Memphis (6), UNT (8), 2003 | 15, Cincinnati (4), UNT (11) |
| Team Punts: | |
| 8, North Texas, 2003 | 7, North Texas, 2002 |
| Combined FG Attempts: | |
| 4, Memphis (3)/UNT (1), 2003 | 3, Cincinnati (2)/UNT (1), 2002 |
| Team FG: | |
| 3, Memphis, 2003 | 2, Cincinnati, 2002 |
| Combined FG Made: | |
| 3, Memphis (2)/ UNT (1), 2003 3, Cincinnati (2)/UNT (1) |
|
| Team FG Made: | |
| 2, Memphis, 2003 2, Cincinnati, 2002 |
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