The 2022 Bowl Season officially kicks off this weekend with the Frisco Bowl as one of the first bowl games to be played this Saturday night as part of opening week of College Football’s postseason. This year’s Frisco Bowl matchup features the North Texas Mean Green taking on the Boise State Broncos.
Both teams fell short in their respective conference championship games. The Broncos, who are 9-4 overall, will be playing in their first bowl game since the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl, a 38-7 loss to Washington. The Mean Green will be playing in their second-straight Frisco-based bowl game after participating in last year’s Frisco Football Classic, a 27-14 defeat against Miami (OH).
Many people have their eyes on how North Texas will perform in this game, especially coming after the surprising firing of head coach Seth Littrell. The Mean Green introduced Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris as their new head coach on Tuesday, but defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will serve as interim head coach for the Frisco Bowl.
In a phone conversation with North Texas play-by-play announcer Dave Barnett, Barnett said that as the clear underdogs, the Mean Green will have to hope that quarterback Austin Aune comes through with an exceptional performance.
Aune, the oldest starting quarterback in the FBS at 29, has thrown for over 3,000 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. The Mean Green have put up big points when Aune has been on his game, and he’ll have to be against a stout Boise State defense.
Aune will be opposed by Taylen Green in the blue and orange, who took over for former starter Hank Bachmeier. The Mountain West Freshman of the Year has won seven of the nine games he has started, and has used his dual-threat capabilities to their fullest, tossing 13 touchdowns while adding eight on the ground. The North Texas defense, which ranks 124th in the nation, will have to contain Green in order to have any chance of victory.
While the Mean Green will have their work cut out for them, Barnett said they do have one particular factor in their favor. Toyota Stadium is only a forty minute drive from the campus of North Texas, so there should be a solid turnout of people dressed in green on Saturday night.
The Mean Green haven’t won a bowl game since 2013, and the Broncos haven’t won a bowl game since 2017. The question of which team’s bowl futility will end will be answered in the Frisco Bowl.
The game will air on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. CST.
Article written by Sam Valenti
