To view a complete list of headlines, click here.

MEAN GREEN WINS 2nd ANNUAL NEW ORLEANS BOWL
Dec 18, 2002
Author:
Mean Green wins New Orleans Bowl, 24-19
Kevin Galbreath named New Orleans Bowl MVP

Courtesy of Tim MacMahon, Denton Record-Chronicle

NEW ORLEANS - Garish green uniforms or not, North Texas looked every bit the part of a legitimate bowl team Tuesday night. The Mean Green broke in their brand spanking new all-green outfits with a 24-19 victory over Cincinnati in the New Orleans Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome.

UNT took a ton of heat from the media for playing in the same game last season with a losing record, then being blown out by Colorado State. The Mean Green didn't have to answer any questions about whether it belonged in a bowl after beating the Conference USA co-champion Bearcats.

"This is a big step for our program," UNT nose tackle Brandon Kennedy said. "People are going to have to start respecting us."

UNT (8-5) took a 17-7 halftime and held on for the second bowl win in school history. The other was a 14-13 victory over Pacific in the 1946 Optimist Bowl.

After extending the lead to 24-7 on tailback Kevin Galbreath's 35-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the Mean Green got several scares from Cincinnati (7-7), a team that excels in comeback situations.

Bearcats safety Zach Norton intercepted an Andrew Smith pass and sprinted 72 yards down the sideline for a touchdown, only to have the score negated by a block in the back several yards behind the play. The Mean Green defense, which ended a spectacular season with another dominating performance, forced Cincinnati to settle for a 29-yard field goal.

A 55-yard pass from quarterback Gino Guidugli to receiver Jon Olinger on Cincinnati's next possession put the Bearcats back in scoring position.

However, UNT's defense hunkered down to force another field goal, which trimmed the Mean Green lead to 24-13 with 5:02 left in the third quarter.

Cincinnati cornerback Fran Callicott stripped UNT running back Patrick Cobbs and sprinted 43 yards for a touchdown at the 5:15 mark of the fourth quarter. A two-point conversion attempt failed, meaning the Bearcats needed a touchdown to win the game.

"I really believed magic was going to happen for us," Cincinnati coach Rick Minter said, referring to Guidugli's penchant for performing in the clutch.

But the Cincinnati quarterback, who threw a career-high five interceptions, never got the ball back. The Mean Green ran out the final 5:15 by ramming the ball down the Bearcats' throats. Galbreath, the game's most valuable player, had 39 of his 130 rushing yards on the drive.

"This was going to be my last game in a North Texas uniform," Galbreath said. "I wanted them to put it all on my back, all on my shoulders."

All three of UNT's first-half scores were set up by interceptions.

After a pick by reserve safety Markeith Knowlton, the Mean Green moved 58 yards on nine plays to set up a 30-yard field goal by Nick Bazaldua to cut Cincinnati's early lead to 7-3.

Linebacker Chris Hurd make a diving grab -- on a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Chris McIver - to halt a Cincinnati drive that saw DeMarco McCleskey rush for 35 yards. Six plays later, UNT reserve running back Patrick Cobbs took a toss and sprinted 27 yards around the left corner to give the Mean Green the lead for good at the 10:53 mark of the second quarter.

Cornerback Jeremy Pearl padded the lead by returning the first interception of his career 20 yards for a touchdown with 2:46 remaining. It was the only touchdown this season for the Mean Green defense, which carried UNT to the Sun Belt title and entered the bowl third in the nation in scoring defense (14.4 points per game) and ninth in total defense (288.7 yards per game).

Cincinnati struck first, taking advantage of a short field to score on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Guidugli to receiver Tye Keith with 4:02 remaining in the first quarter. The Bearcats got the ball at the UNT 47-yard line to start the possession.

It wasn't long, however, that the momentum shifted to the Mean Green, whose fans outnumbered Bearcats backers by an approximate ratio of 10-to-1.

"Some crazy things happened for them to get back in the game," UNT coach Darrell Dickey said. "But our players remained focused the entire game. They weren't going to be denied."

return to Latest Headlines
or View All Headlines

For more information, contact:
Tom Burnett
Associate Commissioner Sun Belt Conference
601 Poydras Street, Suite 2355 New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 299-9066, ext. 16 FAX: (504) 299-9068
Cell: (504) 628-0884 burnett@sunbeltsports.org