North Texas will take on Boise State in the Frisco Bowl this weekend. The Mean Green are not only looking to avenge a 2021 Frisco Football Classic loss, but also a whopping 59-0 loss to Boise State in 2000. This is the only time these two teams have met. Boise State on the other hand is just looking for the bowl game to happen. The Broncos haven’t played in a bowl game since 2019. We all know how the 2020 season went, and then UCLA left Boise State hanging for the Holiday Bowl in 2021. Neither team has had the best bowl season luck, so both are looking to turn around their unfortunate luck in the 2022 Frisco Bowl.
2022 Frisco Bowl Preview
Date: December 17, 2022
Time: 9:15 PM ET
Where: Frisco, TX
TV: ESPN
Recent Frisco Bowl History
This bowl game is rather young compared to others. It will only be the fifth Frisco Bowl, which used to be the Miami Beach Bowl before it was moved to Frisco, TX for the 2017 season. In 2017, Louisiana Tech beat SMU 51-10 and the following year Ohio shut out San Diego State 27-0. Not the greatest start. However, the 2019 game was much better with Kent State beating Utah State 51-41 in a back-and-forth affair. Both teams left Frisco with over 500 yards of offense and Jordan Love, who you might know now as the quarterback the Packers might want to start over Aaron Rodgers, threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. The 2020 game was canceled for reasons we all know and last season San Diego State made up for its pitiful loss in 2018 with a 38-24 over a ranked UTSA.
What to Watch For From North Texas
The Mean Green defense as a whole will not wow you on Saturday, but North Texas does have linebacker KD Davis. The fifth-year senior is the program’s all-time leading tackler, he is a two-time First Team All-Conference USA selection, and he is arguably the heart of a not-so-great Mean Green defense. Davis boasts 132 tackles this season. He is a one-man wrecking ball out of the middle linebacker position. In addition to his Conference USA-leading tackles, he also has one interception and one forced fumble on the year. Davis is not alone on a lackluster defense, cornerback Ridge Texada has been very consistent in the secondary. Texada will be playing in front of a home crowd on Saturday as the sophomore returns home to Frisco in hopes of adding to his three interceptions and 15 passes defended numbers.
Finally, Boise State’s offensive line will have to account for Mazin Richards. In his first season with the Mean Green, Richards has accounted for 12.5 tackles for loss and seven-and-a-half sacks. Reminder, all three of them play for a defense that is in the bottom 25 for run and pass defense.
Something else interesting for this North Texas team? Its quarterback is 29 years old. Yes, you read that correctly. Austin Aune is the oldest starting quarterback in college football. No, he hasn’t been in college for 11 years. He was a professional baseball player that was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 2012 draft. This is likely Aune’s last game for the Mean Green. He is expected to enter the NFL Draft after the Frisco Bowl is complete.
What to Watch For From Boise State
The Boise State Broncos are looking to get to 10 wins on the year against North Texas in the Frisco Bowl. Boise State had a chance in the Mountain West championship game, but Fresno State was able to take advantage of turnovers to win the game. The 9-4 Broncos are the favorites to win this contest for many reasons, but the one that sticks out to us is the dominance of the offensive line. Boise State is allowing just over one sack per game.
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum of Aune is redshirt freshman Taylen Green. Green has passed for 1,905 yards this season and has thrown 13 touchdowns. However, the young signal-caller has also accounted for six interceptions. Not an overly high number in the grand scheme of things, but enough to cause concern against Texada. Green can also hurt the Mean Green with his running ability. North Texas is not good against the pass or the run, and Green can do both.
The offensive line for Boise State has also helped junior George Holani to his second 1,000-yard rushing season in his career. Something he hasn’t done since he was a freshman in 2019. Holani has accounted for 13 total touchdowns this season, 10 on the ground and three receiving. He has been a constant all season for a young starting quarterback.
On paper, Boise State looks like it will win the 2022 Frisco Bowl, and the Broncos likely will, but this is essentially a home game for North Texas. Don’t be surprised if the Mean Green doesn’t go away quietly on Saturday.
