Boise State beat North Texas to win the Frisco Bowl. What happened, who was the player of the game, and what does it all mean?
Boise State 35, North Texas 32 Frisco Bowl What Happened, Player of the Game, What It All Means
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Frisco Bowl What Happened
– In a much tougher fight than originally expected, Boise State ran for 318 yards, needing all of them in the back-and-forth fight before finally pulling away late. North Texas was up 24-21 late in the third, but Boise State took the ensuing drive 75 yards with Taylen Green finishing with a 19-yard touchdown run to take the lead for good. North Texas pulled to within three late, but it got stuck deep in its own end on its final drives and stalled on the last gasp chance.
– North Texas couldn’t hold up against the Boise State running game, but the offense worked. Ikaika Ragsdale ran for two scores and Austin Aune threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jyaire Shorter.
– North Texas turned it over twice, Boise State didn’t lose the ball. That was just enough to help swing the game with both able to move the chains. North Texas converted half of its third down tries, but it couldn’t handle the Boise State offense in the third quarter on.
Frisco Bowl Player of the Game
Taylen Green, QB Boise State
As part of the ground game that averaged over six yards per pop, Green ran 12 times for 119 yards and two scores – averaging 9.9 yards per carry – and completed 13-of-22 passes for 137 yards and a score.
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Frisco Bowl Fun Stats
– Rushing Yards: Boise State 318 – North Texas 176
– Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty ran 28 times for 178 yards and a score
– Total Yards: Boise State 455 – North Texas 435
Frisco Bowl What It All Means
Boise State should’ve had an easier time – the running game worked like it was supposed to – but after losing the Mountain West Championship at home to Fresno State, coming away with the win for a ten-victory season mattered. It was the first double-digit win campaign since 2019 and the program’s first bowl win since the 2017 Las Vegas.
North Texas didn’t have a run defense, its head coach got fired, and it came into this without a strong win on the resumé. Interim head coach Phil Bennett had his team ready and intense, the offense worked against the strong Boise State defense, and it was a great overall performance considering the situation.
However, the program is off to the American Athletic Conference going four straight seasons without a winning record – it finished 7-7 – and it’s now 0-6 in its last six bowl tries since winning the Heart of Dallas back in 2013.
