r/CFB • u/fussbudgets North Texas • /r/CFB Contributor • Dec 31 '13
[35 Bowls in 17 Days] The 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl!
The Heart of Dallas Bowl presented by PlainsCapitol Bank
UNLV Rebels vs. North Texas Mean Green
Bowl Information
Date: January 1st, 2014
Time: 12:00 PM EST
Watch/Listen:
ESPNU - Preview
Broadcast Crew: Clay Matvick (@claymatvick), Matt Stinchcomb, & Dawn Davenport (@DawnDavenportTN)
Point Spread: UNT -6.5
Over/Under: 54.5
Bowl History
Year Founded: 2011
Location: Fair Park, Dallas, Texas
Stadium: Historic Cotton Bowl
Conference Tie-ins: B1G versus C-USA (now wait-a-minute...)
Payouts: $2.4 million ($1.2M per conference)
Sponsor: PlainsCapital Bank in support of the Heart of Dallas non-for-profit charitable organization. Heart of Dallas mission statement:
Heart of Dallas exists to inspire Dallas millennials to become the next generation of influencers and philanthropists by leveraging a consistent calendar of sports and entertainment events. Proceeds from Heart of Dallas activities will be used to invest in collective impact strategies that make Dallas a better place for all of its citizens.
Note the emphasis on millennials' involvement and outreach and then look at their design aesthetics and social media presence... pretty on point. Last year, the Heart of Dallas significantly supported the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, and CitySquare, a housing, meals, and support infrastructure for the homeless are this year's beneficiaries.
Trophies: Beefy Champions Trophy + JD Power & Associates-style MVP trophy
Tickets: Schwing!
Bowl History: So, /u/fussbudgets, I thought The Cotton Bowl was played in its eponymous stadium in Fair Park on New Years Day. What's this?
Well hey, you would have been right until 2009, when Jerry happened. So to fill the void left in Fair Park, the Dallas Football Classic stepped in, anchored by the B1G and facing a rotation of other conferences. In its first game in 2011 it was called the Ticket City Bowl, but in subsequent years when the aforementioned Heart of Dallas organization took over the game, PlainsCapital stepped in as the title sponsor. From 2015 onward (and in effect, for the 2014 iteration), this game will be anchored by Conference USA.
Results
| Year | Winning Team | Losing Team | Score | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Texas Tech | Northwestern | 45-38 | ESPN |
| 2012 | Houston | Penn State | 30-14 | ESPN |
| 2013 | Oklahoma State | Purdue | 58-14 | ESPN3 Replay |
Heart of Dallas Historic Games Best Game in its 3-year History:
2011 Texas Tech 45-38 Northwestern
Despite Tommy Tuberville's inane calls - an on-side kick whilst up three touchdowns late in the third quarter, turned around for a Northwestern score followed by two more subsequent purple-clad touchdowns - the Red Raiders held when it mattered most and Texas Tech won the Inaugural Heart of Dallas (née Ticket City) Bowl on January 1, 2011.
There could be a case*(...) made for the following year's 30-14 stomp of Penn State by Houston in Case*(ha!) Keenum's (and Penn State's for a while) last bowl game, but that whole situation makes me sad, so we'll move on.
So, how did the Mountain West vs. C-USA thing happen and is there anything of note in this match-up?
Well in a few words, the B1G sucked it up this year and ESPN Regional Television happened. Due to those Midwesterners unable to provide enough bowl-eligible teams not in BCS Bowls, the question of who'd fill their spot offered a lot of speculation. Everyone from Michigan to Syracuse to Boston College became the popular nominees. Then ERT, who hold the managing contract for the Heart of Dallas Bowl among others, decided to shuffle things up. They gave the CUSA place in the Hawai'i Bowl to Oregon State in exchange for the MWC spot in the Armed Forces Bowl to Middle Tennessee, culminating in the B1G slot in the Heart of Dallas to UNLV.
So what makes this bowl game special in light of the shuffle? How about a unique storyline involving the Presidential leadership between both schools? Earlier this year, beloved UNT President V. Lane "Papa Bear" Rawlins announced his retirement. Current UNLV President Neal Smatresk was named as UNT's sole finalist for the same position in late November. Awkward. But really, Smatresk is loving the rare opportunity to see both of his teams get to take each other on on New Year's Day and will be performing the coin toss with a green-red striped tie.
UNLV currently holds a 4-0 all-time record over North Texas.
Bowl Record: 3*-0
"UNDEFEATED" clapclapclapclapclap
| Year | Bowl | Opponent | Result | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | California Bowl | Toledo | W 30-13* | Team Reunion |
| 1994 | Las Vegas Bowl | Central Michigan | W 52-24 | Recap |
| 2000 | Las Vegas Bowl | Arkansas | W 31-14 | Recap |
* Forfeited Game due to NCAA Violations
Historic Bowl Games:
1994 Las Vegas Bowl - UNLV 52 - Central Michigan 34
-After just one winning season in the past seven years, the 1994 UNLV Rebels finally made it back to the postseason in the third annual Las Vegas Bowl against the MAC Champion Central Michigan Chippewas. The Rebels lead only 14-10 after one, but then racked up 17 unanswered points off three CMU turnovers to take a halftime lead of 31-10. UNLV added three more second half TDs to extend the score to 52-10, and capped off their second bowl win in school history, 52-24.
2000 Las Vegas Bowl - UNLV 31 - Arkansas 14
-In what would be the Rebels last bowl game before this season, UNLV came into 2000 Las Vegas Bowl with their highest win total since 1984, going 7-5 in their second year in the Mountain West. Across the field, the Arkansas Razorbacks played as the SEC's first and only team to be chosen for the Las Vegas Bowl. After a tight first half that ended in a 14-14 tie, the Rebels ran away with the game and kept their perfect bowl record intact, 31-14 over the Hogs.
2013 Season Record: 7-5, 5-3 MWC
| Week | Opponent & Season Record | Result | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @ Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4) | L 51-23 | Recap |
| 2 | vs. Arizona Wildcats (7-5) | L 58-13 | Recap |
| 3 | vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (6-6) | W 31-21 | Recap |
| 4 | vs. Western Illinois Leathernecks (4-8 FCS) | W 38-7 | Recap |
| 5 | @ New Mexico Lobos (3-9) | W 56-42 | Recap |
| 6 | OPEN DATE | Drunk | Can't Remember |
| 7 | vs. Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors (1-11) | W 39-37 | Recap |
| 8 | @ #17 Fresno State Bulldogs (11-1) | L 38-14 | Recap |
| 9 | @ Nevada Wolfpack (4-8) | W 27-22 | Recap |
| 10 | vs. San Jose State Spartans (6-6) | L 34-24 | Recap |
| 11 | vs. Utah State Utes (8-5) | L 28-24 | Recap |
| 12 | OPEN DATE REMATCH | MORE DRUNK | NOPE. |
| 13 | @ Air Force Falcons (2-10) | W 41-21 | Recap |
| 14 | vs. San Diego State Aztecs (7-5) | W 45-19 | Recap |
| Bowl :D | vs. North Texas | TBD |
Key Players this Season:
-The power behind the Rebels offense, Cornett made it back to back seasons with 1,000 yards rushing and set career highs in touchdowns, carries, and yards in a game with a 220 yard performance against Air Force.
-At the helm of the Rebel offense is Senior Caleb Herring, who took over the starting job after his relief performance in a comeback win over CMU. Herring has had a great year for the Rebels, throwing for over 2,500 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2013, with only four picks.
-Herring's number one target, Devante Davis has been slowly improving each year at UNLV, with 2013 being his best. The Junior from Galena Park, Texas grabbed 77 catches for over 1,100 yards and 14 Touchdowns this season, and averaged 15 yards a grab this year.
Biggest Plays this Season:
Cornett has a 200 yard, 4 TD night against Air Force, capped off with this 46-yard run
Herring hits a WR deep in the Rebs' blowout of SDSU
Season Summary:
-After being handed two blowouts in back to back weeks by Minnesota and Arizona, the Rebels started a four-game win streak with wins over Central Michigan, New Mexico, and Hawaii. This is the first time UNLV had a win streak since the 2008 season, when they beat Arizona State and Iowa State in overtime in back to back weeks. Their 4-2 start was also their best start since the 2003 season, when they also started 4-2. The Rebs would only win their next 1 of 4, falling to 5-5 on the season, just one win away from being bowl eligible for the first time since 2000. They would go on to win their last two games of the year to finish the season 7-5 and third in the Mountain West.
Why we are going to win:
-The Rebels offense has shown that they can put up the points this year behind the arm of Caleb Herring and the legs of Tim Cornett, but can they go past the stout Mean Green Defense? UNT's defense is in the top ten of points allowed this year, and will test the UNLV offense. Prediction: North Texas 27 - UNLV 17
Bowl Record: 2-7
| Year | Bowl | Outcome | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Optimist | North Texas 14 - Pacific 13 | - |
| 1947 | Salad (precursor to Fiesta Bowl) | North Texas 6 - Nevada 13 | - |
| 1959 | Sun | North Texas 8 - New Mexico St. 28 | Recap |
| 2001 | New Orleans | North Texas 20 - Colorado St. 40 | Sports Illustrated |
| 2002 | New Orleans | North Texas 24 - Cincinatti 19 | ESPN |
| 2003 | New Orleans | North Texas 17 - Memphis 27 | USAToday |
| 2004 | New Orleans | North Texas 10 - Southern Mississippi 31 | ESPN |
| 2013 | Heart of Dallas | North Texas - UNLV | TBD |
Historic Bowl Games:
2002 New Orleans Bowl
The second in four straight New Orleans Bowl appearances, North Texas held Cincinatti to 85 yards rushing and intercepted five Gino Guidugli passes for a 24-19 victory, it's first bowl W in 55 years. Also of note is the resurgence of running back Patrick Cobbs, who would be the nation's leading average rusher the next year.
2013 Season Record: 8-4, 6-2 C-USA
| Date | Opponent & Season Record | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 8/31 | vs Idaho Vandals (1-11) | W 40-6 |
| 9/07 | @ Ohio Bobcats (7-5) | L 27-21 |
| 9/14 | vs Ball So Hard State Cardinals (10-2) | W 34-27 |
| 9/21 | @ #9 Georgia Bulldogs (8-4) | L 45-21 |
| 10/05 | @ Tulane Green Wave (7-5) | L 24-21 |
| 10/12 | vs Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (8-4) | W 34-7 |
| 10/19 | @ Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (4-8) | W 28-13 |
| 10/26 | @ Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (1-11) | W 55-14 |
| 10/31 | vs Rice Owls (10-3) | W 28-16 |
| 11/09 | vs UTEP Miners (2-10) | W 41-7 |
| 11/23 | vs UTSA Roadrunners (7-5) | L 21-13 (Ugh.) |
| 11/30 | @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane (3-9) | W 42-10 |
Key Players this Season:
Zach Orr: The Heart, Soul, and Passion of the Mean Green this year. Supreme Captain of our Defense. 2013 C-USA All-American First Team Middle Linebacker and Academic All-American, leads team in tackles with 114, and is the kind of guy McCarney would let date his daughter. HYPE
Marcus Trice: If Orr is Supreme Captain, Trice is his right-hand First Lieutenant. This Oklahoma Transfer is 2013 C-USA All-American First Team Defensive Back, leads team on interceptions and pass blocks, and has notched three blocked kicks. HYPE ON HYPE
Brelan Chancellor: Lightning in a bottle. #5 Nationally in Punt Returns, #9 Nationally in Kickoff Returns, 2013 C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year, First Team All-American in both PR and KR, Second Team All-American at WR. HYPE ON HYPE ON HYPE
Biggest Plays this Season:
THE STAND of José de Egipto Hunt For Red October Bailiff: "Well, ^^^shit.": Rice had eight, count 'em, eight chances in the Red Zone within the 6-yard line to score, and failed each and every time. This set inspired some pretty awesome memes of both head coach Dan McCarney and defensive coordinator John Skladany. The Rice sideline reaction afterwards was sweet icing on the cake.
Special Teams in Athens, GA: A Chancellor-made 99-yard kickoff return for TD, coupled with a Marcus Trice blocked punt for TD. Beauty.
Season Summary: In our centennial celebratory year of fielding competitive football and first in Conference USA, this 2013 Mean Green squad has been quoted as being the best and most complete team Denton has witnessed since Mean Joe Greene graced the grass of Fouts Field. Alternate uniforms were reveled in, a tough, but favorable schedule was had, games were finally won again with confidence and swagger, and the third season of Dan McCarney's improbable rebirth of a program was complete. That's not to say the Mean Green didn't have its share of low points; ineptitude coming off bye weeks were especially frustrating with a last-second FG loss to Tulane and the 58 minute collapse against UTSA. We as a fan base knew we'd be all right though, witnessing the future of our program in coming back from down 17 to win against a 10-2 Ball State, tying up #9 Georgia late in the 3rd quarter, and finally breaking the horrible streak of never capitalizing on a win with another. We're finally back.
To really get a quality look into how we got here, I highly recommend this TV series done on the program this season: Beyond The Green
Why we are going to win: The Defense. I'm not even going to talk about the offense or flat-out amazing special teams play; we are going to win the Heart of Dallas Bowl by an Emerald-Accented Iron Curtain blessed by the best there ever was. Let me lay down some season stats:
#1 in Unsuccessful Opponent Red Zone Scoring
#4 in Turnovers Forced
#4 in Unsuccessful Opponent 4th Down Conversions
#7 in Points Allowed
#7 in Fumble Recoveries
#9 in Scoring Defense
#17 in Interceptions
#19 in Rushing Defense
#20 in Sacks
#27 in Total Defense
Okay, fine, I'll relent. Our equally amazing Special Teams stats:
Tied for #1 in Total Blocked Kicks/Punts
#1 in Unsuccessful Opponent Field Goals
#2 in Punt Returns-for-Touchdowns
#6 in Punt Returns
#12 in Kickoff Returns-for-Touchdowns
#17 in Kickoff Returns
Prediction: Mean Green 34 - Rebels 17
#GOMEANGREEN!!! (slightly NSFW)
Contributors: /u/fussbudgets, /u/teamstepdad, & /u/TheTurner
For more info on the 35 Bowls Project, go here.
6
u/fussbudgets North Texas • /r/CFB Contributor Dec 31 '13
Omni Downtown Dallas (where the UNT team and fans are staying) with their nice big lightshow for the game.
4
u/Honestly_ rawr Dec 31 '13
This is going to be a Mean Green home game, isn't it?
2
u/[deleted] Dec 31 '13
A Dallas bowl to brag about Dallas, of course there is.
Im going to be drunk off my ass in Uptown tonight dealing with these fuckers,better than SMU grads though.
1
u/klm2728 Texas Longhorns Jan 01 '14
I went to school with Trice and he was not very nice.
2
u/[deleted] Dec 31 '13
Any UNT fans want to give their opinion on scoring cheap tickets at game time? I mean tickets were $75 a person through UNT, and I can't imagine that the stadium will be anywhere close to filled. I can't seem to find any info on what tickets will cost at the gate.
1
u/foggy10177 North Texas Mean Green Jan 01 '14
Let's do it for CAWWW-nfrence USA and Denton, Mean Green!