NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- Memphis makes its first postseason appearance in 32 years when it takes on Sun Belt Conference champion North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, the first of 28 bowl games in a 19-day span.
Despite a 27-20 loss to Texas Christian in their regular-season finale, the Tigers (8-4) completed their most successful campaign since 1973, tying for third in Conference USA.
The game is a homecoming for Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine, the Tigers' career passing leader and a New Orleans native. Wimprine broke the record in the Tigers' season opener against Tennessee Tech.
Memphis will be without tailback DeAngelo Williams, who suffered a season-ending knee injury Cincinnati on November 22. Williams rushed a school-record 1,430 yards and ended the year with 10 straight 100-yard games.
North Texas (9-3) features the nation's leading rusher in Patrick Cobbs, who ran for a school-record 1,570 yards despite missing two games. Cobbs surpassed 200 yards on four occasions, rushing for 216 yards on 37 carries in the Mean Green's 13-10 victory over New Mexico State in their regular-season finale.
North Texas is headed to its third straight New Orleans Bowl, beating Cincinnati, 24-19, last season to earn its first bowl victory since beating Pacific, 14-13, in the 1946 Optimist Bowl.
North Texas won its final eight games after getting off to a 1-3 start. Its three losses came to Oklahoma, Air Force and Arkansas. The Mean Green went undefeated in the Sun Belt for their second straight season and their 18-game conference winning streak is the longest in the country.
Memphis leads the series with North Texas, 15-4, winning 14 in a row from 1960 to 1975. However, the Mean Green posted a 28-10 in the last meeting in 1980.
North Texas coach Darrell Dickey served as the quarterbacks coach at Memphis from 1986 to 1989.
