2016 Heart of Dallas Bowl

The 2016 Heart of Dallas Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on December 27, 2016.[3] The seventh Heart of Dallas Bowl featured the Army Black Knights versus the North Texas Mean Green of Conference USA.[4] Sponsored by chicken fast food restaurant Zaxby's, the game was officially known as the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl. Army defeated North Texas 38–31.

2016 Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl
7th Heart of Dallas Bowl
Army Black Knights North Texas Mean Green
(7–5) (5–7)
Independent C–USA
38 31
Head coach: 
Jeff Monken		 Head coach: 
Seth Littrell
1234OT Total
Army 1212707 38
North Texas 714730 31
DateDecember 27, 2016
Season2016
StadiumCotton Bowl
LocationFair Park
Dallas, Texas
MVPArmy QB Ahmad Bradshaw
FavoriteArmy by 9.5[1]
RefereeHubert Owens (SEC)
Attendance39,117
PayoutUS$1,100,000[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN, RedVoice, LLC
AnnouncersAllen Bestwick, Mike Bellotti, Kris Budden (ESPN)
Brian Estridge, John Denton, Rob Best, Landry Burdine (RedVoice)

Teams

The game featured the Army Black Knights, an FBS independent, and the North Texas Mean Green from Conference USA. This was the sixth meeting between the schools, with Army entering the game leading the all-time series 4–1. They first met on the football field in 1996, and later met in 1997, 2009, and 2010, all of which were won by Army. North Texas achieved their first victory in the series in their fifth meeting, which came on earlier in the regular season on October 22, 2016.[5] It was the first postseason meeting between the two teams.

Army
Main article: 2016 Army Black Knights football team

After a disappointing 2–10 campaign the year prior,[6] Army looked to return to winning ways in head coach Jeff Monken's third season. Army's season opened on the road in Philadelphia, where they defeated Temple to win their first season-opening road game since 2010.[7][8] The Black Knights' home opener came the following week, when they hosted and defeated Rice, by a score of 31–14.[9] The following week, Army was back on the road for the start of a three-game away stretch, the first game of which came at UTEP, whom they defeated to achieve their first 3–0 start to a season since 1996.[10] The next two games were not so kind, however; the Black Knights faltered both in games at Buffalo, by three points in overtime,[11] and, after a bye week, at Duke, by seven points.[12] Army improved to 4–2 the next week at home, with their defeat of Lafayette, from the FCS's Patriot League.[13] The following week, they matched up with eventual bowl game foe North Texas, to whom they lost by seventeen points.[14] Army's first and only Power Five win came the next week, as they traveled to Winston-Salem and defeated Wake Forest by eight.[15]

Now sitting at 5–3, they needed to win one of their next two games to ensure bowl eligibility, however they lost both of those games, to Air Force[16] and Notre Dame,[17] respectively, putting them at 5–5 with two contests to go. Army achieved their sixth win of the season on November 19, with a 60–3 victory against Morgan State,[18] but as this was their second win of the year against an FCS opponent, it did not count towards their bowl eligibility (as only one FCS win per year can count towards the six wins traditionally required to be bowl eligible). Ordinarily, this would have meant that Army would be ineligible for postseason play, but as there were eighty bowl slots that were not all able to be filled, 5-win teams were admitted to postseason play based on Academic Progress Rates (APR).[19] Because of this, Army accepted their invitation to play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on December 4.[20] Incidentally, the Black Knights would go on to upset No. 25 Navy in the Army–Navy Game just six days later, in their first win over the Midshipmen since 2001, thereby granting them enough wins to be traditionally bowl eligible anyway.[21]

This was Army's sixth bowl appearance in school history, their first since the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl. This was also their first appearance in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.[22]

North Texas
Main article: 2016 North Texas Mean Green football team

North Texas entered 2016 under the leadership of new head coach Seth Littrell, who was brought in to lead the program after the Mean Green finished 2015 with a record of 1–11.[23] The Mean Green opened the season with a Safeway Bowl matchup against SMU, in which they fell 21–34.[24][25] They rebounded the next week, defeating Bethune–Cookman by three touchdowns.[26] Their only Power Five game of the season saw them travel to No. 23 Florida, where they were shut out.[27] They pulled back up to .500 with their week four win at Rice, a win that took two overtimes to complete.[28] Again they faltered, this time against Middle Tennessee at home. Now 2–3, North Texas improved their record by doubling their win total over the following three weeks: they defeated Marshall at home,[29] and then traveled to West Point and defeated Army following a bye week.[14]

The next three weeks were not as kind to the Mean Green. A road game against UTSA,[30] a home tilt against Louisiana Tech,[31] and a road matchup with Western Kentucky all resulted in losses for North Texas,[32] putting them at a precarious 4–6. Faced with two remaining regular season games, UNT needed to win both in order to become bowl eligible. They faced Southern Miss in their last home game of the season, and it was a game that resulted in a much-needed six-point win for the Mean Green.[33] Needing a win in their last regular season game against UTEP, North Texas fell behind 7–31 in the second quarter and was never able to recover, losing 24–52.[34] The result of this, as a post-game Associated Press report put it, was that North Texas was "knocked...out of bowl eligibility."[35] However, this did not end up being the case. As was the case with Army (who had a 5–6 record when they were invited), 5–7 North Texas, despite having a losing record, was extended an invitation due to the lack of teams to fill all eighty bowl slots, and their high APR scores.[19][36] They accepted said invitation on December 4, booking their trip to Dallas for a rematch with the Black Knights.[37]

This was North Texas's ninth bowl appearance in school history, and their second appearance in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Their last appearance in the game, and their last bowl appearance overall, was in the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl played at the conclusion of the 2013 season.[38]

Game summary

Scoring summary
Scoring summary
Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score
Plays Yards TOP ARMY NT
1 9:18 11 75 5:42 ARMY Darnell Woolfolk 5-yard touchdown run, Blake Wilson kick no good 6 0
1 6:35 6 66 2:37 NT Jeffery Wilson 22-yard touchdown run, Trevor Moore kick good 6 7
1 4:56 3 76 1:34 ARMY Tyler Campbell 70-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed (Kell Walker run) 12 7
2 13:05 10 67 5:14 ARMY Darnell Woolfolk 1-yard touchdown run, 2-point run failed (Ahmad Bradshaw run) 18 7
2 6:37 9 93 4:10 ARMY Andy Davidson 6-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass incomplete (Samuel Johnson pass) 24 7
2 2:26 9 83 4:02 NT Jeffery Wilson 22-yard touchdown reception from Alec Morris, Trevor Moore kick good 24 14
2 0:10 6 68 1:40 NT Rico Bussey 27-yard touchdown reception from Alec Morris, Trevor Moore kick good 24 21
3 7:41 6 84 3:05 ARMY Ahmad Bradshaw 65-yard touchdown run, Blake Wilson kick good 31 21
3 0:45 1 18 0:05 NT Tyler Wilson 18-yard touchdown reception from Alec Morris, Trevor Moore kick good 31 28
4 0:28 11 50 1:50 NT 37-yard field goal by Trevor Moore 31 31
OT 7 25 ARMY Jordan Asberry 3-yard touchdown run, Blake Wilson kick good 38 31
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 38 31

Statistics
StatisticsARMYNT
First Downs2219
Third down efficiency11–175–12
Plays-yards78–53367–410
Rushes-yards74–48027–96
Passing yards53314
Passing, Comp-Att-Int2–4–027–40–2
Time of Possession36:1823:42
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
ArmyPassingAhmad Bradshaw2/3, 53 yards
RushingAhmad Bradshaw18 carries, 129 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingTyler Campbell1 reception, 38 yards
North TexasPassingAlec Morris26/38, 304 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
RushingJeffery Wilson20 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD
ReceivingTurner Smiley8 receptions, 79 yards
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gollark: There are upgrades like cameras but they're still quite limited.
gollark: Again, the relevant maths is quite easy.
gollark: The drones don't have the ability to attain useful data.
gollark: The *maths* is easy.

References
  1. "College Bowl Game Odds". ESPN. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  2. "The estimated payouts teams will receive from bowl games". 247Sports.
  3. "Frequently Asked Questions". Heart of Dallas Bowl. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  4. "North Texas and Army to face off in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl". Heart of Dallas Bowl. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  5. "2016 Army West Point Football Media Guide" (PDF). United States Military Academy. p. 107. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  6. "2015 Football Schedule". Army West Point. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  7. "2010 Football Schedule". Army West Point. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  8. Zeitlin, Dave (September 2, 2016). "Army racks up 329 rushing yards to beat Temple 28–13". Daily Herald. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  9. "Army starts the season 2–0 for the first time in 20 years". USA TODAY. September 10, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  10. "1996 Army Black Knights Schedule". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  11. Bronstein, Jonah (August 7, 2017). "Buffalo comes back to beat Army 23–20 in OT". Army Times. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  12. "Duke edges Army 13–6 in wind and rain from Hurricane Matthew". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  13. Associated Press (October 16, 2016). "Army racks up 671 yards of offense, pounds Lafayette". The Poughkeepsie Journal. p. D3 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Kekis, John. "Jeffrey Wilson scores 3 times, North Texas beats Army 35–18". The Washington Times. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  15. "Bradshaw, Woolfolk TDs help Army beat Wake Forest 21–13". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  16. Kekis, John (November 6, 2016). "Worthman, Air Force defeat Army". The Journal News. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Kizer throws 3 TDs as Notre Dame routs Army". Toledo Blade. November 12, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  18. "Army dominates on both sides in 60–3 win over Morgan State". USA TODAY. November 19, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  19. "Sub-.500 bowl teams now becoming almost routine". USA TODAY. December 4, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  20. Wang, Gene (December 6, 2016). "Mids enter Army-Navy football game with 10 players out for season, others hurting". Washington Post. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  21. Walker, Childs (December 11, 2016). "Navy seniors lament end of 14-game winning streak". The Baltimore Sun. p. D6 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "2019 Army West Point Football Media Guide" (PDF). United States Military Academy. p. 117. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  23. "2015 North Texas Mean Green Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  24. Henry, John (September 3, 2016). "SMU rolls over sluggish North Texas". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  25. "Sutton snags 3 TD passes in SMU's 34–21 win over North Texas". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  26. "North Texas rolls to 41–20 victory over Bethune-Cookman". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  27. Long, Mark. "Del Rio hurts knee, Florida blanks North Texas". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  28. "North Texas sneaks by Rice 42–35 in 2OT". dailyherald.com.
  29. "North Texas pulls away from Marshall 38–21". Beckley Register-Herald. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  30. "Sturm, Rhodes lift UTSA to 31–17 win over North Texas". DurhamRegion.com. October 29, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  31. "La. Tech's Henderson scores 5 TDs in win". thenewsstar.com. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  32. "White throws 4 TD passes; WKU beats North Texas 45–7". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  33. "North Texas survives Southern Miss comeback bid". FoxSports. November 20, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  34. "Jones runs for 4 TDs in UTEP's 52–24 win over North Texas". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. November 26, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  35. "Jones runs for 4 TDs in UTEP's 52–24 win over North Texas". AP NEWS. November 26, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  36. "Army rushes past North Texas in OT at Heart of Dallas Bowl". ESPN.com. December 27, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  37. "Bowl Announcement Coming Sunday". University of North Texas Athletics. December 3, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  38. "North Texas Mean Green Football – 2016 Heart of Dallas Bowl Guide" (PDF). University of North Texas. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
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