BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Tobe Nwigwe thought back to what North Texas defensive coordinator Gary DeLoach told him just before the final snap of the Mean Green’s game against Western Kentucky on Saturday.

Bowling Green Daily News/Hunter Wilson

North Texas wide receiver Brock Stickler, right, runs upfield as Western Kentucky linebacker Taurean Smith, left, attempts to make the tackle on Saturday at L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Ky.

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“Be ready for the play-action fake.”

Those words turned out to be prophetic on a night the Mean Green broke a nine-game losing streak dating to last season, and a 22-game road losing streak, with a 51-40 win over the Hilltoppers.

WKU lined up at UNT’s 1-yard line with 14 seconds left and ran the fake that DeLoach predicted with quarterback David Wolke lofting a pass in the direction David Miller.

The ball hung in the warm night air before Nwigwe snatched it out of the sky and scampered 97 yards for the clinching touchdown as the clock hit all zeroes at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.

“North Texas is winners again,” Nwigwe said. “I feel like I just won a million dollars.”

One could hardly blame Nwigwe for feeling that way at the end of a tough week for the Mean Green. UNT (1-8) came into the night having gone nearly a year since its last win, which happened to be a last-second victory over the Hilltoppers (2-7) last November.

The stress of that losing streak was only exacerbated when school officials revealed that 15 members of the team tested positive for recreational drugs earlier this season.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling with all the adversity that has come this way and the losses that have hurt so much,” UNT head coach Todd Dodge said. “It is fitting that we won our first one in that manner, having to fight, fight, scratch and dig down deep to get a stop inside the 1-yard line. It shows the character of our kids.”

The toughest part of that test came after running back Tyrell Hayden picked up 6 yards and a first down at the Mean Green’s 1-yard line with the final seconds running off the clock. The Hilltoppers tried to punch the ball in for the clinching touchdown, but UNT stopped Wolke and Hayden short of the goal line to set up the final play of a game that saw the Mean Green come through in the clutch late.

Those plays were two of several UNT’s defense made in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter that made the difference.

The Mean Green trailed 40-39 before defensive back Kylie Hill intercepted a pass from Wolke and returned it to the WKU 19-yard line with 4:36 left. The play gave new life to the Mean Green, which scored three plays later on a 27-yard pass from quarterback Giovanni Vizza to wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald with 2:27 left.

“It was a good call and Gio found me wide open in the hole,” Fitzgerald said. “I just finished it.”

The touchdown highlighted a breakout offensive performance from UNT. The Mean Green came into the night averaging just 16.9 points a game and hadn’t scored more than 30 all season.

UNT raced past that total behind running back Cam Montgomery and a balanced passing attack that saw six players catch passes. Montgomery finished with a career high 130 rushing yards, while Vizza threw for 214 yards and four touchdowns.

That duo helped UNT hang on for the win in a shootout on a night the Mean Green blew a 17-point lead in the third quarter.

“We faced adversity and didn’t panic,” Montgomery said. “Coach told us that we would have to win this game in the fourth quarter.”

It didn’t appear as if UNT would have to wait that long after linebacker Steve Warren turned the tide in a back-and-forth first quarter.

The senior jumped on a fumble by WKU backup quarterback Dexter Taylor at the Hilltoppers’ 11-yard line to set up a 2-yard touchdown run from Montgomery that put UNT up 21-14 and broke a streak in which each team score on its first two possessions of the night.

The Mean Green built on that momentum and took a 31-14 lead in the third quarter when Vizza hit wide receiver Brock Stickler for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

WKU began its comeback a short time later behind Wolke, who finished with 190 passing yards to go along with 178 rushing yards. The Hilltoppers blitzed UNT for three straight touchdowns, a series Hayden capped with a 25-yard run that gave WKU a 34-31 lead.

WKU’s comeback set up a back-and-forth battle that saw the lead change hands three times from the 1:20 mark of the third quarter on.

The Mean Green took the lead for the final time on Fitzgerald’s touchdown and hung on, thanks to Nwigwe’s interception.

“This is absolutely something we can build on,” Dodge said. “There have been so many things that have happened this season that has been good. You just can’t see them though all the adversity. Now we have a win that we can build confidence from.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.