BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- North Texas took a step toward ending the defensive struggles that have hounded it all season on Saturday in its game against Western Kentucky.

That step wasn’t evident in the 51-40 final score or in the statistics that showed the Hilltoppers rolling up 504 yards of offense. But it was readily apparent in the way the Mean Green made big play after big play to preserve its first win of the season and end a nine-game losing streak dating to last year.

The biggest of those plays was a 97-yard interception return by linebacker Tobe Nwigwe on the final play of the game, but there were plenty of others along the way for the much-maligned Mean Green defense that came into the night allowing a whopping 50.0 points a game.

UNT made two goal-line stands in the fourth quarter, a dramatic turn of events from earlier in the game when the Mean Green allowed WKU to score on two of its first seven plays of the game.

 “Our defense, after the first two drives, got a hold of itself,” UNT head coach Todd Dodge said “In the past, if a team would have scored on their first two drives, we would have panicked and fell behind by 28 or 35 points. We never panicked.”

The way the Mean Green maintained its composure helped it make a series of key plays late.

The biggest of those plays came when UNT’s defense stopped WKU quarterback David Wolke and running back Tyrell Hayden on consecutive running plays from the 1-yard line in the final minute to set up Nwigwe’s interception.

UNT made another stand earlier in the fourth quarter after WKU linebacker Darvis McBride intercepted a pass from quarterback Giovanni Vizza and returned it to the UNT 22-yard line with 8:55 left in the game.

The Hilltoppers had a 40-39 lead and a chance to ice the game after a penalty pushed the ball back to UNT’s 37-yard line, but didn’t punch the ball into the end zone.

Hayden carried the ball 32 yards to the UNT 5-yard line before UNT’s defense stiffened and forced the Hilltoppers to attempt a 21-yard field goal that Tanner Siewert missed wide right.

“We got focused because we knew what was on the line,” Nwigwe said. “They were not going to give this one to us. We had to earn it.”

UNT’s defense not only made two goal-line stands, it also set up the Mean Green’s game-winning touchdown. Safety Kylie Hill intercepted a pass from Wolke and returned it to the WKU 19-yard line with 4:36 left.

UNT scored three plays later on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Vizza to Casey Fitzgerald.

WKU got a second chance to score the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, but came up short once again against the Mean Green’s defense in its second goal-line stand.

“We never gave an inch,” Dodge said. “Our defensive line got its pads down and our linebackers came over the top. Gary made a great call at the end of the game. [UNT linebacker] Steve Warren got right in [Wolke’s] face and Tobe got the interception. What an unbelievable way to win a game.”

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