North Texas entered the 2025 with its loftiest expectations in quite some time, eager to produce its first winning campaign in seven years. Saturday presented a brand new opponent to the Mean Green as they battled Washington State for the first time ever.
Except it wasn’t a battle. It was a one-sided, full-fledged demolition. North Texas obliterated Washington State 59-10, leading by as many as 56 before the Cougars scored their first touchdown with 1:57 remaining. In the 49-point wire-to-wire win,
the Mean Green solidified their largest margin of victory against an FBS opponent since a 52-point shellacking of Middle Tennessee in 2011. Eric Morris, who served as Washington State’s offensive coordinator in 2022 before taking the North Texas job in 2023, led the decisive victory over his former school.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker dominated in his second career home start, connecting on 24-of-29 passing for 211 yards and four touchdowns before earning a well-deserved rest. Mestemaker spread the wealth tremendously as 15 different receivers secured a reception, with nobody attaining more than four catches or 44 yards in a true team effort.
The Mean Green offense clicked well in its highest-scoring outing vs. FBS competition in 14 years, but even more promising was the defensive effort displayed in the domination. Defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity called an impeccable game as his unit won the turnover battle 5-0 on the Pac-12 visitor. North Texas applied pressure in the backfield all game, producing three sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble to generate the one-sided outcome. The Mean Green cashed in on nearly every takeaway, posting 28 points from the five opportunities created by the defense.
A hapless Washington State offense went seven consecutive possessions without invading North Texas territory. The Cougars only invaded the red zone once, notching a 26-yard first quarter field goal to cap the drive. Meanwhile, North Texas bathed inside the Washington State 20, producing eight touchdowns and one field goal on nine trips. The Mean Green didn’t feature their general explosiveness on offense as no touchdown spanned more than 14 yards. Instead, they chipped away at the Cougars with long, methodical possessions, scoring on three different 10+ play, 68+ yard drives.
Washington State (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) drops its worst defeat since 2008 after its first-ever trip to Denton. It’s only the fourth loss of Jimmy Rogers’ head coaching career after he arrived from FCS powerhouse South Dakota State during the offseason. The Cougars face arch rival Washington in the Apple Cup next week, looking for a rebound.
North Texas (3-0, 0-0 American) enters conference play after its first 3-0 start since 2018. That year also signified the Mean Green’s most recent winning season, and they’ll look to continue the two-way domination when they visit Army next Saturday.
