Something special is in the air in Denton, TX. The record crowd of 31,386 in Week 7’s Friday night matchup against ranked South Florida could sense it, and that’s why people are flocking in droves to DATCU Stadium this year to support this program. While an unfortunate string of five turnovers prevented North Texas from capitalizing that particular Friday, the Mean Green ensured the setback would be followed by an assertive bounce-back.
North Texas absolutely annihilated UTSA in 55-17 fashion in front
of a crowd of 25,053, securing bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022 — its final year as a member of Conference USA before the 2023 transition to the American Conference. The Mean Green also snapped a 4-game skid to their in-state rival, taking down the Roadrunners for the first time since the 2021 regular season finale.
This time, the turnover game played sharply in the Mean Green’s favor. North Texas commandingly won the turnover battle 3-0, recovering three UTSA third quarter fumbles in a span of four possessions. Meanwhile, the Mean Green refrained from coughing up the ball themselves as Drew Mestemaker completed his sixth start of the season devoid of an interception. The redshirt freshman quarterback fired for 277 passing yards and four touchdowns on a 22-of-35 performance, establishing an unguardable connection with Wyatt Young. Young finished the game corralling six receptions for 102 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns, going over the century mark for the first time in two years at North Texas.
North Texas produced 584 yards of offense and playmakers were abundant within the high-octane unit. True freshman tailback Caleb Hawkins nearly had a 100-100 game, generating 133 yards rushing and 90 yards receiving. Meanwhile, Kiefer Sibley, Cameron Dorner, and Terrence Lewis were among the other skill positions standouts producing touchdowns in North Texas’ third 50 burger at home in 2025. The Mean Green now rank first nationally in scoring offense at 45.0 points per game.
UTSA ended up on the wrong side of the same game it played the prior week. In Week 7, the Roadrunners pummeled Rice 61-13 behind a nearly perfect offensive day and some turnover chaos favoring the defense. This time, UTSA managed just 115 passing yards and failed to reach the end zone in the second half. Star running back Robert Henry Jr. — now second in the FBS in rushing yards — was the lone bright spot in a 138-yard, 1-touchdown outing. Henry recorded his sixth 70+ yard pickup of the season to lead the country and his second quarter touchdown trimmed the deficit to 17-14.
North Texas concluded the contest on a 38-3 run, consistently halting the Roadrunner offense in its tracks. In addition to the three aforementioned fumbles, UTSA was subject to four three-and-outs and an 0-of-1 showing on fourth down. Another factor that decimated the Roadrunners was a season-high 10 penalties assessed with false starts and holdings making up the majority.
UTSA (3-4, 1-2 American) sustained its trend of road struggles, falling to 1-10 in its last 10 roadtrips — with a 17-16 Week 4 survival over Colorado State standings as the lone triumph. The Roadrunners are 3-4 for the second-straight year, but in 2024, they won four of their final five to record a fifth-straight winning season. They’ll look to replicate a similar end result although a gauntlet awaits. Next up on the docket is Tulane on Oct. 30 and South Florida on Nov. 6.
North Texas (6-1, 2-1 American) is 6-1 for the first time since 2018 — the last time the Mean Green registered a winning season. The Mean Green are one of five bowl eligible American teams after Week 8, and they’ve now defeated two FBS teams by 38+ points (Washington State and UTSA) in an inspiring start to 2025. Head coach Eric Morris has the program in the thick of a loaded title race with home games vs. 6-0 Navy and 4-3 Temple as the only winning records looming on the schedule.
