The North Texas Mean Green didn’t hire a new head coach or make sweeping changes this offseason, yet things simply feel different in Denton, TX.
North Texas entered Week 4 with as much momentum as anybody in the country, gaining newfound confidence in swagger after pulverizing Washington State 59-10 in Week 3 for its largest win over an FBS program in 14 years. After a 3-0 start, the Mean Green needed that caliber of execution to translate to conference play, while on the road facing reigning American
Conference champion Army.
Although North Texas faced challenges after a scalding start and required more than four quarters, the Mean Green outlasted North Texas 45-38 in overtime fashion. Eric Morris’ team left West Point with its first 4-0 start since 2018 and their third 1-0 conference start since joining the American. 2018 also represented the last time the Mean Green concocted a winning season — something Morris’ team visualizes after a perfect start to 2025.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker fired for 249 yards and a touchdown, leading North Texas to a strong offensive start. The Mean Green scored on three consecutive possessions to open the contest, capitalizing on two first quarter Army fumbles to establish a 21-0 advantage. The Black Knights’ turnover woes continued in the second quarter when Cade Hellums tossed an interception to North Texas cornerback Da’Veawn Armstead. For the third time, the Mean Green offense registered a touchdown off a takeaway as Mestemaker’s pass to Wyatt Young manufactured a 6-yard touchdown.
However, when Army wasn’t turning the ball over, the Black Knights were running back straight through North Texas. Briggs Bartosh ran untouched through the A-gap for a 75-yard touchdown in the late first quarter, and then late in the second quarter — after Army changed quarterbacks to Dewayne Coleman — Coleman threw a touchdown pass to Samari Howard, slicing North Texas’ halftime lead to 28-14.
It was a complete contrast to last year’s Army-North Texas matchup in Denton which featured a 14-3 final score and 13 total possessions. The first half featured 11 series alone and the fourth quarter featured eight. However, the third quarter presented a return to Army’s clock-consuming ways.
Down 14, Army sliced the deficit to 28-21 on a methodical 7-play, 75-yard drive, finishing with a 34-yard end zone sprint by Hayden Reed. After a North Texas field goal, the Black Knights churned out a 17-play, 75-yard drive that consumed nine minutes and 58 seconds of clock. Coleman finished with a touchdown to trim a once-21-point deficit to three with 11:27 remaining.
The teams traded touchdowns to keep the deficit at three, but right as North Texas was ready to exhaust clock, Makenzie McGill — who posted 101 rushing yards and a touchdown — fumbled with 2:49 remaining. Army recovered and maneuvered down to the North Texas 6-yard line where it faced a 1st and goal. However, with time pressed against the Black Knights and no timeouts on board, they couldn’t use their option offense to their advantage. Instead, Coleman threw three incompletions to send the kicking unit out for a chip shot field goal.
Dawson Jones’ 23-yard attempt forced overtime, and upon reaching the extra period, North Texas prevailed. Caleb Hawkins finished with 99 yards and four rushing touchdowns, but no touchdown was more significant than the one he provided in overtime. It proved to be the game-winner when the Mean Green defense forced an overtime stop, snapping Army’s 8-game regular season win streak vs. the American Conference.
Army (1-2, 0-1 American) is no longer perfect in conference play since joining the American in 2024. The Black Knights ran the table in dominant fashion in 2024 and only trailing in two of eight conference contests (Navy isn’t classified as a conference matchup) en route to their first-ever conference title. However, Jeff Monken’s team starts on a tough foot at 0-1 in league play, already matching its 2024 loss total through three games.
North Texas (4-0, 1-0 American) is one victory away from matching its 2024 win total. The Mean Green watched a 21-point lead wither but still found a way to prevail for their best start in eight years. They take a quick break from conference play to battle South Alabama in Denton next Saturday, hoping to sweep the non-conference slate before crashing the American contention picture for the first time.
