North Texas Defeats SMU, 24-6

Denton (9/9/06) The North Texas football team defeated SMU, 24-6, in the two teams’ first meeting since 1992 on Saturday night at Fouts Field in front of crowd of 25, 231.

The Mean Green (1-1) is now 2-0 against the Mustangs at Fouts Field and 4-27-1 overall in the series. North Texas last defeated SMU, 14-7, in 1990 at Fouts Field.

The two teams last met in 1990, resulting in a 28-14 win for SMU (0-2). The victory is the program’s first home-opening win since 2003 over Baylor. The announced crowd of 25,231 is the third largest to watch a game at Fouts Field.

“This was a great win for our kids,” said North Texas head coach Darrell Dickey. “It was a hard-fought close game, and we needed a couple big plays to come away with the win tonight. Evan (Robertson) made a great special teams play for us, and I can’t say enough about how our defense played.”

North Texas held an early 7-0 lead and then outscored the Mustangs, 17-6 in the second half. Freshman Evan Robertson made the big play on special teams, blocking an SMU punt that led to the first score of the game. The Mustangs had an opportunity to tie the game at the start of the second half but failed to convert the extra point after a touchdown reception.

Quarterback Woody Wilson came in the game midway through the second quarter and completed 8-of-10 passes, including a long of 14. His 33-yard touchdown run in the third quarter extended NT’s lead to eight points, 14-6.

“[Wilson] came in and made some plays when we needed them,” said Dickey. “He gained confidence as the game went on and made a big play when we needed one.

Junior Jamario Thomas ran for 90 yards on 25 carries, including 81 rushing yards in the second half. His five-yard touchdown run sealed the 24-6 victory for the Mean Green.

Senior wide receiver Johnny Quinn led the team with nine catches for 132 yards, including a long of 33 yards. He also made his 37^th straight start today, which is tied for the 11^th most in the country.

The defense forced three turnovers, including two in the fourth quarter. Sky Pruitt intercepted his first career pass in the second quarter. Germaine Dawson recorded NT’s first sack of the year in the first quarter, forcing an SMU third and 20. The Mustangs were forced to punt and North Texas entered half ahead, 7-0. Maurice Holman sacked SMU’s quarterback Justin Willis for a loss of five yards in the fourth quarter. Aaron Weathers forced a fumble on the next play, which was recovered by teammate Korey Washington.

The Mean Green special teams ended NT’s first quarter scoring drought with a touchdown off a blocked punt. After going three-and-out on its first possession, SMU had its first punt of the game blocked by Robertson who then fell on the ball in the endzone.

North Texas had gone 13 straight games without scoring a touchdown in the first quarter. The last time the Mean Green recorded a touchdown in the first quarter was against Arkansas State on Nov. 11, 2004. NT had 14 first-quarter points in that game, holding a 14-0 lead at half time.

SMU scored its first points of the game midway through the third quarter with a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Mustangs were unable to convert the extra point.

North Texas extended its lead, 14-6, with an 80-yard drive that resulted in a 33-yard touchdown rush by Wilson. It was Wilson’s first rushing touchdown at North Texas. Denis Hopovac posted his first field goal of the 2006 season with a 22-yard kick midway through the fourth quarter to add to the North Texas lead, 17-6.

“We have a nice mix of veterans and younger players who are learning how to win,” said head coach Darrell Dickey. “We still have a lot of work to do as the year goes on, but this is a great way for our younger kids to get confidence.”

North Texas returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 16 at Tulsa at 6 pm.

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Players Mentioned

Germaine Dawson

Maurice Holman

Denis Hopovac

Sky Pruitt

Johnny Quinn

Evan Robertson

Jamario Thomas

Aaron Weathers

Woody Wilson

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University of North Texas Athletics