University of North Texas
2-4 , 1-1
Southern Miss
4-2 , 2-0
Mean Green Fall At Southern Miss
10/12/2019 9:30:00 PM | Football
UNT's record-setting quarterback Mason Fine was held to 11-of-25 passing for 217 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game late in the third quarter with an injury, while starting running back Tre Siggers left the game with an injury in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, Southern Miss quarterback Jack Abraham completed 29 of 36 pass attempts for 421 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score.
"I don't know the exact timing (of when the game started getting away from North Texas)," UNT head coach Seth Littrell said. "We did good things early on. We started faster offensively, but we have to get stops defensively and clean some things up over there. When someone goes down, the next guy has to step up. We just have to do better as a team. We have to get stops and we have to score. We just have to get better. It's disappointing, but at the same time we have to look ourselves in the mirror and get back and get better."
The Mean Green (2-4, 1-1 in C-USA) went toe-to-toe with Southern Miss (4-2, 2-0) in the first half, but after Jaelon Darden's second of a career-high three touchdown receptions pulled them to within one point late in the first half, Southern Miss scored 24 unanswered points before Darden's last score of the game with 3:21 remaining put the Mean Green back on the scoreboard.
After Fine left the game with 1:40 to play in the third quarter, redshirt freshman Jason Bean stepped in under center and led the late scoring drive that ended with a 20-yard scoring strike to Darden.
"I thought he stepped in with some confidence," Littrell said of Bean. "He can make plays. He just hasn't had a ton of reps. The more reps he gets, the better he'll get. He's improved in practice. I know he can step up and make plays when need be."
UNT will return to action on Oct. 19, when it hosts Middle Tennessee for a 3 p.m. kickoff at Apogee Stadium.
QUICK HITS
- Senior QB Mason Fine (Peggs, Oklahoma) finished 11-25 for 217 yards before leaving with an injury in the third quarter.
- He also threw three touchdown passes, his second largest touchdown output of the season (had 4 vs. Abilene Christian in the season opener on 8/31).
- Redshirt freshman WR Jyaire Shorter (Killeen, Texas) hauled in his fourth touchdown catch in as many games, when he caught a 45-yard touchdown from Mason Fine early in the first quarter.
- That was the longest catch of Shorter's collegiate career.
- Junior WR Jaelon Darden (Houston) caught his second touchdown of 50-plus yards, when he hauled in a 53-yard scoring strike from Mason Fine midway through the second quarter.
- Darden had a 68-yard touchdown grab at Cal on 9/14 in Berkeley.
- Darden finished with five catches for 87 yards and three touchdowns.
- That marks the third time in his career he has had multiple touchdown catches in a game.
- The three touchdowns also marked a career-high for a single game for Darden.
- Redshirt senior S Taylor Robinson (Fort Worth) had a season-high 14 tackles, including 11 solo stops.
- Junior LB Tyreke Davis (Denton) finished with 11 tackles, including eight solo stops.
- North Texas is now 0-4 on the season when trailing at the half.
- North Texas allowed 400 yards passing for the first time since Oct. 15, 2015, against Western Kentucky.
Team Stats
UNT 0, USM 6
USM - HARRIS, D. 59 yd pass from ABRAHAM, Jack (STEIN, Andrew kickblocked) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:23
UNT 7, USM 6
UNT - SHORTER, Jyaire 45 yd pass from FINE, Mason (MOONEY, Ethan kick) 2 plays, 50 yards, TOP 0:34
UNT 7, USM 13
USM - HARRIS, D. 60 yd run (STEIN, Andrew kick), 3 plays, 72 yards, TOP 1:12
UNT 14, USM 13
UNT - DARDEN, Jaelon 53 yd pass from FINE, Mason (MOONEY, Ethan kick) 5 plays, 72 yards, TOP 1:13
UNT 14, USM 21
USM - LADNER, Ray 12 yd pass from ABRAHAM, Jack (ADAMS, Jaylond pass) 1 plays, 12 yards, TOP 0:06
UNT 20, USM 21
UNT - DARDEN, Jaelon 2 yd pass from FINE, Mason (MOONEY, Ethan kickfailed) 6 plays, 66 yards, TOP 2:03
UNT 20, USM 28
USM - ABRAHAM, Jack 1 yd run (STEIN, Andrew kick), 6 plays, 76 yards, TOP 2:29
UNT 20, USM 31
USM - STEIN, Andrew 35 yd field goal 13 plays, 62 yards, TOP 6:09
UNT 20, USM 38
USM - WATKINS, Quez 14 yd pass from ABRAHAM, Jack (STEIN, Andrew kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:29
UNT 20, USM 45
USM - HARRIS, D. 13 yd run (STEIN, Andrew kick), 9 plays, 67 yards, TOP 6:06
UNT 27, USM 45
UNT - DARDEN, Jaelon 20 yd pass from BEAN, Jason (MOONEY, Ethan kick) 9 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:21
