University of North Texas
1-1
SMU
2-0
Mean Green Fall To SMU, 49-27
9/7/2019 10:14:00 PM | Football
UNT (1-1) trailed 21-0 after one quarter but fought back behind the running of Siggers in the second quarter and closed SMU's lead to 28-17 with 10:01 to play in the third quarter on a 26-yard field goal from Ethan Mooney. However, the Mean Green would get no closer.
"Tre was the bright spot on the night," North Texas head coach Seth Littrell said. "He ran the ball very hard and was very physical, and he showed what he showed in practice during fall camp so I was pleased with how he played. But that's about as far as it goes right there."
Senior quarterback Mason Fine continued his rewrite of the Mean Green record book by moving into a tie for the all-time lead in passing touchdowns in the second quarter with an 8-yard scoring strike to senior wideout Michael Lawrence, a completion that gave Lawrence 100 career receptions. The scoring strike, Fine's 69th of his career, tied him with Steve Ramsey (1967-69) for the all-time lead.
Other than three defensive stops in the second quarter, the Mean Green defense had no answer for SMU quarterback Shane Buechele, who finished the night 21-for-31 for 292 passing yards and three touchdowns, while running back Xavier Jones had 16 carries for 127 yards and three touchdowns. SMU also benefitted from nine penalties against the Mean Green for 90 yards.
The Mustangs finished with 503 total yards, becoming the first UNT opponent to eclipse 500 total yards since Florida Atlantic in the 2017 Conference USA Championship.
"They did a heck of a job," Littrell said of SMU. "They've done an excellent job as a staff. They outplayed us. I have to evaluate myself as the head coach and we have to make sure, as coaches, we all evaluate ourselves. To be honest, we have to do a better job everywhere, in all three phases."
The Mean Green will look to bounce back next week when they travel to Berkeley, California, to play Cal at 3:15 p.m. CT.
Quick Hits
- Senior WR Michael Lawrence (Sweetwater, Texas) had his second reception of the night, and the 100th of his career, on an 8-yard scoring strike from Mason Fine, to cut SMU's lead to 28-14 with 2:03 to play in the first half. Lawrence finished with five grabs for 44 yards, giving him 103 career receptions.
- Redshirt freshman QB Jason Bean (Mansfield, Texas) threw his first career touchdown pass on a 5-yard strike to junior WR Jaelon Darden (Houston) with 1:54 to play in the game.
- Sophomore LB KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) led the team with 10 total tackles, giving him 19 on the season – good for a tie for the team lead on the season.
- Grad-transfer DB Nick Harvey (Lancaster, Texas / South Carolina) had five total tackles, adding to his season total after racking up 14 total tackles last week in a win over Abilene Christian and tying him for the team lead with 19 on the season.
- Senior DE LaDarius Hamilton (Corrigan, Texas) was a menace on UNT's defensive front, ending the night with six total tackles, including four solo stops, a sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries.
- Sophomore Ethan Mooney (Fort Worth) went 2-for-2 on field goals, bringing his season ledger to 5-for-5 on the season after his 3-for-3 in last week's win over Abilene Christian.
Team Stats
UNT 0, SMU 7
SMU - ROBERSON JR, Re 5 yd pass from BUECHELE, Shane (ROBLEDO, Kevin kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:45
UNT 0, SMU 13
SMU - JONES, Xavier 24 yd run (ROBLEDO, Kevin kickfailed), 9 plays, 83 yards, TOP 2:47
UNT 0, SMU 21
SMU - FREEMAN, Ke'Mon 2 yd run (PROCHE, James pass), 4 plays, 45 yards, TOP 1:12
UNT 7, SMU 21
UNT - SIGGERS, Tre 1 yd run (MOONEY, Ethan kick), 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:10
UNT 7, SMU 28
SMU - ROBERSON JR, Re 31 yd pass from BUECHELE, Shane (ROBERTS, R. kick) 6 plays, 57 yards, TOP 2:40
UNT 14, SMU 28
UNT - LAWRENCE, M. 8 yd pass from FINE, Mason (MOONEY, Ethan kick) 6 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:41
UNT 17, SMU 28
UNT - MOONEY, Ethan 26 yd field goal 11 plays, 83 yards, TOP 4:55
UNT 17, SMU 35
SMU - JONES, Xavier 10 yd run (ROBERTS, R. kick), 9 plays, 76 yards, TOP 2:15
UNT 20, SMU 35
UNT - MOONEY, Ethan 36 yd field goal 12 plays, 56 yards, TOP 5:09
UNT 20, SMU 42
SMU - JONES, Xavier 51 yd run (ROBERTS, R. kick), 5 plays, 77 yards, TOP 1:30
UNT 20, SMU 49
SMU - PROCHE, James 11 yd pass from BUECHELE, Shane (ROBERTS, R. kick) 8 plays, 71 yards, TOP 3:22
UNT 27, SMU 49
UNT - DARDEN, Jaelon 5 yd pass from BEAN, Jason (MOONEY, Ethan kick) 9 plays, 54 yards, TOP 2:40
