Saturday, October 17
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
4 p.m.
University of North Texas
2-3 , 1-2
52
at
35
Middle Tennessee
1-5 , 1-3
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
North Texas
7
14
21
10
52
Middle Tennessee
21
7
0
7
35
Photo by: Manny Flores
Bean Turns Tide In Record-Smashing Offensive Day
10/17/2020 8:22:00 PM | Football
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – It appeared through a quarter of play on Saturday that the North Texas road woes would continue in The Volunteer State.
Nine Mean Green first-quarter penalties and three first-quarter turnovers – two Austin Aune interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown – gave Middle Tennessee an early 21-7 lead and it seemed as though a road losing streak dating back more than a full season wasn't going away.
Enter Jason Bean.
Early in the second quarter, the team's fortunes changed when Bean replaced Aune and brought with him more of a run-pass option offense that caught the Blue Raiders off guard to the tune of a 100-yard rushing day for Bean and a program-record 768 total yards for the Mean Green offense, including 462 on the ground – both highs this season nationally in the Football Bowl Subdivision – en route to a 52-35 win over the Blue Raiders. It was the first road win for the Mean Green since the regular-season finale in 2018 at UT San Antonio.
"I thought he came in and stepped up and did a great job," UNT head coach Seth Littrell said. "He's had a great week of preparation with not only football but also the mental side of things and being prepared to go in there when that time comes. He showed a lot of maturity this week. I knew going into this game with how they play their safeties and match up that some quarterback run game could be good. That's exactly how it worked out. He did a great job running the ball but also made some great throws."
Bean, senior running back Deandre Torrey and redshirt junior running back Tre Siggers each eclipsed the century mark on the ground. The last time North Texas had just two players rush for 100 yards or more was a win over Lamar on Sept. 2, 2017, when Nic Smith and current San Francisco 49ers running back Jeffery Wilson each tallied over 100 yards on the ground. Bean finished the day with 181 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-17 passing to go with 169 rushing yards on just 10 carries and three rushing scores, including a pair of 48-yarders. Torrey totaled 143 yards and two scores, and Siggers finished with 101 yards.
"I've told them both we need both of them to win football games, especially in these times," Littrell said of Bean and Aune, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I was proud of his efforts. He made some spectacular plays not only with his throws but with his legs. I thought he played very well."
The Mean Green had no trouble moving the ball, even early on, but were haunted by turnovers that led to 14 points for Middle Tennessee.
An Aune interception led to a touchdown by the Blue Raiders, and then a fumble forced and returned 20 yards for a touchdown by Gregory Grate with 1:35 left in the first quarter put the Mean Green in a 21-7 hole before the first stanza had ended.
Those three turnovers and nine penalties in the first quarter appeared to have doomed the Mean Green, but from the second quarter on, they had no turnovers and just one penalty while outscoring the Blue Raiders 45-14.
"We've been undisciplined at times, especially with hard counts up front," Littrell said. "We have to work on that still and it's unacceptable. But we just had to settle in and do our job, and once we did that we were able to get in there and get in a rhythm offensively and make some plays. And our defense did unbelievable making adjustments in the second half."
The Mean Green defense went almost two full quarters – from early in the second quarter to early in the fourth – without allowing any points and were led by three double-digit tacklers in senior safety Makyle Sanders, junior linebacker KD Davis and redshirt sophomore linebacker Larry Nixon III.
"You have to give these guys a lot of credit," Littrell said of the defense. "This is the first week our team has had a full week of prep without multiple guys being out for multiple days. You have to give them a lot of credit. We were glad our testing went well this week and we were able to get guys good work in practice."
While Bean and the rushing attack was the big story of the game for North Texas, the Mean Green got another big day from senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden, the nation's leader in catches, yards and touchdowns entering the game.
In a performance that is becoming the norm, Darden had 10 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown – his second straight game with at least 10 grabs and 200 yards. He is now seventh in program history in receiving yards (2,281), second in receptions (202) and still second in touchdowns with 29. The game brought his season totals to 46 catches for 689 yards and 10 touchdowns in just five games.
Littrell said after several "come-to-Jesus" meetings in the last week with players and coaches alike, Saturday's win could be a big one for the trajectory of the season with five games to play and a 2-3 record (1-2 in Conference USA).
"It can definitely be a turning point for us," Littrell said. "I know we can have a really good football team but in order to do that it all has to come together and you have to stack some wins on top of each other. But for us to get this win on the road is huge. We haven't had a road win a long time, so this was big and I'm excited."
QUICK HITS
QB JASON BEAN AND S MAKYLE SANDERS POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Nine Mean Green first-quarter penalties and three first-quarter turnovers – two Austin Aune interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown – gave Middle Tennessee an early 21-7 lead and it seemed as though a road losing streak dating back more than a full season wasn't going away.
Enter Jason Bean.
Early in the second quarter, the team's fortunes changed when Bean replaced Aune and brought with him more of a run-pass option offense that caught the Blue Raiders off guard to the tune of a 100-yard rushing day for Bean and a program-record 768 total yards for the Mean Green offense, including 462 on the ground – both highs this season nationally in the Football Bowl Subdivision – en route to a 52-35 win over the Blue Raiders. It was the first road win for the Mean Green since the regular-season finale in 2018 at UT San Antonio.
"I thought he came in and stepped up and did a great job," UNT head coach Seth Littrell said. "He's had a great week of preparation with not only football but also the mental side of things and being prepared to go in there when that time comes. He showed a lot of maturity this week. I knew going into this game with how they play their safeties and match up that some quarterback run game could be good. That's exactly how it worked out. He did a great job running the ball but also made some great throws."
Bean, senior running back Deandre Torrey and redshirt junior running back Tre Siggers each eclipsed the century mark on the ground. The last time North Texas had just two players rush for 100 yards or more was a win over Lamar on Sept. 2, 2017, when Nic Smith and current San Francisco 49ers running back Jeffery Wilson each tallied over 100 yards on the ground. Bean finished the day with 181 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-17 passing to go with 169 rushing yards on just 10 carries and three rushing scores, including a pair of 48-yarders. Torrey totaled 143 yards and two scores, and Siggers finished with 101 yards.
"I've told them both we need both of them to win football games, especially in these times," Littrell said of Bean and Aune, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I was proud of his efforts. He made some spectacular plays not only with his throws but with his legs. I thought he played very well."
The Mean Green had no trouble moving the ball, even early on, but were haunted by turnovers that led to 14 points for Middle Tennessee.
An Aune interception led to a touchdown by the Blue Raiders, and then a fumble forced and returned 20 yards for a touchdown by Gregory Grate with 1:35 left in the first quarter put the Mean Green in a 21-7 hole before the first stanza had ended.
Those three turnovers and nine penalties in the first quarter appeared to have doomed the Mean Green, but from the second quarter on, they had no turnovers and just one penalty while outscoring the Blue Raiders 45-14.
"We've been undisciplined at times, especially with hard counts up front," Littrell said. "We have to work on that still and it's unacceptable. But we just had to settle in and do our job, and once we did that we were able to get in there and get in a rhythm offensively and make some plays. And our defense did unbelievable making adjustments in the second half."
The Mean Green defense went almost two full quarters – from early in the second quarter to early in the fourth – without allowing any points and were led by three double-digit tacklers in senior safety Makyle Sanders, junior linebacker KD Davis and redshirt sophomore linebacker Larry Nixon III.
"You have to give these guys a lot of credit," Littrell said of the defense. "This is the first week our team has had a full week of prep without multiple guys being out for multiple days. You have to give them a lot of credit. We were glad our testing went well this week and we were able to get guys good work in practice."
While Bean and the rushing attack was the big story of the game for North Texas, the Mean Green got another big day from senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden, the nation's leader in catches, yards and touchdowns entering the game.
In a performance that is becoming the norm, Darden had 10 catches for 204 yards and a touchdown – his second straight game with at least 10 grabs and 200 yards. He is now seventh in program history in receiving yards (2,281), second in receptions (202) and still second in touchdowns with 29. The game brought his season totals to 46 catches for 689 yards and 10 touchdowns in just five games.
Littrell said after several "come-to-Jesus" meetings in the last week with players and coaches alike, Saturday's win could be a big one for the trajectory of the season with five games to play and a 2-3 record (1-2 in Conference USA).
"It can definitely be a turning point for us," Littrell said. "I know we can have a really good football team but in order to do that it all has to come together and you have to stack some wins on top of each other. But for us to get this win on the road is huge. We haven't had a road win a long time, so this was big and I'm excited."
QUICK HITS
- The Mean Green win extends their series advantage to 10-7 in the all-time series and ups their lead in the series in Murfreesboro to 5-3, although its North Texas' first win in Murfreesboro since 2010.
- The Mean Green win was the first road win for North Texas since the 2018 season finale at UT San Antonio (Nov. 24, 2018). The Mean Green entered the game 2-8 in their last 10 road contests.
- The win puts head coach Seth Littrell had 29-28 in his Mean Green tenure, moving him into a tie for sixth place on the program's all-time wins list with Rod Rust (1967-72), who finished his tenure in Denton with a 29-32-1 record.
- The Mean Green finished the game with a program-record 768 total yards and had 407 yards in the first half alone.
- The previous record for total yards was 721, which was set in the season-opening win over Houston Baptist – the first time North Texas had ever eclipsed 700 total yards.
- The Mean Green rushed for 462 yards and threw for 306, marking the second time ever they have rushed and passed for 300 yards in a game, matching the effort from the Houston Baptist win on Sept. 5, 2020.
- The Mean Green had three 100-yard rushers on the day in redshirt sophomore QB Jason Bean (Mansfield, Texas), senior RB Deandre Torrey (Gautier, Mississippi) and redshirt junior running back Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas).
- Redshirt sophomore QB Austin Aune (Argyle, Texas) made his third career start and finished the game with 125 yards on 6-of-11 passing with two interceptions.
- Redshirt sophomore QB Jason Bean (Mansfield, Texas) entered the game in the second quarter and finished the day with 181 yards on 12 of 17 passing with two touchdowns while rushing for 169 yards on 10 carries and three touchdowns.
- The game marked Bean's first career 100-yard rushing day.
- Bean's 48-yard touchdown run with 13:32 left in the third quarter was a career-long run for the quarterback and tied the game at 28-28.
- He matched that with another 48-yard scoring scamper with 11:10 left in the game to put the Mean Green up 49-28.
- Senior WR Jaelon Darden (Houston) had 10 catches on the day for 204 yards and a touchdown, giving him 10 touchdown receptions through five games this season keeping him atop the national leaderboard in touchdown receptions.
- Darden entered the game 106 yards shy of seventh place on the program's all-time receiving yards list. With his 204 yards on the day, he passed John Love (1965-66) and Barry Moore (1968-69) to move from ninth to seventh on the list.
- Darden entered the game with 192 career receptions, and his 10 catches puts him at 202 for his career and into second place on the program's all-time receptions list, passing Carlos Harris (2012-15), who had 197. He is now 27 catches behind the program's all-time leader, Casey Fitzgerald (2005-08), who had 229.
- Darden's 55-yard touchdown reception from Bean with 10 seconds left in the third quarter was his 10th of the season and 29th of his career. He is now just two shy of tying for the all-time lead with Ron Shanklin (1967-69). That catch was Darden's 10th of the game and also put him over 200 yards for the game – his second straight game to break the 200-yard mark and second straight game with 10 or more catches.
- His 9-yard reception from Bean in the opening minute of the second half was the 200th reception of his career.
- Senior RB DeAndre Torrey (Gautier, Mississippi) had 143 yards on 13 carries to go with two touchdowns.
- Torrey's 60-yard touchdown run with 9:39 left in the second quarter was his 21st career rushing touchdown and 25th touchdown (rushing/receiving/returns). His 21st touchdown run moved him alone into seventh place on the program's all-time list, passing Terrance Brown (1992-93).
- That 60-yard touchdown run capped a 99-yard scoring drive, the first time since Oct. 13, 2018, in Denton, against Southern Miss that the Mean Green had a 99-yard scoring drive. The previous long drive of this season was 95 yards in the season-opening win over Houston Baptist.
- With his 1-yard touchdown plunge with 6:39 left in the first quarter, Torrey moved into ninth by himself on the program's all-time career touchdowns (rushing/receiving/returns) list with his 24th career touchdown.
- That 1-yard touchdown run also moved Torrey into a tie for seventh on the program's all-time career rushing touchdown list with 20, tying him with Brown.
- Torrey's 143 yards on the day moved him into 15th place on the program's all-time rushing list, as he passed Tommy Gray (1950-52) and puts him at 1,801 yards for his career.
- The 100-yard effort was the fifth 100-yard rushing game of Torrey's career.
- Torrey's 60-yard touchdown run with 9:39 left in the second quarter was his 21st career rushing touchdown and 25th touchdown (rushing/receiving/returns). His 21st touchdown run moved him alone into seventh place on the program's all-time list, passing Terrance Brown (1992-93).
- Redshirt junior RB Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas) finished the day with 101 rushing yards on 14 carries.
- Siggers entered the game 32 yards shy of the career 1,000-yard rushing mark and topped that on his fourth carry of the game.
- Sophomore WR Deonte Simpson (Beaumont, Texas) caught three balls for 30 yards and a touchdown.
- Senior safety Makyle Sanders (Tyler, Texas) finished the night with a career-high 11 tackles, including 10 solo stops.
- Junior LB KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) finished the night with 11 tackles.
- Junior LB Tyreke Davis (Denton, Texas) finished the night with a season-high eight tackles, including a sack.
- Redshirt sophomore LB Larry Nixon III, finished the night with a career-high 10 tackles, including a sack.
- Senior nose tackle Dion Novil (Abilene, Texas) finished the day with a season-high seven tackles, including 1.5 sacks.
- Senior DB Cam Johnson (Houston) had his first career interception, and the Mean Green's second pick of the season, with 8:29 left in the third quarter.
- Redshirt freshman LB Gabriel Murphy (Dallas) had his first career sack early in the second quarter and finished with a career-high two tackles.
- Redshirt freshman LB Grayson Murphy (Dallas) finished with a career-high three tackles.
- Sophomore DB Deshawn Gaddie (Arlington, Texas) blocked a Middle Tennessee field goal late in the third quarter, marking the first blocked field goal for North Texas since Oct. 13, 2018, against Southern Miss in Denton.
QB JASON BEAN AND S MAKYLE SANDERS POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Team Stats
UNT
MT
Total Yards
768
432
Pass Yards
306
164
Rushing Yards
462
268
Penalty Yards
61
54
1st Downs
32
23
3rd Downs
7
8
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
27:52
32:08
1st Quarter
UNT 0, MT 7
MT - MOBLEY, Chaton 3 yd pass from O'HARA, Asher (HOLT, Crews kick) 6 plays, 15 yards, TOP 1:52
UNT 7, MT 7
UNT - TORREY, DeAndre 1 yd run (MOONEY, Ethan kick), 7 plays, 91 yards, TOP 1:50
UNT 7, MT 14
MT - PIERCE, Jarrin 2 yd pass from O'HARA, Asher (HOLT, Crews kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:16
UNT 7, MT 21
MT - GRATE, Gregory 20 yd fumble recovery (HOLT, Crews kick)
2nd Quarter
UNT 14, MT 21
UNT - TORREY, DeAndre 60 yd run (MOONEY, Ethan kick), 5 plays, 99 yards, TOP 1:38
UNT 14, MT 28
MT - ENGLAND-CHISOLM 24 yd pass from O'HARA, Asher (HOLT, Crews kick) 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:41
UNT 21, MT 28
UNT - BEAN, Jason 4 yd run (MOONEY, Ethan kick), 11 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:51
3rd Quarter
UNT 28, MT 28
UNT - BEAN, Jason 48 yd run (MOONEY, Ethan kick), 5 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:22
UNT 35, MT 28
UNT - SIMPSON, Deonte 9 yd pass from BEAN, Jason (MOONEY, Ethan kick) 5 plays, 39 yards, TOP 1:45
UNT 42, MT 28
UNT - DARDEN, Jaelon 55 yd pass from BEAN, Jason (MOONEY, Ethan kick) 5 plays, 79 yards, TOP 1:34
4th Quarter
UNT 49, MT 28
UNT - BEAN, Jason 48 yd run (MOONEY, Ethan kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:24
UNT 49, MT 35
MT - MOBLEY, Chaton 30 yd run (HOLT, Crews kick), 5 plays, 71 yards, TOP 2:24
UNT 52, MT 35
UNT - MOONEY, Ethan 44 yd field goal 9 plays, 50 yards, TOP 4:31
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
12
TD
2
YDS
181
INT
0
CMP
6
TD
0
YDS
125
INT
2
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
S
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
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DL
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S
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S
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WR
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RB
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RB
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