Saturday, October 3
Denton
6:30 p.m.
University of North Texas
vs
Southern Miss
Photo by: Manny Flores
Mean Green Open C-USA Play Saturday vs. USM
10/2/2020 12:30:00 PM | Football
DENTON -Â North Texas (1-1, 0-0 C-USA) opens up Conference USA play when they host Southern Miss (0-3, 0-1 C-USA) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT from Apogee Stadium in Denton. Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Stadium with Chris Hassel (pxp) and AJ Hawk (analyst), and on the radio on the Mean Green Sports Network with Dave Barnett (pxp) and Hank Dickenson (analyst).Â
Series History
North Texas and Southern Miss will meet for the 15th time, with each team having split the first 14 meetings.
* North Texas has won three of the past four meetings, but it was the Golden Eagles who topped the Mean Green last season, knocking off UNT 45-27 in Hattiesburg.
* The Mean Green have won the past two meetings in Denton, including the 30-7 win on 10/13/18
Success Against Southern Miss
Several members of the Mean Green have had success across their careers against Southern Miss.
* Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) caught five passes for 87 yards and three touchdowns in last season's meeting in Hattiesburg.
* Senior defensive lineman Dion Novil (Abilene, Texas) combined for eight tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss in the 2017 and 2018 wins against Southern Miss.
* Senior running back DeAndre Torrey (Gautier, Mississippi) has a combined 185 yards of total offense with three rushing touchdowns over the past two meetings against the Golden Eagles.
That's Offensive
North Texas enters Week 5 with the fifth-ranked total offense in the nation, and top total offense in Conference USA at 619.0 yards per game.
Aune Settles in
Redshirt sophomore Austin Aune (Argyle) did not get the start on 9/19 against SMU, but saw the majority of the action. He finished 13-25 for 276 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and also ran for 22 yards on four carries and another score.
* Aune engineered touchdown drives on four of six second half drives last week against SMU.
* Aune is 19-36 for 387 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and has carried nine times for 32 yards and another score thus far in 2020.
* Aune leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in yards per completion (20.37), and is eighth in the nation (and  first in Conference USA) in yards per pass attempt (10.75).
* Aune also ranks 16th in the country in passing efficiency (165.0), which is second in C-USA.Â
Dynamic Darden
Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) continued his hot start to the 2020 season, catching five passes for 66 yards and two more touchdowns against SMU last time out on 9/19.
* Darden leads the nation in touchdown catches through the first four weeks with five. He has scored on 50% of his catches so far in 2020.
* Darden also is tied for 21st nationally in points responsible for (30) with his teammate, redshirt sophomore quarterback Jason Bean (Mansfield, Texas), and is 29th nationally in points responsible for per game (15.0) through the first four weeks of the season. In scoring, he is tied for seventh nationally with two others at 15.0 per game and is tied for sixth in total points scored (30).Â
* Darden has 10 catches for 137 yards and five scores through two games thus far in 2020.
* Dating back to 2019, Darden has 14 touchdown catches in his last nine games.
* Darden has 166 career receptions, which ranks fifth in program history, after passing Pete Harvey (1978-71) last week with his five-catch performance against SMU. He also now has 1,729 yards and 24 touchdowns (now second-most in program history after passing David Brown, who played from 1991-94 and Troy Redwine, who played from 1992-95).Â
* Darden has 2,352 career all-purpose yards, and entering Saturday's game against Southern Miss, and is 670 yards shy of Broderick McGrew (1996-99), who has 3,022 for his career for 10th in program history.
Playing Stout
True freshman Upton Stout (Houston) recorded a career-best eight tackles on 9/19 against SMU.Â
* Stout had a breakout camp and has a total of 10 tackles and a pass break-up through the first two games of his career. Stout was a three-star prospect out of back-to-back state champion North Shore High School. He decided to come to North Texas over offers from Houston, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico, Northwestern State, South Alabama, Utah State, UTSA and Houston Baptist.
Mooney, Mooney, Mooney, MOOOONEY
Junior kicker Ethan Mooney, a preseason all-conference selection by the league's 14 head coaches, went 16-20 on field goals and 43-44 on extra points in 2019, his first as the Mean Green's placekicker. He earned all-conference honorable mention status for his performance last season.
* He missed the season-opener due to injury, but connected on all five of his extra points against SMU on 9/19, his 2020 season debut.
* With those five made extra points, Mooney now is tied for ninth in program history in career PATs made, with 48. He is tied with Zach Paul (2012-14).
SIMPSOOOOONNNN!!!!!
Sophomore receiver Deonte Simpson (Beaumont, Texas) caught one pass, a 55-yard touchdown, on 9/19 against SMU.
* Simpson has caught four passes for 96 yards and a touchdown through the first two games of 2020.
His Name is Bernardo
Redshirt junior punter Bernardo Rodriguez (Coppell, Texas) punted six times, averaging 46.5 yards per attempt, with a career-long of 58 on 9/19 against SMU.
* Through the first two games of 2020, Rodriguez is averaging 45.4 yards per attempt on eight punts and ranks 13th nationally in that category.
Three Minutes Or Less
UNT had five scoring drives of three minutes or less in the game against SMU on 9/19, all of which resulted in touchdowns. North Texas now has 13 such drives, 12 of which have gone for touchdowns through two games in 2020.
* The Mean Green had 38 scoring drives in 2019 that took three minutes or less. 30 of those resulted in touchdowns.
Home Cooking
Following the loss to SMU on 9/19, North Texas is now 19-7 at home during the Seth Littrell era and 1-1 so far in 2020.
* The Mean Green have won 17 of their last 21 home games dating back to 2016, when North Texas beat this week's opponent, Southern Miss (11/19/16).
Why the Rush?
The Mean Green ran for 212 yards on 53 carries on 9/19 against SMU, and through four weeks, are fifth in the nation in rushing offense (286.0 yards per game), and lead Conference USA.
Aerial Assault
UNT threw for 305 yards on 9/19 against SMU. The Mean Green passing offense ranks 11th in the nation and is at the top of Conference USA through the first four weeks of the season (333.0 per game).
O-Line Improving
North Texas returned two starters along the offensive line from the team in 2019, and five more who saw action. The group is in year one under co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Mike Bloesch, and has allowed just one sack in the first two games of the 2020 season, which ranks sixth nationally.
Littrell Looking to Catch Rust
North Texas head coach Seth Littrell is just one win shy of tying former UNT head coach Rod Rust (1967-72) for sixth in program history in wins.
* Littrell is 28-26 entering play this week against Southern Miss.
* Rust finished his North Texas career at 29-32-1.
First Down!
North Texas totaled 25 first downs in its game on 9/19 against SMU, and after four weeks, rank 18th in the nation in that category (58). They tie for fourth-most nationally among teams who have played just two games (along with Liberty and Louisiana Tech) - behind BYU (61), UCF (60), Texas Tech (59).
Texas-Made
There are currently 84 players on the North Texas roster who are from the state of Texas. 28 players are not from the Lone Star State, and the next highest representation comes from the north in Oklahoma, with eight.
#NFLMeanGreenÂ
There are currently three former Mean Green players on active rosters in the National Football League and all saw action this past week - linebacker Craig Robertson (New Orleans Saints), wide receiver Jalen Guyton (Los Angeles Chargers) and running back Jeffery Wilson (San Francisco 49ers).
* Wilson scored twice, on a 19-yard reception and a two-yard run, in San Francisco's 36-9 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. He had 15 touches for 69 yards and the two scores (15 yards rushing and 54 yards receiving).
* Guyton caught two passes for 23 yards in the Chargers' loss at home to the Carolina Panthers.
* Robertson saw action on Sunday night for the Saints in a loss against the Green Bay Packers.
* Cornerback Kemon Hall is a member of the Saints' practice squad and defensive end LaDarius Hamilton is a member of the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, as both look to continue to work for a spot on their active rosters. Fullback Jamize Olawale, also a member of the Cowboys, opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Series History
North Texas and Southern Miss will meet for the 15th time, with each team having split the first 14 meetings.
* North Texas has won three of the past four meetings, but it was the Golden Eagles who topped the Mean Green last season, knocking off UNT 45-27 in Hattiesburg.
* The Mean Green have won the past two meetings in Denton, including the 30-7 win on 10/13/18
Success Against Southern Miss
Several members of the Mean Green have had success across their careers against Southern Miss.
* Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) caught five passes for 87 yards and three touchdowns in last season's meeting in Hattiesburg.
* Senior defensive lineman Dion Novil (Abilene, Texas) combined for eight tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss in the 2017 and 2018 wins against Southern Miss.
* Senior running back DeAndre Torrey (Gautier, Mississippi) has a combined 185 yards of total offense with three rushing touchdowns over the past two meetings against the Golden Eagles.
That's Offensive
North Texas enters Week 5 with the fifth-ranked total offense in the nation, and top total offense in Conference USA at 619.0 yards per game.
Aune Settles in
Redshirt sophomore Austin Aune (Argyle) did not get the start on 9/19 against SMU, but saw the majority of the action. He finished 13-25 for 276 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and also ran for 22 yards on four carries and another score.
* Aune engineered touchdown drives on four of six second half drives last week against SMU.
* Aune is 19-36 for 387 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and has carried nine times for 32 yards and another score thus far in 2020.
* Aune leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in yards per completion (20.37), and is eighth in the nation (and  first in Conference USA) in yards per pass attempt (10.75).
* Aune also ranks 16th in the country in passing efficiency (165.0), which is second in C-USA.Â
Dynamic Darden
Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) continued his hot start to the 2020 season, catching five passes for 66 yards and two more touchdowns against SMU last time out on 9/19.
* Darden leads the nation in touchdown catches through the first four weeks with five. He has scored on 50% of his catches so far in 2020.
* Darden also is tied for 21st nationally in points responsible for (30) with his teammate, redshirt sophomore quarterback Jason Bean (Mansfield, Texas), and is 29th nationally in points responsible for per game (15.0) through the first four weeks of the season. In scoring, he is tied for seventh nationally with two others at 15.0 per game and is tied for sixth in total points scored (30).Â
* Darden has 10 catches for 137 yards and five scores through two games thus far in 2020.
* Dating back to 2019, Darden has 14 touchdown catches in his last nine games.
* Darden has 166 career receptions, which ranks fifth in program history, after passing Pete Harvey (1978-71) last week with his five-catch performance against SMU. He also now has 1,729 yards and 24 touchdowns (now second-most in program history after passing David Brown, who played from 1991-94 and Troy Redwine, who played from 1992-95).Â
* Darden has 2,352 career all-purpose yards, and entering Saturday's game against Southern Miss, and is 670 yards shy of Broderick McGrew (1996-99), who has 3,022 for his career for 10th in program history.
Playing Stout
True freshman Upton Stout (Houston) recorded a career-best eight tackles on 9/19 against SMU.Â
* Stout had a breakout camp and has a total of 10 tackles and a pass break-up through the first two games of his career. Stout was a three-star prospect out of back-to-back state champion North Shore High School. He decided to come to North Texas over offers from Houston, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico, Northwestern State, South Alabama, Utah State, UTSA and Houston Baptist.
Mooney, Mooney, Mooney, MOOOONEY
Junior kicker Ethan Mooney, a preseason all-conference selection by the league's 14 head coaches, went 16-20 on field goals and 43-44 on extra points in 2019, his first as the Mean Green's placekicker. He earned all-conference honorable mention status for his performance last season.
* He missed the season-opener due to injury, but connected on all five of his extra points against SMU on 9/19, his 2020 season debut.
* With those five made extra points, Mooney now is tied for ninth in program history in career PATs made, with 48. He is tied with Zach Paul (2012-14).
SIMPSOOOOONNNN!!!!!
Sophomore receiver Deonte Simpson (Beaumont, Texas) caught one pass, a 55-yard touchdown, on 9/19 against SMU.
* Simpson has caught four passes for 96 yards and a touchdown through the first two games of 2020.
His Name is Bernardo
Redshirt junior punter Bernardo Rodriguez (Coppell, Texas) punted six times, averaging 46.5 yards per attempt, with a career-long of 58 on 9/19 against SMU.
* Through the first two games of 2020, Rodriguez is averaging 45.4 yards per attempt on eight punts and ranks 13th nationally in that category.
Three Minutes Or Less
UNT had five scoring drives of three minutes or less in the game against SMU on 9/19, all of which resulted in touchdowns. North Texas now has 13 such drives, 12 of which have gone for touchdowns through two games in 2020.
* The Mean Green had 38 scoring drives in 2019 that took three minutes or less. 30 of those resulted in touchdowns.
Home Cooking
Following the loss to SMU on 9/19, North Texas is now 19-7 at home during the Seth Littrell era and 1-1 so far in 2020.
* The Mean Green have won 17 of their last 21 home games dating back to 2016, when North Texas beat this week's opponent, Southern Miss (11/19/16).
Why the Rush?
The Mean Green ran for 212 yards on 53 carries on 9/19 against SMU, and through four weeks, are fifth in the nation in rushing offense (286.0 yards per game), and lead Conference USA.
Aerial Assault
UNT threw for 305 yards on 9/19 against SMU. The Mean Green passing offense ranks 11th in the nation and is at the top of Conference USA through the first four weeks of the season (333.0 per game).
O-Line Improving
North Texas returned two starters along the offensive line from the team in 2019, and five more who saw action. The group is in year one under co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Mike Bloesch, and has allowed just one sack in the first two games of the 2020 season, which ranks sixth nationally.
Littrell Looking to Catch Rust
North Texas head coach Seth Littrell is just one win shy of tying former UNT head coach Rod Rust (1967-72) for sixth in program history in wins.
* Littrell is 28-26 entering play this week against Southern Miss.
* Rust finished his North Texas career at 29-32-1.
First Down!
North Texas totaled 25 first downs in its game on 9/19 against SMU, and after four weeks, rank 18th in the nation in that category (58). They tie for fourth-most nationally among teams who have played just two games (along with Liberty and Louisiana Tech) - behind BYU (61), UCF (60), Texas Tech (59).
Texas-Made
There are currently 84 players on the North Texas roster who are from the state of Texas. 28 players are not from the Lone Star State, and the next highest representation comes from the north in Oklahoma, with eight.
#NFLMeanGreenÂ
There are currently three former Mean Green players on active rosters in the National Football League and all saw action this past week - linebacker Craig Robertson (New Orleans Saints), wide receiver Jalen Guyton (Los Angeles Chargers) and running back Jeffery Wilson (San Francisco 49ers).
* Wilson scored twice, on a 19-yard reception and a two-yard run, in San Francisco's 36-9 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. He had 15 touches for 69 yards and the two scores (15 yards rushing and 54 yards receiving).
* Guyton caught two passes for 23 yards in the Chargers' loss at home to the Carolina Panthers.
* Robertson saw action on Sunday night for the Saints in a loss against the Green Bay Packers.
* Cornerback Kemon Hall is a member of the Saints' practice squad and defensive end LaDarius Hamilton is a member of the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, as both look to continue to work for a spot on their active rosters. Fullback Jamize Olawale, also a member of the Cowboys, opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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