UNT Rolls to Fourth Straight Win in Blowout

MIAMI – The North Texas football team's road to bowl eligibility stormed on Saturday night as the Mean Green cruised to a 49-7 road win over FIU to move within one win of qualifying for postseason play with one game to play.

The Mean Green (5-6, 4-3 C-USA) rolled up a season-high 611 yards, including a season-high 378 rushing yards, held the Panthers (1-10, 0-7) to 245 yards and ran for a season-high five touchdowns while building a 35-0 halftime lead on the heels of a 28-point second quarter. The 42-point margin of victory matched the largest for UNT since joining Conference USA in 2013. The Mean Green, at one point, scored on six straight possessions, capped by a 28-yard touchdown run from freshman Ayo Adeyi.

UNT had two 100-yard rushers en route to a fourth straight win – the first four-game conference winning streak since 2013 when the Mean Green won five straight league games.

Senior running back DeAndre Torrey had 109 rushing yards on 18 carries – most coming in the first half. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career and moved into third on the program's all-time list with 33 career rushing scores. His 38 career total touchdowns ties him for third on the all-time list with his current position coach, Patrick Cobbs, who starred in the backfield for the Mean Green from 2001-05.

Freshman running back Ikaika Ragsdale had 19 carries for 102 yards for his second career 100-yard game.

Sophomore quarterback Austin Aune opened the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run with 8:03 left in the first quarter. That came after FIU had driven to UNT 5-yard line before Kevin Wood's interception and long return gave UNT the ball at the FIU 40 after a penalty on the interception return.

Aune finished 6-for-12 for 219 yards and two long touchdown passes – a 55-yarder to Roderic Burns and a 35-yard strike to Khatib Lyles. He also rushed for 21 yards and the touchdown on two carries. Burns had his third 100-yard game of the year with 106 yards on three catches.

The Mean Green defense allowed just 245 yards, the second fewest all season and gave up just 58 yards on the ground. The unit was led by linebackers Jordan Brown and Larry Nixon III, who tied for a team-high eight tackles, while fellow linebacker KD Davis had seven stops, a sack and two tackles for-loss while becoming the first UNT player to eclipse 100 tackles in a season since EJ Ejiya had 121 in 2018.

The Mean Green will look to complete the turnaround regular season from 1-6 to bowl eligibility when they host undefeated UTSA on Saturday in Denton in what will be the first time a ranked team has visited Apogee Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

QUICK HITS

The Mean Green win closes the all-time series deficit against FIU to 5-4, with the last meeting coming in 2014, which was a 17-14 win for UNT.
The win puts head coach Seth Littrell at 36-37 in his Mean Green tenure, and he is in sixth place on the program's all-time wins list – behind fifth-place Hayden Fry (40). He moves to 1-0 in his career against FIU.
- The win puts Littrell at 12-8 in his career in the month of November.
- Littrell moved to 22-0 in his career when the Mean Green have scored 40 or more points.
The win gives UNT its first four-game winning streak since 2018.
- Littrell's longest winning streak is five games from 10/28-11/25/2017.
- It also marks UNT's third straight road victory – the first time the Mean Green have accomplished that feat since 2018 with wins at Arkansas, Liberty and UTEP.
- The four straight conference wins marks the first time since 2013 the Mean Green have accomplished that feat. That year, they won five straight conference games.
The 35 points UNT scored in the first half was the most in a single half since the Mean Green put up 38 in the first half against Abilene Christian in 2018.
The 42-point margin of victory ties the most in a Conference USA game in program history, matching a 45-3 over UTSA in 2019.
The Mean Green had 611 yards of total offense, passing the 537 yards against Southern Miss for the most this season.
The Mean Green rushed for a season-high 378 yards, marking the third time this season they have eclipsed the 300-yard mark on the ground (Northwestern State and Southern Miss).
- It is also the sixth time this season the Mean Green have rushed for at least 200 yards.
The Mean Green had two 100-yard rushers (DeAndre Torrey and Ikaika Ragsdale) for the second time this season, with the first coming at Southern Miss.
The Mean Green rushed for a season-high five touchdowns.
The UNT offensive line didn't allow a sack and has now allowed just one sack over the last four games combined.
Sophomore QB Austin Aune (Argyle, Texas) made his seventh start of the season and finished 6-for-12 for 219 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding a rushing score. He also had two carries for 21 yards.
- Aune completed passes to five different receivers.
- His two touchdown passes was the second time this season he's thrown for multiple touchdowns in a game – the first coming at Missouri on Oct. 9, when he threw four touchdown passes.
- Aune's 11-yard touchdown run with 8:03 left in the first quarter put North Texas up 7-0 and was the fourth rushing score of his career and second in as many games.
- Aune's 55-yard touchdown pass to Roderic Burns with 12:43 left in the second quarter put UNT up 14-0 and marked his eighth touchdown pass of the season and 22nd of his career.
- Aune's 35-yard touchdown pass to Khatib Lyles with 4:45 left in the second quarter put UNT up 28-0 and marked his ninth touchdown pass of the season and 23rd of his career.
Sophomore QB Jace Ruder (Norton, Kansas) checked into the game late in the third quarter and finished 1-of-2 passing for 14 yards and rushed for 20 yards.
Senior RB DeAndre Torrey (Gautier, Mississippi) had 109 rushing yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns.
- Torrey eclipsed the 100-yard mark early in the second half on his 18th carry to give him the 10th 100-yard game of his career – putting him eighth on the program's all-time list for career 100-yard rushing games.
- His 6-yard run on the first play from scrimmage put him over the 1,000-yard mark for the season for the first time in his career. His previous high was 977 yards in 2018. He entered the game with 998 yards.
- His 1-yard touchdown run with 0:31 left in the first half put UNT up 35-0 and was the 33rd rushing touchdown of his career, which moved him into sole possession of third on the program's all-time list. It was also his 38th career total touchdown, tying him for third on the all-time list with current running backs coach Patrick Cobbs (2001-05).
- His 50-yard touchdown run with 10:09 left in the second quarter put UNT up 21-0 and was the 32nd rushing touchdown of his career, which tied him for third on the program's all-time list with Jeffery Wilson (2014-17).
- Torrey's season total of 1,107 rushing yards moves him into 12th place on the program's all-time single-season list and ahead of Terrance Brown (1,101 in 1993), Brandin Byrd (1,075 in 2013), Leo Taylor (1,017 in 1968) and Ja'Quay Wilburn (1,016 in 1999). He is eight yards behind Lance Dunbar's 2011 total of 1,115 yards for 11th place.
- Torrey became UNT's first 1,000-yard rusher since Jeffery Wilson ran for 1,215 yards in 2017.
Freshman RB Ayo Adeyi (Mansfield, Texas) finished with nine carries for 81 yards and a touchdown.
- Adeyi's 28-yard touchdown run with 7:36 left in the third quarter was the fifth of his career.
- That 28-yard touchdown run was the 24th rushing touchdown of the season for the Mean Green – tied for the seventh most in program history (2016 and 1977).
Freshman RB Ikaika Ragsdale (Las Vegas) finished with 19 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown.
- Ragsdale's 5-yard touchdown run with 10:06 to play in the third quarter was his third of the season and career.
- His 102 yards gave him his second 100-yard rushing day of the season and his career.
Sophomore WR Roderic Burns had three catches for 106 yards and a touchdown on the day.
- Burns' 106 yards marked the third time in his career he's eclipsed the 100-yard mark.
- Burns' 55-yard touchdown reception with 12:43 left in the second quarter was his fourth of the season and career.
- The 55-yard reception was a career-long catch for Burns.
Redshirt freshman WR Khatib Lyles (El Paso, Texas) finished the day with one catch for 35 yards and a touchdown.
- Lyles' 35-yard touchdown reception with 4:45 to play in the second quarter was the first touchdown of his career.
- Lyles' touchdown marked the seventh different UNT player to catch a touchdown pass this season.
Sophomore WR Bryson Jackson (Houston) finished the day with one catch for 54 yards.
- Jackson's 54-yard reception late in the first half was the longest of his career.
Junior LB KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) finished the day with seven tackles, including four solo stops, a sack and two tackles for-loss, giving him 15.5 on the season.
- Davis got his 100th tackle of the season in the second quarter, making him the first UNT player to record 100 tackles in a season since 2018 (EJ Ejiya, 121).
- His sack at the end of the first quarter was his fifth of the season and gives him 11.5 in his career.
Redshirt freshman DE Gabriel Murphy (Dallas) had seven tackles on the day, including a solo stop, a half-sack, 1.5 tackles for-loss and two pass breakups.
Freshman LB Jordan Brown (Huntsville, Texas) had a career-high eight tackles to tie for the team high, including three solo stops, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
Sophomore LB Kevin Wood (Converse, Texas) finished the day with two, including a solo stop and an interception.
- Wood's interception with 9:35 left in the first quarter was his second in as many games and the third of his career. He returned it 75 yards after a penalty on the return.
Sophomore LB Larry Nixon III (North Richland Hills, Texas) finished the day with a team-high tying eight tackles, including a solo stop, a pass breakup and a sack.
- Nixon's sack early in the fourth quarter was his second of the season and the fifth of his career.
Sophomore DB DeShawn Gaddie (Arlington, Texas) finished the day with four tackles, including two solo stops and a pass breakup.
Junior DB John Davis, Jr. (Euless, Texas) finished the day with two tackles, including a solo stop.
- Davis made his first start since a loss to Liberty on Oct. 23, and had missed the last three games with an injury.

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Team Stats

Austin Aune

Jace Ruder

Players Mentioned

Ayo Adeyi

Austin Aune

Jordan Brown

Roderic Burns

John Davis

KD Davis

DeShawn Gaddie

Bryson Jackson

Khatib Lyles

Gabriel Murphy

Larry Nixon III

Ikaika Ragsdale

Jace Ruder

DeAndre Torrey

Kevin Wood

Players Mentioned

Ayo Adeyi

Austin Aune

Jordan Brown

Roderic Burns

John Davis

KD Davis

DeShawn Gaddie

Bryson Jackson

Khatib Lyles

Gabriel Murphy

Larry Nixon III

Ikaika Ragsdale

Jace Ruder

DeAndre Torrey

Kevin Wood

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