University of North Texas
6-7 , 5-3
Miami (Ohio)
7-6 , 5-3
Mean Green Falls Short in Frisco
12/23/2021 6:39:00 PM | Football
FRISCO, Texas – After a five-game winning streak to close the season gained bowl eligibility for the North Texas football team, the Mean Green came up short on Thursday in the Frisco Football Classic, falling 27-14 to Miami (Ohio).
The Mean Green (6-7) flipped their identity to a power rushing team early in the season and entered the game with the nation's fourth-ranked rushing offense but were unable to find their footing on the ground against the Redhawks (7-6).
Leading rusher DeAndre Torrey did not play in the game, and UNT's trio of talented freshman backs totaled just 61 rushing yards, while sophomore quarterback Austin Aune led the team with 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Late in the first quarter after a 70-yard Bernardo Rodriguez punt flipped the field in UNT's favor, the Mean Green defense forced a punt and the offense made the most of the chance.
UNT went on a 10-play, 90-yard drive that was capped by Aune's 2-yard touchdown run that put the Mean Green up 14-10 with 11:32 to play in the second quarter.
From that point, not much went UNT's way as the Redhawks outgained UNT 426-317 and held the ball for almost 17 more minutes than UNT.
The Mean Green's last gasp effort came with 9:18 remaining in the game, when an Aune pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-goal with the Mean Green looking to pull within one score early in the fourth quarter.
QUICK HITS
- The Mean Green loss gives Miami (Ohio) a 1-0 all-time series advantage, as this was the teams' first meeting.
- North Texas falls to 3-10 all-time in bowl games and has lost four straight.
- The loss puts head coach Seth Littrell at 37-38 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 0-1 in his career against Miami (Ohio).
- The loss drops Littrell's bowl record to 0-5 as a head coach.
- The Mean Green scored 357 points this season and allowed 357 points.
- The Mean Green's 32 rushing attempts put the 2021 team over the program benchmark for rushing attempts in a season with 639. The previous record was 609, set in 1951.
- The Mean Green's 317 total yards moves the 2021 team into third place on the program's all-time single-season total yards list with 5,594.
- The two rushing touchdowns puts the season total at 32, which is the second-most in program history – one behind the 33 in 1951.
- The four sacks by UNT's defense gives the unit 38 on the season, which is the fourth-most in a single season in program history.
- The 1.5 sacks recorded by Gabriel Murphy and Dion Novil ties for the UNT program record in a bowl game.
- The Mean Green's 8.0 tackles for-loss gives the defense 88.0 on the season, which is the second-most in program history behind the 2018 unit's 97.0.
- Sophomore QB Austin Aune (Argyle, Texas) made his ninth start of the season and finished 15-for-32 for 228 yards. He also had nine carries for a team-high 28 yards.
- Aune completed passes to five different receivers.
- Aune's 2-yard touchdown run with 11:32 left in the second quarter gave the Mean Green a 14-10 lead and was his third touchdown run of the season and fifth of his career.
- Aune's 32 passing attempts put him in 10th place on the all-time program list with 485.
- His 228 yards are the fourth-most by a UNT player in bowl history.
- Freshman RB Ikaika Ragsdale (Las Vegas) finished with 11 carries for 23 yards.
- Freshman RB Isaiah Johnson (Lubbock, Texas) finished with six carries for 21 yards and a touchdown.
- Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run with 8:06 left in the first quarter was the fifth of the season and sixth of his career.
- Johnson's 1-yard touchdown run was the 31st rushing touchdown of the season for the Mean Green, tying the 2021 team for second all-time in program history with the 2013 team.
- Sophomore WR Roderic Burns (Houston) finished the day with four catches for a team-high 87 yards.
- Redshirt freshman WR Damon Ward, Jr. finished the day with six catches for 70 yards.
- Ward's six catches was a new career high, besting the four catches he had against Liberty. The total ties for third most by a UNT player in a bowl game.
- Junior LB KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) finished the day with a team-high 14 tackles, including five solo stops, a half-tackle for-loss and a QB hurry.
- The 14 tackles marked the fourth double-digit tackle game of the year for Davis.
- The 14 stops gave Davis 121 on the season to tie for seventh on the program's all-time single-season list with E.J. Ejiya (2018) and Cody Spencer (2003).
- Davis is the first UNT player to lead the team in tackles for three straight seasons since Zach Orr (2011-13).
- Davis' half-tackle for-loss gave him 13.0 on the season, putting him in a tie for 10th on UNT's all-time single-season list with Dion Novil (2019).
- He also moved into 10th on the UNT career list with 25.5 career tackles for-loss.
- Redshirt freshman DE Gabriel Murphy (Dallas) had eight tackles on the day, including a solo stop, 1.5 sacks and a pair of tackles for-loss.
- His sack midway through the first quarter gave him 7.0 on the season and 11.5 in his career. He finished the year with 7.5 sacks and now has 12.0 in his career.
- Redshirt freshman DE Grayson Murphy (Dallas) had five tackles on the day, including a solo stop, a sack to go with a pair of tackles for-loss and a QB hurry.
- His sack late in the first quarter gave him 8.5 on the season and 11.5 in his career.
- His 8.5 sacks on the season ties him for 10th on the program's single-season list.
- Senior LB Tyreke Davis (Denton) had seven tackles on the day, including four solo stops and a tackle for-loss.
- Senior DL Dion Novil (Abilene, Texas) finished the day with five tackles, including two solo stops, 1.5 sacks and a pair of tackles for-loss.
- Novil's sack late in the third quarter was the 38th of the season for the Mean Green.
- Novil's two tackles for-loss gives him 37.5 in his career and he finishes in fourth on the program's all-time list.
- Sophomore LB Larry Nixon III (North Richland Hills, Texas) finished the day with eight tackles, including four solo stops.
- Sophomore DB DeShawn Gaddie (Arlington, Texas) finished the day with six tackles, including five solo stops.
- Junior DB Sean-Thomas Faulkner (Easley, S.C.) finished the day with nine tackles, including seven solo stops.
- Sophomore DB Keelan Crosby (Anna, Texas) finished the day with five tackles, including three solo stops.
- Crosby made his first start of the season and the fourth of his UNT career.
- Junior punter Bernardo Rodriguez (Coppell, Texas) had five punts on the day and averaged 54 yards per punt with three punts inside the 20-yard line.
- Rodriguez's 70-yard punt late in the first quarter was the longest of his career and tied for the 15th longest in program history.
- Rodriguez added a 66-yard punt early in the second half.
Team Stats
UNT 0, MIA 3
MIA - Nicholson,Graham 48 yd field goal 6 plays, 36 yards, TOP 01:22
UNT 7, MIA 3
UNT - Johnson,Isaiah 1 yd run (Mooney,Ethan kick), 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:21
UNT 7, MIA 10
MIA - Tracy,Kenny 8 yd run (Nicholson,Graham kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:03
UNT 14, MIA 10
UNT - Aune,Austin 2 yd run (Mooney,Ethan kick), 10 plays, 90 yards, TOP 03:21
UNT 14, MIA 13
MIA - Nicholson,Graham 36 yd field goal 10 plays, 57 yards, TOP 04:40
UNT 14, MIA 20
MIA - Davis,Kevin 5 yd pass from Gabbert,Brett (Nicholson,Graham kick) 4 plays, 30 yards, TOP 01:56
UNT 14, MIA 27
MIA - Muersch,Nate 11 yd pass from Gabbert,Brett (Nicholson,Graham kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:29
