UNT Stumbles at UAB Despite Big Second Quarter

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UNT scored 21 points in just more than seven minutes of game action in the second quarter on Saturday but could find no good fortune in the other three quarters as the Mean Green fell 41-21 to UAB at Protective Stadium on Saturday.

UNT (6-5, 5-2 C-USA) had a chance to clinch a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game on Friday, December 2, but now must wait until the regular-season finale in two weeks to have another chance at clinching a berth with a win over Rice back at Apogee Stadium.

The Mean Green fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter before bouncing back in the second quarter with 21 unanswered points via an Austin Aune touchdown pass to Damon Ward Jr., an Aune touchdown run and an Isaiah Johnson touchdown run. UNT went to halftime with a 21-17 lead but was outscored 24-0 in the second half.

The Mean Green will hit the bye week off just their second conference loss in the last 12 league games, dating back to last season, and will wrap up the regular season at home against Rice on November 26 with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

QUICK HITS

The Mean Green loss drops them to 1-6 all-time in the series with UAB, and UNT has now lost four straight in the series with the last Mean Green win coming in Denton on Sept. 23, 2017.
The loss puts head coach Seth Littrell at 43-43 in his Mean Green tenure, and he is fourth on the program's all-time win list.
UNT's captains for the game were KD Davis, Austin Aune, Manase Mose and Quinn Whitlock.
The Mean Green are now 33-7 when leading at the half in the Seth Littrell era.
When UAB scored the first points of the game less than four minutes in, it marked the first time since the Mean Green's game at UNLV on Sept. 17, that UNT did not score first.
UNT was shut out in the first quarter, which marked the first time it'd been held scoreless in the first quarter since the second game of the season against SMU.
North Texas has 23 touchdown-scoring drives of less than two minutes this season, including one on Saturday.
Junior QB Austin Aune (Argyle, Texas) finished 15 for 32 for 159 yards, a touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown.
- Aune's 159 passing yards gives him 6,689 in his career and he is in sixth place on the program's all-time passing yardage list.
- Aune completed passes to seven different receivers.
- Aune's eight-game streak of multiple touchdown passes ended, and it was just the second time this year he hasn't thrown multiple touchdown passes.
- His 18-yard touchdown pass to Damon Ward Jr., with 10:02 to play in the second quarter was the 52nd of his career, good for fourth most in program history, and 29th of the season to tie him for second on the single-season list with Mason Fine (2019). He needs two more to tie Fine's record of 31, set in 2017.
- His 5-yard touchdown run with 13:40 left in the second quarter was his first rushing score of the year and the sixth of his career. He became the eighth UNT player this season to have a rushing touchdown.
Sophomore RB Ikaika Ragsdale (Las Vegas, Nevada) had 17 carries for 74 yards.
- Ragsdale's 17 carries was a new season high, besting his 16 carries against FAU.
Sophomore RB Isaiah Johnson (Lubbock, Texas) had five carries for 25 yards and a touchdown.
- His 1-yard touchdown run with 6:17 to play in the second quarter was his second of the season and the eighth of his career.
Junior WR Jyaire Shorter (Killeen, Texas) finished with one catch for 53 yards.
- Seventeen of Shorter's 19 catches this season have gone for a first down or a touchdown (eight touchdowns).
Sophomore WR Damon Ward Jr., (Beaumont, Texas) finished with six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.
- Ward's 18-yard touchdown reception with 10:02 left in the second quarter was his third touchdown of the season and fifth of his career.
- Ward's six catches on the day was a new season high and tied his career high, set in last year's Frisco Football Classic against Miami (Ohio).
Redshirt freshman TE Var'Keyes Gumms (Houston) finished with three catches for 8 yards.
- Gumms' three catches give him 28 catches on the season to tie with Brian Waters (1996) for fifth most by a tight end in UNT history.
Senior OL Manase Mose (Euless, Texas) made his 59th straight start and is the program's all-time leader for most career starts at North Texas. The center has started every game of his career and is in his fifth season with the Mean Green.
Senior LB KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) finished the day with eight tackles, including three solo stops.
- Davis now has 394 career tackles and is 24 tackles behind all-time program leader Byron Gross (1987-90), who finished his career with 418 total tackles.
- Davis now has 187 career solo tackles in third all-time on the program list and seven behind Craig Robertson (2006-10) for second all-time with 194.
Junior LB Larry Nixon III (North Richland Hills, Texas) finished the day with 12 tackles, including three solo stops.
Senior DB Sean-Thomas Faulkner (Easley, S.C.) finished with 12 tackles, including five solo stops and a fumble recovery.
- His fumble recovery midway through the second quarter was the first of his career.
Junior LB Mazin Richards (Burleson, Texas) finished with seven tackles, including four solo stops, and a sack.
- He now has 7.5 sacks on the season and 28.5 in his career.
Redshirt freshman DL Fatafehi Vailea (Oakland, Calif.) finished with six tackles, including two solo stops.
Junior LB Kevin Wood (Converse, Texas) finished with five tackles, including three solo stops.
Junior DB DeShawn Gaddie (Arlington, Texas) finished the day with five tackles, including four solo stops.
Sophomore DB Logan Wilson (Dallas) finished the day with five tackles, including four solo stops, and a forced fumble.
- Wilson's forced fumble midway through the second quarter was the first of his career.
Sophomore DB Ridge Texada (Frisco, Texas) finished with three tackles – all solo – and a pass breakup.
- Texada is now one away from tying the single-season record for passes defended (pass breakups and interceptions combined), as Kemon Hall finished with 19 in 2018.
Senior kicker Ethan Mooney (Fort Worth) went 0-for-1 on field goal attempts and 3-for-3 on extra points.
- Mooney now has 313 career points – tying him on the career all-time list with Trevor Moore (2014-17).

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