Aune, Defense Shine in Homecoming Rout of FIU

DENTON – Austin Aune threw for a career-high 414 yards and tied his career high with five touchdown passes, and the Mean Green defense put together another stellar effort as UNT posted a 52-14 homecoming victory over FIU on Saturday at Apogee Stadium.

Aune became the eighth quarterback in program history to post a 400-yard passing day and it was the 11th 400-yard day in history, as he completed passes to nine different receivers and ended the first half with five touchdowns and a career-high 384 yards.

The Mean Green (6-4, 5-1) had four touchdown-scoring drives of less than two minutes to give them 22 such drives on the season as four of the team's first five touchdown-scoring drives, starting with the game's opening drive when he found Jake Roberts for a season-long completion of 70 yards on the game's first play from scrimmage.

Aune now has 28 touchdown passes on the season to put him in third on the program's all-time single-season list, just three behind Mason Fine's record of 31 in 2017. He also moved into fourth on the program's career list past Scott Hall (2000-04) with 51 career touchdown passes.

The Mean Green defense also excelled on Saturday, allowing just 258 total yards and just 14 points – all in the second quarter, though one of those touchdowns was an FIU defensive score.

UNT is now bowl eligible for the sixth time in Littrell's seven seasons at the helm and now sets its sights on the Conference USA Championship Game, which is set for Friday, Dec. 3.

The Mean Green hit the road for the final time in the regular season next Saturday with a road game at UAB (4-5, 2-4) with a kickoff set for 2:30 p.m., on Stadium.

QUICK HITS

The Mean Green win pulls them to 5-5 all-time in the series with FIU, and it's the third straight UNT win.
The win puts head coach Seth Littrell at 43-42 in his Mean Green tenure, moving him into fourth on the program's all-time win list past Darrell Dickey (1998-06).
UNT's captains for the game were Logan Wilson, Austin Aune, Manase Mose and KD Davis.
The Mean Green are now 32-7 when leading at the half and 39-4 when leading after three quarters in the Seth Littrell era.
The Mean Green moved to 28-0 in the Seth Littrell era when scoring at least 40 points and 17-0 when holding the opponent to less than 20 points.
The Mean Green are now bowl eligible for the sixth time in Littrell's seven seasons at the helm.
North Texas has 22 touchdown-scoring drives of less than two minutes this season, including four on Saturday.
UNT's 45 first-half points tied for the most this season with its Sept. 10 game against Texas Southern.
The 24 first-quarter points was the most for a UNT team since scoring 24 against Idaho State on Nov. 11, 1995, in a game UNT won 41-38.
After last year's 49-7 win over FIU, UNT has a combined margin of victory of 80 points in its past two games against FIU.
North Texas scored a touchdown 50 seconds into the game to mark the fastest score for the Mean Green since Nov. 2, 2019, when Mason Fine threw a touchdown pass 17 seconds into the game against UTEP.
Twelve UNT players have now caught touchdown receptions this year after Jordan Smart joined the club on Saturday.
Junior QB Austin Aune (Argyle, Texas) finished 25 for 34 for 414 yards and five touchdowns.
- Aune's 414 passing yards gives him 6,761 in his career and he is in sixth place on the program's all-time passing yardage list.
- Aune's 414 passing yards marked his fifth 300-yard passing day of the season and ninth of his career and the first 400-yard day of his career.
- Aune became the eighth quarterback in UNT history with a 400-yard passing day and it was the 11th 400-yard passing day in program history.
- His nine 300-yard passing days is second on the program's all-time list, trailing only Mason Fine (18).
- The game marked the 10th of Aune's career with at least three touchdown passes – the second most since 2000, behind Mason Fine's 15.
- Aune completed passes to nine different receivers.
- Aune now has 28 touchdowns on the season, which is the most for a UNT quarterback since Mason Fine had 29 in 2019 and third on the program's all-time single-season list.
- Aune now has eight straight games of multiple touchdown passes, a feat he's accomplished in all but one game this year.
- Aune's five first-half touchdown passes tied for the second most in Conference USA history.
- His 35-yard touchdown pass to Jyaire Shorter with 1:13 left in the second quarter was the 51st of his career to give him solo possession of fourth on the career list and his 28th of the season to give him solo third on the single-season list.
- His 6-yard touchdown pass to Ikaika Ragsdale with 10:54 to play in the second quarter was the 50th of his career to tie him for fourth on the career list with Scott Hall (2000-04) and the 27th of the season to tie him with Mason Fine (2018) for third on the single-season list.
- His 57-yard touchdown pass to Jyaire Shorter with 12:47 to play in the second quarter was the 49th of his career and 26th of the season to put him a tie for fourth on the single-season list with Mitch Maher (1994).
- His 10-yard touchdown pass to Var'Keyes Gumms with 1:08 to play in the first was the 48th of his career and 25th of the season to put him in sole possession of fifth on the program's single-season list.
- His 45-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Smart with 11:10 to play in the first quarter was the 47th of his career and 24th of the season to tie him for fifth on the single-season list.
Sophomore QB Stone Earle (Keller, Texas) had 11 carries for a team-high 60 yards and a touchdown.
- His 1-yard touchdown run with 8:22 remaining was the first of his Mean Green career and third rushing touchdown of his career.
Sophomore RB Ikaika Ragsdale (Las Vegas, Nevada) had 11 carries for 30 yards and a receiving touchdown.
- His 6-yard touchdown reception with 10:54 to play in the second quarter was the second receiving touchdown of his career and second in as many weeks.
Sophomore RB Ayo Adeyi (Mansfield, Texas) has seven carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
- His 2-yard touchdown run with 14:10 to play in the first quarter was his fourth of the season and the 10th of his career.
Junior WR Jyaire Shorter (Killeen, Texas) finished with two catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
- Shorter's 35-yard touchdown reception with 1:13 left in the second quarter was his eighth of the season and 17th of his career to tie him for eighth on the career receiving touchdowns list with John Love (1965-66).
- Shorter's 57-yard touchdown reception with 12:47 left in the second quarter was his seventh of the season and 16th of his career.
- Shorter now has 17 career touchdown receptions on 53 career catches – 32% of his career catches have gone for touchdowns.
Sophomore WR Jordan Smart (Round Rock, Texas) finished with five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
- Smart's 45-yard touchdown reception with 11:10 left in the first quarter was the first touchdown of his Mean Green career and ninth of his collegiate career. It was also the longest reception he's had for UNT.
Junior WR Roderic Burns (Houston) finished with four catches for 57 yards.
Sophomore TE Jake Roberts (Norman, Okla.) finished with one catch for 70 yards and a touchdown.
- His 70-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage was a career long.
Redshirt freshman TE Var'Keyes Gumms (Houston) finished with five catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.
- Gumms' 10-yard touchdown reception with 1:08 to play in the first quarter was his fifth of the season, which ties him for second on the single-season list for touchdowns by a tight end with Andy Blount (2003, 2004) and Jason Pirtle (2019). He's one back of the all-time leader Marcus Smith (2014), who had six.
- Gumms' five catches was a new career high.
Senior OL Manase Mose (Euless, Texas) made his 58th 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.
The UNT defense allowed fewer than 300 total yards (258) for the first time since last year's meeting with FIU on Nov. 20, 2021.
Senior LB KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) finished the day with seven tackles, including four solo stops.
- Davis now has 386 career tackles moved past Craig Robertson (2006-10), who finished with 381, for second all-time at UNT.
- Davis now has 184 career solo tackles in third all-time on the program list and 10 behind Craig Robertson (2006-10) for second all-time with 194.
Junior LB Kevin Wood (Converse, Texas) finished with six tackles, including five solo stops and an interception.
Junior LB Mazin Richards (Burleson, Texas) finished with three tackles – all solo – and a QB hurry.
Senior DB Quinn Whitlock (Pinola, Miss.) finished the day with four tackles – all solo.
Junior DB DeShawn Gaddie (Arlington, Texas) finished the day with two tackles – both solo – and two pass breakups.
Junior LB Larry Nixon III (North Richland Hills, Texas) finished the day three tackles and a QB hurry.
Sophomore DB Logan Wilson (Dallas) finished the day with three tackles, including two solo stops, an interception and a pass breakup.
- Wilson's second career interception was his second in as many games.
Senior kicker Ethan Mooney (Fort Worth) went 1-for-1 on field goal attempts and 7-for-7 on extra points.
- Mooney's field goal give him 49 career made field goals, tying him for second place on the program's all-time list with Keith Chapman (1985-89).
- Mooney now has 310 points – three behind Trevor Moore (2014-17) for the all-time program record for career points.

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