Mean Green Earn Conference Championship Spot

Friday, November 28

Denton, TX

2:30 PM CT

University of North Texas

11-1 , 7-1

Temple

5-7 , 3-5

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Temple

North Texas

11/28/2025 7:34:00 PM | Football

DENTON – The UNT football team continued its assault on the program record book, and national record book, on Friday with a dominant 52-25 win over Temple in its regular-season finale to secure its 11th win of the season for the first time in program history.

The No. 21 Mean Green (11-1, 7-1 American) will move on to the American Conference Championship game for the first time in program history after their usual suspects led the way once again in Friday's win, as UNT scored 50 points for the seventh time this season – the most in FBS since 2018.

The 11 wins was special for many reasons, but head coach Eric Morris said it was special to see given the distractions surrounding his program this week.

"It's pretty sweet," Morris said. "Not only for our guys and for our staff, but also for me, emotionally all week – I've been a bit of a basket case. This place means so much to me and this team means so much to me. To watch our kids keep fighting and our coaches keep coaching the way they are, it's been really special."

Redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker continued his storybook season by going 20-for-24 for 366 yards and three touchdowns and his 3,835 passing yards this season set a new American Conference freshman passing record, previously held by Dillon Gabriel, who had 3,654 as a freshman at UCF.

Mestemaker said his team wasn't affected by the distractions and was ready to play on Friday.

"We kind of knew it wasn't his end all be all," Mestemaker said. "We knew his goals. We know the caliber of coach he is, so it really didn't take anyone back. We all know the season's clearly not over and we have more games to win."

Freshman running back Caleb Hawkins had yet another game with four rushing touchdowns and is now the only player in FBS since 1995 to have four such games in a season. He now leads college football in rushing touchdowns with 23 and has 26 total touchdowns this season – the second-most in American Conference history.

The Mean Green also had two 100-yard receivers in senior Cameron Dorner, who had four grabs for 125 yards and opened the game's scoring with a 77-yard touchdown reception to cap the first of two 99-yard scoring drives for the Mean Green on Friday. Sophomore Wyatt Young had his fifth 100-yard receiving game in the last six with six grabs for 127 yards.
Next up for UNT will be the conference championship game on Friday, most likely in New Orleans against No. 22 Tulane, as long as Tulane beats one-win Charlotte on Saturday. After that, a spot in the College Football Playoff could be waiting for the American champion.

"This is like the playoffs, I told them that all week," Morris said. "If you win, you stay in. You advance. That won't change next week. The stakes keep getting higher and higher. It showed how much the kids want this. Everything is about this team and this university and all about doing something we've never done before. I'm super excited to watch these guys fight again.

"We saw this university come together this year and show how important a football team can be to have people come out and have fun on Saturdays here... The sky's the limit for this program. We love the administration here and love everything about this place."

QUICK HITS

UNT defeated Temple, 52-25, in the third all-time meeting between the programs and extended its series lead to 3-0.
The No. 21 Mean Green won their 11th game in a season for the first time in program history and secured a spot in the American Conference Championship game on Friday, Dec. 5.
UNT improved to 12-7 all-time and 6-1 this season in home games under head coach Eric Morris.
The attendance for Saturday's game was 24,480, which put the season average home attendance at 24,492 – a new program season record.
UNT is now 17-2 under Morris when leading at the half and improved to 19-0 when leading after three quarters and 10-0 this season.
Under Morris, UNT is now 9-1 when UNT runs the ball at least 40 times and has won the last nine such games.
UNT's captains for the game were Gabe Blair, Jayln Durgan, Sawyer Evans and Ethan Wesloski.
The Mean Green entered the season with 68 newcomers, which is the second-most in FBS behind Utah State. Forty-two of the 68 newcomers are transfers, which is the second-most in FBS behind New Mexico (49).
UNT's seven touchdowns gave it 75 on the season, which extends the program record over the previous mark of 64 set in 1951.
The Mean Green scored 50+ points for the seventh time this season for the first time in program history.
- The seven such games is the most in a regular season since 2018, when Oklahoma had eight and Alabama had seven.
- The only other time a UNT team scored 50+ four times was 1951.
UNT's +271 point differential this season extends its single-season program record and ranks entered the week ranked seventh in FBS.
- UNT is one of just 10 teams nationally with a point differential of +200, joining Indiana, Texas Tech, Ohio State, Utah, Oregon, Notre Dame, James Madison, Miami and Toledo.
UNT now leads the nation in total first downs with 309, which ties its total from last season.
- The last time UNT had more than 309 first downs was in 2018 (321).
The Mean Green have now scored at least 30 points in each of the first 12 games for the first time in program history after hitting 11 straight last week for the first time in program history.
The Mean Green racked up 605 yards of offense, marking the 17th 500-yard game in Morris' 36 games as UNT's head coach and offensive play caller.
With its 35 first-half points, UNT had its sixth 30+ point half of the season, which is the most in the nation.
UNT now has a 3,000-yard passer (Drew Mestemaker), a 1,000-yard rusher (Caleb Hawkins) and a 1,000-yard receiver (Wyatt Young) – the second time in program history UNT has accomplished that (2023).
UNT had two players (Wyatt Young and Cameron Dorner) eclipse 100 receiving yards marking the first time since the Charlotte game on Oct. 24 to have two players (UNT had three in that game: Young, Dorner and Landon Sides).
The Mean Green had four scoring drives of at least 75 yards, giving them 30 scoring drives this year of 75 yards or more – 29 touchdowns and one field goal.
UNT's 99-yard scoring drive in the first quarter was its second such scoring drive of the year, with the first coming at UAB on Nov. 15. The Mean Green had another 99-yard scoring drive in the second quarter, marking the first time since a game against Tulsa last year they've had more than one 99-yard scoring drive in a game and the first time in program history to have two in one half.
On Saturday, UNT went 6-for-6 in the red zone (five touchdowns). UNT has 56 red-zone touchdowns this season and has scored in 66 of 69 trips inside the opposing 20-yard line this year.
- The 56 red-zone touchdowns scored this season leads FBS.
UNT scored 21 points in the second quarter, marking the eighth time this season the Mean Green have scored 21 or more points in a quarter.
UNT now has 44 rushing touchdowns on the season, which leads the nation and extends the program record, as the previous high came in 1951 (33).
RS Freshman QB Drew Mestemaker (Austin, Texas) finished 20-of-24 for 366 yards passing with three touchdowns.
- Through Mestemaker's first 17 games of his career, he has now thrown for 4,297 yards – the most by a UNT quarterback through his first 17 career games since 1995.
- Mestemaker is at 3,835 passing yards for the season, which sets a new American Conference freshman record, which previously held by Dillon Gabriel (UCF), who had 3,654.
- Mestemaker's 83.3% completion percentage is the third-highest in a game for UNT since 2000 and is a new career-high. He now has the three highest by a freshman for UNT, along with 82.8% against Washington State and 82.6% against Rice.
- Mestemaker has now thrown for 200+ yards in every game this season and in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season, which is the longest such streak in program history.
- Mestemaker started the day 11-for-11 before his first incompletion late in the first half.
- Mestemaker's 29 passing touchdowns is tied for the fourth-most in program history with Chandler Rogers (2023) and Mason Fine (2019), and he is now four back from tying the program record held by Austin Aune (33 in 2022).
- Mestemaker's 77-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Dorner with 8:18 left in the first quarter was his 27th of the season and 29th of his career and was the second-longest play of the season for UNT.
- Mestemaker's 5-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Lewis with 6:22 left in the second quarter was his 28th of the season and 30th of his career.
- Mestemaker's 13-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Lewis with 0:40 left in the third quarter was his 29th of the season and 31st of his career, which moved him into a tie for 10th place in career touchdown passes with his predecessor, Chandler Morris.
Freshman RB Caleb Hawkins (Shawnee, Okla.) finished the day with 25 carries for 186 yards and four touchdowns and added two catches for 28 yards.
- Hawkins is the only FBS player since 1995 to rush for four touchdowns in a game four times in a single season.
- Hawkins is the only player in the nation to have six games this season with 3+ touchdowns.
- Hawkins' six games of 3+ touchdowns this season tie him for the most by a freshman with Western Michigan's Javion Franklin, who had six such games in 2014.
- Hawkins' 186 rushing yards put him over 100 yards for the fifth time this season and over 150 for the third time, and it was the second game this season he eclipsed the century mark in the first half (Navy, Nov. 1).
- Hawkins is the first UNT player to have three games with more than 150 rushing yards in a season since Jeffrey Wilson Jr., in 2017.
- Hawkins' 156 points scored this season puts him in second in American Conference single-season history behind only Army's Bryson Daily, who scored 192 points in 2024.
- Hawkins' 26 touchdowns this season is second in American Conference single-season history behind only Army's Bryson Daily, who had 32 touchdowns in 2024.
- Hawkins' 20th rushing touchdown late in the first quarter gave him the single-season program record, passing current running backs coach Patrick Cobbs (2003).
- Hawkins' 21st rushing touchdown early in the second quarter put him in the national lead and tied him for the fourth-most rushing touchdowns by a freshman since 2000 with Samaje Perine, Johnny Manziel and Ryan Williams.
- Hawkins became the eighth player in American Conference history with 20+ rushing touchdowns in a season.
- For the seventh time this season, Hawkins had multiple touchdowns in a game, and it marked the sixth time he has had multiple rushing scores in a game (fourth straight).
- Hawkins' 5-yard touchdown run with 1:08 left in the first quarter was his 20th rushing score of the year and his 23rd overall touchdown.
- Hawkins' 31-yard touchdown run with 10:09 left in the second quarter was his 21st rushing score of the year and his 24th overall touchdown.
- Hawkins' 6-yard touchdown run with 1:25 left in the second quarter was his 22nd rushing score of the year and his 25th overall touchdown.
- Hawkins' 1-yard touchdown run with 8:25 to play was his 23rd rushing score of the season and 26th overall touchdown.
Sophomore WR Wyatt Young (Katy, Texas) finished the day with six catches for 127 yards.
- Young is now at 1,203 receiving yards this season, which puts him second all-time for a single season in program history behind only Casey Fitzgerald's 1,322 in 2007.
- Young had his fifth 100-yard receiving day of the season and fifth in the past six games.
Senior WR Cameron Dorner (New Market, Md.) finished the day with four catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.
- Dorner's 125 yards gave him his second 100-yard receiving day of the season and was also a new season high.
- Dorner's 77-yard touchdown reception with 8:18 left in the first quarter was his sixth touchdown of the season and 19th of his career, and it was his longest reception of the season.
Freshman WR Terrence Lewis (Brenham, Texas) finished the day with two catches for 18 yards and two touchdowns.
- Lewis' 5-yard touchdown reception with 6:22 left in the second quarter was his second of the season.
- Lewis' 13-yard touchdown reception with 0:40 left in the third quarter was his third of the season.
Defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity came to UNT from Sam Houston and brought six of his players with him to Denton.
- Senior CB David Fisher (Houston, Texas), senior LB Trey Fields (Danciger, Texas), senior CB Da'Veawn Armstead (Baton Rouge, La.) and senior DL Richard Outland Jr. (Houston), all former Bearkats, started the game on defense.
- Fisher made his 11th start for UNT and 39th consecutive start when he's been available to play, dating back to his time at Sam Houston.
The Mean Green had 16 takeaways a year ago and now have 25 (13 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries) on the season.
The Mean Green have scored touchdowns off 16 of their 25 forced turnovers this season and have scored points off 18 of those 25 turnovers.
UNT converted turnovers into seven points, giving the Mean Green 118 points off turnovers this season – the most for a UNT team since 2000, passing the 2011 team, which had 111.
The Mean Green's nine QB hurries was a season high and most against an FBS opponent since Liberty on Oct. 23, 2021. It's the most against a conference opponent since they had 10 against Marshall on Oct. 24, 2015.
The Mean Green's four pass breakups matched a season high, tied with games against UAB, Charlotte and South Alabama.
Senior LB Trey Fields (Dancinger, Texas) finished the day with 12 tackles, including seven solo stops, and a tackle for loss.
- Fields now has 6.5 tackles for loss this season and 14.5 in his career.
Junior LB Ethan Wesloski (McKinney, Texas) finished the day with nine tackles, including six solo stops.
Junior DB Patrick Smith-Young (Sugar Land, Texas) finished the day with five tackles, including three solo stops.
Junior DL Ethan Day (Ripon, Calif.) finished the day with five tackles, including two solo stops.
Sophomore DB Quinton Hammonds (Allen, Texas) finished the day with four tackles, including two solo stops, and a pass breakup.
Sophomore Keviyan Huddleston (Tyler, Texas) finished the day with four tackles, including three solo stops.
Senior DB Will Jones II (Mansfield, Texas) finished the day with three tackles, including a solo stop.
Senior DB Da'Veawn Armstead (Baton Rouge, La.) finished the day with a tackle and an interception.
- Armstead's second-quarter interception was his second of the season and third of his career.
Sophomore K Kali Nguma (Mission, Texas) finished 7-for-7 on extra points and 1-for-1 on field goals.
- Nguma is 124-for-124 in his career on extra points, tied with Trevor Moore (2014-17) for career extra point percentage (1.000), as Moore was 154-for-154 on PATs in his career.
- His 27-yard field goal with 7:07 left in the third quarter was his 12th of the season on 13 attempts and put him at 23-for-29 in his career.
- His 124 consecutive extra point attempts converted is the third-longest streak in program history - next is 134 by Ethan Mooney (2019-22).
- His 124 made extra points passed Nick Bazaldua (2002-05) for third-most in program history.