Mean Green Win 12th Game, Snap Bowl Skid

Saturday, December 27

Albuquerque, NM

4:45 PM CT

University of North Texas

12-2 , 7-1

San Diego State

9-4 , 6-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

North Texas

San Diego St.

12/27/2025 10:36:00 PM | Football

Box Score

UNT wins New Mexico Bowl for first bowl win since 2013

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The UNT football team put a bow on a historic season on Saturday night with a 49-47 win over San Diego State in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl to cap the program's first-ever 12-win season and snap a seven-game bowl losing skid in the process, winning its first bowl game since the 2013 Heart of Dallas Bowl.

The No. 25 Mean Green (12-2) rode the rejuvenated legs of freshman sensation running back Caleb Hawkins after he was forced out of the American Conference Championship loss to Tulane with an early injury. But the freshman was back at 100% on Saturday night and proved it to the tune of 30 carries for a career-high 198 yards on the ground and two touchdowns to go with three catches for 25 yards and another score to earn Offensive MVP honors.

He wasn't alone on Saturday night though, as UNT ushered in a new rushing star in the form of redshirt freshman Ashton Gray, who had a career day with 16 carries for 152 yards and two touchdowns – all career highs.

"My training team did a wonderful job taking care of me and got me back to 100% so I could play today," Hawkins said. "I'm super grateful for this university and my brothers that played along with me. They played such a big part in everything we accomplished this year."

Hawkins' three touchdowns on the night gives him an FBS freshman record for touchdowns scored and points scored in a season, breaking the previous records held by LA Tech's Kenneth Dixon in 2012.

UNT's other freshman sensation, quarterback Drew Mestemaker, capped off his historic season, as well, finishing the night 250 yards and three passing touchdowns to move him into second place all-time among FBS freshmen in passing yards in a season. He also set a new program record for passing touchdowns in a season with 34 while running his season total to 4,379 passing yards – extending his American Conference freshman record.

"It's the perfect way to go out," Mestemaker said. "I couldn't have asked for a better team to do this with. Even though we didn't' do the best possibly could have, it's the best season I've ever been a part of, and I'm forever grateful for it."

Defensive MVP Will Jones II finished his night with a career-high 14 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble that thwarted a San Diego State scoring drive in the red zone, as UNT ended the season with 28 forced turnovers – the fifth-most in program history.

Interim head coach Drew Svoboda said he was proud of his team stayed together in the age of opt-outs and finished what it started back in the spring.

"It means a lot," he said. "You couldn't have celebrated this with a better group and the assistant coaches – they were really the key keeping this thing together.

"It's hard to win 12 football games. You can probably count on one hand how many teams win 12 games every year and to be able to set the bar here at UNT and do it tonight made it really sweet."

QUICK HITS

UNT beat San Diego State, 49-47, in the eighth all-time meeting between the programs (first since 1975) and the Mean Green cut the Aztecs' series lead to 6-2.
The win marked the first bowl win for UNT since 2013 and was the 16th all-time bowl appearance for the Mean Green and eighth in the last 10 years. It snapped a seven-game bowl losing skid.
UNT's captains for the game were Gabe Blair, Sawyer Evans, David Fisher and Drew Mestemaker.
- Blair started his 50th game (49th consecutive) and played his 51st career game.
- Evans is the lone UNT player to be a team captain in every game this season.
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).
In American Conference history, only 10 teams had previously finished a season with 12 or more wins in a single season before UNT became the 11th.
UNT's 618 total yards sets a new program bowl record.
- It marks UNT's 19th game in the past three seasons with 500+ yards of total offense.
- It marks the fourth time this season UNT has rolled up at least 600 yards of total offense.
The 96 combined points is the most in UNT bowl history and the 1,150 yards of combined total offense in the game is the most in a game this bowl season.
UNT rushed for 368 yards in the game, which ties the Mean Green with Army for the most this bowl season (Army won its bowl game on Saturday, as well).
Caleb Hawkins and Ashton Gray both eclipsed 150 yards rushing, becoming the first duo to do so in a bowl game since Baylor had two players hit the 150-yard mark in 2015 against North Carolina and one of five teams to do so in a bowl game since 1995.
- It marks the first time in UNT bowl history the Mean Green have had two 100-yard rushers.
- They are the third set of teammates to have 100-yard rushing days this bowl season, joining Louisville's Issac Brown (102) and Keyjuan Brown (112) and Old Dominion's Devin Roche (100) and Quinn Henicle (107).
The last time UNT had two 100-yard rushers in a game was Nov. 25, 2023, when Ayo Adeyi had 132 yards and Oscar Adaway III had 113 yards against UAB.
The Mean Green are now 18-2 over the last three seasons when leading at the half and are 10-0 this season.
UNT's seven touchdowns gave it 85 on the season, which extends the program record over the previous mark of 64 set in 1951.
- UNT set a new American Conference record of 85 touchdowns in a season, best UCF's previous mark of 84, set in 2017.
UNT has now scored on its opening drive in 11 of its 14 games this season with 10 touchdowns and one field goal (against UTSA).
UNT leads the nation in total first downs with 362.
- The 362 first downs is the most for a UNT team since at least 2001, breaking the previous mark of 340 in 2017.
The Mean Green had four scoring drives of at least 75 yards, giving them 36 scoring drives this year of 75 yards or more – 35 touchdowns and one field goal.
On Saturday, UNT went 4-for-5 in the red zone (four touchdowns). UNT has 62 red-zone touchdowns this season and has scored in 72 of 79 trips inside the opposing 20-yard line this year.
- The 62 red-zone touchdowns scored this season leads FBS and is 15 more than the second-best mark of 47, held by No. 1 Indiana.
- UNT is the second team since 2012 (LA Tech) to score 60 red-zone touchdowns in a season.
UNT now has 49 rushing touchdowns on the season, which leads the nation and extends the program record, as the previous high came in 1951 (33).
UNT had seven plays of 20+ yards in the game after entering the day trailing only Texas Tech and Oregon nationally in 20+ yard plays this season.
The Mean Green went 5-for-7 on fourth down in the game, as the seven attempts shattered the previous season high of four (Tulane and South Florida).
The Mean Green's 4,452 passing yards this season sets a new single-season program record and is the third-most in a season for any team in American Conference history.
The Mean Green's 35 passing touchdowns this season is a new program record, breaking the mark of 34, set in 2022.
The Mean Green finish the season with 631 points scored, which sets a new American Conference record, breaking the mark set by UCF in 2017 (627).
RS Freshman QB Drew Mestemaker (Austin, Texas) finished 27-of-47 for 250 yards passing with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
- Mestemaker is at 4,379 passing yards for the season, which extends his American Conference freshman record, which was previously held by Dillon Gabriel (UCF), who had 3,654.
- Mestemaker's 4,379 passing yards this season moves him into second place all-time among FBS freshman quarterbacks behind only C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), who threw for 4,435 yards in 2021.
- Mestemaker has now thrown for 200+ yards in every game this season and in 15 consecutive games dating back to last season, which is the longest such streak in program history.
- Mestemaker's 34 passing touchdowns sets a new program single-season record, breaking the previous mark of 33 held by Austin Aune (2022).
- Mestemaker's 23-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Hawkins with 10 seconds left in the first quarter was his 32nd of the season and his 34th of his career.
- Mestemaker's 1-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Dorner with 3 seconds left in the third quarter was his 33rd of the season and 35th of his career.
- Mestemaker's fourth-down 31-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Dorner with 6:08 to play was his 34th of the season and 36th of his career.
Freshman RB Caleb Hawkins (Shawnee, Okla.) finished the day with 30 carries for a career-high 198 yards and two touchdowns and added three catches for 25 yards and another score.
- Hawkins' performance earned him the game's Offensive MVP honors.
- Hawkins' 198 rushing yards gave him a 100-yard rushing day for the sixth time this season and is a new career-high yardage total, breaking his previous best of 197 against Navy on Nov. 1.
- Hawkins' 198 rushing yards is the second-most in the history of the New Mexico Bowl, trailing only Colorado State's Gartrell Johnson's 285 set in 2008.
- Hawkins' 25 rushing touchdowns this season is tied for second in American Conference single-season history behind only Army's Bryson Daily, who had 32 touchdowns in 2024.
- Hawkins' 223 total yards set an FBS freshman record for most total yards in a bowl game.
- Hawkins' 1,793 yards from scrimmage this season moves him into third all-time in program history, passing his position coach, Patrick Cobbs (2003), trailing only Jamario Thomas (2004) and Lance Dunbar (2010).
- Hawkins' 1,434 rushing yards this season puts him second in American Conference history for a freshman, as he finished just 25 yards shy of Kenneth Gainwell's mark set in 2019, and the total puts him fifth all-time in single-season program history.
- For the eighth time this season, Hawkins had multiple touchdowns in a game, and it marked the seventh time he has had multiple rushing scores in a game.
- Hawkins 25 rushing touchdowns is the second-most by a freshman in FBS history.
- With his 29 overall touchdowns this season and 174 points scored, Hawkins moved into the lead for most touchdowns and points scored in FBS history by a freshman, passing Kenneth Dixon (LA Tech, 2012), who scored 168 points and had 28 touchdowns.
- Hawkins' 4-yard touchdown run with 11:32 left in the first quarter was his 24th rushing score of the season and 27th overall touchdown.
- Hawkins' 23-yard touchdown reception with 10 seconds left in the first quarter was his fourth of the season and his 28th overall touchdown.
- Hawkins' 3-yard touchdown run with 6:34 left in the third quarter was his 25th rushing score of the season and 29th overall touchdown.
Redshirt freshman RB Ashton Gray (Marion, Ark.) finished the day with 16 carries for 152 yards and two touchdowns – all career-high marks.
- Gray's 17-yard touchdown run with 3:18 left in the first quarter was his fourth of the season and his career.
- Gray's 51-yard touchdown run with 13:28 left in the second quarter was his fifth of the season and his career, and it was a career-long rush for the redshirt freshman.
- Gray's 51-yard touchdown run was the longest rushing touchdown of the season for the Mean Green and tied for the longest run this season for UNT.
Senior WR Cameron Dorner (New Market, Md.) finished the day with six catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
- Dorner's 1-yard touchdown reception with 3 seconds left in the third quarter was his seventh of the season and the 20th of his career.
- Dorner's 31-yard touchdown reception with 6:08 to play was his eighth of the season and the 21st of his career.
Sophomore WR Wyatt Young (Katy, Texas) finished the day with seven catches for 55 yards.
Junior WR Landon Sides (Denton, Texas) finished the day with five catches for 49 yards.
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 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 13th start for UNT and 41st consecutive start when he's been available to play, dating back to his time at Sam Houston.
The Mean Green forced three turnovers on the night to end the season with 28 forced turnovers (15 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries), which is the fifth-most forced in a season in program history and the most since 2013 (34).
- The three forced turnovers marked the eighth game this season UNT has forced multiple turnovers.
- The Mean Green scored 125 points off turnovers this season, which extended the program-best mark since at least 2000.
Senior DB Will Jones II (Mansfield, Texas) finished the day with a career-high 14 tackles, including seven solo stops, an interception, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss.
- Jones' performance earned him the game's Defensive MVP honors.
- Jones' forced fumble early in the second quarter was his fourth of the season and fifth of his career.
- Jones is one of 14 players in FBS this season to have four forced fumbles and is the first UNT player since Adrian Awasom (2004) to have four in a season. Jones is one shy of the UNT single-season of five, held by Chris Hurd (2003) and Brad Spinks (1996).
- Jones' interception with 10:55 left in the third quarter was his third of the season and seventh of his career.
Junior LB Ethan Wesloski (McKinney, Texas) finished the day with nine tackles, including three solo stops.
Senior LB Kenton Allen (Riverside, Calif.) finished the day with seven tackles, including three solo stops.
Sophomore LB S'Maje Burrell (Fort Worth) finished the day with six tackles, including three solo stops and a tackle for loss.
Junior DB Evan Jackson (Houston) finished the day with five tackles, including three solo stops, a sack and an interception.
- Jackson's third-quarter sack was the first of his career.
Junior DL Ethan Day (Ripon, Calif.) finished the day with five tackles, including two solo stops.
Sophomore DL Saadiq Clements (Henderson, Ky.) finished the day with four tackles, including one solo stop.
Sophomore DL Keviyan Huddleston (Tyler, Texas) finished the day with one tackle and a fumble recovery.
- Huddleson's second-quarter fumble recovery was his second of the season and he returned it 46 yards.