UNT Slams Door Shut on South Alabama to go to 5-0

DENTON – Just when it looked like UNT's football team might have met a better team for the first time this season, freshman running back Caleb Hawkins took it upon himself to end a serious threat and lead the Mean Green to a 36-22 win over South Alabama on Saturday afternoon at DATCU Stadium.

Hawkins finished the day with 16 carries for 140 yards and two rushing touchdowns to go with two catches for 78 yards and a highlight-reel catch-and-run 68-yard touchdown reception, but it was his performance on the final scoring drive for UNT that sealed the game and the historic 5-0 start to the season.

"After last week's game at Army, my 10-year-old son said, 'How many times did you give it to him?' I said 13, and he said, 'How many TDs did he have?' I said four," UNT head coach Eric Morris said of Hawkins. "He said, 'Dad you should probably give it to him a little more.'"

So after the Jaguars (1-4) scored and converted a two-point conversion to pull within six points with 6:11 left to play, Morris took his son's advice.

On UNT's ensuing seven-play, 75-yard, game-clinching scoring drive, Hawkins touched the ball three times and ended the drive, and the game, with another one for the highlight reel – this time a 27-yard touchdown run with 1:59 remaining.

"That kid is actually insane," said redshirt freshman Drew Mestemaker, who went 14-for-26 for 234 yards and a touchdown through the air to go with his first rushing touchdown of the season. "I've never seen someone run the ball like that. No one can tackle him. I told him every time he scored today that he's that guy and no one can mess with him. Having him on the offense and having him break out is a great thing for this offense."

Hawkins' eight total touchdowns are the most by a UNT freshman in his first four games in the last 25 years and his seven rushing touchdowns leads all freshmen in FBS this season.

Morris said after the game he was proud of how his team responded in what had the classic makings of a trap game following an emotional overtime win at Army, with an upcoming bye week and then a highly anticipated clash with South Florida under the Friday night lights at DATCU Stadium.

"That's a quality ball club," Morris said of the Jaguars. "It was an ultimate trap game looking at their record and with us starting to feel ourselves a bit with a bye week coming up and then South Florida. It was a perfect recipe. Our kids were gritty and played hard when we needed to. It wasn't close to perfect but we were able to establish the run game, which was huge for us.

"To see Caleb and Makenzie McGill run the ball the way they did was big. The defense came up big, too, with some big stops. We didn't help them offensively with some three-and-outs. We won the game and that's all that matters. Now we just need to heal up a bit in this bye week."

The Mean Green will enjoy a bye week before returning to action against South Florida on Friday, Oct. 10, at DATCU Stadium, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m.

QUICK HITS

UNT defeated South Alabama, 36-22, in the third ever meeting between the programs and moved its series advantage to 3-0.
- UNT is now 5-0 for the first time since 1959 and will have a chance to go 6-0 for the first time since then when it hosts South Florida on Oct. 10. UNT was 5-0 in 1977 after a forfeit from Mississippi State retroactively made the Mean Green 5-0.
UNT improved to 9-6 all-time in home games under head coach Eric Morris.
UNT's captains for the game were Gabe Blair, Sawyer Evans and David Fisher.
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).
Sophomore DL Saadiq Clements (Henderson, Ky.) made his first career start.
UNT is now 12-2 under Eric Morris when leading at the half and 13-0 when leading after three quarters.
The Mean Green have now scored at least 30 points in each of the first five games – the first time since the 1951 season UNT has accomplished the feat.
UNT had eight players catch at least one pass in the game.
- The Mean Green have at least eight players catch a pass in 21 straight games dating back to UTSA on Nov. 4, 2023 – all but one game of the Eric Morris era.
UNT had four or more rushing touchdowns in back-to-back-to-back games for the first time in at least the last 25 years.
For the fourth straight week, UNT had two players record a rushing touchdown.
UNT has 24 red-zone touchdowns this season and has scored in 29 of 30 trips inside the opposing 20-yard line this year.
RS Freshman QB Drew Mestemaker (Austin, Texas) finished 14-of-26 for 234 yards passing and a touchdown through the air. He also rushed a touchdown.
- Mestemaker's 68-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Hawkins with 10:25 left in the third quarter was his 11th of the season and 13th of his career, and it was the longest offensive play for UNT this season.
- Mestemaker's 4-yard touchdown run with 2:08 left in the third quarter was his second of the season and third of his career.
Freshman RB Caleb Hawkins (Shawnee, Okla.) finished the day with 16 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns and added two catches for 78 yards and another score.
- Hawkins' 16 carries and 140 yards were both career-highs, besting his numbers from last week's win over Army.
- After falling one yard short last week, Hawkins' 140 yards marked his first career 100-yard rushing game.
- Hawkins' 78 receiving yards ranks as the sixth-most by a UNT running back since 1995.
- Hawkins' 6-yard touchdown run with 7:19 left in the second quarter was the sixth of his career to tie him for the FBS lead for rushing touchdowns by a freshman with Oregon's Jordan Davison, who plays later tonight.
- Hawkins' 307 rushing yards this season are the most by a UNT freshman through his first four games since Jamario Thomas ran for 483 in his first four games in 2004.
- Hawkins' eight total touchdowns are the most by a UNT freshman in his first four games in the last 25 years.
- Hawkins' 68-yard touchdown reception with 10:25 left in the third quarter was the seventh of his career and first receiving touchdown of his career, and it was the longest offensive play for UNT this season.
- His 27-yard touchdown run with 1:59 remaining was the eighth overall touchdown of his career and seventh rushing touchdown and it was the longest rushing touchdown of the year for UNT.
- Hawkins' seventh rushing touchdown of the year is the third most in program history for single-season rushing touchdowns by a freshman, moving him past Nic Smith (2017) and Ayo Adeyi (2021), who each had six as freshmen.
- Hawkins' seventh rushing touchdown leads the all of FBS for freshmen.
Sophomore RB Makenzie McGill II (Mount Vernon, Texas) finished the day with 13 carries for 47 yards.
Sophomore WR Miles Coleman (Austin, Texas) finished the day with four catches for 37 yards and added an 18-yard rushing touchdown.
- Coleman's 18-yard touchdown run with 7:04 left in the first quarter was his third overall career touchdown, first touchdown of the season and first rushing score of his career.
Sophomore WR Wyatt Young (Katy, Texas) finished the day with a catch for 36 yards.
- Young's 36-yard reception on UNT's opening drive was the second longest pass play this season for the Mean Green. It was also his team-leading third reception this year of 30 yards or more.
New 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) and senior DL Briceon Hayes (Huntsville, Texas), all former Bearkats, started the game on defense.
- Fisher made his fourth start for UNT and 32nd 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 already have 11 (six interceptions and five fumble recoveries) on the season.
- Of the 11 forced turnovers, 10 different players have been involved (either interception, forced fumble or fumble recovery).
- The six different players with interceptions for UNT this season is the second-most in the country.
UNT converted Ethan Wesloski's second-quarter interception into seven points, giving the Mean Green 66 points off turnovers this season – the most for UNT since the 2018 season.
For the first time this season, UNT allowed its opponent to score a touchdown on its opening possession, and the 7-0 deficit also marked the first time UNT has trailed at home this season.
Senior LB Trey Fields (Dancinger, Texas) finished the day with a game-high 14 tackles, including four solo stops, and a pass breakup.
- Fields' 14 tackles on the day marked a new career high.
Senior LB Shane Whitter (Burlington, N.C.) finished the day with 12 tackles, including five solo stops, and a half-tackle for loss.
- Whitter's 12 tackles tied his season and career high, set earlier this year against Western Michigan.
- It marked the third time this season, and in his career, that Whitter has recorded double-digit tackles.
Junior DB Evan Jackson (Houston) finished the day with seven tackles, including three solo stops, and a half-tackle for loss.
Senior DB Will Jones II (Mansfield, Texas) finished the day with six tackles, including four solo stops, and a pass breakup.
Senior DB Da'Veawn Armstead (Baton Rouge, La.) finished the day with six tackles, including four solo stops, and a sack.
- Armstead's six tackles set a new career high.
Junior LB Ethan Wesloski (McKinney, Texas) finished the day with four tackles - all solo stops – a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and an interception.
- His second-quarter interception was the first of his career.
- He is now the only UNT player and one of seven players nationally to have an interception, forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season.
Sophomore DB Quinton Hammonds (Allen, Texas) finished the day with four tackles, a half-tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
Sophomore K Kali Nguma (Mission, Texas) finished 4-for-4 on extra points and was 0-for-1 on field goal attempts.
- Nguma is 82-for-82 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 82 consecutive extra point attempts converted is the third-longest streak in program history - next is 134 by Ethan Mooney (2019-22).
- His 82 career extra points made leaves him just one shy of Zach Olen (2010-13) for fifth place on the program's all-time list.

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Drew Mestemaker

Players Mentioned

Da'Veawn Armstead

Gabe Blair

Saadiq Clements

Miles Coleman

Sawyer Evans

Trey Fields

David Fisher

Quinton Hammonds

Caleb Hawkins

Briceon Hayes

Evan Jackson

Will Jones II

Makenzie McGill II

Drew Mestemaker

Kali Nguma

Ethan Wesloski

Shane Whitter

Wyatt Young

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