North Texas Dominates MTSU
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DENTON, Texas – After playing from behind in the first five games this year, North Texas finally got off to a fast start Saturday against Middle Tennessee. The Mean Green found the experience very much to its liking.
The North Texas running game, so silent through the past two games, roared to life for a season-high 303 yards. Running backs Brandin Byrd and Reggie Pegram both had career highs, with 139 and 88 yards, respectively, and Antoinne Jimmerson added a season-high 72 yards as the North Texas ground game dominated the Blue Raiders in a 34-7 victory at Apogee Stadium.
“Just a bunch of young men that took it personally,” North Texas coach Dan McCarney said of his offense’s reaction to its recent struggles running the ball. “We know our foundation is built on running the football. We’ve been extremely disappointed in two of our losses. Running the ball was almost non-existent. They took it personal, every guy on offense.”
The Mean Green defense was just as dominant as the rushing attack, swarming MTSU all
night and never allowing the Raiders to cross midfield in the second half.
Coming off two straight losses and with two road games ahead, the dominant victory was huge for a Mean Green team now halfway to its goal of being bowl eligible for the first time since 2005.
North Texas had chances to take control midway through the first half after putting together a 71-yard touchdown drive and getting a blocked field goal from linebacker Zach Orr. But James Jones’s apparent touchdown return off the Orr block was wiped out by a penalty, and MTSU got a pair of interceptions on tipped balls to scuttle Mean Green drives and keep Blue Raiders in range of a tying score, which they got early in the second quarter.
But the Mean Green did take control late in the second quarter. After North Texas got a one-yard scoring run from Byrd for a 14-7 lead, safety Lairamie Lee picked off an Austin Grammer pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 advantage that MTSU could never challenge.
