UNT Gets 1st Win Of The Year
The North Texas Eagles “Mean Green” won their first game of the season beating the University of Indiana Hoosiers 24 to 21 in front of 21,181 fans at Apogee Stadium in Denton, Texas. North Texas dominated Indiana for three quarters, but almost let the win slip away in the last eleven minutes of the game.
The Eagles offense moved the ball at will throughout most of the game. Despite two uncharacteristic fumbles by running back Lance Dunbar and a high snap on a field goal attempt, North Texas had 371-yards of total offense in the first two quarters. The Indiana “hurry up” offense never got untracked in the first half. They were 12 for 22 in passing with only 28 yards on the ground. The speed and physical attack of the North Texas defense kept Indiana to only 10 first downs. At halftime North Texas went in the locker room with a 21 to 0 lead.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the Hoosiers were intercepted by Royce Hill, NT defensive back, at the Indiana 30-yard line. With 12:23 remaining in the quarter, Zach Olen hits a 40-yard field goal to put the Eagles ahead 24 to 0.
With 11:04 remaining in the game, safety Mark Murphy of Indiana intercepted a Derek Thompson (NT Quarterback) pass on the NT 31 yard-line and runs it in for an Indiana touchdown (24 to 7). This is the beginning of 21 straight unanswered points by the Hoosiers.
On the ensuing kick-off Indiana recovers their on-side kick on their own 42-yard line. After a series of false start penalties, the Hoosiers have to punt it away. Learning from the TD interception on their last possession, NT goes conservative on offense and keeps the ball on the ground, but can’t get a first down. On Indiana’s next possession they score on a 44-yard pass with 5:26 remaining in the game (24 to 14). The Eagles stay with the running game and punt the ball away with 2:22 remaining. The NT defense steps up and it looks like the Hoosiers are done, until a pass interference penalty gives them new life. With 1:05 remaining Kiel Dusty (IU Quarterback) completes a 67-yard TD pass to Kofi Hughes and pulls the Hoosiers to within three. Brandin Byrd of North Texas covers the Indiana on-side kick and the mean green run out the clock for their first victory over a Big Ten school.
This was a break out game for the mean green’s Doak Walker Award Candidate, Lance Dunbar. During the first quarter his 83-yard catch and run TD surpassed Patrick Cobbs (2001-05) for the most career touchdowns in North Texas school history at 39. In addition, Dunbar’s 152 receiving yards are the most ever by a North Texas running back. This was also a game of “firsts” for North Texas. The first victory in the new Apogee Stadium and the first win by the new head coach Dan McCarney.
