Courtesy of Texas Southern Athletics:
27
Texas Southern 0-2 , 0-1
59
North Texas 2-1 , 1-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSU | 3 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| UNT | 10 | 35 | 7 | 7 | 59 |
Big plays by North Texas was the difference in the game as the Mean Green claimed a 59-27 win over TSU Saturday night at Apogee Stadium.
After the first TSU drive stalled due to untimely penalty in the first quarter, North Texas scored the game’s first points via a 43-yard field goal after a nine-play, 38-yard drive for a 3-0 lead. TSU punted on its second drive and UNT needed only one play to move ahead by two scores as Ayo Adeyi broke free for a 59-yard score on the first play of the drive as the deficit grew to 10-0.
The TSU offense would begin to awake as they found success on its next drive as Jacorey Howard, Ladarius Owens and Tavaris Achane, Derek Morton all had first downs which led to a 24-yard Richard Garcia III field goal for a 10-3 deficit with 2:09 remaining. However, UNT would counter on a 3rd-and-9 with a 35-yard touchdown strike to lead 17-3 early in the second quarter.
TSU would answer the score as Owens broke free for a 39-yard run on 2nd-and-10 as the PAT was good for a 17-10 deficit. Unfortunately, the momentum was short-lived as UNT upped the score to 24-10 with 11:57 left after a touchdown pass.
TSU once again kept the pressure on as quarterback Andrew Body went down the field for several big plays as Derek Morton and Trenton Leary had big pass receptions which moved the ball into the redzone. TSU once again made another big play as AJ Bennett caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Body with 9:34 left as TSU trailed 24-17 after Garcia III’s PAT.
However, the big plays by UNT kept coming as the Mean Green needed only three plays to score for a 31-17 lead. TSU would punt on its next possession and UNT went 71 yards on eight plays as they scored and moved the lead to 38-17. A late TSU turnover as time was winding down came back to haunt them as UNT scored with 32 seconds left as they claimed a 45-17 halftime lead.
Both teams would trade punts to open the second half but UNT struck first in the third stanza as they marched 44 yards on five plays for a touchdown as they led 52-17. TSU responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive on the ensuing play as TSU used a mix of the run and pass. A pass interference call set up Jacorey Howard’s one-yard run as TSU cut the margin to 52-24 after the PAT. Both teams would trade late scores as TSU’s Richard Garcia III, who was performing double duty with both kicking and punting, hit a 39-yard field goal with 3:11 remaining.
Body was 19-of-29 passing for 239 yards with one touchdown. Derek Morton caught seven passes for 115 yards while Owens rushed for 94 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. Demontario Anderson had six tackles followed by five from Charles George and Javius Williams.
TSU is back in action next week as they’ll face Southern in the Arlington Showdown at 4 p.m. at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
