North Texas needed a bit of a break after opening the season with a tough trip to LSU, where the Mean Green lost its opener and took a physical pounding against one of the nation’s elite teams.
A game against Texas Southern turned out to fit the bill perfectly.
UNT’s defense turned in a dominating performance, and the Mean Green got its running game rolling in a 34-7 win over the Tigers in front of a crowd of 22,259 on Saturday at Apogee Stadium.
The Mean Green struggled at times to throw the ball effectively and didn’t pull away from a team that competes in the Football Championship Subdivision, a step down on the college football ladder, until late.
None of that mattered to UNT, which won its home opener for the first time since knocking off SMU in 2006.
The Mean Green (1-1) had lost its first game at home in seven of the last eight seasons.
“It was real big,” UNT linebacker Zach Orr said. “We have not won a home opener in a long time. This is another milestone that we talk about in building this into a championship program.”
UNT reached that milestone largely because of its defense that held in check a TSU team that had scored 44 points in a season-opening win over Prairie View A&M.
UNT held the Tigers (1-1) to 16 yards of total offense in the first half and 185 yards for the game. Daniel McKayhan caught a 59-yard touchdown pass from Dantavious Parker late in the third quarter that accounted for a large chunk of TSU’s offensive output.
UNT posted three interceptions and four sacks, big plays that helped the Mean Green hold TSU at bay.
UNT scored twice in the final five minutes to put a game away that was still competitive in the fourth quarter.
“We put an emphasis on making big plays on defense,” UNT defensive end Aaron Bellazin said. “That changed the face of the game. It always does. It gets the crowd into the game and gives the offense momentum to go score.”
While UNT’s defense turned in an impressive performance, it was the Mean Green’s running game that set the tone early.
The Mean Green threw the ball just twice on 75-yard drive to open the game, one running back Brandin Byrd capped with a 2-yard touchdown run.
UNT continued to pound the ball at the Tigers the rest of the night.
Brandin Byrd scored on a pair of 2-yard runs in the first half before Antoinne Jimmerson took over late. Jimmerson led UNT with 139 yards and scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter. Byrd finished with 136 yards.
“It was good to have a couple of backs over 100 yards, but as a coach I saw a lot more times that we didn’t execute than we did,” UNT head coach Dan McCarney said. “We have to do a better job of coaching and preparing our football team this week.”
That duo provided UNT all the punch it would need offensively on a night its defense dominated.
UNT led 17-0 after the first half, after holding the Tigers lost two yards rushing on 12 carries.
TSU finally broke through in the third quarter when McKayhan caught his touchdown pass that Parker lofted over UNT’s secondary to cut the Mean Green’s lead to 20-7.
The Tigers couldn’t manage anything more. Parker threw for 106 yards to lead the Tigers, who finished with 31 rushing yards.
It was a win McCarney saw as something from which UNT can build.
“I’m real proud of this team,” McCarney said. “This is a good win for us, but we know we can play better.”
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.
