The North Texas Mean Green kept their championship push rolling on Saturday with a dominant 53-24 win over UAB, powered by a historic performance from true freshman star Caleb Hawkins.
The electrifying back delivered one of the greatest outings in program history, rushing for five touchdowns – a new UNT record – and piling up 189 yards on 27 carries. Four of those scores came before the midway point of the second quarter, as Hawkins tied the school record by the 11:07 mark and later broke it with a 5-yard touchdown late in the fourth. His season totals now stand at 16 rushing touchdowns and 19 total, an astonishing pace for a first-year player.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker kept the offense humming, completing 18 of 25 passes for 298 yards and two touchdowns.
His connection with Wyatt Young was nearly unstoppable. Young hauled in eight passes for 148 yards and a score. Cameron Dorner added a touchdown of his own on a 73-yard receiving day. The Mean Green offense finished with 506 total yards, reaffirming its status as one of the most explosive units in the nation.
North Texas entered the weekend ranked second nationally in scoring at 44.4 points per game and fifth in total offense at 487.8 yards per contest, and Saturday’s performance only strengthened those numbers.
Defensively, UNT made UAB work for every yard, and while Blazers running back Jevon Jackson broke loose for 163 yards, the Mean Green defense clamped down when it mattered and forced two interceptions from quarterback Jalen Kitna.
UAB fell to 3-7 on the season and never found an answer for North Texas’ balance or tempo.
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With the victory, the Mean Green improve to 9-1 overall and 5-1 in the American Conference, staying right in the thick of the league title chase after a pivotal win over Navy last week. Confidence is soaring in Denton, and with Hawkins emerging as one of the brightest young stars in college football, the Mean Green look every bit like a team built for a postseason run.
It was a big day, a record-setting day, and another step toward something special for the Mean Green.
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