North Texas 2025 Season Rewatch: Mean Green Efficiently Handles Temple to Advance to American Championship

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GAME 1 | GAME 2 | GAME 3 | GAME 4 | GAME 5 | GAME 6 | GAME 7 | GAME 8 | GAME 9 | GAME 10 | GAME 11

There was a lot of reason for the Mean Green to be distracted going into this game against Temple, but if North Texas was distracted, it sure didn’t look like it.

UNT clobbered Temple 52-25 in a game that the Mean Green had to win to make the American Championship. It was also the first game North Texas played after it was announced that Eric Morris would be heading to Stillwater.

In preparation for Oklahoma State’s 2026 season, we’re going back and watching North Texas’ 2025 season. Here are some takeaways from this game against Temple.

Maximum Efficiency

Through 18 offensive plays, North Texas scored 28 points.

Those first four drives from the Mean Green offense featured two 99-yard drives, as the Temple punter was having an all-time day. But North Texas could’ve started a drive on the stretch of I-35 that runs by DATCU Stadium and the Mean Green would’ve still found a way to the end zone.

North Texas’ first drive started at its 1-yard line. After finding some breathing room during the first four plays, Drew Mestemaker connected with Cameron Dorner for a 77-yard catch and run for a touchdown. He wasn’t the only guy running either. Morris followed the play the whole way down the UNT sideline.

He just kept running!

📺: ESPN#GMG🦅 | @cameron_dorner pic.twitter.com/uBIUWFyi7O

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) November 28, 2025

After Temple scored to tie it, UNT return man Simeon Evans ran the ensuing kick back 61 yards into Temple territory, setting up a four-play, 34-yard touchdown drive that ended with Caleb Hawkins’ first of four rushing touchdowns of the day.

Then another stellar punt pinned the Mean Green on the 1-yard line again, but Hawkins was a hot knife through butter, ripping off a 26-yard run to start the drive. He had a 31-yard touchdown run a few plays later, averaging 28.5 yards a carry on the drive.

The Mean Green’s first five drives ended in touchdown before the stingy halftime whistle called a stop to their sixth drive, as UNT went into the locker room with a 35-7 lead.

Mestemaker was as efficient as his offense. His first incompletion came after North Texas had already tallied 28 points. He finished 20-for-24 with 366 yards, three touchdowns and no picks.

Enter: Terrence Lewis

This is somewhat timely considering the Oklahoma State media got to talk with Terrence Lewis on Tuesday with him coming off a big play in OSU’s first fall scrimmage.

But Lewis had two touchdown receptions in this one.

The first came off an absolute laser beam from Mestemaker when the two weren’t all that far from each other. The ball initially bounced off Lewis’ hands, as it almost looked like fastball knocked him over. But then as he was laying down, he secured the catch.

1️⃣7️⃣ ➡️ 1️⃣8️⃣#GMG🦅 | @DrewMestemaker | @terrencethee1 https://t.co/MQ0FdXEVBg pic.twitter.com/HOT1dTf3by

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) November 28, 2025

Lewis’ second TD came on a little bubble screen in which Wyatt Young blocked two guys to clear the path for him. The first block wasn’t great (but got the job done), but block No. 2 made up for it.

.@terrencethee1 turning on the jets 🚀

📺 @ESPNCFB #GMG🦅 https://t.co/50p435RBAx pic.twitter.com/DEKweMUUTD

— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) November 28, 2025

Those were the final touchdowns of Lewis’ true freshman season, as he finished the year with 11 catches for 184 yards and three scores.

Other Notes

• The broadcast opened with the TV guys calling this the most important game in UNT’s history, as if the Mean Green won, they’d secure a spot in the American Championship and would still be alive for the College Football Playoff.

• This also marked the first game UNT had played since news broke that Eric Morris would be Oklahoma State’s next head coach.

• This was a fun formation, featuring Mestemaker, Hawkins and Young all in the backfield:

• Caleb Hawkins is so good and this has gotten so common that I’m putting his 186-yard, four-touchdown performance in the “Other Notes” section. Just another day at the office, to be honest.

• The same could be said for Wyatt Young, who caught six passes for 127 yards. In his past three games, Young has caught 22 balls for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

• Kollin Lewis, now a corner at OSU, had an outstanding pass breakup in this game.

• Up next: postseason football.