Max Reese’s 38-yard catch on North Texas’ first offensive snap set the tone Saturday night at DATCU Stadium. Tayven Jackson’s deep-middle throw moved the Mean Green from their own 23 to the Houston Christian 39, and five plays later Jahiem White finished the opening possession with a 24-yard touchdown run.
Denton’s Mean Green went on to win 63-14, with that combination of long completions and productive running recurring throughout the game.
White scored four times before halftime. He needed only 11 carries to gain 133 yards, with scoring runs of 24, 47, 3 and 7 yards. Still, North Texas produced 400 passing yards and 248 rushing yards while completing 25 of 28 attempts.
That is a remarkable amount of offense without asking Jackson to throw 40 times or requiring one receiver to supply all the big gains.
Jackson supplied the precision and the largest share of the passing work. His 16 completions on 18 attempts produced 270 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Reese’s opening catch was the first of three receptions for 70 yards, and the tight end later added a 24-yard grab from the Houston Christian 48 to the 24 during the drive that ended with White’s third score.
Jackson also found Kyle Koch for gains of 16 and 14 yards on separate first-half possessions. Then, with less than two minutes remaining in the half, he connected with Grayson O’Bara for 43 yards before O’Bara caught another pass for 9. That helped put the ball at the Houston Christian 7, where White finished his fourth touchdown drive.
Reese stretched the first possession, Koch moved the chains, and O’Bara supplied the sudden field-position swing.
The production never settled into a single target. Justin Stevenson caught five passes for 69 yards and scored on a 41-yard touchdown thrown by Chris Jimerson Jr. The play came after Keshawn Davila intercepted Maddox Kopp and returned the ball 15 yards to the North Texas 39. Three plays and 61 yards later, the Mean Green had turned the takeaway into a 28-14 lead.
Corri Milliner added three catches for 65 yards, including a 32-yard reception in the final seconds of the half that moved North Texas to the Houston Christian 21. O’Bara finished with 52 yards on two catches, while Josiah Martin had 38 yards on two receptions. Koch added three catches for 37 yards.
In all, 10 Mean Green players caught at least one pass, a distribution that gave several receivers a share of the yardage.
The reserve quarterbacks also completed passes at a remarkable rate. Jimerson completed both of his throws, including the Stevenson touchdown, and ran four times for 41 yards. Chaston Ditta completed seven of eight attempts for 75 yards, threw a 17-yard touchdown to Baron Tipton and later ran 4 yards for another score.
