ALBUQUERQUE, N.M – Eric Morris guided North Texas to a host of milestones in what turned out to be his final season at North Texas.
A program record for wins in a season and cracking the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time since 1959 were on his ledger by the time UNT’s former coach left to take over the program at Oklahoma State in late November. The Mean Green tacked on one more milestone at the end of a memorable era in program history on Saturday, UNT’s first bowl win in more than a decade.
Caleb Hawkins scored three times and broke the NCAA record for touchdowns by a freshman to lead UNT to a 49-47 win over San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl at University Stadium.
The Mean Green had not won a bowl game since knocking off UNLV in the Heart of Dallas Bowl at the end of the 2013 season. UNT dropped seven straight bowl games since, a slide that left the Mean Green in a tie with UTEP and Indiana for the longest bowl/College Football Playoff losing streak in college football.
Morris said when he came to UNT ahead of the 2023 season that the program was far from broken and just needed a bit of a reset. That’s just what Morris provided while quickly putting a foundation in place that helped the Mean Green break through in their win over San Diego State.
Drew Mestemaker iced the game late in the fourth quarter with a 31-yard touchdown strike to Cameron Dorner after San Diego State had made it a one-score game at 42-34.
UNT’s performance was just another indication of what Morris built while recruiting and developing a host of elite quarterbacks and offensive skill position players.
UNT entered the night leading the nation with an average of 44.8 points per game. The Mean Green faced what interim coach Drew Svoboda and described as a significant challenge in San Diego State, which entered the day ranked fourth nationally with an average of 12.6 points allowed per game.
UNT passed that test in impressive fashion behind Hawkins, who rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns to go along with three receptions for 25 yards and another touchdown. He pushed his season touchdown total 29, breaking the record of 28 set by former Louisiana Tech standout Kenneth Dixon in 2012.
Mestemaker came into the night leading the nation with an average of 317.6 passing yards per game. The sophomore had a relatively quiet night while throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns but came through when the Mean Green needed him.
The pair helped UNT put together one of the best seasons in program history. The Mean Green (12-2) set a program record for wins in a season and also posted just the fourth bowl win in program history. UNT had already surpassed the previous record of 10 wins in a season heading into the game.
Mestemaker broke out in his redshirt freshman season, while Hawkins is a freshman. The question for UNT moving forward following its breakthrough bowl win is how many of its key players with eligibility remaining will return.
Mestemaker said in Friday’s pregame bowl press conference that he would consider his future following the game. Offensive lineman Johnny Dickson III and defensive lineman Saadiq Clements announced their intention to enter the transfer portal in the days leading up to the game.
The majority of Morris’ staff members are set to follow him to Oklahoma State. Interim coach Drew Svoboda has yet to officially be announced as a new member of Morris’ Oklahoma State staff but is expected to follow Morris to Stillwater.
UNT has hired former West Virginia and Troy coach Neal Brown to replace Morris. The Mean Green will roll into the first season of the Brown era off a landmark season and a game that was just as memorable for UNT.
The Mean Green broke it open after a wild first half that ended with UNT leading 28-20 after the teams combined for 652 yards.
The Mean Green scored on each of their first four possessions, thanks in part to a perfectly executed fake punt UNT was up 7-0 and faced a fourth-and-8 situation at its 27.
Svoboda served as the Mean Green’s special teams coordinator throughout his time with the program and had a trick play in his pocket. Backup running back Ashton Gray broke free for a 34-yard run on the fake and capped the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run.
UNT led 21-6 before San Diego State got back into the game with a pair of second quarter touchdowns. Kyle Crum came on after Aztecs starting quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. was knocked out of the game with an injury and hit tight end Jackson Ford for a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal in the closing moments of the half.
UNT appeared to put the game away when Hawkins scored on a 3-yard run to put the Mean Green up 42-20.
San Diego State pulled within 42-34 with a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, including a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown from Nick
The Mean Green held on from there on night they closed the Morris era. UNT’s former coach wasn’t around to close it out, but his imprint was all over a night the Mean Green finally broke through for a bowl win.
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