On Thursday, the North Texas football team had a chance to make history in the Frisco Football Classic but came up short. The Mean Green lost 27-14 to the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in the inaugural edition of this bowl game.
With the game just 19 miles from campus, North Texas had a solid majority of fan support. It provided an excellent opportunity for the program to get its fourth bowl win in history and first since 2013.
Instead, North Texas (6-7) lost to extend its bowl game losing streak to five, all under head coach Seth Littrell. Miami (OH) scored 17 consecutive points after the Mean Green took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter to seal the victory.
“All losses are tough,” Littrell said postgame. “If it’s not, you’re in the wrong profession. We wanted the opportunity to stay home and play in front of our fans.
We got that opportunity and didn’t do enough to win the game.”
The loss puts a sour end to a season that saw North Texas win five consecutive games after starting the season 1-6.
Amid the win streak, the team picked up a historic victory over then-No.15 UTSA, handing the Roadrunners their only loss of the regular season.
North Texas was powered by a dominant run game that averaged 283 rushing yards per game during the five-game win streak. However, against Miami (7-6), the Mean Green had nowhere near that much success.
North Texas mustered a season-low 89 rushing yards as the Redhawks made a concerted effort to stop the run.
The Mean Green were hindered because the team’s leading rusher, DeAndre Torrey, missed the game for undisclosed reasons.
The team’s backup running backs could not replicate the usual success. Ikaika Ragsdale was the leading running back with 23 rushing yards; Ayo Adeyi added only 17.
The leading rusher was quarterback Austin Aune, who had 28 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Aune passed for 228 yards but had two costly interceptions.
For Miami (OH), quarterback Brett Gabbert was named the game’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Gabbert also passed for 228 yards but bested Aune with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The RedHawks’ Kenny Tracy rushed for 92 yards, single-handedly outrushing North Texas.
The Mean Green have made a bowl game in five of the six seasons coach Littrell has been in charge. The program will hope that next season provides another opportunity for the elusive bowl win.
“We have a lot of work to do, but as frustrating as this season has been, we have played a lot of young guys,” Littrell said. “We need them to get better as well as bigger, stronger, and faster. We lose some big-time players. There are guys we will miss, but our future is bright.”