DENTON, Texas — Robert Henry Jr. registered his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season, but North Texas posted 584 yards of offense in a 55-17 victory over UTSA in American Conference action on Saturday at DATCU Stadium.
The Roadrunners (3-4, 1-2) claimed an early lead but trailed 17-14 with a little more than five minutes remaining in the first half, as the Mean Green (6-1, 2-1) scored 21 unanswered points spanning halftime to break open the contest and log their first win in the series since 2021.
Henry rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries, averaging 11.5 yards per attempt. It marked his fifth 100-yard game of the season and seventh over his last nine outings.
Will Henderson III added 65 yards on just five totes to help the Roadrunners pile up 214 yards on the ground.
However, UTSA could only muster 329 yards of offense against UNT, which tallied 291 passing and 270 rushing yards in the win.
Kickoff was delayed by approximately 30 minutes due to lightning, but the Roadrunners struck quickly once the game began. Henry broke loose for a 72-yard dash on the first play from scrimmage to set up a 3-yard touchdown pass from Owen McCown to Houston Thomas. Michael Petro’s extra point gave the visitors a 7-0 lead 90 seconds into the contest. Henry’s rush was his fifth run and sixth play from scrimmage of 70-plus yards this season, the most by any FBS player.
The Mean Green countered with a 28-yard field goal by Kali Nguma midway through the opening period.
UNT took the lead when Drew Mestemaker found Wyatt Young open over the middle on fourth down for a 20-yard touchdown pass at the 3:11 mark of the first quarter.
The Mean Green pushed the advantage to 17-7 on the final play of the first as Mestemaker and Young connected again for an 11-yard TD pass.
UTSA climbed back to within three with 5:22 left in the second stanza. Henderson ripped off a 29-yard rush and Thomas made a highlight-reel catch for 18 yards on the left sideline to set up Henry for a 3-yard TD scamper around the right end.
A touchdown by UNT late in the first half pushed the lead back to 10 at the break. Kiefer Sibley was ruled inbounds inside the left pylon after an 18-yard scamper with nine seconds on the clock to cap a drive that was kept alive with a fourth-down conversion on the Mean Green’s own 33-yard line.
The Mean Green outscored UTSA, 21-3, in the third quarter with the benefit of a trio of takeaways to stretch the lead to 45-17. Petro drilled a 29-yard field goal in the frame, his fifth consecutive make dating back to the UIW in on Sept. 13.
UNT tacked on a field goal and a touchdown in the final frame to provide the final margin.
Mestemaker completed 22 of 35 passes for 277 yards and four TDs. Caleb Hawkins paced the ground game with 133 yards, and he also caught eight passes for 90 yards. Young finished with 102 yards and three scores on six receptions.
Kendrick Blackshire and Brandon Tucker Jr. led the UTSA defense with seven tackles apiece, while Nnanna Anyanwu pitched in with four stops including a sack.
The Roadrunners will return to action on Thursday, Oct. 30, when they host Tulane (6-1, 3-0) in a nationally televised American Conference matchup on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Alamodome. Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling the UTSA Ticket Office at 210-458-UTSA (8872) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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