North Texas rallies past Florida Atlantic 48-41 in high-scoring American Conference clash
Tayven Jackson threw for 404 yards while Jahiem White rushed for 193 as the Mean Green extended their win streak to five.
By Ana Salazar ·
North Texas defeated Florida Atlantic 48-41 on Thursday night in Denton, Texas, securing a five-game winning streak and an American Conference record of 4-0. The Mean Green trailed for much of the contest but surged late to hold off a determined Owls offense.
The game featured two high-volume passing attacks. Tayven Jackson completed 33 of 46 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns. Jahiem White added a ground threat, rushing for 193 yards on 26 carries and scoring twice. Florida Atlantic’s Caden Veltkamp responded with a season-high 452 passing yards and five touchdowns on 37 of 56 attempts.
Florida Atlantic took an early 10-3 lead after Caden Veltkamp threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Branden Hoch in the first quarter. North Texas tied the game at 10-10 when Jackson found Baron Tipton for an 8-yard score. The Owls regained a 17-10 advantage with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Easton Messer.
The teams traded leads in the second half. Jackson threw a 3-yard touchdown to Kyle Koch to tie it at 17, and White broke a three-and-out drive with a 59-yard first-down run to put North Texas ahead 24-17. Veltkamp tied the game at 24 with a 12-yard pass to Messer with 39 seconds remaining in the first half.
North Texas pulled away in the third quarter. Jackson threw a 4-yard touchdown to Justin Stevenson after an Owls turnover, increasing the lead to 34-24. Veltkamp cut the gap with a 22-yard score to Kaden Shields-Dutton, but White followed with a 20-yard run and a subsequent touchdown to give the Mean Green a 41-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Florida Atlantic mounted a final drive when Veltkamp hit Messer for a 34-yard touchdown, narrowing the deficit to 41-38 with 8 minutes and 26 seconds left. Jackson answered with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Koch to restore the ten-point margin. The matchup marked the first FBS game this season with two passers exceeding 400 yards, as the teams combined for 1,167 offensive yards.
Florida Atlantic will host UTSA on Nov. 5. North Texas hosts Rice on Nov. 7.
Source: MySA
