DENTON, Texas (9/11/10) - The North Texas football team held a lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but Rice scored a touchdown with six minutes left in the game to take a 32-31 victory against the Mean Green at Fouts Field on Saturday night.
The announced crowd of 23,743 was the fifth largest in Fouts Field history.The Mean Green falls to 0-2, while Rice improves to 1-1. The Owls take a 2-1 lead in the series.
North Texas held a 31-26 lead at the start of the fourth quarter after trailing the entire first half. North Texas outscored the Owls,10-9 in the second half.
The Owls used a seven-play drive that went 37 yards and took 2:10 to score the game-winning touchdown. The two-point attempt failed, but Rice held the 32-31 lead.
Rice won the game despite being outgained, 420-351 in total yards. The Owls are the ninth opponent in the last 14 games to beat the Mean Green despite having less total yards.
Lance Dunbar recorded his second straight 100-yard rushing game. He went 17 for 105 yards. In his career, he has posted 100-yard games in eight of his nine career starts. He posted two touchdowns in the game, including a four-yard shovel reception that put North Texas on the scoreboard in the first quarter.
Nathan Tune found Tyler Stradford at the start of the second half for a 75-yard touchdown pass to give North Texas its first lead of the game, 28-23. The play was the longest since Giovanni Vizza hooked up with Sam Dibrell for 75 yards against Navy in 2007.
Tune completed 20 of 37 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Eight different receivers caught passes from Tune. The Mean Green quarterback left the game at the end of the fourth with an injury.
Rice field-goal kicker Chris Boswell made four of six field goals in the game, including two 50-yarders. He missed a 44-yard field goal at the 9:08 mark but made a 24-yarder at 5:36 in the third to cut the Mean Green lead to 28-26.
North Texas used a six-minute drive at the end of the third and the start of the fourth to extend its lead to 31-26 with a 24-yard field goal by Trent Deans.
Two big plays led to the Owls taking a 10-0 lead in the opening four minutes of the game. North Texas came back with three touchdowns, two by Dunbar, to cut the lead to two at the half.
Rice's first offensive play from scrimmage was a 51-yard touchdown pass from Taylor McHargue to Sam McGuffie. The Owls connected on the extra point to take an early 7-0 lead.
A Dunbar fumble on NT's second offensive possession led to a Boswell 50-yard field goal, putting North Texas behind by 10.
North Texas jumped on the scoreboard with a Tune shovel pass to Dunbar on fourth and four. A Deans extra-point cut the Rice lead to three, 10-7. The touchdown pass came after a Rice penalty, which led to a second opportunity for North Texas.
The Mean Green was unable to capitalize after it blocked a Rice field goal. The Owls, however, capitalized after blocking the ensuing North Texas punt. Three plays later and Boswell connected on his second field goal, a 23-yarder to extend Rice's lead, 13-7.
Boswell connected on his second 50-yard field goal of the game with 23 seconds left in the first quarter. Rice started the drive on NT's 36-yard line after a 19-yard punt by Will Atterberry.
Rice's first turnover of the game at the start of the second quarter led to a Mean Green touchdown by Jamaal Jackson. North Texas started the drive on Rice's 21-yard line, and on third and three, Tune found Jackson for a 14-yard touchdown pass. A Deans extra point led cut the Rice lead to two, 16-14.
Jeremy Phillips intercepted a pass at the end of the first half, stopping a Rice drive. The Mean Green entered half behind, 23-21.