DENTON, Texas (4/11/10) - Mean Green fans were treated to an old-fashioned quarterback duel at the annual North Texas Spring Game at Fouts Field on Sunday afternoon.
The South team's Derek Thompson dazzled the spring game crowd of 3,890, completing his first seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Overall the sophomore went 14-of-24 for 234 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Tune, who led the North team to a 17-14 win, completed 11-of-19 passes for 182 yards and a score.
Tune's North squad opened the scoring when he hooked up with Darius Carey for 32 yards, setting up a 27-yard field goal from Trent Deans.
Thompson didn't take long to strike back, hitting Alex Lott for 42 yards to take the ball down to the 2-yard line. James Hamilton finished the job with a 2-yard touchdown plunge to put the South on top 7-3.
Thompson added to his totals with a lightning quick drive that saw him hit a trio of quick passes for 80 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Jackson to put the South up 14-3.
Mean Green fans got a chance to see Tyler Stradford's blazing speed on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Tune. The junior raced past the secondary for the easy catch to bring the North back into contention at 14-10 in the third quarter.
Stradford led all receivers with three catches for 111 yards and a score. Carey wasn't far behind with 79 yards on four catches.
Freshman running back Brandin Byrd engineered a tough-nosed 79-yard drive, that saw the Copperas Cove native carry nine times for 50 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run. That scamper proved the difference, giving the North side the lead at 17-14 to start the fourth quarter.
North Texas will start the 2010 season at Clemson on Sept. 4. Tickets are available through the North Texas ticket office or at meangreensports.com.
