DENTON – UNT quarterback Tayven Jackson is off to a great start in his first season with the Mean Green, but Saturday’s performance against Charlotte might’ve been his finest yet.
 
Jackson completed his first 14 pass attempts for 208 yards and three touchdowns before finishing the day 24-of-31 for 349 yards and a career-best five touchdown passes in a 50-10 drubbing of Charlotte at DATCU Stadium.
 
Jackson became the fourth UNT quarterback since at least 1995 to have a game with at least 325 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, joining the likes of Chandler Rogers, Chandler Morris and Mason Fine, who did it twice.
 
“I think we’re playing our best football at home,” head coach Neal Brown said. “Believe it or not this is the midpoint [of the season]. We’re halfway done and we’re 4-2 and 3-0 at home, and we have to continue to defend DATCU. We’re a better football team and that’s a struggling team at Charlotte, for whatever reason, but it showed maturity that we could come out and take care of business.”
 
Jackson had quite the supporting cast, as senior running back Jahiem White continued his torrid run of success with 105 yards on just 12 carries with a 61-yard touchdown scamper. He is now the only player in The American with five games this season with at least 100 total yards from scrimmage. Senior wide receiver Justin Stevenson had a career day as well, with nine catches for 122 yards to tie his career high set earlier this season and a pair of touchdowns to give him four in the Mean Green’s last two games.
 
As good as the offense was, the defense might’ve been more impressive.
 
UNT (4-2, 2-0 American) allowed 274 total yards, which was the fewest allowed to an FBS opponent since 2024, and 56 rushing yards, which was the fewest by an FBS opponent since 2021. The Mean Green forced two turnovers to give them nine takeaways on the season. They also held Charlotte without a single trip inside the red zone.
 
“We’re getting better on that side of the ball for sure,” Brown said. “There were a couple of explosive plays in the first half but other than that I was really pleased with how we did.”
 
The Mean Green will now head into their bye week before a huge conference matchup on the road at Navy on Oct. 24. That game is set for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on CBS Sports Network.
 
“We have to take advantage of the bye week,” Brown said. “We’ll give them time. We’ll practice three times and it’s not a normal bye week because we play Navy coming out and have to get ready for the triple option. But we have to get our guys healthy at the midpoint of the season and get better as we move along.”

QUICK HITS


The Mean Green win gives them a 2-2 split in all-time the series.
The 40-point margin of victory was the largest for UNT in a conference game since a 49-7 win over FIU on Nov. 20, 2021, and the largest ever as a member of The American, besting a 38-point win over UTSA last season.
UNT’s captains for the game were Zakye Barker and Tayven Jackson.
The Mean Green entered the season with 70 newcomers, which puts UNT at 215 new players over the past three seasons – good for the most in FBS in that time.
UNT is one of two FBS teams in the country to return zero starters from 2025 – the other is Iowa State.
The Mean Green have an average age of 21.01, which is the second-oldest roster in FBS behind American Conference foe UTSA.
The Mean Green’s 580 total yards marked the fourth straight game they have reached at least 500 yards of total offense.
For the second time this season, UNT scored on each of its first three possessions with a field goal and two touchdowns. In the win over UNLV, UNT had two straight field goals and then a touchdown in its first three drives.
The Mean Green’s one-play, 75-yard scoring drive in the second quarter was their second one-play scoring drive of the season after a 14-yard, one-play drive against Houston Christian.
Fifth-year QB Tayven Jackson (Greenwood, Ind.) finished 24 for 31 for 349 yards passing and five touchdowns.

Jackson’s 349 yards gave him his third 300-yard passing game of the season and his career, and his third in just his past four games.
Jackson is the fourth different UNT quarterback since at least 1995 to have a game of 325+ passing yards, 5+ passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in a game, joining Chandler Morris, Chandler Rogers and Mason Fine (twice).
Jackson’s five touchdown passes in a game is a new career high and the ties for third-most in single-game program history. The most recent five-passing touchdown game for a UNT quarterback was Chandler Morris against Tulsa on Sept. 28, 2024.
Jackson completed his first 14 pass attempts for 208 yards and three touchdowns before his first incompletion.
Jackson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Justin Stevenson with 9:31 left in the first quarter was the 11th of the season and 27th of his career. His 11 touchdown passes this season sets a new single-season high.
Jackson’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Koch with 14:13 left in the second quarter was his 12th of the season and 28th of his career.
Jackson’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Baron Tipton with 13:48 left in the second quarter was his 13th of the season and 29th of his career.
Jackson’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Max Reese with 0:20 left in the second quarter was his 14th of the season and 30th of his career.
Jackson’s 34-yard touchdown pass to Stevenson with 10:23 left in the third quarter was his 15th of the season and 31st of his career.


Senior RB Jahiem White (York, Pa.) finished the day with 12 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown and added two catches for 37 yards.

White is the only player in The American with five games this season of at least 100 total yards from scrimmage.
White’s 105 yards gave him a 100-yard rushing day for the third straight game and fourth in his last five, and it marks the 11th time he’s eclipsed the century mark in his career.
White now has scored a rushing touchdown in eight straight games dating back to Aug. 30, 2025, while at West Virginia. It’s also his 10th game with a touchdown in his past 11 games.
White’s 61-yard touchdown run with 6:29 left in the second quarter was his ninth of the season and 23rd of his career. It was his 11th overall touchdown of the season and 28th of his career.


Senior WR Justin Stevenson (Philadelphia, Pa.), finished with nine catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

Stevenson’s 100-yard receiving day was the second of his career, with the first coming earlier this season at Texas State.
Stevenson’s 5-yard touchdown reception with 9:01 left in the first quarter was his fourth of the season and the seventh of his career. The four touchdowns on the season sets a new high for Stevenson.
Stevenson’s 34-yard touchdown reception with 10:23 left in the third quarter was his fifth of the season and eighth of his career.
Stevenson has now scored touchdowns in each of the past three games, and two in two straight games after a pair last week against Tulsa.


Junior WR Kyle Koch (Dripping Springs, Texas) finished with four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.

Koch’s 12-yard touchdown reception with 14:13 left in the second quarter was his third of the season and his career. He now has touchdowns in three of the past four games.


Fifth-year TE Max Reese (Chicago, Ill.) finished the day with three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Reese’s 20-yard touchdown reception with 0:20 left in the second quarter was his third of the season and fifth of his career, and it was his second straight game with a touchdown.


Junior WR Baron Tipton (Coppell, Texas) finished with three catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Tipton’s 75-yard touchdown reception with 13:48 left in the second quarter was his second of the season and of his career.
Tipton’s 75-yard reception was the longest passing play of the season and second-longest overall play of the season. It’s the longest passing play for UNT since Nov. 28, 2025, against Temple.


The 274 total yards allowed by the Mean Green was the fewest allowed to an FBS opponent since UNT allowed just 244 total yards to Wyoming on Sept. 21, 2024.

The 56 rushing yards allowed was the fewest by an FBS opponent since Liberty had 45 on Oct. 23, 2021.


UNT held Charlotte without a trip in the red zone for the entire game, marking the first time since its 51-0 shutout of Lamar on Aug. 30, 2025, that a UNT opponent has failed to get inside the red zone and the first time since at least 2020 that an FBS opponent hasn’t visited the red zone.
Brayden Knox’s sack in the end zone midway through the second quarter gave UNT its first safety since Nov. 19, 2016 against Southern Miss.
Fifth-year DL Davion Rhodes (Camilla, Ga.) finished the day with five tackles, including two solo stops, two sacks, 2.5 tackles for-loss, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

Rhodes’ 2.0 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss are both career highs.


Fifth-year DL David Onuoha (Cliffwood, N.J.) finished the day with six tackles, including two solo stops, and a half-tackle for loss.
Junior LB Cedric Roberts (Fort Valley, Ga.) finished the day with six tackles, including three solo stops, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Sophomore LB Brenden Reese (Longview, Texas) finished the day with six tackles, including three solo stops.
Freshman DL Dylan Williams (Duncanville, Texas) finished the day with four tackles, including two solo stops, a half-sack and a half-tackle for loss.
Sophomore DL Brayden Knox (Oklahoma City, Okla.) finished the day with three tackles, including two solo stops, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Senior DB CJ Coombes (Bellafonte, Del.) finished the day with a tackle and an interception.

Coombes’ interception was his first of the season and second of his career.


Sophomore K Dominic De Freitas (Nappanee, Ind.) finished 5-for-5 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goals.
Freshman K Michael Taylor II (Houston, Texas) finished the day with six touchbacks on his eight kickoffs.