North Texas turned a 14-0 first quarter deficit into a dominant 56-24 road victory over Rice, scoring 56 of the game's final 66 points. Drew Mestemaker delivered a stellar performance with three touchdown passes, including two explosive connections with Wyatt Young for 74 and 84 yards. The Mean Green ground game was equally impressive, with Caleb Hawkins punching in three rushing touchdowns as North Texas pulled away with 35 unanswered points during a decisive middle-game stretch.