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DENTON - A dominant first-half performance propelled Lousiana Tech to a commanding lead that the Mean Green could not overcome in a 42-21 loss Thursday night at Apogee Stadium. The glow of last Saturday's decisive win over SMU quickly dimmed in Thursday's Conference USA opener, as the North Texas offense was ineffective until the third quarter and the defense was unable to stop Louisiana Tech's prolific passing game, which in turn enabled the Bulldog ground game to have success. Louisiana Tech had 371 yards of total offense to 255 for the Mean Green. "That's a real good football team," North Texas coach Dan McCarney said of the Bulldogs. "We knew this was going to be a real challenge, and we didn't meet the challenge." For the second time in three games, North Texas came out punchless on offense, going three-and-out in its first six possessions and accumulating just three yards total offense. The Mean Green didn't pick up a first down until late in the first half and was shut out in the opening 30 minutes for the second time this season. The Mean Green defense kept the game scoreless, allowing just three first downs in the opening quarter, until Louisiana Tech got its passing game moving in the second period, cashing in three consecutive drives for touchdown passes and a 21-0 halftime lead. North Texas finally mounted a drive in the third quarter as quarterback Josh Greer, who struggled in the first half, completed five-of-six passes and directed the Mean Green into Bulldog territory. But North Texas wide receiver Carl Caldwell had the ball knocked loose, and Louisiana Tech recovered the fumble and returned it to the North Texas two-yard line, setting up a Kenneth Dixon scoring run and a 28-0 lead. The Mean Green put together an eight-play, 59-yard scoring drive to cut the margin to 28-7 in the third quarter, and had a pair of scoring drives in the fourth quarter capped by touchdown runs by Antoinne Jimmerson and Erick Evans. What They Said "They were the better team tonight. They made more plays." --North Texas coach Dan McCarney on Louisiana Tech "The biggest thing to fix is staying together. It's a brotherhood. We weren't pointing fingers, but we were out of whack. We'll get this fixed." --Senior defensive back James Jones "They loaded up the box and wanted to take the running game away." --Senior offensive lineman Mason Y'Barbo on the Bulldogs defensive approach "We weren't nearly as ready or as good as we could be or should be. It's everybody's fault. We didn't play well on offense, defense, or special teams." --McCarney on his team's performance Read more: http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/091114aab.html