Recap: North Texas vs. Ball State

Harry · September 15, 2013

Derek Thompson passed 274 yards and added 72 more on the ground as he led the North Texas Mean Green to a 34-27 comeback victory over the Ball State Cardinals in a non-conference bout at Apogee Stadium.

Thompson completed 31-of-47 pass attempts and averaged 12 yards per carry for North Texas (2-1), which overcame a 14-point halftime deficit last week before losing to Ohio. This week, the Mean Green trailed by 11 points in the second quarter and for 47 minutes of the game. Brelan Chancellor and Darnell Smith both made nine receptions in the win. Chancellor finished with a team-best 88 yards and a touchdown while Smith amassed 64 yards. Brandin Byrd and Reggie Pegram combined for 144 yards on the ground. Zachary Orr paced the defense with 11 total tackles, one stop for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Ball State (2-1) suffered its first setback of the 2013 campaign as Keith Wenning completed 27-of-46 pass attempts for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Willie Snead tallied 77 yards and two scores on five catches while Jamill Smith racked up 115 yards on four receptions. Star tailback Jahwan Edwards was sidelined again as he continues to recover from a concussion. Horactio Banks contributed 141 yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts.

The Cardinals jumped on top just over three minutes after kickoff as Wenning completed a two-yard touchdown pass to Snead. The extra-point conversion by Scott Secor was no good, which kept UNT down 6-0.

The Mean Green picked up a couple of first downs on their opening drive as Thompson connected on six short passes, but they had to settle for a 48-yard field goal by Zach Paul which cut Ball State's lead in half.

Ball State created some distance on the scoreboard as Banks broke away for a 77-yard touchdown run at the 5:28 mark of the opening quarter. The Cardinals' defense helped the cause as senior cornerback Jeffery Garrett forced Antoinne Jimmerson to fumble with UNT backed up against its own goal line. Brian Jones scooped up loose ball and returned it three yards for six points. Secor's made extra-point try put BSU ahead, 20-3, as the contest progressed into the second stanza.

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