North Texas annihilates UNLV, 44-6, for Neal Brown’s first win

In September 2025, the Washington State social media team tweeted a preview graphic for its upcoming game against North Texas. The graphic depicted a desert, an oil rig, saguaro cacti, and an eagle in a cowboy hat with a holster. The depiction of Denton could not be more detached from reality, but North Texas’ fanbase decided to embrace the misrepresentation, and the eagle from the graphic — ‘Desert Scrappy’ — became a program icon, embroidered on Neal Brown’s polo at his weekly press conference.

North Texas beat Washington State, 59-10.

One year later, the UNLV social media team tweeted a hype video set to Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” for its looming game against North Texas, also depicting Denton as a desert atmosphere.

North Texas beat UNLV, 44-6.

Any time another program is unsure what Denton looks like, North Texas takes them sightseeing. And the No. 1 attraction the Mean Green show on this sightseeing tour is the lopsided scoreboard at DATCU Stadium.

The Mean Green obliterated UNLV by 38 points to record the first win of Neal Brown’s coaching tenure. It was a thorough domination from start to finish and the Rebels were held out of the end zone for the first time since Sept. 18, 2021. Meanwhile, under the direction of new defensive coordinator Matt Powledge, North Texas prevented an FBS opponent from scoring a touchdown for the first time since Sept. 21, 2019.

Hours earlier on Saturday, roughly 230 miles north, a significant portion of North Texas’ 2025 roster and coaching staff — now at Oklahoma State — upset No. 6 Oregon. That result showcased the sheer amount of talent the Mean Green lost from 2025 to 2026. But Saturday afternoon in Denton proved how well the program reloaded under Coach Brown. North Texas handled the preseason Mountain West favorite in every phase of the game.

Offensively, quarterback Tayven Jackson spread the wealth around in a performance featuring 233 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown. Running back Jahiem White, who starred under Brown at West Virginia, looked fresh in his second game back from a knee injury, generating 124 rushing yards and a touchdown. With the former Big 12 starters leading the way, North Texas accrued 444 yards of offense against a UNLV defense which didn’t allow more than 27 points in its first two contests.

Defensively, the Mean Green dominated the turnover battle, 4-0. North Texas, which accumulated the fifth-most takeaways in the FBS last season, continued the trend with a completely new staff and roster. Bryce Garza secured the lone interception of the game, while three different Mean Green players scooped up a fumble. The turnover creation was assisted by an assertive defensive line which registered four sacks against the Rebels, including 1.5 courtesy of UMass transfer defensive end David Onuoha.

Even on special teams, North Texas showed nothing but excellence in the Denton Desert. Kicker Dominic De Freitas sunk all three of his field goal attempts, producing the first six points of the game before North Texas fully settled in. From there, it was a steady beatdown, as North Texas unquestionably controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides.

UNLV (1-2, 1-0 Mountain West) is now 0-2 against the American Conference this season. The Rebels watched their Week 0 game against Memphis slip away in the second half, and this time, they weren’t even in the same territory as their opponent. The inability to move the ball in the second half continues to plague UNLV, which has only scored 17 second half points in three games. These offensive struggles can be primarily attributed to the frontlines, as the Rebels were out-sacked by opponents, 10-2, in their two losses.

North Texas (1-1, 0-0 American) earned its first victory with Coach Brown and his significantly overturned roster. One week after playing respectably for a half against defending champion Indiana, North Texas found its full gear and obliterated what is expected to be one of the top teams in the Mountain West. The Mean Green now must return to the road and make a similar statement against a new Pac-12 team in Texas State.