Football

DENTON, Texas (10/31/09) - The North Texas football team defeated WKU, 68-49, tying a school record for most points in a single game, on Saturday afternoon at Fouts Field.

The Mean Green snapped a six-game losing streak to improve to 2-6 overall. NT also broke a 15-game conference losing streak and is now 1-4 in the Sun Belt. This is the Mean Green's first home win since Nov. 24, 2007 against the Hilltoppers. WKU falls to 0-8 and 0-4 this season. NT is now 3-0 in the series against WKU

The 68 points scored tied for the most points in school history. The last time the Mean Green scored 68 points was against Youngstown State in 1957.

Riley Dodge was responsible for seven touchdowns, which is the second most in school history. He threw four touchdown passes and had three TD runs. He finished the game completing 24 of 30 passes for 262 yards.

Lance Dunbar rushed for 227 yards, his second 200-yard rushing game in the last three games and his fifth straight 100-yard game. The sophomore has now rushed for 961 yards through eight games this year. Dunbar broke loose for a 71-yard touchdown scamper, tying the game at 49-49 at the end of the third quarter. The 71 yards was a career long for Dunbar and the longest play from scrimmage by North Texas this year.

The Mean Green outscored WKU, 19-0, in the fourth quarter, to take the win. The two teams ended the third quarter tied, 49-49. The two teams exchanged the lead three times and the game was tied five times.

Eddrick Gilmore posted North Texas' first safety of the season in the fourth quarter. It was the first safety since Nov. 4, 2006 against Louisiana-Lafayette. The safety increased the Mean Green lead to 12 points.

Jeremy Knott had one field goal opportunity in the game, a made 29-yard field goal that gave North Texas a 10-point lead with five minutes left in the game.

The defense also came up big in the second half with two turnovers. Jeremy Phillips intercepted his first pass of the year and the Mean Green's third of the season. The turnover led to Dodge's third rushing touchdown of the game and the first Mean Green lead since the first quarter, 59-49. A Brandon Akpunku sack for a loss put the WKU in a 3-for-17 position prior to the interception.

North Texas forced the first turnover of the game at the start of the second half, which led to a three-yard touchdown rush by Dodge, tying the game at 35-35. K.C. Obi forced the fumble at the North Texas 27-yard line. Dodge posted his second touchdown run later in the third quarter with an 18-yard rush, tying the game again, 42-42.

The Mean Green scored a season-high 28 points in the first half against WKU. NT also gave up a season-high 35 points. The two teams exchanged scores in the first quarter and ended with a 14-14 tie. WKU took a two-touchdown lead twice in the second quarter before Jamaal Jackson cut into the lead right before half with an 11-yard touchdown reception, 25-28.

Darius Carey had his first multi-touchdown game of his career with two in the first half. He gave North Texas a 14-7 lead in the first quarter with a 14-yard reception and then cut the deficit to 28-21 with a seven-yard grab in the end zone.

North Texas returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 7 when it faces ULM at home.