BCSNN — It's time for the home crowd in Denton to see, in person, what Head Ball Coach Neal Brown has in store for the Mean Green faithful. After opening the season under a national spotlight in Bloomington against reigning national champ Indiana, the North Texas football team returns home Saturday for a pivotal early‑season test. The Mean Green will be hosting UNLV at 2:45 p.m. CT inside DATCU Stadium in a nationally televised matchup on ESPNU.
The matchup arrives with stakes that extend beyond Denton. Entering the season, college football analysts identified two frontrunners for the Group of Six College Football Playoff bid — and one of them is the UNLV team arriving this weekend. Brown said the Mean Green are eager to play in front of their home crowd after last week’s physical showing against defending national champion Indiana.
“We’re fired up and glad to be home,” Brown said. “It’s a quality opponent in UNLV, and coach Dan Mullen has been doing it a long time. They were the top G6 team in the preseason, so they’ll be ready to roll.”
Senior tight end Brec Long echoed the excitement of finally playing in front of a home audience.
“You get that chance to have all the fans and a big support group there,” Long said. “It’s hard to have that at an away game at a place like Indiana. We’re excited for a big fan base and we’re ready to go.”
Despite the loss to Indiana, North Texas returned with confidence in its physicality. The Mean Green matched the Hoosiers in the trenches for much of the afternoon, a point Brown and his players emphasized.
“It wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” senior safety CJ Coombes said. “But this is definitely the biggest bit of confidence I’ve had after a loss in my career. We really held up physicality‑wise. We punched those guys in the mouth.”
Brown agreed, noting that while execution faltered late, the team’s toughness never did.
“We went toe‑to‑toe with the best team in the country,” Brown said. “We played with a lot of strain, but we have to pay more attention to detail. When you’re not doing that, you get exposed.”
North Texas will again rely on its “next man up” mentality in the secondary. The cornerback room has been hit hard by injuries, with Caden Jenkins, Zach Johnson, and Chase Canada all ruled out for Saturday. Versatile defensive back BJ Allen Jr., who has played safety and nickel, is expected to start at corner.
“BJ Allen has positional flexibility,” Brown said. “Peyton Taylor and Keshawn Davila have looked good, and Ja’Bree Bickham is coming along. We still have five guys who can play there.”
Coombes praised Allen’s leadership and adaptability.
“BJ has been all over the secondary and is doing a phenomenal job being prepared,” he said.
UNLV presents a unique challenge, led by Denton native Jackson Arnold, who starred at Guyer High School and is now in his third collegiate stop. Arnold has been the focal point of the Rebels’ offense, rushing 37 times through two games while averaging 203.5 passing yards and accounting for five total touchdowns.
“He’s very mobile and a really good quarterback,” Coombes said. “They have a really good running back too. He’s explosive and patient. They’ve got talent.”
Running back Jai’Den Thomas has averaged 93.5 rushing yards per game, and seven UNLV receivers have already surpassed 30 yards this season, giving the Rebels a balanced attack.
Brown said the matchup carries weight not only for North Texas but for the American Conference as a whole.
“It’s our home opener and our fans deserve for us to play quality football at home,” Brown said. “Coming into the year, UNLV and Boise State were kind of 1–2 in the G6. This is an important game for UNT and for the American Conference. We played three‑and‑a‑half quarters against the defending national champions. We just have to play four quality quarters of football.”
