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The Miami RedHawks finished the 2021 season with a 27-14 win over the North Texas Mean Green in the Frisco Football Classic on Thursday at Toyota Stadium to finish with a 7-6 record. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
It was a fitting end to the season for the RedHawks, who won four of their final six regular-season games to become bowl eligible. It was also a nice bounce-back win for Miami as it fell short of winning the MAC East Division title with a 48-47 loss to Kent State on Nov. 27.
Before Thursday, Miami hadn’t won a bowl game since the end of the 2010 season. It’s also the team’s third winning season since recording 11 winning campaigns in a row from 1995-2005.
Notable Stats
Brett Gabbert, QB, MU: 22/31 for 228 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT
Austin Aune, QB, UNT: 15/32 for 228 YDS, 0 TD, 2 INT and 9 CAR for 28 YDS, 1 TD
Jack Sorenson, WR, MU: 7 REC for 116 YDS
Kenny Tracy, RB, MU: 14 CAR for 92 YDS, 1 TD
Damon Ward Jr., WR, UNT: 6 REC for 70 YDS
Brett Gabbert, Miami Offense Dominate
This should come as little surprise, but Gabbert, the brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, had an impressive evening against Mean Green.
The sophomore completed 22-of-31 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns against zero interceptions. It was his sixth straight game with at least 200 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.
It has been quite the turnaround for Gabbert, who has upped his game over the last several weeks. Though it’s worth noting the RedHawks had the best passing offense in the MAC during the regular season, having averaged 282.6 yards in the air over 12 games.
Gabbert entered Thursday’s game with a 167.6 passing efficiency rating over his last five games, per Sports Reference. He also threw for 1,682 yards and 17 touchdowns against four interceptions in that span, so it should come as no surprise that he showed out against North Texas.
He made big plays when necessary, including an 11-yard strike to open up the second half to put Miami up 27-14, and didn’t turn the ball over once.
It should also be mentioned that Miami entered Thursday’s game with a subpar third-down conversion percentage at 38 percent, which ranked 79th in the FBS. Gabbert and Co. converted 50 percent (8-of-16) of their third downs against North Texas, which is a big reason why they won.
However, Gabbert isn’t the only reason for Miami’s turnaround success.
Senior wide receiver Jack Sorenson finished Thursday’s game with seven catches for 116 yards. He entered with 961 yards and six touchdowns in his last seven games, a significant turnaround from the 329 yards and four scores he recorded in the team’s first five games of the season.
Freshman running back Kenny Tracy was also impressive, finishing Thursday’s game with 14 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown. It was his best game of the season, as his previous high was 50 rushing yards.
Mean Green’s Rushing Offense Suffers Without DeAndre Torrey
North Texas’ offense had been very one-dimensional during a five-game winning streak to close out the regular season. The Mean Green averaged 283 rushing yards per game in that span, largely because of DeAndre Torrey.
Torrey, who recorded 1,214 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 games, missed Thursday’s game against Miami for unspecified reasons. However, North Texas was expected to perform well on the ground against Miami as Ikaika Ragsdale and Ayo Adeyi entered having rushed for 511 and 479 yards, respectively.
But Torrey’s absence was glaring, as the North Texas offense finished with just 89 rushing yards and two rushing scores among Austin Aune, Ragsdale, Isaiah Johnson and Adeyi.
Further highlighting the team’s issues on the ground, the Mean Green entered Thursday’s game averaging 246.2 rushing yards per game (fourth in FBS). They didn’t even come close to that mark against Miami.
In addition, Mean Green’s passing offense underperformed. Quarterback Austin Aune completed 15-of-32 passes for 228 yards and no touchdowns against two interceptions. One of those turnovers was costly, as the RedHawks charged down the field for a touchdown to go up 20-14.
Mean Green’s offensive struggles highlight how well the RedHawks defense played. Miami’s rush defense entered having ranked third in the MAC, allowing just 150.7 yards per game on the ground. With that said, it explains why North Texas’ rushing offense struggled.
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