The Texas State Bobcats set out to defend their First Responder Bowl title against the North Texas Mean Green Eagles on Friday. One team was walking in with a roster torn asunder by the transfer portal. The other held all the cards for victory. So how did this game end up being the first thriller of the year?
Texas State Escapes With The Win In the First Responder Bowl
Mestemaker’s Big Impact
The biggest story going into this game was the departure of Chandler Morris. North Texas’ best quarterback in years moving to Virginia just before the bowl game was one of many factors spelling woe for the Mean Green. With nobody else to turn to, North Texas was going to have to put their faith in the walk-on freshman Drew Mestemaker.
Turns out, he’s actually a hidden gem.
The last time Mestemaker started a football game was in his freshman year of high school. Yet, from the moment he took the field, Mestemaker was making plays as if he’d been the starter for North Texas all along. Two big back-to-back touchdowns put the Mean Green ahead early and, despite some stumbles, Mestemaker was playing his heart out all night. If he reminds you of anyone, it’s probably Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold.
McCloud Stays For Texas State
One of the question marks heading into this game was Texas State quarterback Jordan McCloud. With an NFL career on the horizon, it was doubtful if McCloud would actually opt in for the First Responder Bowl. Instead, he chose to opt in.
Despite being shut down time and time again early on, McCloud powered through. With just minutes to go before the half, McCloud got the Bobcats on the board to overtake North Texas. McCloud would follow that up by draining most of the third-quarter clock to extend the lead.
The Bobcat Crawl
Texas State chose to play it safe for the First Responder Bowl. Each time they got their hands on the ball, the Bobcats had to drive the length of the field. They also chose to do so very slowly. Deliberately and subtly, Texas State was cornering the Mean Green.
This playstyle is often seen as one of desperation. Here, though, it was a brilliant long-term design. By draining so much time off the clock, North Texas’ momentum was curtailed, and the pressure to bounce back increased each time they failed to score. Sure, the Mean Green might be driving half the field in ninety seconds- but if they’re not scoring, their backs are just being pushed closer and closer to the wall.
Down to the Wire
Back-to-back mistakes suddenly heightened the stakes in the closing minutes of the game. At 23-14, Texas State was minutes away from defending their First Responder Bowl title. Then, McCloud threw an interception to Evan Jackson.
Mestemaker and the Mean Green would take it forty yards in the opposite direction. Then, Mestemaker would fumble to Kalil Alexander. Twenty yards later, Texas State fumbled it back to North Texas. Wasting no time, Mestemaker launched a missile to Landon Sides for a forty-two-yard gain to the one-yard line. Makenzie McGill II punched it in to make this a two-point game at 23-21.
Lincoln Pare would escape a blitz for a 73-yard touchdown run. Mestemaker then bolted down the field for his own 7o yard touchdown run. Suddenly, there were just twelve seconds left and North Texas had used its last timeout. On 4th and 11, stuck in their own red zone and with nowhere to go, Mestemaker sent up an unanswered prayer that ended in an interception.
North Texas and Texas State: By The Numbers
The First Responder Bowl ends with a narrow Texas State victory at 30-28. North Texas comes away with 491 yards of offense. This means they’re ending their season with 6,355 yards of offense. Mestemaker completed 26 of 41 passes for 393 yards. This means the walk-on has out thrown both quarterbacks of the Sugar Bowl and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. He was also this game’s leading rusher. North Texas held the ball for 22 minutes.
Texas State finishes the game with 508 yards of offense. This puts the Bobcats’ season total at 6,200 yards of offense. McCloud heads to the NFL with 26 of 35 passes completed. Texas State held the ball for 38 minutes.
What’s Next after the First Responder Bowl?
This year’s bowl game ends with Texas State ultimately defending its First Responder Bowl title. The Bobcats are losing a good number of talents and staff after this. It will be difficult to recapture the magic of the 2024 season.
North Texas fought its heart out, but it just wasn’t enough. However, they can look to the future with hope. If he can stay out of the transfer portal, North Texas has a ready-made star to build their program around in Mestemaker.
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