UNLV vs. North Texas: What to know about the Mean Green

UNLV will face North Texas in Week 2 after opening Mountain West Conference play with a victory over Hawaii. The Rebels’ defense limited the Rainbow Warriors to six points, setting up a road test against a Mean Green squad that is entering the season under a new coach and with a heavily reshaped roster. North Texas opened its campaign with a 52‑16 loss to defending national champion Indiana. The Mean Green trailed by just two scores heading into the fourth quarter and had cut the deficit to nine points early in the third before Indiana unleashed a 21‑0 fourth‑quarter surge to seal the win. Despite the final margin, UNLV head coach Dan Mullen pointed to the competitiveness of that performance as evidence of a looming challenge. “A huge game this week against an obviously very, very, talented team,” Mullen said Monday. “You saw how they hung with Indiana. I know the score at the end, Indiana kind of pulled away with 3 late TDs, but it was right there until the final whistle against the defending national champs, so it’ll be a great test for us.” Mullen also noted the advantage of having at least one game on film to study, contrasting it with the season‑opener against Memphis. “I mean, you’re trying to figure it out. You have 1 game on them. Better than Memphis, where you had zero games. At least there’s something we can watch on a team we’re going to play, take notes off of and learn,” he said. North Texas is embarking on a new era under head coach Neal Brown, who became the 21st coach in program history after six seasons at West Virginia. Before arriving in Denton, Brown led Troy from 2015 to 2018 and entered his first year at North Texas with a 72‑51 overall record as a head coach. The 2025 Mean Green roster, once ranked among the nation’s most productive offenses, has undergone significant turnover. Former quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who amassed over 4,300 passing yards and 34 touchdowns before transferring to Oklahoma State, is no longer on the squad. The revamped lineup features senior transfer Tayven Jackson, who joined the team from Indiana during the offseason and made his first start against his former school. Against the Hoosiers, Jackson completed 22 of 28 passes for 192 yards and added 22 rushing yards. Running back Jahiem White contributed 97 yards from scrimmage and scored North Texas’ lone touchdown; White previously played at West Virginia under Brown. Defensively, UNLV senior Tre Fulton emphasized focusing on execution rather than the opponent’s reputation. “For us, I feel like it’s always about us, and we just have to control the things we can control, get to the ball, play hard and play with effort. But those guys are good. They play hard and they’re physical, so we’re going to have to bring our A‑game,” Fulton said. Fulton was subsequently named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week after recording 12 tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack versus Hawaii. The Rebels hold a 5‑1 all‑time advantage over the Mean Green, most recently prevailing 58‑27 in September 2022 under former head coach Marcus Arroyo. That history, combined with the recent performances of both sides, sets the stage for a pivotal early‑season showdown.