Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH) Top North Texas to Win 2021 Frisco Football Classic
Dec 23, 2021
FRISCO, TX - DECEMBER 23: Miami (Oh) Redhawks quarterback Brett Gabbert (5) passes during the Frisco Football Classic Bowl between North Texas and Miami (OH) on December 23, 2021 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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
It comes as little surprise Gabbert, the brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, had an impressive evening against the 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, the 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.
The 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.
Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, UTSA, Rice, UAB Accept AAC Invitations
Oct 21, 2021
MEMPHIS, TN - OCTOBER 14: The American Athletic Conference logo on the vest of a chain gang member during the game between the Memphis Tigers and the Navy Midshipmen on October 14, 2021, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. (Photo by Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The American Athletic Conference announced Thursday it has accepted six new member schools: UAB, Florida Atlantic, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA.
The conference did not confirm when the institutions will leave Conference USA and formally join the nine programs already in the AAC.
Commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement:
I am extremely pleased to welcome these six outstanding universities to the American Athletic Conference. This is a strategic expansion that accomplishes a number of goals as we take the conference into its second decade. We are adding excellent institutions that are established in major cities and have invested in competing at the highest level. We have enhanced geographical concentration which will especially help the conference's men's and women's basketball and Olympic sports teams.
The realignment dominoes began falling in July when the SEC confirmed it will add Oklahoma and Texas on July 1, 2025, at the latest.
That left the Big 12 in need of a countermove lest it lose ground to its Power Five rivals. The conference snagged BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to fill out its ranks, which dealt a major blow to the AAC since the latter three were member schools.
The next dominoes to fall could be in Conference USA. The AAC's move could be its death knell because its membership has been nearly halved, so other conferences may smell blood in the water.
Well, there it is.
Conference USA officially loses six of its members. It's not exactly high-major realignment, but nevertheless: pilfering nearly half of a league's inventory amounts to one of the more devastating sideswipes in realignment history. https://t.co/24BmOsH9T0
Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel reported that Conference USA schools were collecting less than $1 million in annual television revenue. By going to the AAC, that money will at least double and "rise significantly from there," per Thamel.
UCF, Cincinnati and Houston are set to leave the AAC on July 1, 2024, and each pay a $10 million buyout fee. Aresco told ESPN's Heather Dinich in September the timeline could be accelerated pending negotiations about the buyout.
An expedited exit might pave the way for UAB, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice and UTSA to make their AAC arrivals earlier than expected.
That may benefit Conference USA too since Thamel reported each school has to pay an exit fee of around $3 million.
North Texas LB Commit Willie Simmons III Killed in Shooting
Apr 19, 2021
Pelham High School football field is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, where Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney attended high school, in Pelham, Ala. Clemson will now play Alabama in the NCAA college football championship game on Monday. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Two high school athletes were among those killed in a shooting in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, according to Mark Schlabach of ESPN.
The Elgin Independent School District confirmed in a statement football player Willie Simmons III and basketball player Alyssa Broderick were both fatally shot. A third woman has not been identified by police.
Simmons signed a letter of intent with North Texas and was set to join the team this summer.
"We are heartbroken by the news of this senseless tragedy, and we extend our deepest condolences to the families of Willie Simmons III and Alyssa Broderick," Elgin ISD Superintendent Jodi Duron said in a statement. "The Elgin ISD community grieves the loss of these two young, promising souls."
Simmons was a two-time unanimous First Team All-District selection at linebacker as well as a three-time Academic All-District honoree and member of the National Honor Society, per hiscollege profile.
"Strong, both academically and athletically, he represented the very best of Elgin ISD," Duron said.
Police have arrested Stephen Broderick, a former sheriff's office detective, in connection with the shooting, perCNN.com. Authorities said Broderick knew all three victims, although a motive is not yet known.
Houston vs. North Texas Canceled Because of Coronavirus Concerns
Sep 23, 2020
Houston Cougars head coach Dana Holgorsen during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Washington State Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
The matchup between Houston and North Texas, scheduled for Saturday, has been canceled after four Mean Green players tested positive COVID-19, per Eddie Timanus of USA Today.
"We knew that there would be challenges with COVID-19 this season and we were taking precautions to hopefully avoid this situation," Wren Baker, the athletic director at North Texas, said in a statement. "Our student-athlete health and safety is the priority in every decision we make and that is what this difficult decision is based on. We are hopeful we can resume safe activities soon."
It's the fifth game on Houston's schedule that has either been postponed or canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic. They planned to open the season against Rice, but that was postponed. A matchup against Washington State was also canceled when the Pac-12 canned non-conference games. A matchup with Memphis was postponed, and a game they scheduled to replace it against Baylor was also nixed.
Houston is perhaps the best example of the complications inherent in attempting to hold a football season amid a pandemic, and for critics of having unpaid athletes perform under the shadow of the coronavirus, an example of how irresponsible the attempt is in the first place.
Houston athletics director Chris Pezman released the following statement after the cancellation of the game vs. North Texas:
"We understand this COVID-related decision North Texas has made to not play Saturday's game and appreciate the consistent dialogue with our program by UNT Athletics Director Wren Baker, his administration and medical staff during this week. I am disappointed for our student-athletes who have continued to focus on competing this season and were ready to play this Saturday. We will continue to work to adjust our schedule with the hopes of playing as soon as we can."
Because of the scheduling changes, Houston has yet to play a game this season, with its next scheduled matchup on Oct. 8 vs. Tulane.
North Texas' Tate Wallis Arrested for Alleged Improper Relationship with Student
Sep 3, 2020
Footballs used by the Northwestern team are seen on the filed before an NCAA college football game against Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
The quarterbacks coach at North Texas was arrested Thursday on counts of an improper relationship with a student, according to Brett Vito of the Denton Record-Chronicle.
Vito reports that Tate Wallis was arrested after the discovery of an alleged relationship when he was an offensive coordinator at Argyle High School in Texas last year before joining North Texas. The university has placed him on administrative leave.
Wallis was charged with two counts of an improper relationship between a student and educator in Denton County, Texas and was released on $20,000 bond.
The offenses date back to October and December of 2019 when he was a high school coach.
“We have been made aware of charges brought against a member of our football coaching staff for a matter unrelated to his employment with the university," North Texas said in a statement obtained byVito. "The employee has been placed on administrative leave and will not be allowed on campus or to participate in any job-related duties while on leave. We have initiated a review of the available information, and we will take appropriate action following completion of the review.”
Before joining North Texas, Wallis coached at Baylor University from 2009-2015 as a member of Art Briles' staff coaching wide receivers and was a two-year letterman at quarterback for SMU in 2002 and 2003.
Wallis has previously been sanctioned by the NCAA for impermissible contact with recruits while at Baylor and was suspended one game.
"I'm really looking forward to adding Coach Wallis to our staff," North Texas head coach Seth Littrellsaidin announcing Wallis' hiring. "He's been very successful everywhere he has been and will bring another creative dynamic to what we can do offensively. I'm excited about welcoming him into our family and can't wait to see him have the opportunity to work with our very talented quarterback room."
North Texas is set to open the season on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Houston Baptist University.
