North Texas outduels Florida Atlantic 48-41 in offensive fireworks show

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North Texas outduels Florida Atlantic 48-41 in offensive fireworks show

DENTON, TX - OCTOBER 29: North Texas Mean Green running back Jahiem White (1) breaks through the line of scrimmage towards the end zone during the game between the North Texas Mean Green and the Florida Atlantic Owls on October 29, 2026 at DATCU Stadium in Denton, TX. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Steve Helwick · SB Nation

Fri, October 30, 2026 at 7:22 AM UTC ·

8 min read

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If there was any game destined to produce points, it was Thursday night's spectacle in Denton.

Vegas set the over/under for North Texas vs. Florida Atlantic at 77.5, marking the highest-total of the season. But with two top-10 passing offenses, two top-20 scoring offenses, and a pair of bottom-25 scoring defenses, even that lofty projection couldn't keep pace with these two explosive attacks.

Backed by a record-setting student turnout, North Texas emerged victorious in the offensive fireworks show, outlasting Florida Atlantic, 48-41. The two teams combined for 1,148 yards of offense, 11 touchdowns, and four field goals in a battle that never went more than eight minutes without a scoring play.

"We're playing high-level offense," North Texas head coach Neal Brown said. "We're playing as good of offense as anybody in the country."

For North Texas, it production came from the usual suspects — the "big three" of quarterback Tayven Jackson, running back Jahiem White, and wide receiver Justin Stevenson. While the trio delivered another prolific outing, Brown wasn't fully satisfied with his stars' execution on offense.

"I thought we competed, and this sounds crazy because we had 625 yards, but we played a B-minus game," North Texas head coach Neal Brown said. "I mean that in a humble way. I don't think any of our big three played above a B. I thought Jahiem was careless with the ball. Justin did some uncharacteristic things on routes, had a couple drops. Tayven did some things, going the wrong way and not pulling the ball when he should have pulled the ball. Don't get me wrong. We won and we played well because of those guys, but because of their talent, they're gonna be held to a really high standard. I thought they played good, maybe just under good, but not at a high enough level for us to go win the league."

Jackson entered Thursday ranked third nationally in passing, averaging 310 yards per game. Yet, he blew well past that mark against the Owls, completing an efficient 33-of-46 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns.

DENTON, TX - OCTOBER 29: North Texas Mean Green quarterback Tayven Jackson (2) scrambles for a first down during the game between the North Texas Mean Green and the Florida Atlantic Owls on October 29, 2026 at DATCU Stadium in Denton, TX. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

White was just as dominant on the ground. The nation's sixth-leading rusher nearly doubled his season average, amassing 193 yards and two touchdowns. The star running back has now scored in all eight games since transferring to North Texas and surpassed 100 yards for the fifth-straight week. White reached the century mark before halftime, giving the Mean Green their first lead at 24-17 on a 59-yard touchdown sprint. North Texas improved to 6-0 this season when White eclipses 100 yards.

"They're elite players," Brown said of Jackson and White. "Two of the top reasons we're playing good and winning is because of those two guys, even though I'm not always pleased of what they do, I'm appreciative that they're on our team. I think Tayven is an elite player. The cool thing about Tayven is he can continue to get better. We snapped the ball 82 times, and there's like 10 or 12 that are significant plays that he could have handled better. That's encouraging to me."

Stevenson rounded out the trio with nine catches for 119 receiving yards and a touchdown. The senior has now recorded three consecutive 100-yard receiving performances and found the end zone in five straight games. North Texas also received substantial contributions from its supporting cast. Kyle Koch hauled in nine passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns, Dalton Carnes contributed 66 yards on three first down receptions, and tight end Max Reese recorded seven catches for 85 yards.

The offensive fireworks were just as impressive on the other sideline. Florida Atlantic quarterback Caden Veltkamp threw 56 passes — tying Jackson for the most by any quarterback this season — and completed 37 for 452 yards and five touchdowns. It was the second-highest passing total of Veltkamp's career and the fourth-highest by an FBS quarterback this season. The fifth-year senior has now thrown five touchdown passes in a game five times during his college career.

"It's definitely fun, but I could care less," Veltkamp said. "We won a game earlier this year 16-10. I gotta look back personally at myself and figure out how I can get better from those types of games, and I gotta look back at these shootout types of games and figure out how to get better in these ones. I don't care how we win, as long as we win."

Despite the standout numbers, Veltkamp focused more on the two turnovers that proved costly in the defeat. In the middle of the third quarter, North Texas defensive end Brayden Knox stripped Veltkamp on a sack, and the Mean Green recovered. North Texas quickly capitalized, building its first two-score advantage of the night at 34-24. Then in the fourth quarter, North Texas cornerback Peyton Taylor intercepted Veltkamp at the 2-yard line, erasing a golden opportunity for the Owls to cut the deficit with 13 minutes remaining.

"You gotta look back at the bad to figure out how to get better," Veltkamp said. "To me, that's the turning point in the game. That's why we didn't win the game — because I turned the ball over in the red zone."

One reason Florida Atlantic kept responding: wide receiver Easton Messer was impossible to contain, turning in a record-breaking performance Thursday night. Messer was targeted 16 times and caught 16 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns, shattering his own program record for receptions in a single game. The performance extended an incredible stretch for Messer, who has now scored eight touchdowns across his last eight quarters of action. Brown said North Texas' defense "tried everything on Messer," but the Mean Green struggled to find an viable solution.

"He's one of the best in the country, if not the best in the country," said Veltkamp, who has played with Messer since 2022 at Western Kentucky. "He's my best friend and I know where he's gonna be at all times. It's never changed. They bracketed him a little bit, but everybody does now. If you're a defensive and you're not bracketing him, you should probably get fired."

DENTON, TX - OCTOBER 29: Florida Atlantic Owls quarterback Caden Veltkamp (10) looks downfield for an open receiver during the game between the North Texas Mean Green and the Florida Atlantic Owls on October 29, 2026 at DATCU Stadium in Denton, TX. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

While both offenses found success, the difference came down to which defense could generate one or two consequential plays. North Texas forced two turnovers, while Florida Atlantic failed to notch a single one. One contributing factor to those turnovers was the Mean Green's ability to generate better pressure than the Owls, particularly in the second half.

"I thought in the second half especially, we were able to win some one-on-ones," Brown said. "That was really the turning point is we were able to get off the field a couple times and takeaways and getting them behind the sticks there. I thought our d-line — we liked the matchup coming in — and I thought they did a good job."

Florida Atlantic (5-3, 2-2 American) participated in yet another high-scoring shootout after surviving Rice in a 51-49 thriller five days prior. Florida Atlantic is already enjoying its best season of the 2020s decade, but defensive struggles are preventing the team from an even better year. After allowing at least 48 points in three consecutive games, the next step for head coach Zach Kittley's team is finding a way to make those consequential defensive plays.

"There's bright spots, right?" Kittley said. "I know that's hard to say with the performance we've had the last three weeks and the yardage that we've given up and the points. But I think you saw what it looked like when we're playing against a non-triple (option) when we're all on the same page and doing our job. And again, you're talking about the No. 2 offense in the country. So we knew it was going to be tough sledding out there. They're really good."

North Texas (6-2, 4-0 American) opened conference play 4-0 for the first time since 2004, when it competed in the Sun Belt. Under its first-year head coach, the Mean Green remain perfect undefeated against American opponents and have won 10 straight conference matchups, dating back to last October. Despite losing all 22 primary starters from the 2025 team, North Texas has reloaded and positioned itself as a contender for a second consecutive American Championship Game appearance. The Mean Green also secured bowl eligibility Thursday night, although Brown made it clear that attaining six wins was simply a surface-level goal for his team.

"(Bowl eligibility) is our floor goal, but it's important," Brown said. "I don't want to minimize that either, especially with all the turnover we had, but that's our floor goal. Now we've got that checked off. We want to be undefeated at home, we got another opportunity at Rice, so we've got to continue to check that off. We want to continue to control our own destiny in our league, and to do that, we've gotta keep winning."

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