North Texas hasn’t been undefeated this late in a season since before ‘Mean’ Joe Greene

DENTON, Texas (AP) — The last time North Texas was undefeated this deep into a season, the team was still known as the Eagles and it was nearly a decade before “Mean” Joe Greene would be the school’s only consensus All-American.

That was 1959, when running back and future AFL star Abner Haynes helped the Eagles to a 5-0 start.

Now with a redshirt freshman quarterback who never started a varsity game in high school, a roster with 50 transfers and a defense whose turnover celebration honors former player and wrestling star “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the Mean Green (5-0, 1-0 American) are about to play one of the most-hyped games in school history.

North Texas, coming off an open date, hosts 24th-ranked South Florida (4-1, 1-0) on Friday night in a nationally televised game. The Bulls began this season with consecutive wins over Top 25 teams.

“I told the kids this week, we’ve earned the right for us to be able to be on this stage and do this,” Mean Green coach Eric Morris said. “Just like anything in life, you’ve got to seize opportunities when they’re there.”

But as for the potential playoff implications, and which Group of Five team could be in the mix for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff in two months, Morris said, “I mentioned that zero to our team.”

The young QB

Drew Mestemaker was a walk-on last season with the Mean Green, and went from being the sixth quarterback listed on the depth chart to having 448 total yards (393 passing, 55 rushing) when making his first career start in their bowl game after Chandler Morris transferred to Virginia.

Mestemaker is one of three FBS quarterbacks this year with more than 1,000 yards passing and no interceptions (Illinois’ Luke Altmyer and UConn’s Joe Fagnano). The UNT freshman has completed 106 of 156 passes (67.9%) for 1,247 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“He’s like, OK, it’s finally my turn, let’s make the most of this,” Morris said.

“Watching him grow in front of our eyes is just amazing each and every day,” tight end Tre Williams III said. “Just a natural quarterback … a naturally gifted kid.”

Coming together

North Texas brought in 11 Power Four transfers this season, along with 19 from other FBS schools, and 20 from non-FBS schools and junior colleges.

Six defensive players came from Sam Houston State with new defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity. The Bearkats went 10-3 and got their first bowl victory last season with one of the nation’s top defenses.

“We all just had one common goal in mind. We all want a championship, so we just all bought into what coach Morris and Coach Cassity and the whole staff have been preaching,” said Williams, who came from NCAA Division II Limestone.

“It’s kind of hard to not fall into place quickly, and things like that, because everybody is on the same page,” said Jones, a transfer from Old Dominion.

‘Mean Greene’ and Haynes

Haynes, who along with teammate Leon King integrated college football in the state of Texas in 1956, went on to play for the AFL’s Dallas Texans, the team that later became the Kansas City Chiefs.

Greene was part of a standout defense from 1966-68 that earned the moniker of “Mean Green.” That led to the eventual nickname change often mistakenly attributed solely to the standout defensive lineman that was the fourth overall pick in the 1969 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and became a cornerstone of their “Steel Curtain” defense that won four Super Bowl titles.

Austin played linebacker and defensive end at North Texas in the mid-1980s.

Both sides of the ball

North Texas has scored 30 points in its first five games for the first time since 1951, and ranks eighth nationally with 44.8 points a game. Its two overtime wins are already the most in a single season.

The Mean Green have forced 11 turnovers, and had only three, for a plus-1.6 turnover margin that is bettered only by Alabama. They have converted those turnovers into 66 points. Pittsburgh is the only other team with three linebackers that all have at least 30 tackles and an interception.

Forfeited fifth

North Texas started 4-1 on the field in 1977, before a 17-15 loss to Mississippi State was later declared a forfeit because of the Bulldogs’ use of an ineligible player. UNT’s other 5-0 starts were in 1920 and 1951.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football