Lincoln Pare ran for two touchdowns, including a 73-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter, to help Texas State beat North Texas 30-28 on Friday in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas.
Pare finished with 143 yards on 21 carries for the Bobcats (8-5), who won the First Responder Bowl for the second straight season. Jordan McCloud completed 26 of 35 passes for 307 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Jaden Williams caught eight of McCloud’s throws for 155 yards and a score.
Drew Mestemaker, a former walk-on quarterback pressed into starting duties for the Mean Green (6-7) because of transfer portal defections, finished 26 of 41 for 393 yards with a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for a 70-yard score to trim North Texas’ deficit to two with 1:49 left in the game.
The Mean Green forced a punt after Mestemaker’s scintillating run, but the freshman signal-caller was intercepted on fourth down from his own 7-yard line to seal the game.
“I guess we had to make things interesting for ESPN with the way the game ended,” Texas State coach GJ Kinne said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way the team played today and the way we responded when we were challenged. It’s a win that we will celebrate and one we can build on.”
Mestemaker was making his first college start and his first of any kind since his freshman year of high school. He connected with Damon Ward Jr. five times for 133 yards.
“Drew took command of the offense,” Ward said. “He learned all our schemes and took advantage of his opportunity. The offense never wavered. We just left it all on the field. As a team, I’ll remember the resiliency and the brotherhood we have.”
The Bobcats struck first, moving 58 yards in 11 plays to a 34-yard field goal from Mason Shipley at the 8:58 mark of the opening quarter. Mestemaker hit Miles Coleman with a 46-yard touchdown pass 2 1/2 minutes later to push North Texas in front at 7-3.
Shipley booted a 21-yard field goal with 2:45 left in the first quarter to bring Texas State within 7-6. Mestemaker responded with a 16-yard scoring pass to Landon Sides on the first play of the second quarter to move the Mean Green ahead 14-6.
Shipley added a 47-yarder with 11:02 to play in the first half to trim Texas State’s deficit to five points. The Bobcats roared to the lead when McCloud connected with Williams on a 24-yard TD with 3:27 to play until halftime.
Pare’s 1-yard touchdown plunge on the opening possession of the second half increased the Texas State advantage to 23-14.
The Mean Green pulled to within two points after a 1-yard scoring rush by Makenzie McGill II with 3:20 to play. But Pare provided the key run two snaps into the ensuing possession, bursting through a hole in the left side of the line and outsprinting the defense to boost Texas State’s lead back to nine points.
–Field Level Media
