No. 22 North Texas beats Rice 56-24 behind huge passing attack led by Mestemaker and Young

HOUSTON -- , Drew Mestemaker threw for 469 yards and three touchdowns, Wyatt Young set an American Conference record with 295 yards receiving and two scores, and No. 22 North Texas rallied from an early deficit to beat Rice 56-24 on Saturday night. Mestemaker went 19 of 23 and completed touchdown passes of 74 and 84 yards to Young and 56 yards to Tre Williams III in the first half. The quarterback also rushed for a 1-yard score in the third quarter as the Mean Green (10-1, 6-1 American) scored 42 straight points after Rice jumped out to a 14-0 lead. “Drew was phenomenal at going through the reads,” North Texas coach Eric Morris said. “We protected him well and were able to hit some shots down the field.” Young had the most receiving yards in a Division I game this season, surpassing TCU’s Eric McAlister , who had 254 yards against SMU on Sept. 20. “It’s a surreal feeling,” Young said.