North Texas Hosts Charlotte in American Conference Matchup

North Texas hosted Charlotte on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at DATCU Stadium in Denton, Texas, for an American Conference football matchup. The Mean Green entered the game at 3-2 after an overtime win over Tulsa, while the 49ers were seeking their first victory after opening 0-5.

According to North Texas Athletics, the Mean Green carried momentum from a 45-44 overtime comeback against Tulsa, with quarterback Tayven Jackson throwing for 332 yards and four touchdowns and running back Jahiem White rushing for 219 yards. North Texas was averaging 40.6 points per game.

Charlotte arrived after a 59-8 loss to Memphis, according to The Big Lead. The 49ers averaged 17.2 points per game while allowing 40.6 points, and their quarterback Cole Gonzales had recorded 802 passing yards, three touchdowns and seven interceptions, according to matchup statistics.

Jackson and White became key parts of North Texas' offense after transferring from Power-4 programs. North Texas Athletics reported Jackson ranked fifth nationally with 1,519 passing yards and White ranked ninth with 582 rushing yards through five games.

"It's def a confidence booster; he's a great player. I kind of feed off his energy and feed off everyone else's energy. We're together as an offense, it's not just me and Jahiem.

Everyone makes plays in this offense. It's not just two guys. We might have the numbers, but those guys are in the dark doing the dirty work." Tayven Jackson said.

Jackson also highlighted the challenge presented by Charlotte despite its record.

"The 0-5 is just a record. I've been on a team like that. I know how hungry they are to come in here and get their first win.

I don't look at the record. I look at the tape, and they great on tape." Tayven Jackson said.

Head coach Neal Brown praised Jackson's response after mistakes during the Tulsa victory and emphasized the quarterback's development.

"I was really proud of how he responded on Thursday night. He had a really poor pick before half, comes back and throws a touchdown to start the third. Throws a really bad pick at the end of the game and throws a strike to Grayson [O'Bara] to start overtime.

I was really proud of how he responded. That's growth for him. At certain points in his career, he would let things snowball." Neal Brown said.

Brown also discussed White's improvement and his performance against Tulsa.

"He's played really well. I think the thing that I'm most impressed with, and that I was really complimentary of him yesterday in our team meeting is his maturity level has improved because he's taking care of his body at a higher level. Like two years ago, he couldn't have taken that many carries because of his conditioning level. How he took care of himself away from the building wasn't at a high enough level." Neal Brown said.

North Texas Athletics reported Brown did not want the team to overlook Charlotte's roster despite the opposing record.

"They have a lot of skill talent on offense. They have speed. Their running backs and wide receivers can all go.

Their defensive line is creating a lot of havoc. Sacks, TFLs, one of the better negative play units in our league. We have our hands full with that entire D-line." Neal Brown said.

Brown encouraged fans to support the Mean Green before the Charlotte game.

"I want to make a push here before I take questions. I really encourage our students and fans to come out and support this team." Neal Brown said.

He added that North Texas believed it had an exciting team built around Jackson and White.

"We have a really good football team. We are exciting to watch. I think we've got two of the better individual players playing at a high level in all of college football in Tayven Jackson and Jahiem White.

And I'll say this, too. It's a lot of entertainment for not a lot of spending." Neal Brown said.

"We have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. I think that's exciting to watch. I want to see that stadium packed.

That's what I really want to see. I've never seen it. People say it gets loud.

I hope the fans can rally behind us because we have some special things going on." Tayven Jackson said.