New Mexico Bowl preview: Three things to know about North Texas 

Three things to know about North Texas entering the New Mexico Bowl:

1. The Mean Green have one of the most explosive offenses in the country

What, exactly, makes North Texas (11-2) so much of a challenge?

“Everything,” San Diego State head coach Sean Lewis laughed in a news conference earlier this month.

That “everything” starts on one side of the ball, though. After all, the Mean Green have a case as the best offensive team in the country this season, leading the 136-team FBS in scoring offense (44.8 points per game) amid breakout seasons from quarterback Drew Mestemaker (4,129 yards, 31 touchdowns, 7 interceptions), running back Caleb Hawkins (1,236 yards, 23 touchdowns) and wide receiver Wyatt Young (1,209 yards, 10 touchdowns).

Perhaps most notable? North Texas tied for the third-most explosive offensive in the country with 83 plays going 20 yards or more. The Mean Green also tied with Ole Miss for the national lead in explosive passing plays (65) this season.

“They’ve been playing from a dominant position the majority of the year because of the rate and pace at which they’re able to score and the explosive rate of their offense,” Lewis said. “(That) creates a competitive advantage for their defense. So, yeah, I mean, I’ve had some sleepless nights at the tail end of the season thanks to this elite matchup.”

2. North Texas will be led by an interim coach in the New Mexico Bowl

Over the course of its historic 11-2 season, North Texas was led by third-year head coach Eric Morris. However, he's since left to take the top job at Oklahoma State.

North Texas has named associate head coach and special teams coordinator Drew Svoboda as interim head coach. The former Alabama assistant enters Saturday’s game with a 99-24 record from his last stint as a head coach at Klein Collins (Texas) High School.

3. The Mean Green could snap one of the longest streaks in college football

Entering the New Mexico Bowl, North Texas is tied with Indiana and UTEP for the longest active bowl losing streak in college football; the Mean Green have dropped seven-straight bowls, their last win coming in the Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2013.

Put in context, it’s not quite the same as what the Hoosiers (who haven’t won a bowl since 1991) and the Miners (who haven’t won a bowl since 1967) have gone through. But rest assured, North Texas would like to put this streak to bed.

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.