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DALLAS — — Jordan McCloud passed for 307 yards and one touchdown, Lincoln Pare rushed for a 73-yard touchdown with 2:25 remaining in the final quarter, and Texas State fended off North Texas 30-28 on Friday evening in the First Responder Bowl.
Texas State (8-5) achieved eight victories in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1981-82. North Texas (6-7) aimed for its first bowl victory since the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl.
Pare carried the ball 21 times for 143 yards and two touchdowns. His initial score, a 1-yard plunge, completed a 13-play, 75-yard drive that consumed almost seven minutes and gave Texas State a 23-14 advantage halfway through the third quarter.
Neither team found the end zone again until Makenzie McGill’s brief touchdown run brought North Texas within 23-21 with 3:20 remaining. Just two plays later, Pare sprinted for his long touchdown and Texas State successfully converted the extra point for a nine-point cushion.
North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker responded with a 70-yard run with 1:49 remaining to narrow the gap to two points once more. The Mean Green regained possession with 40 seconds left at their 8-yard line. However, Texas State defensive end Kalil Alexander recorded a sack on first down to chew up the clock, and linebacker Treylin Payne clinched the game with an interception over the middle.
Mestemaker, who was making his inaugural career start, concluded with 393 passing yards and two touchdowns along with two interceptions for North Texas. This marked the highest passing yards in a bowl game in the program’s history. He also rushed nine times for 55 yards and one touchdown.
Mestemaker filled in for Chandler Morris, who accumulated 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns with 12 interceptions this season before moving to Virginia. The freshman matched his season passing total of 69 yards on North Texas’ sole scoring drive in the first quarter.
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