ATHENS, Georgia - Two huge plays by the Mean Green special teams had North Texas even with ninth-ranked Georgia midway through the third quarter Saturday afternoon, but the Bulldogs' Heisman-candidate quarterback lived up to his billing and ended the upset bid. Ultimately, North Texas couldn't keep up with Georgia's Aaron Murray, who threw for three touchdowns and 408 yards, while North Texas quarterback Derek Thompson, with the running game thoroughly grounded, spent the afternoon under intense pressure in a 45-21 loss. "This game hurts," North Texas coach Dan McCarney said. "There's lots good to take from this. If we can continue to improve and don't accept losing, we got a real chance to make a run in Conference USA." North Texas had its share of plays in the early going, but Georgia answered with bigger plays. In one exchange, the Mean Green got a diving play by Zed Evans to keep a punt out of the end zone and pin the Bulldogs at their own two-yard line. One play later, however, Georgia connected on a 98-yard touchdown pass. Georgia rolled up 326 yards in the first half to 134 for North Texas in building a 21-7 lead. But North Texas showed the same resiliency its has shown all season in refusing to surrender. A Thompson to Darnell Smith TD pass got the Mean Green started, and Brelan Chancellor returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, the third TD return of his career, to bring North Texas within seven at halftime, 21-14. If the narrow halftime margin had the Georgia faithful squirming, the opening minute of the second half had them raining boos on the Bulldogs. The Mean Green drew even after Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray threw just his second and third incompletions of the game, forcing a punt. Marcus Trice exploded through the protection to block the kick and Zac Whitfield recovered in the end zone for a North Texas touchdown. But the Mean Green's inability to contain the Georgia passing game proved the difference. Murray, under a steadly-increasing rain, directed the Bulldogs to two third-quarter touchdowns for a 35-21 lead. The Mean Green missed opportunities to close the gap when Thompson was intercepted at the Bulldog five and when Mean Green could not move after a Kenny Buyers fumble recovery at the Georgia 34. MeanGreenSports.com

• published: 22 Sep 2013
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