BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — North Texas hung around with the defending national champion for much of Saturday’s season opener before No. 6 Indiana pulled away late for a 52-16 victory at Memorial Stadium.
The Mean Green entered the matchup facing one of college football’s toughest challenges: opening the Neal Brown era on the road against an Indiana team that went unbeaten and won the national championship a year ago.
North Texas showed stretches of competitiveness, but Indiana’s depth and playmaking eventually proved too much.
Hoosiers quarterback Josh Hoover, a transfer from TCU, completed 13 of 16 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns in his Indiana debut. He connected on a 15-yard touchdown pass on his first throw of the game and helped Indiana maintain control as the afternoon progressed.
North Texas continued to battle, but Indiana turned its opportunities into points and pulled away in the fourth quarter.
The loss opens Brown’s first season at North Texas with a difficult road test behind it. The Mean Green will now return home looking to regroup and earn their first victory of the season.
North Texas will make its 2026 home debut against UNLV next Saturday at 2:45 p.m. at DATCU Stadium.
For the Mean Green, the challenge now is turning the experience of facing the defending national champions into progress as the season moves forward.
