The play that sealed North Texas’ 48-41 victory over Florida Atlantic was the one Kyle Koch did not take into the end zone. With 1:40 remaining Thursday night, Tayven Jackson connected with the junior wide receiver on third-and-4 for 14 yards, moving the ball from the Florida Atlantic 45 to the Owls’ 31.
Two North Texas kneel-downs followed, and the game finally ran out of room for another plot twist.
That catch was Koch’s most valuable contribution because it converted a possession that still needed one first down. Florida Atlantic had just kicked a 43-yard field goal to make it 48-41, and the Owls retained the possibility of another possession after the ensuing onside kick.
Koch removed that possibility with a third-down gain that turned a precarious lead into a possession North Texas could close without scoring again.
His two touchdowns had already helped create the advantage the Mean Green kept having to defend. The first arrived late in the second quarter, when Koch took a 3-yard pass into the end zone to tie the game at 17. North Texas had started that 75-yard, 13-play march trailing by seven.
Dalton Carnes provided a 30-yard completion on second-and-19 after an offensive-pass-interference call erased a 20-yard Justin Stevenson catch. Later, Carnes converted fourth-and-4 from the Florida Atlantic 17 with an 8-yard reception. Koch then caught six yards to the 3 before Jackson found him for the score.
That possession was useful precisely because it was not tidy. A penalty erased a chunk play, and a fourth down required a conversion. North Texas kept repairing the drive until Koch handled the finishing work. The sequence also showed why his nine-catch, 78-yard night cannot be reduced to the two short touchdowns beside his name in the box score.
Koch’s second score carried greater leverage because it answered Florida Atlantic’s best late surge. Easton Messer caught a 34-yard touchdown pass with 8:26 left in the fourth quarter, cutting the North Texas lead to 41-38. The Mean Green answered with a nine-play, 74-yard drive lasting 4:24.
Max Reese started it with a 14-yard catch. Justin Stevenson then lost two yards, an incompletion followed, and Reese converted third-and-12 from the North Texas 37 with a 33-yard reception to the Florida Atlantic 30. Koch completed the possession with a 2-yard touchdown catch at 4:02.
This time, Koch’s short reception changed the arithmetic more than the field position. North Texas moved from a three-point edge to a 10-point lead, forcing Florida Atlantic to score twice rather than merely tie the game.
The Owls did produce one more scoring drive, but the response had bought North Texas a margin that could survive a field goal and still leave the Mean Green in control after the onside kick failed.
