North Texas head coach Neal Brown engaged in discussions with American Conference officials and athletic director Jared Mosley regarding remarks he made about game officiating. These comments followed the Mean Green's 49-35 defeat to Texas State on Saturday. League and school representatives confirmed that the conference office is managing the situation internally.
Brown expressed dissatisfaction with the officials, specifically highlighting replay decisions that favored the Bobcats. One instance involved a fourth-and-goal run in the first half where Texas State running back Davian Jackson was ruled to have crossed the goal line after a review, despite UNT defensive tackle Justin Benton appearing to stop him short.
Another controversial call occurred in the fourth quarter when Justin Stevenson was initially ruled to have gained a first down on a pass from Tayven Jackson. Replay officials overturned the call, determining Stevenson fell just short of the line to gain.
Additional penalties also drew criticism. UNT safety Jason Cross Jr. was flagged for pass interference on third down, extending a Texas State scoring drive. Shortly after, UNT cornerback Peyton Taylor was called for holding on an incomplete pass, which contributed to another Bobcats offensive sequence. Brown noted that UNT was penalized nine times for 91 yards, while Texas State had seven penalties for 80 yards.
In his postgame remarks, Brown stated that the game was officiated poorly, comparing the quality of the officiating to the team's performance. He questioned the assignment of a Pac-12 crew for the game and pointed out disparities in penalty calls, particularly in the second half.
Brown said, “The game was officiated about as bad as we played,” and added that the team faced multiple holding and pass interference calls on third-and-long situations.
