5 Interesting North Texas Stats to Know Ahead of Indiana's Opener

The Mean Green have a new-look roster that has some intriguing elements for IU as it begins its title defense.

Nov 7, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights quarterback Tayven Jackson (2) warms up before the game against the Houston Cougars at Acrisure Bounce House. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Finally, Indiana can set forth on its to repeat.

That sentence is still surreal as IU begins its 2026 campaign, but compared to some of the other developments in college football, perhaps it doesn't feel quite as crazy as it once did.

If the first two years of the Curt Cignetti era is any indication, IU will steamroll North Texas to kick off the season.

Of course, Old Dominion put up a decent fight in last year's opener. But against former quarterback Tayven Jackson, an IU defense that's been a step ahead under defensive coordinator Bryant Haines shouldn't have any excuses as a heavy favorite. Jackson will lead a new-look North Texas team in his return to Bloomington.

Here are five North Texas stats to know:

5. North Texas ranks No. 132 in percentage of returning production

Being in that low in ESPN's metric is what happens when a Group of 5 program loses a coach to the Power Five ranks. Gone are essentially all the pieces that fueled Eric Morris' squad to a surprise 12-win season in 2025. Hence, why it's silly to discuss last year's Mean Green squad.

It's now Neal Brown's time to shine. He brought in 47 transfers to replenish that roster after the best parts of it (including 2025 FBS passing leader Drew Mestemaker) followed Morris to Oklahoma State.

What does that mean? It means that IU won't be facing a team that's loaded with either experience or continuity. But that's not to say that it lacks talent, especially at some of the skill positions.

Speaking of that ...

4. Jahiem White had 1,820 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in 2-plus seasons as a Power Conference player

And by the way, those two seasons were in Brown's offense at West Virginia. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in his second game last year after Rich Rodriguez took over.

This is someone with seven career 100-yard games who was considered one of the top returning backs in the sport after he earned Freshman All-American honors. White might only be 5-7, but he averaged 6.5 yards per carry and 4 yards after first contact in those two-plus seasons.

Brown said that he's "got a chip on his shoulder" after reuniting with his former coach (H/T Brett Vito). In his first game in nearly 12 months, that should be evident.

In other words, don't expect the North Texas ground game to lack juice.

3. Neal Brown is 2-0 (at LSU, at Nebraska) in his last two Power Conference matchups as a Group of 5 coach

Brown got the West Virginia job in large part because of his statement wins at LSU (2017) and at Nebraska (2018). Granted, he then went 30-35 vs. Power Conference competition once he arrived in the Big 12, so take that for what it is.

It's possible that Brown is at his best in the role that he's currently in, and that he'll have his squad playing with nothing to lose in another hostile road atmosphere.

It's also possible that he'll get a swift reminder that 2026 Indiana is a touch different than 2017 LSU in Year 1 under Ed Orgeron, as well as 2018 Nebraska in Year 1 under Scott Frost.

2. North Texas has 10 transfers who are expected to start on defense

Have I mentioned yet that this is a new-look North Texas team? I have? Consider this another reminder.

By the way, that's according to Ourlads, not an actual depth chart. North Texas didn't release one on its game notes. It's possible that it could only be nine transfers starting on defense and not 10, so don't etch that in stone.

But it's worth bringing up because while IU certainly has a new-look offense, the Mean Green are No. 124 in percentage of returning defensive production.

It's also a unit that's led by Matt Powledge, who most recently was the defensive coordinator of a Baylor defense that ranked in the bottom 15 of FBS in scoring defense. Baylor failed to crack the top 80 in scoring in the three seasons that Powledge worked under Dave Aranda in Waco.

On top of that, the last time Brown was a head coach, his defense ranked No. 110 in scoring.

Don't expect that group to look like a world-beater from the jump.

1. Tayven Jackson completed 37.3% of his passes when under pressure last year

That's not necessarily a glowing endorsement of the former Indiana quarterback, who ultimately lost the starting job last year at UCF. But it's a pretty obvious plan of attack for Bryant Haines and the IU defense, which might boast the best defensive line in America.

Even if you take the adjusted completion percentage on those 98 pressured dropbacks last season at UCF, Jackson still completed 50.9% of those passes, and he averaged 4.9 yards per attempt. He had an NFL QB rating of 41.3, and he took 15 sacks with 8 turnover-worthy plays in those spots (via PFF).

That's pretty similar to what Jackson did as IU's part-time starter in 2023 before Cignetti's arrival. To his credit, he's talented enough to have earned a starting job at a third different FBS program. We could see flashes of that.

But above all else, that shows exactly why Jackson could be in for a rude homecoming.