The 2025 First Responder Bowl features the 6-6 North Texas Mean Green against the 7-5 Texas State Bobcats. Here is the 2025 First Responder Bowl Preview.
North Texas won six games this season to qualify for a bowl game. They defeated one bowl-eligible team this season: South Alabama. All six of their losses were to teams that made bowl games.
The Mean Green score 34.0 points per game ranking 28th in the country. They pass for 322.8 yards (ranked eighth) and rush for 165.8 yards per game (ranked 62nd).
Starting quarterback Chandler Morris is in the transfer portal. Drew Mestemaker will start after passing for 69 yards this season. Seven players have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Leading receiver DT Sheffield is in the transfer portal, so the active leader is Damon Ward Jr. with 36 receptions for 622 yards and four touchdowns.
Two running backs have shouldered the load for the Mean Green. Shane Porter leads the team with 643 yards and five touchdowns.He is in the transfer portal, but listed on the depth chart. Makenzie McGill has totaled 442 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Defensively, the Mean Green allow 34.5 points per game, ranking 121st in the country. They give up 261.1 passing yards and 195.5 rushing yards per game. Jaylen Smith has led the team with 97 total tackles. Roderick Brown paces the team with 4.5 sacks. Ridge Texada has made plays on the ball in the secondary with seven passes defended and one interception.
Texas State won seven games to make a bowl game this season. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams this season: South Alabama, Arkansas State and UTSA. Two of their losses, to Old Dominion and Georgia State, were to teams who didn’t make bowl games.
The Bobcats score 41.2 points per game, ranking second in the country. They pass for 265.5 yards (ranked 26th) and rush for 208.8 yards per game (ranked 16th).
Jordan McCloud transferred in from James Madison to play quarterback for the Bobcats. He has passed for 2,920 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 69.6 percent completion. Five players have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Joey Hobart, Jaden Williams and Kole Wilson all have over 600 receiving yards on the year.
Starting running back Ismail Mahidi is in the transfer portal, but four other players rushed for at least 200 yards on the season, including McCloud from the quarterback position. Lincoln Pare and Torrance Burgess Jr. will be tasked with more after having 411 and 344 rushing yards respectively.
Defensively, the Bobcats allow 24.3 points per game, ranking 62nd in the country. They give up 199.8 passing yards and 148.2 rushing yards per game. Jordan Polkey leads the team with 59 total tackles. Kalil Alexander as the team-high with 5.5 sacks. Trez Moore has made plays on the ball with three passes defended and two interceptions.
Texas State has more offensive firepower in this game. With McCloud playing and some of their talented wide receivers, the Bobcats can score a lot and the Mean Green will not be able to keep up.
Texas State Bobcats 42 North Texas Mean Green 25
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