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When Texas State battles North Texas in the First Responder Bowl, it will be the first time the teams have met on the gridiron since the 1994 season.
In fact, the Bobcats and the Mean Green have played 39 times against each other, making it the second most played series between the Group of Five Texas schools behind the Sam Houston-Texas State series.
The first ever meeting between Texas State and North Texas took place during the 1915 season with the Mean Green winning 14-0.
North Texas defeated Texas State in the 1916 season before the two teams went on a four-year hiatus.
The series resumed play in 1920 and would not be interrupted until the 1943 season when Texas State didn’t field a football team due to World War II.
The Bobcats notched their first win against the Mean Green during the 1921 season. In the lead up to the game, Texas State was vying for their first ever perfect season and a claim to the Texas Normal Championship.
The Bobcats defeated the Mean Green 14-0 to clinch the perfect season and the program’s first ever conference championship.
During the 1922 season, both Texas State and North Texas moved into the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association where they became conference rivals.
The Bobcats collected wins during the 1924 and 1927 seasons with the latter being the last Texas State win over North Texas until the 1948 season.
The first tie between the Bobcats and the Mean Green came during the 1929 season in a 0-0 tie during Texas State’s second ever conference championship.
In 1932, both Texas State and North Texas would leave the TIAA conference to become founding members of the Lone Star Conference.
During the season, North Texas defeated Texas State 6-0 to capture the first Lone Star Conference football title.
Between 1928-1947 North Texas enjoyed a 15-0-2 record against the Bobcats to set up their showdown during the 1948 season.
Texas State and North Texas entered the game with undefeated conference records with the winner gaining the leg up in the conference title race.
In front of a packed house at Evans Field for homecoming, Texas State defeated North Texas 24-14 for the Bobcats first win against the Mean Green since 1927. The Bobcats later went on to the Lone Star Conference title.
North Texas avenged their loss during the 1949 season before the series went on a 35-year hiatus.
While Texas State remained in the Lone Star Conference until 1984, North Texas left the conference in favor of the Gulf Coast Conference which caused the series to stop.
The two teams crossed paths once again in 1984. While Texas State elevated their program from a Division II school to Division I and played FCS football, North Texas was demoted from FBS football to FCS.
In the Bobcats first season in FCS, Texas State defeated North Texas 27-19 for the Bobcats first win in Denton since 1924.
The series again went on hiatus until the 1986 season where it would continue until the 1994 season. The series also became a conference matchup when Texas State joined the Southland Conference in 1987 where North Texas was a member since 1983.
North Texas enjoyed a three-game winning streak between 1986-1988 before the Bobcats defeated North Texas in the 1989 season, winning on a 72-yard touchdown pass with 45 seconds remaining in the game.
The Mean Green got their revenge during the 1990 season, upsetting the No. 13 Bobcats 16-15 to ruin the Bobcats' shot at winning a conference championship that season.
Texas State returned the favor the next season and blew out the Mean Green 36-8.
North Texas went on to win the next three games from 1992-1994 before the series again went on hiatus.
The Mean Green made their return back to FBS for the 1995 season before joining the Big West Conference in 1996 and later the Sun Belt Conference in 2001.
Texas State remained in the Southland until 2012.
North Texas and Texas State had a chance to become conference rivals again when Texas State moved to the Sun Belt Conference in 2013. However, North Texas opted to move to Conference USA in the same year before moving to the American Athletic Conference in 2023.
North Texas leads the overall series 29-7-2 with the 2025 First Responder Bowl marking the 40th game played between the Bobcats and the Mean Green.
Kickoff for the First Responder will start at 3 p.m. on Friday Jan. 3 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus.
