Boxscore

DENTON, Texas ? The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs jumped on the Mean Green of North Texas early, but had to rally in the second half to come up with a 34-31 win on the road.

Tech (3-6, 1-3 WAC) utilized quarterback Zac Champion?s arm in the first quarter to take a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. North Texas (2-7, 1-3 Sun Belt), however, would not roll over and die.

The Mean Green scored 31 unanswered points to take a 31-21 lead before the Bulldogs would storm back.

?That shows great character by our team,? Tech head coach Jack Bicknell said. ?The team kept fighting. It was never a question that they would quit fighting. I knew they could do it.?

Champion had a career night tying his career-high for touchdown passes in a game with four. He also set a career-high in yards passing with 306.

Defensively, Tech shut down the Mean Green in the first quarter, but UNT was able to run the ball effectively in the second quarter to begin the string of points to take the lead. Bicknell said the defense struggled at times, but his Bulldogs came up big when UNT was threatening.

The Bulldogs had three interceptions on the night, including one from Shalamar Walker in the final minute of the game to seal the victory. It was Walker?s first career interception. Quin Harris had his first pick of the season, and Mark Dillard added his second.

Tech added two fumble recoveries to total five turnovers for the defense. Weldon Brown had his third fumble recovery on the year, and Marquis McBeath had his second.

Two of Champion?s targets on his touchdowns recorded their first career scores through the air. Freshman running back Daniel Porter got his first touchdown reception, and tight end Dennis Morris also notched his first touchdown.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, Nov. 11, when they travel away from the mainland for a conference showdown with Hawaii. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. CST.