North Texas QB Mason Fine makes historic moves against UTEP

Courtesy UNT Athletics

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DENTON -- North Texas quarterback Mason Fine has made greatness look routine during his four years in Denton, and proved it in a big way on Saturday. 

A week after setting a personal best with five touchdown passes against Charlotte, Fine threw for 332 yards and seven touchdown passes to polish off UTEP 52-26 in a dominant Homecoming victory. 

The performance was the second-best passing touchdown performance in school history, only behind Giovanni Vizza’s eight touchdown performance against Navy in 2007. It moved Fine into the top 40 passers in college football history. 

After the game, North Texas brought three players into the interview room. They introduced the players slowly: defensive tackle Dion Novil, wide receiver Jaelon Darden… and then Fine walked in wearing an inflatable dinosaur costume, two days after Halloween. North Texas coach Seth Littrell couldn’t stop laughing as he walked back to his office. 

Of course, Fine can get away with following up a career performance with some silliness. Even in an inconsistent 4-5 campaign, Fine is the best offensive player in the history of the program. 

“He’s that dude,” Darden said. “Mason Fine is a great quarterback, great teammate and great leader, but he does what he’s supposed to do every week, and that’s greatness.” 

Fine needed all of 29 seconds and two offensive plays to go his first two scores on the board, a 33-yard strike to Deonte Simpson and 17-yard pass to tight end Jason Pirtle, with a little help from a big return from Deion Hair-Griffin and a Miners fumble on the kickoff. 

UTEP found some offensive momentum to wind down the clock, but Fine found Jyaire Shorter for a 48-yard breakaway – capped off by Shorter dragging a UTEP defender into the end zone – to go up two scores. 

Fine found Darden three times in the second and third quarter for 14, six and six, and found Simpson again for 20 yards in the fourth. He almost found Darden again for a score, but had to settle just one touchdown behind the school record. Seven was decent. 

With his performance, Fine moved up to No. 37 on the all-time passing list, passing names like Carson Palmer and Byron Leftwich. However, passing Drew Brees on both the career passing yard and passing touchdown list was one that threw even the impeccably poised Fine – still decked out in a dinosaur costume, by the way. 

“I’m not much of a stat guy during the season, I’m all about winning,” Fine said. “But now that you mention it, Drew Brees is a guy I’ve watched for years and a guy I’ve looked up to. That’s special being able to have that accomplishment.” 

Passing Brees and Russell Wilson in one game means just a little extra. These are perhaps the two greatest “undersized” quarterbacks in modern NFL history. For the 5-foot-11 (listed) senior, those names are special. 

Of course, Fine ranks No. 1 in program history in career passing yards, passing touchdowns and touchdowns responsible for. With some luck, Fine could move into top 25 among all college players in the first two categories. 

In a few years, Fine’s name will join Abner Hayes, Ray Renfro, Richard Gill and “Mean” Joe Greene’s on the list of retired numbers. Some smart NFL team will take a chance on him, just like Littrell did. 

“I knew long before he ever took a snap, he’s going to be a special player,” Littrell said. “He’s going to be successful in whatever he does because he’s not going to allow himself to fail.” 

Fine’s career isn’t over yet. The Mean Green have to beat Rice on the road, and then top one of Louisiana Tech on the road or UAB at home just to make a bowl. But if North Texas has proven anything over the past three seasons, don’t count Mason Fine out. 

Even if he’s wearing a dinosaur costume.

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