Austin Aune made his first start for North Texas in its game against Southern Miss on Saturday at Apogee Stadium. The former Argyle standout enjoyed a few good moments, make a couple of mistakes and left it all with an empty feeling after the Golden Eagles knocked off the Mean Green 41-31 at Apogee Stadium. "To me it's all wins and losses," Aune said. "I don't care if we run for 500 yards and get zero passing yards. I want to get the ball to our playmakers and win football games." UNT didn't come close to that goal on a night when it was shorthanded across the board due to injuries and the impact of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing. UNT announced before the game that it would be without seven players, including starting linebackers Tyreke Davis and Kevin Wood. UNT needed its offense to carry the team without those players. Aune threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns. It just wasn't enough for the Mean Green to pull out the win. Aune played in each of the Mean Green's first two games of the season. Aune enjoyed a breakout performance in UNT's loss to SMU on Sept. 19, throwing for 276 yards and two touchdowns. That performance earned him the starting job on a night when Bean didn't play. - Denton Record