Coach Andy Mac

DENTON, Texas — After opening the season 1-1, North Texas Football returns home at 6:30 p.m. CT Saturday to take on UAB in the Conference USA opener for both teams. The game will be broadcast on Stadium. The defense is making strides With conference football less than a week away, head coach Seth Littrell said he's encouraged by the defense's progression under new defensive coordinator Phil Bennett. "It's game two in this defensive system, and there's still a lot of room for improvements across the board," Littrell said. "We look forward to continuing to build off the positives and keep getting better on our negatives." Safety Makyle Sanders said the fundamentals got past the defense on Saturday. "I think one big thing we need to work on defensively is tackling," Sanders said. "We missed a couple of tackles, so I think that's one of the biggest things, and knowing what we're supposed to do." With negatives though come positives. Through two games, the Mean Green have only one less forced turnover than the entirety of last season. Sanders said it comes down to "trusting the technique, trusting the scheme, and being in the right place at the right time." Linebacker KD Davis also emphasized trusting what the players are taught throughout the week leading up to gameday. "It's trusting the technique and doing what you're coached to do. That's all you can do. Just give great effort," Davis said. "Coach has put us in position all week, so when it's game time you've got to make the play when it comes your way." North Texas didn't allow the Mustangs to score until the 3:50 mark of the second quarter. Davis said following through into the entire game is critical to the team's success this week. "The way we played in the first half of the SMU game, we know that we can do it," Davis said. "Now we just have to do it for four quarters until the game is over. We know that we have to finish." Sanders put it more simply. "We have to come with our 'A' game," Sanders said. "We have to come with our big boy pads." Thriving through the air The offense was also not without its mistakes and triumphs. Sophomore wide receiver Roderic Burns boasts the most catches and third most receiving yards in the conference through two games, and Littrell said he's been encouraged by the progression of the passing game. "I thought our vertical passing game was better, which is something we definitely needed to get going," Littrell said. "It's something we stressed this past week, and it got better. We still have a lot of room for improvements, but Rod's been spectacular the first two games. He's made a lot of plays." It's not just Burns that makes this group effective. Sophomore Jyaire Shorter has impressed over the past six weeks. "[Shorter's] a big guy that plays physically, and he can run," Littrell said. "He's another guy that has a lot of game experience, and he's made a lot of plays, and so I think with that brings confidence … The more comfortable he gets throughout the season the better he'll get." Quarterback Jace Ruder also heaped some praise. "Jyaire brings everything. He loves the game of football … He's locked in 100% of the time. He brings speed, agility, he can jump, he's strong — he's one of the strongest guys on the team — so Jyaire's got it all, and he's going to come out every day and work his butt off." Ruder also said sophomore Tommy Bush is an important addition to the wide receiver room thanks to his experience in Power Five football. "Tommy's a fun dude. Coming in from Georgia, he knows what it takes," Ruder said. "The more people you're around, the more you learn different perspectives from different coaches, different players and different techniques, and it kind of allows you to create your toolbox." The transfer quarterback said he loves that he can trust any of them to grab a deep ball out of the air. "I like to say, when I throw the ball up, that's their ball. That's my wideout's ball," Ruder said. "They do a great job of going up and getting it and making a play on it. Even if it's by rule a 50/50 ball, I like to consider it more of an 80/20 or a 90/10 with the guys we've got." Home sweet home After a loss on the road, it's always good to come back home and feel the love from the fanbase. Littrell and Ruder each said the team is excited to be back under the lights of Apogee. "Your home crowd brings a lot of energy," Littrell said. "We love playing here in front of our fans, in front of our students and alumni. They do a great job, and we can feed off that energy." "With experience you're going to be more comfortable," Ruder said. "In my first start, I was really excited. Thankfully, it was at home, and I got to experience Apogee at its finest, and I'm excited to get back here against UAB and see all of our fans there." Heading into conference play also gives the team a fresh start. Sanders said a new 0-0 record allows the Mean Green to focus on what their plan is going forward. "We need to see what we are defensively and offensively, just as a whole team," Sanders said. "Having them as our first game is really big … I think we can be a big factor in the conference." UAB is coming off conference championships in two of the past three seasons, and Littrell said they are one of the best teams in an incredible conference. "I've always said there are a lot of great teams and coaches and a lot of great players in this league," Littrell said. "Coach Clark does an unbelievable job at UAB. They're one of the top teams in our league." Davis echoed Littrell's high regard for the Blazers, but he also said the anticipation for this game adds to the clean slate feeling. "I'm glad UAB is the first conference game because they've won it two of the past three years," Davis said. "Being able to see where we're going to be, being able to play them and get after them is going to be a great feeling."

UAB (1-1) at North Texas (1-1) When: 6:30 p.m., Sat. Where: Apogee Stadium, Denton, Texas TV: Stadium Series: UAB leads 4-1. Spread: UAB by 14.5. SUPER STAT OF THE WEEK: It was mostly bad news and worse for the Blazers against Georgia, but UAB did rush for 127 yards against the Bulldogs. It’s the most a Group of 5 offense has gained on the ground against UAB since MTSU in 2018. Joe says: The Blazers open their new downtown stadium on Oct. 2, but making it there with a winning record will be a miracle. This is UAB’s third road game in three weeks, so matching UNT’s intensity will be a challenge. The loss to Georgia was ugly, but UAB is the team everyone wants to beat in CUSA. I’m trusting this senior-laden team has the ability to refocus quickly, but I also thought the defense would put up a fight against Georgia. Mystery Blazers don’t feel like a two touchdown road favorite, and turnovers hurt UNT last week against SMU. Joe’s pick: UAB 24, North Texas 21 Pro says: UAB is going to have to develop a more prolific passing game if they want to juice up the offense and have a more balanced attack. They looked stuck in the mud last week against Georgia. North Texas decided they can’t keep winning shootouts so they made the offseason hire of respected defensive coordinator Phil Bennett. Bennett is smart enough to realize Tyler Johnston III isn’t going to hurt his pass defense and will play at least seven or eight defenders in the box almost every first and second down. This spread is way too high with a punchless Blazers offense. Pro’s pick: UAB 31, North Texas 27 Hero says: The Blazers were licking their wounds after a beat down by Georgia last week, but Coach Clark will need to get his team refocused for a conference game at North Texas this week. The Blazers may struggle to regain their footing against North Texas, but they should be able to win the line of scrimmage and earn a tough conference road win. Hero’s pick: UAB 28, North Texas 20 LINK: https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2021/09/florida-quarterbacks-pose-problem-for-alabama.html

Nothing. Avoid this at all costs. Unfortunately, the Mountain West has become known for being reactive and waiting to see what everyone else does before making a move. They can not afford to do so this time around. The bottom line is, it is well past time for the Mountain West to become the aggressor. It is not a stretch to imagine Thompson and the conference are working behind the scenes. But until they get something done, they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. Maintaining the status quo will not help the conference remain relevant. Losing teams will only make matters worse. The only option is to add. Preferably, they should strengthen their own conference by weakening their rival conference, the American Athletic. Also, seek to fortify itself as a basketball conference works by adding Gonzaga and St. Mary. Those teams can’t be happy BYU is pulling out of their conference, so make them an attractive offer to play against the likes of Utah State, SDSU, Colorado State, and others in what could easily become one of the six strongest MBB conferences in the nation. read more: https://www.mwcconnection.com/platform/amp/2021/9/15/22670913/peak-perspective-mountain-west-college-football-conference-realignment-battle-fight-expansion

With the addition of Cincinnati, BYU, UCF and Houston to the Big 12 essentially all close to being completed, the buzz this weekend came from what could be next for the AAC, Mountain West, Conference USA, MAC and Sun Belt. The typical food chain reaction would have the American Athletic Conference add a few teams, deciding whether to attempt to poach the Mountain West or pluck a few members from Conference USA. Then the trickle-down would go from there. But there’s an increasing buzz among athletic directors throughout the Group of Five that the next wave of realignment should focus on common sense instead of more poaching. By chasing TV dollars, many schools have alienated fans through non-sensible league affiliation with teams that fans don’t care about. Do the leaders in college athletics have enough vision and smarts to build a more sensible and tenable Group of Five for the future? We’ll have a chance to find out. “We really should hit pause before we start poaching each other’s teams and explore what this would look like if we started over today,” said an athletic director in the Group of Five. “TV has made it obvious they’re only paying for the big brands moving forward. If there’s a way to cut our travel costs by millions, let our student-athletes spend more time in class and sell more tickets because fans actually know the teams, know alums from the universities and can travel to games, we should at least spend a few weeks to discuss the thought that maybe there’s a better solution.” read more: https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-aside-college-football-appears-bunched-together-and-that-should-invite-common-sense-conference-realignment-202704848.html

GMG UNT_FB_Game_Notes 2021 2_SMU.pdf

When North Texas takes the field on Saturday for their opener against Northwestern State, the Mean Green will be wearing a helmet and uniform combination honoring former coach Hayden Fry. Last season the team featured the school’s old “flying worm” on a white helmet, and this season’s version will honor Fry, who coached at North Texas from 1973-78. The helmets are inspired by the logo Fry and artist Rick Spears helped to bring to North Texas, which was North Texas State at the time. read more: https://saturdaytradition.com/iowa-football/north-texas-to-honor-college-football-legend-hayden-fry-in-season-opener-saturday/

Harry welcomes special guest and North Texas starting right guard Daizion Carroll to the show. Daizion shares his thoughts on the program, his game, the defense as well as some new faces who could be solid additions to the 2021 squad. Direct audio link: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/gomeangreen/Daizion_Carroll_mixdown.mp3

GMG UNT_FB_Game_Notes 2021 1_Northwestern St.pdf

In a new research report for the Brookings Institution, Ariel Gelrud Shiro and I found that 48 out of 50 flagship universities increased their share of out-of-state freshmen from 2002 to 2018. The average increase was 55%, although some, such as University of California, Berkeley, and University of Alabama, increased by more than 150%. The result is a change in the nature of many of these schools. For example, 8 of 10 University of Maine freshmen were Mainers in the fall of 2002. By 2018 that figure had fallen to 54%. As public universities increasingly reject their own residents for admission, they undermine their political support. As state legislatures cut funding for higher education, schools need greater numbers of tuition-paying out-of-state students to increase revenue. Our research didn’t uncover who started this cycle, but we find evidence that the more a state school reduced its in-state student share, the less support it received from its state government. read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/public-colleges-tuition-windfall-out-of-state-11630359738

What’s the status of the Quarterback room Even though the first game is only a mere four days, Leipold has yet to name a starting quarterback for the season-opener. Although the Jayhawks return redshirt senior Miles Kendrick and sophomore Jalon Daniels, North Texas transfer redshirt junior Jason Bean has thrown himself into the mix for the starting job. “It’s always possible that you could see multiple quarterbacks,” Leipold said recently. Although Kendrick and Daniels lacked consistency last year in the Jayhawks’ winless campaign, Leipold has seen improvements from all three. “For them to slowly get understanding and command with confidence, to help people get lined up and what motions were doing and things, let alone the reads and everything that’s happening, we are starting to see those things happen…” Leipold went on to say that he has been impressed with Bean over the course of the spring into the summer. “[He has a] better understanding and confidence in the huddle,” Leipold said recently. “He’s getting more confident in seeing things, his accuracy has improved, he continues to show his athleticism with his feet.” The Jayhawks are set to open their 2021 campaign Friday, Sept. 3 at David Booth Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. read more: https://www.kansan.com/sports/back-to-sports-where-kansas-football-stands-after-a-busy-summer/article_362c0780-0992-11ec-8338-4f4b1ba6c09d.html

North Texas Mean Green Head Coach: Seth Littrell, 6th season. 2020 Record: 4-6, 3-4 Conference USA. 2021 Prediction: 5-7. Impact Player: DeAndre Torrey, Senior RB. The Skinny: Seth Littrell returned to UNT in 2019 after declining an offer to coach at Kansas State- and UNT didn’t have the kind of season he was expecting. The Mean Green won just four games a year ago- and that was with NFL draftee Jaelon Darden. He’s gone in 2021, and while Austin Aune did gain a year of experience last year, and the return of DeAndre Torrey also helps, the unit as a whole is lacking. As far as the schedule goes, its degree of difficulty is part of why UNT is picked sixth in the C-USA West. North Texas plays at SMU and Missouri, while hosting conference finalists UAB and Marshall. Overachieving to bowl appearance this year would go a long way towards getting back to contention. read more: https://www.dallassportsfanatic.com/dfw-college-football-preview-tcu-smu-north-texas-primed-for-improvement/

DENTON, Texas – The Seth Littrell radio show returns to the air Tuesday night at 7 pm CT from Rudy's BBQ in Denton. The show can be heard on the Mean Green Sports Network, KHYI 95.3 FM and the Varsity Network app, as Dave Barnett and Hank Dickenson visit with North Texas head coach Seth Littrell and discuss the season-opener against Northwestern State set for 6:30 pm Sept. 4 at Apogee Stadium. Fans can download the app for iPhone or Android use for instant access to free gameday audio streams and receive push notifications to remind them of games starting or upcoming audio broadcasts. Rudy's BBQ is located at 520 S. I-35E. Frontage Rd, Denton, TX 76205. The show will air live every Tuesday night throughout the football season, with the exception of Sept. 28 before UNT’s open weekend. Trivia questions and prizes will be part of the hour-long show along with a live microphone for fans to ask questions. Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets for the 2021 season are now available online. Any ticket-related questions may be directed to the Mean Green Athletics Ticket Office via email at ticketoffice@unt.edu or by phone at (940) 565-2527. Be sure to keep an eye on MeanGreenSports.com, follow Mean Green Sports on social media @MeanGreenSports and Mean Green football at @MeanGreenFB for all of the latest information on the upcoming 2021 football season.

With less than two weeks before the start of the 2021 college football season for Maryland football, coach Mike Locksley made an addition to the team's coaching staff. The Terrapins brought in former UTEP offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Mike Canales to serve as an analyst. He has also spent time as the offensive coordinator at North Texas, USF and Arizona. Canales confirmed the hire by updating his Twitter biography. He has experience as a head coach during interim stints in 2010 and 2015 with North Texas where he was credited with starting the popular "Lock the gate" chant. In those two seasons, Canales posted a record of 3-9. read more: https://www.si.com/college/indiana/football/big-ten-daily-indiana-august-27-purdue-jeff-brohm-jack-plummer-shemar-stewart-ohio-state-mike-canales-maryland

Conference USA: North Texas over Western Kentucky North Texas is a team I expect to surprise a lot of people this year. Admittedly, the Mean Green were a disappointing 4-6 last season, and a putrid 4-8 the year before. But Seth Littrell has coached some very solid North Texas teams before, accumulating back-to-back nine-win seasons. With a lot of returning production on both sides of the ball, I like North Texas to emerge in a competitive conference with no clear standout. Western Kentucky is a solid team, with winning records in conference play the past two seasons. I think Florida Atlantic is the biggest challenge in their division, and the Hilltoppers get them at home, so 6-2 should do the trick for clinching a title game berth. However, I think the Mean Green are the superior team in the matchup, and I’ll have them complete my mini-Cinderella prediction with an unbeaten C-USA run. read more: https://ndsmcobserver.com/2021/08/college-football-conference-championships-prediction/