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UNT Football: Eric Morris Hired as 20th Head Football Coach DENTON, Texas – Eric Morris has been hired as the 20th head coach in North Texas history, Vice President and Director of Athletics Jared Mosley announced Tuesday. “We are truly excited to welcome Coach Eric Morris and his family to North Texas,” Mosley said. “From early in our process Eric was able to clearly articulate his vision for UNT and what we can do in the short term to build momentum as we transition to the American Athletic Conference. “Among a deep and talented pool of candidates Eric distinguished himself with his great energy and strong track record as a championship head coach and a proven developer of talent. As a Texas native, he has deep relationships across the state, and he understands the importance of connecting with campus and the local community.” A record-setting offensive play-caller with extensive experience in the state of Texas, Morris comes to Denton following one season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Washington State. He previously served as head coach at Incarnate Word in San Antonio for four seasons from 2018-21. “I am incredibly honored to be the head football coach at North Texas,” Morris said. “I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity given to me by Jared Mosley and President Smatresk to lead UNT Football into a new era in The American. As a native Texan, I understand the pride and standard of Mean Green football and I am humbled to be able to lead this storied program. My wife, Maggie, and our boys are so excited to return home. We can’t wait to meet the team and get to work.” In his first season with Washington State, the 37-year-old Morris has engineered an offense that ranks first in the Pac 12 and 10th nationally in redzone efficiency, scoring 91.5 percent of its trips inside the 20. The Cougars’ 52 points at Stanford were the most scored in a conference game since 2019, and the most in a road conference game since 2018. Under his guidance, quarterback Cameron Ward, who followed Morris from UIW, passed for 23 touchdowns (6th, Pac-12; 29th, FBS) and completed 298 passes (2nd, Pac-12; 10th, FBS). Ward posted five games with at least one rushing and one passing touchdown. Ward finished the regular season with 3,094 passing yards and 23 touchdowns to go with 285 rushing yards and five scores. He completed 64.1 percent of his passes. The Cougars also displayed a rejuvenated ground game, as Jaylen Jenkins became the first WSU freshman with 100 or more rushing yards in a game since 2005 with 130 against USC. Nakia Watson was the first rusher with consecutive 100-yards games following 166 at Stanford and 116 in a win over Arizona State. In his UIW tenure, Morris was twice named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year (2018, 2021). He led the Cardinals to two conference titles (2018, 2021), twice reached the FCS playoffs, and left UIW as the program record holder for victories with 24. During his time in San Antonio, Morris posted a 24-18 record and orchestrated an offense that finished in the top 10 nationally for total offense in three of his four seasons, including leading the nation in 2020-21 at 552.3 yards per game. His teams finished in the top five in scoring both of his final two seasons, third in 2020-21 (42.0 ppg) and fifth in 2021 at 39.5 ppg. In 2021, Morris guided the Cardinals to the Southland Conference title, reached the NCAA FCS Second Round, and finished with a 10-3 record, the winningest record in program history. Morris mentored longtime pupil Ward, who finished the season garnering Stats Perform FCS All-America Second Team honors as well as being named to the Hero Sports 2021 Sophomore All-American Team. Ward also received Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors after breaking UIW program records for most career passing touchdowns and career passing yards, Ward was also a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Morris also oversaw the development of wide receiver Taylor Grimes, who earned multiple All-American honors in 2021 and was named Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year after setting single-season records for receiving yards (1,145) and touchdown receptions (15). Morris guided the Cardinals to one of the best turnarounds in the FCS, being named the 2018 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Regional Coach of the Year, the 2018 Southland Conference Coach of the Year, and an Eddie Robinson Award finalist. That season he guided UIW to a 6-4 regular season record, a conference championship and the program’s first FCS Playoff appearance in his first season. Prior to Incarnate Word, Morris spent five seasons (2013-17) as the offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Texas Tech. During that time, Morris helped the Red Raiders to three bowl games and guided one of the top offenses in the nation. From 2013-17, Texas Tech's offense scored over 30 points per game all five seasons, and all five years was ranked among the top 16 teams in total offense, including leading the nation in 2016 at 564.4 yards per game. The Tech offense was highlighted by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who Morris recruited and coached in Lubbock. Morris, a native of Shallowater, Texas, returned to his roots in West Texas after spending the 2012 season as the inside receivers coach for former Tech head coach Mike Leach at Washington State. Prior to Pullman, Morris spent two years at the University of Houston, first as an offensive graduate assistant in 2010 and then as the offensive quality control assistant in 2011. Before joining the coaching profession, Morris played in the Canadian Football League in 2009. Morris was a versatile, all-round player during his four seasons as a Red Raider wide receiver (2005-08). He was an All-Big 12 punt returner as a senior and was also a member of the 2007 Academic All-Big 12 first team. Morris arrived at Tech following a stellar prep career at Shallowater High School where he was named the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal All-South Plains Super Team Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2003. Morris received his bachelor’s degree in communications studies from Texas Tech in 2008. He and his wife, Maggie, are parents to two sons, Nicholas and George. --GMG--

Join Evan, Harry and TheRealJD as they discuss newly hired UNT head football coach Eric Morris. The boys give their initial thoughts on the hire and look at the hiring process involving Morris as well as that of newly hired UNT Athletic Director Jared Mosley. They close out by discussing how both will look to build on UNT's athletic success as the program joins the American Athletic Conference (AAC) next year. Direct audio link: https://traffic.libsyn.com/gomeangreen/Morris_hired_mixdown.mp3

The move is just another hit to a Washington State team that is already looking to fill plenty of gaps heading into Saturday’s bowl game. Earlier this month, the team lost their defensive coordinator when Brian Ward took the same position with Arizona State, lost their star linebacker when Daiyan Henley decided to opt out of the bowl game to focus on the draft, and could be without more than a dozen more players who have all entered their names into the transfer portal. We’ll have to wait and see who WSU will have available, both on the field and on the sideline, when the LA Bowl kicks off on Saturday afternoon. In the meantime, Morris is taking advantage of his opportunity and leading the Mean Green into their new era. At the same time, the Leach disciple is helping to make sure that the Pirate’s coaching tree flourishes for years to come. North Texas names Washington State OC Eric Morris as new coach North Texas has hired Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris as the team's new head coach, the school announced Tuesday. Eric Morris Hired as 20th Head Football Coach - University of North Texas Athletics Eric Morris has been hired as the 20th head coach in North Texas history, Vice President and Director of Athletics Jared Mosley announced Tuesday. Eric Morris, Washington State's offensive coordinator and a Mike Leach pupil, accepts head coaching position at North Texas | The Spokesman-Review Eric Morris, Washington State’s offensive coordinator and a Mike Leach disciple who played for the late coach at Texas Tech, accepted a position to become the head coach at North Texas on Tuesday morning. LINK: https://www.cougcenter.com/2022/12/14/23508532/eric-morris-north-texas-head-coach-washington-state-cougars-wsu-offensive-coordinator

https://footballscoop.com/news/sources-david-beaty-returning-to-college-football-florida-atlantic

North Texas (7-6, 6-2 C-USA) vs. Boise State (9-4, 8-0 MW) Saturday, Dec. 17 Toyota Stadium - Frisco, Texas Capacity: 20,500 Kickoff: 7:15 p.m. MT Channel: ESPN Weather: High of 52, low of 33 degrees The Boise State football program looks to capture its first win in a bowl game since 2017 Saturday when the Broncos (9-4, 8-0 MW) face off with North Texas (7-6, 6-2 C-USA) in the Frisco Bowl. Boise State has earned bowl eligibility in 25-consecutive seasons, which is the third-longest streak in the nation. However, Saturday will be the Broncos' first bowl appearance since 2019, when they fell to Washington in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Broncos were invited to the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl following the 2021 season, but the game was canceled after Boise State withdrew due to an increase of COVID-19 cases within the program. In 2020, the Broncos opted to forego a bowl game following a season abbreviated by the COVID-19 pandemic. After winning seven of its final eight games of the regular season, the Broncos had their eyes set on capturing a Mountain West Championship and a trip to the LA Bowl at Sofi Stadium as the conference's top team. Boise State fell 28-16 on The Blue to Fresno State Dec. 3, giving the Bulldogs the trip to southern California. While the loss at Albertsons Stadium stings, Saturday's Frisco Bowl bout with North Texas still provides Boise State with numerous reasons to display a dominant performance against the Mean Green out of Conference USA. For one, Boise State prides itself on two goals; winning the Mountain West and winning a bowl game, something that has not happened since 2018, as noted above. Second, the Broncos can catapult their young talent into the offseason in style and send their departing seniors off with one last win. Third, there are 13 players listed on Boise State's roster from the Lone Star State, giving the Texas natives an opportunity to shine in front of family and friends at Toyota Stadium. Finally, the Frisco Bowl is likely the final time interim offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter will coach Boise State after stepping in following the loss at UTEP. Sitting at 2-2, Koetter deserves massive credit for flipping the Broncos' offense and giving redshirt freshman quarterback Taylen Green the room to thrive. "I want to leave him with a win. You know, Taylen has progressed so far, so fast. I'd love to win Taylen with something to build on going into next year," Koetter said. "Again, the sky's the limit. After the season's over, I'll give him some things I think he needs to work on in the offseason, but at that point that's just my opinion, that's somebody else's." read more: https://www.ktvb.com/article/sports/ncaa/ncaaf/boise-state-football/game-day-guide-boise-state-north-texas-frisco-bowl-saturday-dec-17/277-34e590a8-6259-4de9-a293-3bab7eabeb16

Let’s get him now; let him finish the season where he is at, and go win us a handful of those championships https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35198095/tcu-garrett-riley-wins-broyles-award-top-assistant

Seth Littrell Current Gig: Unemployed (North Texas Head Coach, 2016-2022) Other OC Experience: UNC (2014-2015), Indiana (2012-2013), Arizona (2010-2011) Stats as a OC (SP+ Offense Ranking): 53rd (2022); 100th (2021); 83rd (2020); 86th (2019); 67th (2018); 65th (2017); 111th (2016); 7th (2015); 30th (2014); 25th (2013); 52nd (2012); 23rd (2011); 29th (2010); It was just announced that Littrell has been let go at North Texas after seven years on the job and just a day after losing in the CUSA Championship Game to UTSA. Over his seven years in Denton, the Mean Green finished with 9 wins twice and played in two conference title games. They went 11-5 in conference over the last two years and are set to jump to the AAC in 2023. Prior to his first head coaching gig, Littrell was the Assistant Head Coach and OC at UNC under Larry Fedora. His final year in Chapel Hill was the high-water mark for the Fedora era as the offense (and program as a whole) backslid after Littrell left town. Oh, yeah. Littrell and Dave Doeren just happened to be on staff at Kansas together from 2002-2004, Littrell as a Graduate Assistant and Doeren as the LB coach and Recruiting Coordinator. No idea what the relationship was between the two, but sometimes it’s those early connections that last. The positives here are... well, just look at those offensive numbers he produced when he was an OC. In six seasons as an OC, only once did an offense of his finish outside of the Top 30 in SP+ Offense. Only three times in ten seasons under Doeren has NC State’s offense finished in the Top 30 (29th in 2018, 15th in 2017, and 27th in 2015). Littrell would also offer another former head coach to the staff, one who has a reputation for creating a family-centric program much like Doeren and Ruffin McNeill, and someone with prior ties to the state. The negatives are basically just that the guy used to coach at UNC. That’s the only tie to that school for the former Oklahoma running back (class of 2000). read more: https://www.backingthepack.com/nc-state-football/2022/12/4/23493430/2022-nc-state-wolfpack-football-poaps-offensive-coordinator

Last week, I looked through Brent Key’s connections to find potential candidates for his coaching staff here at Georgia Tech. And I have to say, I did not walk away from that list overly impressed with many of the candidates. It has been discussed (but not confirmed) that one of the good things about hiring Brent Key is that he is being brought in at a lower price which means Tech can spend more with its offensive coordinator hire. We have already seen that Tech is willing to put more money towards a coordinator hire with Chip Long, who is set to make $850K to not coach this year, more than double what his predecessor Dave Patenaude earned at Tech. As I was perusing Twitter yesterday, I saw the shocking news that North Texas had fired their head coach Seth Littrell. In seven seasons coaching the Mean Green, Littrell took his team to five bowl games. Prior to him taking the job in 2016, North Texas had been to one bowl game since 2004. It was mind-boggling across the country. But, that means he’s available for a job, and I think Georgia Tech should give him one as their offensive coordinator. A graduate of Oklahoma, Littrell got his first position coaching job at Texas Tech under Mike Leach. He served as the Red Raiders’ running backs coach from 2005 to 2008. And well, the running backs were very good while he was there. read more: https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/georgia-tech-football/2022/12/5/23494669/seth-littrell-should-be-georgia-techs-next-offensive-coordinator

Two concurrent storylines in college athletics – the long-debated and finally approved expansion of the College Football Playoff and the every-decade shift in conference affiliation – are about to collide strangely: With the expansion of the game’s postseason field from four teams to 12 starting in 2026 (or earlier), programs where it was previously considered impossible to create a national title shot suddenly have a puncher’s chance of at least seeing the championship structure. North Texas: We’ve previously discussed the long marriage between the Mean Green and Seth Littrell wrapping up at the end of this season in as respectable a fashion as possible, and that still holds – unless UNT finishes its final three games against FIU, UAB, and Rice with a sweep. Losing to UTSA hurt Littrell, but this past weekend’s blowout of Western Kentucky was a huge mark in his favor. LINK: https://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-football-hot-seat-watch-taking-temperature-coaches-in-american-athletic-conference

Technically, UAB has been on the clock to find its next head football coach longer than any other program in this cycle. It’s been more than five months since Bill Clark’s abrupt resignation/retirement from the Blazers’ position shocked both school officials and the college football world. After a 6-6 season under interim coach Bryant Vincent, which is landing the Blazers in the Bahamas Bowl Dec. 16, current UAB players are asking that the school promote Vincent to the job in a full-time capacity. An unspecified number of players sent an undated letter to UAB President Dr. Ray L. Watts, in which players asserted that they had been denied an opportunity to meet with Watts via his secretary and also said that, “We, as a team, want our voices to be heard. We have fought and brought championships and bowl wins to this University. Championships and bowl wins that have never been done in the history of this program. We have accomplished things that nobody thought would ever happen here.” The players in their letter said that “On June 27, (UAB Athletics Director) Mark Ingram, told us that he will conduct a national search for our coach. That was all he said. He didn’t talk to any of us players or ask us any questions. … read more: https://footballscoop.com/news/uab-players-accuse-president-of-not-granting-meeting-want-our-voices-to-be-heard

EasyPost Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 24) Air Force vs. North Texas: The Falcons could land in a few different spots, but how about the Hawaii Bowl, which it has never played in? Five other MW schools have appeared in this bowl, and with Hawaii out of bowl contention, a non-Rainbow Warriors team will fill the void. North Texas is 6-5, so it's clinched a bowl heading into its regular-season finale with Rice next week. This game hasn't been played since 2019 due to COVID-19 issues. Read more: https://nevadasportsnet.com/news/reporters/mountain-west-football-bowl-projections-heading-into-penultimate-week-of-regular-season

DENTON – The UNT football team will make a second trip to the Alamodome in just more than a month to take on rival UTSA on Friday night at 6:30 p.m., with the Conference USA championship on the line. The game can be seen on CBS Sports Network with the radio broadcast on KHYI 95.3/KXXN 97.5 (Wichita Falls)/The Varsity Network. Head coach Seth Littrell and selected players spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, how the team envisioned this rematch as soon as they left the Alamodome turf last month, what needs to be done to remedy its potent rushing attack after being shut down in the last meeting and what it would mean for the program to win its first conference championship since winning a Sun Belt crown in 2004. Revenge an added motivator as Mean Green seek championship It was a month ago when defending Conference USA champion UTSA ended the Mean Green's eight-game conference winning streak inside a raucous Alamodome environment. As soon as the team got back to its locker room that night after a heartbreaking, last-second loss, the players and coaches alike already had their sights set on a seemingly inevitable rematch with the conference championship on the line. "I think we walked off the field and told them we'd be back," senior defensive back Sean-Thomas Faulkner said. "It's proving what we all knew. With there being no more divisions, we all knew we could still control our own destiny. We knew we'd be back and would get another shot at them." In the last meeting, UTSA (10-2, 8-0) ended the game with an acrobatic touchdown reception with 15 seconds remaining to pull out a 31-27 victory over the Mean Green (7-5, 6-2). "They made one more play than we did down the stretch," Littrell said. "That's football. It was a very competitive game. We knew leaving that field that we wanted another opportunity to get back out there and compete against those guys, and our guys did enough down the stretch to put ourselves in a position to do that." Not only are the Mean Green trying to avenge a loss earlier in the season, and doing so in a conference championship game, but it also happens to be against one of, if not their most heated rival, as they enter Friday's game with an even split in the all-time series. "Rivalries are always great to be in and to be playing your rival for a championship is unmatched," sophomore running back Isaiah Johnson said. "I wouldn't want it any other way. I've really grown to not like UTSA but they're a great team and I'm happy to get a chance to play them again." UNT looking to correct rushing woes against UTSA Heading into their previous meeting in San Antonio, the Mean Green were fresh off a school-record rushing day when they rolled up 475 yards on the ground in a win over Louisiana Tech the previous week. That momentum was quickly thwarted by the Roadrunners, as they held UNT to just 22 yards on 21 carries for the typically run-heavy and productive offense. Senior center Manase Mose, who will be making his 61st career start (good to tie him for third all-time in NCAA history), said he and his teammates in the trenches were simply outplayed on that day and they must do better Friday night to bring home a trophy. "They just played better football that day," he said. "We kind of lost focus in the first half and slowly picked it up in the second half. The O-line and offense as a whole, we have to focus on the little things and do things right on our end. "Their D-line and whole front-seven is a good unit. They're strong and big. It's gonna be a challenge for us to get them moving and get rolling." Littrell said the reason UTSA shut down his ground attack in the last meeting was simple math and the extra men the Roadrunners put in the box. There is one way to exploit that, and that's with explosive plays in the passing game. "You gotta hit plays in the passing game, for sure," Littrell said. "We had to do that in the second half and we did make some big plays. That's something we have to do. The biggest thing is you have to trust and believe in making your routine plays. There were five or six explosive plays we left out there in the first drive that could've changed the game. You just have to make routine plays. You only get so many opportunities to make them. When you get them, you have to finish them off." Littrell, players know what a championship would mean As the Mean Green prepare to play their second-to-last game as a member of Conference USA before next year's move to The American, and their final conference game in the league, they are all aware of what a win and a championship would mean for the program moving into the future. UNT hasn't won a conference championship since the 2004 Sun Belt title and hasn't played in a conference championship game since a 41-17 loss to FAU in the 2017 Conference USA Championship. "Any time you have that opportunity to win a championship, it's huge," Littrell said. "We all understand that. You only get so many opportunities to do this. Some of these guys, it might be their only opportunity to play in a championship game and win a championship. You never know how often they come around. You have to be prepared for it and enjoy that preparation and go out and perform at the highest level. "Winning a championship would be big. That's what the goals are. That's what I envisioned for this university is to go compete for and win championships and win bowl games. Now is a great opportunity to achieve some of those goals." Even for guys like Faulkner and Mose, whose UNT careers are coming to an end, the importance of Friday's game for the future isn't lost on them. "For me, being a senior, next year I'll be gone," Faulkner said. "It doesn't affect me. But this program, as a whole, going to a new conference and leaving on a championship note would be a big deal for the whole program – support, recruiting, everything. It's huge for the future of North Texas." LINK: https://meangreensports.com/news/2022/11/29/football-unt-out-for-revenge-with-c-usa-title-on-the-line

I have not given up on Seth, but if we do need a replacement hire I think Ryan Walters may be the guy. Known as an outstanding recruiter, he has coached at North Texas before and understand the situation and what needs to get done. Known as the very best recruiter in the country. Only problem is paying his buyout won't be cheap, it's $750K. I think he would be a fantastic hire and unlike Fuente would still be hungry to win.

SAN ANTONIO – Jeff Traylor did not mince words at his postgame press conference Saturday evening. “We need the city to show up.” UTSA’s third-year head coach had just seen his resilient squad complete a thrilling and historic comeback to defeat UTEP 34-31. The Roadrunners finished the regular season with a 10-2 overall record including a perfect 8-0 mark against Conference USA opponents, a first in program history. Over the past two seasons, only four college football programs have a better overall record than UTSA’s 22-4 mark: Georgia (26-1), Michigan (24-2), Ohio State (22-3) and Alabama (23-4). Additionally, the team finally broke back into the AP Top 25 over the weekend at No. 23 overall and moved up a spot in the latest AFCA Coaches Poll to No. 24. Even with all of that success, Traylor was laser-focused on the challenge ahead: hosting North Texas in their second straight Conference USA Championship Game at the Alamodome. Saturday’s victory happened in front of 26,061 fans, the fourth-largest crowd this season, and the fans made their presence felt multiple times during UTSA’s remarkable comeback. Traylor wants an even larger crowd on Friday night. “It’s got to be like tonight times two for us to have a competitive chance,” Traylor said. “We worked hard to get that home-field [advantage]. We can’t waste it, man. We cannot waste it. We need to get this place packed.” The Roadrunners will have to battle the Mean Green without several key contributors. Wide receiver De’Corian “JT” Clark, who caught the game-winning touchdown against UNT, is already out for the season after suffering a leg injury in UTSA’s 44-38 overtime victory over UAB. Running back Brenden Brady, who carried the ball 19 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns against UNT, suffered an arm injury during UTSA’s win over UTEP and will miss the title game. Tight end Gavin Sharp suffered an ugly leg injury in the UTEP game as well, adding to a list of eight one-time starters who will not suit up on Friday. read more: https://www.ksat.com/sports/local/2022/11/29/pack-the-dome-traylor-utsa-want-record-setting-crowd-for-conference-usa-championship-game/