Scout pre-spring ranking - #99 North Texas

[MEANGREENCOACH2]

I know one position I will not have any doubts about. That is the Trevor Moore position. He was a HUGE get for us last season.

[untjim1995]

This schedule can't be overlooked. I also feel like people are overlooking our road woes. 7 road games, coming off a year in which we were 0-6 on the road. We've also never beaten a team on the road with a .500 or better record under Mccarney. We face 5 road opponents who finished .500 or better last year. Plus we have some potentially tough home games in WKU, Rice, and UTEP.

With this year's schedule, I think the 2013 team would've gone 6-6 or 7-5, and last year's team would've been more in the 1-11 to 3-9 range. So I think we need a bigger improvement than some are realizing.

The good thing is, this offense potentially has more playmaking ability than either of the past two years. That's pretty contingent on Damarcus Smith getting eligible, which is a big question mark. But if that happens, we should be able to put up points. Especially if the offensive line comes together.

This defense needs some playmakers to emerge. We lost two all-CUSA players and some other guys who were key starters or starters when they were healthy (Mason, Lincoln, Watson, Lee, and Wade). We don't have an apparent all-CUSA candidate, so someone has to step up and be that guy. Maybe it's Buyers, or maybe it's a first-year starter like Combs or McClain. But people have to step up and someone has to be more than serviceable.

This.

I will say this--I wish these listings would rank G5s by themselves and P5s by themselves. Saying that we are 99th best in college football is probably still too high, in my opinion, with what we have returning at QB and what we are losing on the OLine, but I want to know how we look compared to MAC, CUSA, AAC, MWC, and SBC teams.

I still say we go 3-9 or 4-8. SMU, Portland State, and one or two more home conference wins. Bought losses at Tennessee and Iowa, lose at home to Rice and someone else, lose all conference road games. I'm telling you that winning at SMU won't tell us much, just like it didn't last year, but losing at SMU will. They are going to be truly horrible again--just like they were under June Jones in his first year. They have almost no returning talent on that team.

[Mean Green 93-98]

I know one position I will not have any doubts about. That is the Trevor Moore position. He was a HUGE get for us last season.

Very true.

[UNT90]

Do some of you not realize that the majority of each season's schedule is in place years in advance?

.

You need to call RV and inform him of this valuable piece of information.

[UNTLifer]

You need to call RV and inform him of this valuable piece of information.

Sorry, don't have his number.

[GOMG2013]

Updated with the rest

Mid Tenn 94

Rice 95

UNT 99

UTEP 105

So Miss 113

SMU 116

UTSA 122

Port NR

Based on these rankings we would be favored in 6 games with one being a slight favorite against Rice at home. MTSU is beatable at 94.

[TheColonyEagle]

What in the world makes anyone think that there's a chance in hell Demarcus Smith will start this season? Isn't he missing spring practice? Will he know the offense better than McNulty? If not than forget it.

McNulty will be the QB this year. I haven't seen ANYTHING from this HC that would suggest any different.

If this team is going to improve, the D better be MUCH improved. That includes Buyers who I think was exposed a little last season.

Edited March 7, 2015 by TheColonyEagle

[GMG24]

A little?

[MEANGREENCOACH2]

Buyers seems like the golden child around here. Don't get me wrong I love the kid but he never gets judged like other players/positions do.

[greenminer]

Buyers seems like the golden child around here. Don't get me wrong I love the kid but he never gets judged like other players/positions do.

His drop off last year was noted on several occasions.

Edited March 9, 2015 by greenminer

[MeanGreenTexan]

His drop off last year was noted on several occasions.

For sure.

Seemed like almost every time someone was getting burnt deep, it was him.

[VideoEagle]

His drop off last year was noted on several occasions.

I heard and read that multiple times.

Likewise, McNulty was made the starter after two extreme crash and burns. He was a very, very distant third choice. But some seem focused on Mac being biased in favor of the third stringer, even after he repeated said during the season and after that quarterback play must improve. It's been correctly pointed out its up to the coaches to find better quarterbacks. How many do we have quarterbacks are coming in now? And yet the some how the coaches are only focused on the distant third stringer? What do they need to do, give out 25 quarterback scholarships to show the fans they really are focused on the problem?

Edited March 9, 2015 by VideoEagle

[UNTLifer]

Question: with Smith on campus taking classes to get eligible, can he have access to a playbook and work with the WR's on their own time?

[MEANGREENCOACH2]

Question: with Smith on campus taking classes to get eligible, can he have access to a playbook and work with the WR's on their own time?

One would hope!! hopefully he has access to tutors

[Aldo]

For sure.

Seemed like almost every time someone was getting burnt deep, it was him.

I agreed with you before I reviewed opponent video (which would highlight those big plays), so I was a little surprised. Yeah he did get beat a few times (and James Jones), but most of the time it was the LB in coverage or the safeties (not sure if the two are related). Which caused all the other guys to scramble.

Watching the lbs and safeties in broken coverage I was like

[Aldo]

I'd say a big issue with Buyers that I saw was missed tackles.

[GOMG2013]

I agree aldo. The corners didnt get beat that much. Buyers played average in my opinion. He could have been better, but he was never so bad to where he looked like he shouldnt be out there.

My issue was playing too far off.

The lbs in coverage were horrible. Safety too. I blame the scheme for some of the lbs getting beat because they never should have been put in those situations in the first place.

there were lots of situations where we should have went nickel.

[UNTexas]

They should have added as a positive that the QB situation cannot possibly be worse than last year. The Texas game was a nightmare. I've never seen such garbage stats.

Edited March 9, 2015 by UNTexas

[TIgreen01]

I agreed with you before I reviewed opponent video (which would highlight those big plays), so I was a little surprised. Yeah he did get beat a few times (and James Jones), but most of the time it was the LB in coverage or the safeties (not sure if the two are related). Which caused all the other guys to scramble.

Watching the lbs and safeties in broken coverage I was like

Hence the targeting of JUCOs to fill those immediate needs....good observation.

[FirefightnRick]

The secondary is always going to get exposed and look bad when there is zero D Line pressure. i don't understand why so many cant understand this concept?

Rick

[Aldo]

The secondary is always going to get exposed and look bad when there is zero D Line pressure. i don't understand why so many cant understand this concept?

I think everyone gets it. Honestly, though, the D-Line contributions where not bad, and the defense as a whole was not bad in CUSA. And performance against CUSA is all that matters to me tbh.

D lineman accounted for forced fumbles, QB hurries, sacks, TFLs, some more sacks, PBUs, passes defended, INTs.

Could they have been better in passing/attacking situations? Sure, why not.

But what we have seen is how bad LB and S pass coverage/assignment was, leading to high passing percentages and conversions. I think better personnel this offseason, plus a year under McClain's belt should *theoretically* help.

[Aldo]

If I knew how to make gifs out of youtube videos (and some time), I think I could give a few examples. But, oh hey I think my phong is ringing...

[GOMG2013]

our issues with giving up big pass plays the last two years has been the post pattern. they catch us with no safety and thats a hard cover for a corner if you dont line up inside. technique issue.

line up inside. if you are outside and he posts, its over with no safety. the only way to fix it is have a

defense good enough to where our safeties dont have to come up and support the run and short passes.

indiana obviously knew the post could kill us because of joseph, but then uab must have seen the indiana film and attacked the same thing.

[UNTLifer]

Buyers problem last year? No Trice behind him.

[GOMG2013]

Buyers problem last year? No Trice behind him.

Trice wasn't behind him much in 2013. That's not our defense. Safeties play up. We gave up the post in 2013, just like last year. Only difference is we were still winning. Buyers performance was not much different than 2013. Not as aggressive as 2013 when we were winning in a lot of our games.