C-USA Football Preview: #12 North Texas Mean Green
Coming in hot at #12 is none other than the University of North Texas aka the "Mean Green!"
*And the 100 fans in the stand go wild*
2015 was a disaster
As with Charlotte, jaws will probably not drop when reading that North Texas is second-to-last in our preseason rankings. With an FPI of -10.7, North Texas went 1-11 during their 2015 campaign: only beating C-USA's own UTSA who went on to be 3-9. To make matters worse, the Mean Green lost to Portland State: an FCS team. HOWEVER, if there was a silver lining, it would be that Portland State was decent (#10 FCS, beat Washington State (FBS), and Washington State went on to beat teams like California, Oregon, Arizona, UCLA, and Miami). But I digress.
Very few North Texas articles recapped the 2015 campaign. Fans, players, coaches, administration, and even Mean Green writers would like to forget the disastrous season. Can you blame them? On October 10, North Texas lost to Portland State 66-7: soaring, those eagles were not. Consequently, Dan McCarney was dismissed as head coach ONE HOUR after the blowout. Unfortunately, things did not get any better with interim head coach Mike Canales. Between the coaching fiasco, inconsistent quarterbacks, a defense allowing 41.25 points per game, and an offense averaging 15 points per game, all hope was lost.
The Aftermath
Upon hiring head coach Seth Littrell on December 5, 2015, fans were optimistic. Meanwhile, Tar Heel Nation was a little bitter about losing their Assistant Offensive Coach/Tight Ends Coach. Littrell brings 13 years of coaching experience with Power Five programs: Kansas, Texas Tech, Arizona, Indiana, and North Carolina. Joining Littrell is ex-Texas Tech gunslinger Graham Harrell as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback coach. Harrell holds 8 individual NCAA records: records that have not been broken since 2007. If Harrell's past success and records translate into his coaching ability, North Texas might have some dangerous quarterbacks in the years to come.
However, on May 23, Rick Villarreal stepped down as the Mean Green's athletic director. A lot of uncertainty and instability still surrounds North Texas athletics as the new athletic director has yet to be selected.
What to expect in 2016
Well, it cannot get much worse, right? Littrell's intentions are clear: let's stop beating a dead horse. Things were not working for three straight seasons, so it is time to move on.
On Offense, North Texas will be switching from a Pro to Air Raid offensive scheme. It may not be pretty, but it will probably be a little bit more entertaining. The quarterback situation is about as clear as mud. The team will neither return ex-Hilltopper DaMarcus Smith nor Andrew McNulty. Instead, we will see a couple of fresh faces in graduate transfer Alec Morris and redshirt junior Quinn Shanbour. Morris transfers from Alabama, however, his career stats are nearly non-existent: only one snap in four seasons, good for six yards. Shanbour, like Morris, has virtually no statistics. During the Green-White Scrimmage, Morris threw 17-35 for 261 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Shanbour threw 20-33 for 315 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Based solely on the spring game, the receiving corps looks promising. That is saying a lot seeing as how North Texas lost four of its top six targets. Redshirt sophomore Tee Goree was the most explosive wide receiver of the day. One of Goree's highlights of the 2015 season includes a touchdown against WKU. During the scrimmage, Goree caught six passes for 141 yards and 1 touchdown. Listed below are a couple more receiving stats from the 2016 Green-White scrimmage:
-Derris Prater, Redshirt Freshman, WR - 106 yards, 1 touchdown
-Kelvin Smith, Redshirt Freshman, TE - 77 yards, 2 touchdowns
Although he did not accumulate many stats during the Green-White scrimmage, veteran wide receiver Turner Smiley will be the top returner amongst an inexperienced receiving corps.
The spring game did not illuminate much for the run game, however, you will probably see a lot of Jeffrey Wilson and Willy Ivery in 2016. Wilson led the Mean Green in rushing with 155 carries and 830 yards for the 2015 season. Ivery was the third-leading rusher with 44 carries and 290 yards in 2015. However, the two only combined for three total rushing touchdowns. The duo will likely have to alleviate any pressure on the quarterback throughout the process of implementing a new offensive scheme.
For Defense, there may be a glimmer of hope. In 2015, safeties Kishawn McClain and James Gray return as the Mean Green's top tacklers. The downside: safeties leading your team in tackling usually reflects poor defense up front. Following the 2015 season, North Texas was ranked 120th in total defense and 121st in rushing yards per game. There is great room for improvement. Basically, any production will be a move in the right direction. Be on the lookout for defensive end Jarrian Roberts. In 2015, Roberts had 31 total tackles and led the team with 6.5 sacks for a loss of 38 yards.
Mike Ekeler will take the reigns as the new defensive coordinator. Ekeler touts a coaching background which includes stints at Georgia, USC, Indiana, Nebraska, LSU, and Oklahoma. Most recently, Ekeler led a Georgia defense that ranked 8th in the nation in total defense. If anyone is up to the task of getting the Mean Green defense back on track, it is a coach of his pedigree and experience.
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The future
The Mean Green's best weapon might be their coaching staff. I dare say that North Texas will continually improve each season. Overall, they are definitely moving in the right direction.
Recruiting in the same state as Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor, TCU, Houston, SMU, Rice, UTEP, and UTSA has to be an absolute nightmare. With 88% of the team hailing from Texas, I would not be surprised if you see that number decrease over the years as Littrell & Co. look to recruit better players out-of-state.
Schedule & Projected Record:
Sept 3. Southern Methodist
Sept 10. Bethune-Cookman
Sept 17. @ Florida
Sept 24. @ Rice
Oct 1. Middle Tennessee
Oct 8. Marshall
Oct 22. @ Army
Oct 29 @UTSA
Nov 5. Louisiana Tech
Nov 12. @ WKU
Nov 19. Southern Miss
Nov 26. @ UTEP
Prediction: This is a long-shot, and given a good offseason, 3-9 with wins over Southern Methodist, Bethune-Cookman, and UTSA.
