2016 Recap
Record: 5-8
Wins: Bethune-Cookman, Rice, Marshall, Army (regular season), Southern Miss
Losses: SMU, Florida, Middle Tennessee, UTSA, Louisiana Tech, WKU, UTEP, Army (bowl game)
Notes: Expectations were a bit low for the Mean Green in 2016 especially coming off of a 1-11 record the previous season. On October 10, 2015, head coach Dan McCarney was fired after an embarrassing 66-7 loss to Portland State (FCS); two months later, Seth Littrell was hired. Although Littrell had Power 5 stints at North Carolina, Indiana, Arizona, Texas Tech, and Kansas, no one could predict the quick turnaround: going from 1-11 to 5-8 with a bowl appearance.
Was it a Cinderella story? No. Was it impressive? Yes. Beating teams like Army and Southern Miss - and even beating Rice and Marshall - should provide the team with a solid foundation and motivation moving forward.
2017 Preview
Offense
In 2016, Littrell and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell gave the reigns of the offense to true freshman and dual-threat quarterback Mason Fine. Starting the young quarterback neither paid off nor significantly hindered the Mean Green; Fine went 155-261 for 1,572 passing yards and 6 touchdowns. There is much for Fine to develop, but his game should mature a bit this upcoming season.
Also returning is leading rusher Jeffery Wilson. The senior running back put up 936 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in 2016: leading the Mean Green in scoring. Wilson will likely continue being the backbone of the offense until some pass-catchers emerge and increase production. Turner Smiley - North Texas' leading returning receiver - caught 33 passes in 2016 for 389 yards and 2 touchdowns; however, Smiley was not listed as a starter coming out of the spring.
Speaking to the Denton Record-Chronicle, Littrell said: "That receiver group needs to continue to grow, develop and become a strength...I didn't feel like it was a strength last year. We came out of spring better and able to rely on some weapons on the outside."
Probably of most concern is the offensive line. The Mean Green only return 3 starters on the offensive line, led by left tackle Elex Woodworth. In response, North Texas made the o-line a priority in recruiting as the Mean Green signed five players up front.
The offensive unit is not terrible, but between 36 quarterback sacks, unknowns surrounding receivers, and little depth at o-line, they must improve to see at least a 6-6 season.
Defense
Dynamic free safety Kishawn McClain is coming off of a stellar 2016 where he led the defense and racked up 91 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 6 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles. Joining McClain are two other returning starters - corner Nate Brooks and nickel Ashton Preston. Brooks accumulated 57 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, led the team in interceptions with 4, 4 pass breakups, 8 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles. Preston came up with 40 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup, 2 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble. The secondary will be a force to be reckoned with.
The Mean Green do not have any returning starters at linebacker, however, Brandon Garner, E.J. Ejiya, and Calvin Minor all saw playing time in 2016.
-Garner: 50 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 quarterback hurries, and 2 recovered fumbles.
-Ejiya: 43 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 2 quarterback hurries.
-Minor: 40 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 1 pass deflection, and 1 quarterback hurry.
Like the linebackers, the defensive line returns plenty of guys with experience, but lack the production. Defensive end Roderick Young will be the line's sole returning starter. Young posted 38 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and 4 quarterback hurries.
Overall, the defensive unit looks promising. With a strong secondary, they will force plenty of turnovers, but the offense will have to respond better than they did last year.
Special Teams
Senior Trevor Moore will return as the Mean Green's placekicker. North Texas only attempted 13 field goals in 2016, and Moore made nine of the attempts. Moore made 6/6 FG from inside the 40.
Redshirt freshman Blake Patterson will most likely be the new punter after Eric Keena's departure. Patterson will have large shoes to fill after Keena averaged 43.7 yards per punt with 21 punts within the 20.
Turner Smiley will continue punt returning. Smiley averaged 8.8 yards with a long of 34 in 2016.
Summary
The Mean Green defied expectations in 2016. Littrell is obviously doing something right. 2017 will not be easy though. North Texas will have to face SMU and Iowa in back-to-back away games. In addition, their conference away games will include Southern Miss., FAU, Louisiana Tech, and Rice. With a matured and healthy quarterback, a solid running game, and a stable defense, the Mean Green should have a fun year; however, the receiving corps, offensive line, and defensive line will have to step-up.
Schedule & Prediction:
Sept. 2 vs Lamar
Sept. 9 @ SMU
Sept. 16 @ Iowa
Sept. 23 vs UAB
Sept. 30 @ Southern Miss.
Oct. 14 vs UTSA
Oct. 21 @ FAU
Oct. 28 vs Old Dominion
Nov. 4 @ Louisiana Tech
Nov. 11 vs UTEP
Nov. 18 vs Army
Nov. 25 @ Rice
Record: 6-6
Projected Wins: Lamar, SMU, Army, Rice, FAU, UAB
Projected Losses: Iowa, Southern Miss., UTSA, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, UTEP
Previous Rankings:
