The Mean Green went down to Houston last Saturday and immediately fell behind the Cougars. They were in for a long day when Houston RB Charles Sims ran in for a TD from five yards out with a little over a minute having run off the clock. By the end of the first quarter North Texas was down 17-0. During the second quarter the two teams exchanged a pair of touchdowns. North Texas would score first in the third quarter to pull with 10 points making the game 31-21 in favor of Houston. From there the Cougars would tack on 13 more unanswered points. The final result being a 44-21 loss for UNT.
North Texas is now 1-1 in the Sun Belt Conference and 2-4 overall. They are at the halfway point in the season and there haven’t been many positives to reflect on. There is a saying in football, “Coaches coach and players play”. Coach McCarney has plenty of experience on his side of the ledger. He still has time to turn this season around and start heading in the right direction. He’ll have to dig deep to make this happen. The players on the other hand simply aren’t executing. QB Derek Thompson is in his second season with the current offensive coordinator and at times has performed well. However with two interceptions last Saturday he’s starting to force the ball at times. He needs better protection from the offensive line. Brandin Byrd still hasn’t filled the shoes of Lance Dunbar but receives the bulk of the carries at running back. WR Brelan Chancellor has the speed and the moves, but when defenses shut him down the other wide outs need to step up. The defense is a mess. They simply aren’t making plays or creating enough turnovers.
Next up is Louisiana-Lafayette with a 4-1 record. Their lone loss is to Oklahoma State. The game is a Tuesday night ESPN2 special in Denton. Terrance Broadway has emerged as the starting QB due to Blaine Gautier breaking his throwing hand a couple of weeks ago. They are a well balanced team on offense incorporating six different receivers. Look for RB Alonzo Harris to carry the load on the ground and put up big numbers.
Game Info:
LA-LA vs UNT
TUE. OCT. 16 – 8PM / ESPN2
APOGEE STADIUM