Fresh off their home opener victory at Apogee Stadium, the Mean Green have a formidable opponent on the road against the Kansas State Wildcats this week. Evening their season record to 1-1 was relatively easy for North Texas this past Saturday. By halftime the team had a 17-0 lead and put up another 17 to win 34-7 against the Texas Southern Tigers. The Mean Green moved up and down the field with efficiency and maximized their red zone opportunities scoring six out of seven times. All of the touchdowns were the product of the rushing attack and kicker Zach Olen tacked on a pair of field goals.
North Texas now possesses a dual threat from the backfield in running backs Brandin Byrd and Antoinne Jimmerson. Together against the Tigers they put up 275 yards rushing on the ground on 39 carries. Jimmerson in particular stood out as a speedster who is a nice change of pace back. Byrd who is penciled in as the replacement to Lance Dunbar still has his work cutout. QB Derek Thompson was average against a subpar TSU defense completing 11 of 24 attempts for 145 yards and an interception. Thompson must perform better against Kansas State or it will be a long day for the team. While top receiver Brelan Chancellor did not record any catches against the Tigers he did contribute with a carry for 46 yards. Christopher Bynes led the team with three receptions for 54 yards. While the offense performed well enough to beat Texas Southern they will need to improve significantly on the road this week. The North Texas defense faces the same dilemma.
The Wildcats are led by QB Collin Klein who is continuing to mature as a dual threat under center. Against the Hurricanes he managed to score three times on the ground while racking up 71 yards. He also was extremely accurate passing the ball when needed completing 9 of 11 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. The lone blemish was an interception. RB John Hubert rushed for over 100 yards and had a TD. Look for this combo to thrash the North Texas defense at home to remain undefeated.
Game Info:
UNT vs. #15 KANSAS STATE
SAT. SEPT. 15 – 6PM / FSN
BILL SNYDER STADIUM