MeanGreen61

Box score has 698 attendance for the Texas State game.

Minnesota got beat at home by Bowling Green (32-31) and taken to OT by Miami (O) in a game they won 41-35. Not a very impressive start in '07.

Gilmore's status Josh sent in a good question today about the status of defensive end Eddrick Gilmore. Gilmore has been in and out of practice all year while taking care of issues away from the field and has fallen pretty far behind the rest of his competition for playing time. It really is too bad. Gilmore is a talented player, one who could help the Mean Green if he ever took advantage of his opportunities to get into practice and learn the system. Remember, some rankings had Gilmore listed among the top 100 players in the state after his senior year. Gilmore could work his way up the depth chart this year, but he has a long way to go. I just don't see him making an impact considering how far behind he is at this point. What UNT's coaches have to hope is that Gilmore will perform

Football: Receiver took long path to stardom at UNT 11:10 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald would have been on the opposite sideline for the Mean Green's game against SMU on Saturday if his dreams had come to fruition a few years ago. Fitzgerald attended an SMU camp while he was in high school and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his brother Johnny, who completed his four-year career with the Mustangs last season. "I tried to go to SMU because my brother went there, but the coaches didn't offer me a scholarship," Fitzgerald said. "That was in the back of my mind last week." That extra motivation paid off in the form of a record-setting game that marked the latest step in Fitzgerald's unusual path to stardom at UNT. Fitzgerald, a player college coaches deemed too small and slow to be worthy of a scholarship, torched the Mustangs for 18 catches and 327 receiving yards, a total that ranks fourth in major college history. That performance in a 45-31 loss came just a week after Fitzgerald (5-11, 186) caught seven passes for 126 yards against Oklahoma. The former walk-on, who teammates describe as quiet and humble, heads into the Mean Green's off week ranked first nationally in receiving yards (226.5 per game) and third in receptions (12.5 per game). "It's a tribute to a guy who has paid his dues and earned everything he has," UNT head coach Todd Dodge said. "He's reaping the benefits and so are we." Seeing Fitzgerald succeed is nothing new to his former coaches in Red Oak, a town of 4,300 located 23 miles south of Dallas. Fitzgerald was a basketball and football star for the Hawks during one of the more memorable times in the history of the school's athletic program. Fitzgerald helped lead the Red Oak basketball team to the playoffs, after a 50-year absence, his junior and senior years and also intercepted three passes in the Hawks' first-ever win over rival Waco Midway in football his senior season. "When you look at Casey, he doesn't look that fast, but he is really smooth and deceptive," Red Oak basketball coach Preston Foster said. "He finds a way to make plays." Fitzgerald was three-time all-district point guard and a two-time first-team all-district selection with the football team while playing defensive back and wide receiver. "Casey was just smart about athletics," former Red Oak football coach Dewayne Osborne said. "He could figure out where he needed to be on the field just by instinct. He would bate quarterbacks into throwing the ball as a defensive back. The game was just natural to him." Fitzgerald’s problem was those skills weren't the type college coaches could measure with stopwatches and rulers. UT-Arlington and a few junior colleges recruited Fitzgerald as a point guard, but no school offered a football scholarship. "I thought about playing basketball because I thought it gave me better chance, but it wasn't my calling," Fitzgerald said. "My mom pushed me to play football because I had played football forever and didn't start playing basketball until junior high." Fitzgerald decided to attend UNT because it was a public school close to home that he could afford. He eventually earned a small role with the Mean Green as a sophomore under former head coach Darrell Dickey, who used a run-based offense. Fitzgerald's fortunes changed almost immediately when Dodge arrived and installed a spread offense. "I did some research and found out that Casey was a good point guard," Dodge said. "Over the years I have taken guys who were basketball players and made them into wide receivers. [uNT's offense] is like basketball on grass sometimes. … When you see Casey set up defenders, you can picture where he is setting them up to take them to the hoop." Fitzgerald thrived in spring practice and was rewarded with a scholarship over the summer. "You always enjoy rewarding people who work hard like Casey," Dodge said. "He never came in and said he was the best receiver in spring or pounded his fist about wanting a scholarship." Fitzgerald has shown that he deserves that scholarship by pulling in highlight-reel catches. He scored on a 69-yard catch and run against OU and was even more impressive against SMU, grabbing passes while contorting his body in the air to adjust to the flight of the ball. "Casey really fights for the ball," said quarterback Daniel Meager, who set a UNT record with 601 passing yards against SMU. "I feel confident that if I put the ball in his general area, he will find some way to get it." BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

There's no doubt Leftwich has erased a HUGE question mark.

Is there a point to this exercise ?

A recent Star-Telegram article posted by Old Timer indicated we'd be playing LSU in '09 as well as '08

Peachey's back for UNT Offensive lineman Robert Peachey returned to practice on Wednesday after missing a big chunk of two-a-days and the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury. Peachey was projected to be UNT's right tackle before the season started. Senior Adam Venegas stepped in for Peachey and started the first two games of the season. Peachey has missed a ton of time and will need a while to get back into shape and accustomed to game speed, but his return certainly can't hurt the Mean Green. UNT doesn't have a whole lot of depth anywhere on its offensive line, especially at tackle. When Peachey originally went down a few weeks ago, I thought it would be a huge blow to UNT. It was, but UNT actually held together pretty well in the first two weeks of the season. UNT head coach Todd Dodge has mentioned more than once that he has been happy with the way the Mean Green has protected his quarterbacks this season. I give a lot of the credit to UNT offensive line coach Spencer Leftwich, who has plugged in a few new players and kept the unit together. It will be interesting to see what Leftwich can do now that he has one of his top tackles back on the field.

National Champs Net. UNT future games. http://nationalchamps.net/NCAA/future_sche...exas_future.htm

Football portion of Wednesday's UNT Notebook. Notebook: UNT willing to shuffle on defense More players to get look from coaches in practice 09:15 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas will take a long look at all of its options at cornerback during its off week, including giving more playing time to former starter Dominique Green. Dominique Green Kevin Easley The junior started 10 games last season before falling off the radar early in fall practice. Green saw additional time with the Mean Green’s starters Tuesday during UNT’s first practice of its off week. “Everybody is getting a look,” UNT head coach Todd Dodge said. The Mean Green gave up 353 passing yards in a 45-31 loss to SMU on Saturday and is allowing an average of 378 yards a game, a number that was inflated in a blowout 79-10 loss to nationally ranked Oklahoma in its season opener. UNT ranks 115th out of 119 teams nationally in pass defense. Sophomore Antoine Bush, junior transfers Latif Nurudeen and Evyn Roman and freshman Kevin Ealey have all received significant playing time in the first two weeks of the season. UNT’s problems defensively have extended beyond its cornerback rotation, but the group has struggled at times. SMU scored just nine points in its season opener against Texas Tech before coming back to have a big night against the Mean Green. UNT will have two weeks to recover before taking on Florida Atlantic in its Sun Belt Conference opener at Fouts Field. The Owls (1-1) opened their season with a win over Sun Belt rival Middle Tennessee. FAU quarterback Joe Craddock threw for 199 yards in the Owls’ win over the Blue Raiders. Seidle likely done for season Backup linebacker Bryant Seidle is likely out for the year with a shoulder injury that will require surgery, Dodge said Tuesday. Seidle suffered the injury in a loss to Oklahoma in the Mean Green’s season opener. UNT’s coaches originally thought the injury was one that wouldn’t prevent Seidle from playing. A closer evaluation revealed that Seidle would need surgery that will put him out for an extended time. Seidle had three tackles against the Sooners.

From the Muts board. Sun Belt poll from the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. 7.) UNT (0-2, 0-0) Call them Air Green. UNT threw for 601 yards against SMU last weekend, with wide out Casey Fitzgerald getting 327 of those yards by himself. And still, the Mean Green lost by two touchdowns. UNT has allowed 124 points in two games, dead last nationally. Giving up points against Oklahoma is one thing, but SMU getting 45 is another. LAST WEEK: Seventh. SUN BELT POLL http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../709120314/1006 After two weeks of play, where do you see the Mean Green finishing this year in the Belt ?

Dodge had carte blanche & replaced all coaches.

Dodge: UNT will look at cornerback rotation 10:39 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle DENTON – UNT will take a long look at its options at cornerback during its off week, coach Todd Dodge said Tuesday. The Mean Green gave up 353 passing yards in a loss to SMU on Saturday and is allowing an average of 378 yards per game. Sophomore Antoine Bush, junior transfers Latif Nurudeen and Evyn Roman and freshman Kevin Ealey have received significant playing time. Junior Dominique Green, who started 10 games last season, played some with the Mean Green's starters in practice Tuesday. "Everybody is getting a look," Dodge said.

Mean Green football ......... fun for the whole family ! (yep former Navy. Proud to have served and my son is a former Marine)

SUN BELT Oklahoma State 38 Troy 25 Minnesota 34 Florida Atlantic 21 Western Kentucky 35 Eastern Kentucky 7 Miami 35 Florida International 7 UL-Lafayette 40 McNeese State 6 Arkansas State 25 SMU 24 Texas A&M 44 UL-Monroe 17 LSU 51 Middle Tennessee 7 North Texas - week off Harmon Forecast http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/8820391

Congratulations Matt on the win and especially on the upcoming additions to you family !

Mean Green offense improves in 45-31 SMU loss Shawn Edwards Issue date: 9/11/07 Section: SPORTS After a disappointing start to the season for the Mean Green football team's new spread offense against the University of Oklahoma, NT was able to find its rhythm in Dallas against Southern Methodist University. The offense that NT fans saw Saturday night was what head coach Todd Dodge had been expecting from the team. "This is exactly what we are trying to show to our kids," Dodge said. "You really can't fully introduce the offense to them until they've gone out there and executed like that themselves. Now our football team knows what they can do." The key to the offense's success was junior starting quarterback Daniel Meager's explosive performance throwing the ball. Out of NT's 613 total offensive yards, Meager's passing accounted for 601. He shattered his career record for passing yards in a game by tallying 601 yards on 46 of 64 attempts. After receiving an IV in the post game locker room, Meager expressed his disappointment over the loss, regardless of his impressive stats. "The numbers are good, but I would have liked to come out of there with the 'W'," Meager said. "Numbers don't really mean anything. It is what the score board says." The receivers also performed well by grabbing all but four of Meager's completions. The main target for Meager all night was his outside receiver Casey Fitzgerald who caught 18 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns. One of the only low spots for Fitzgerald was his fumble late in the second quarter, which led to an SMU touchdown before halftime. "I was just trying to do my best," said Fitzgerald of his record-breaking performance. "That was a great accomplishment, but I was just trying to get that win." Brandon Jackson also had a big night catching 10 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Slot receivers Korey Washington and Brock Stickler combined for 118 yards on 11 receptions. SMU head coach Phil Bennet met with Dodge outside of the looker rooms after the game to tell him how much the NT offense had worn out his defense. With SMU coming off a 49-10 loss to Texas Tech University five days prior, Dodge's game plan was to constantly attack through the air and not be reliant on the run. Running back Jamario Thomas was unable to start due to a hamstring injury but is expected to be back for the home opener on Sept. 22. In his place was freshman running back Micah Mosley who carried the ball 12 times for 39 yards and a touchdown. "We came in knowing we were gonna chunk the ball," Dodge said.

Record-breaking efforts not enough for Mean Green NT racks up 613 yards in 45-31 loss Richard White Issue date: 9/11/07 Section: SPORTS It was an evening of mixed emotions Saturday night as NT junior quarterback Daniel Meager and junior receiver Casey Fitzgerald put on an aerial display for the ages, shattering multiple school records along the way. Still, their efforts were not enough as Southern Methodist University (1-1) handed the Mean Green (0-2) a tough 45-31 loss in Gerald J. Ford Stadium. "After the situation last week at Oklahoma [losing 79-10], we had a lot of soul searching and looked each other in the face," head coach Todd Dodge said. "Our kids are hurting right now and our coaches are hurting right now because they came to win." Meager, who totaled only 517 passing yards playing in all 11 games in 2006, passed for a school record 601 yards Saturday night, which demolished former NT quarterback Steve Ramsey's 495 yards in 1969. Meager also set a school record with his 46 completions and 64 attempts. Exhausted from his performance, Meager had to receive an IV drip immediately after the game. The magnitude of his accomplishments was short-lived though, as Meager put his stats in perspective with the loss. "The numbers really don't mean anything, but the scoreboard does; that's the only thing that really says anything. It's very depressing," Meager said. "Like Coach Dodge said, 'As a competitor it really burns inside when you lose.' I don't like to lose anything, so this is really hard for me." Fitzgerald followed his 126-yard performance against OU by catching 18 passes for two touchdowns. His 327 receiving yards, which shattered Scott Ford's 1992 record of 231, were the fourth-best for a single-game in NCAA Division I history. Like Meager, Saturday night's historical feats were also bittersweet for Fitzgerald. "I guess I did all right," Fitzgerald said. "That's a great accomplishment, but I was just trying to get that win. We played our hearts out." The Mean Green also broke the 1969 school record of 579 total offensive yards with 613 yards Saturday. Despite the historic night, SMU broke a 31-31 tie late in the fourth quarter by intercepting Meager for a second and third time in the game. The Mustangs scored two touchdowns in the final four and a half minutes, including returning one of Meager's interceptions for a score on their way to securing the win. SMU leads the all-time series 28-4-1. After failing to produce in almost every area against OU, NT displayed marked improvement against SMU. The offensive line gave Meager solid protection all night as he spread the ball around to receivers Fitzgerald, senior Brandon Jackson (10 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown) and sophomore Korey Washington (eight receptions for 70 yards). The game also marked the first time since 1997 that two NT receivers had more than 100 yards receiving. Dodge said be believes plenty of good will be taken from the loss, which showed the first signs that the players have grown into his spread offense. "You talk about painting a picture of your football team," Dodge said. "This was a pretty good indication of what we can do." What plagued NT, in addition to Meager's interceptions, was a second-straight poor showing by the defense, which let SMU players run right through unfinished tackles. SMU sophomore quarterback Justin Willis dominated the NT defense. Willis was 30-for-42 passing for 353 yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for 82 yards. "We still got to improve our tackling, improve that out of control, in control kind of thing on defense," Dodge said. Looking beyond the current bye week, Meager said he hopes the impressive offensive assault is the breakthrough NT needs heading into its first conference game on Saturday, Sep. 22 at home against Florida Atlantic University. "I hope this is where it really clicks for us," Meager said. "We don't have a lot of time to get this thing rolling. We have to get rolling right now."

SCOUT.COM QUICK OUTS http://cfn.scout.com/2/675165.html It’s time to give more pub to… Missouri QB Chase Daniel. In just two games, the catalyst for the high-powered Tiger offense has thrown for 689 yards and eight touchdowns against a couple of BCS opponents. A perfect fit for the Mizzou spread, isn’t it time for Daniel to start getting more mentions as a possible Heisman contender?

Football: Mean Green gets another Carroll commitment 08:57 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Southlake Carroll offensive lineman Nick Leppo made up his mind where he wanted to play college football months ago — right after North Texas hired Todd Dodge as its next head coach. Leppo played under Dodge at Carroll and decided to follow his former coach to Denton. The Dragons’ center made his decision official recently when he orally committed to play for the Mean Green. Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day recruits can sign national letters of intent is Feb. 6. “North Texas is the most comfortable place for me to play,” Leppo said. “I know the coaching staff, a lot of the players and the system. That is where I wanted to play from the beginning.” UNT was the only school to offer Leppo a scholarship, but Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe had shown interest. Leppo (6-3, 265) is projected as a center in college. Leppo was a first-team All-District 5-5A selection last season and is one of several current and former Dragons who will play for the Mean Green in the next few years. Defensive end Kyle Russo and linebacker Justin Padron, a pair of former Dragons, were members of the Mean Green’s 2007 recruiting class. Leppo joins quarterback Riley Dodge and linebacker Derek Tomlin to form a trio of Carroll seniors who will continue their careers with the Mean Green. Riley Dodge is Todd Dodge’s son. “I will definitely enjoy coming up there with Riley and Derek,” Leppo said. “We already have that bond as teammates.” Leppo said he has put on weight since the summer, a process he will continue as he prepares to make the transition to the college game. Leppo is the 11th member of the Class of 2008 to commit to play for UNT and the first who is projected as a center in college. UNT’s starting center, Kelvin Drake, is a sophomore. Leppo expects the recruits Dodge has landed to help turn around a program that has struggled the last few years. UNT finished with a 5-18 mark in the two seasons before Dodge arrived in December and has lost its first two games under its new head coach. “The players are going to have to get used to the system,” Leppo said. “The team will just keep getting better.” BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .

Football: Fitzgerald honored for record night Junior has breakout game with 18 catches 08:52 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Casey Fitzgerald added one final accolade to his breakout week on Monday. The North Texas junior wide receiver had already garnered headlines, not to mention a spot in the NCAA record book, by catching 18 passes for 327 yards in a loss to SMU on Saturday. Fitzgerald was named the Offensive Player of the Week in the Sun Belt Conference for his performance against the Mustangs. Fitzgerald’s yardage total ranked fourth in NCAA Division I history for a single game and was also a school and Sun Belt record. His 18 catches was also a Sun Belt record “We are just very proud of Casey,” UNT head coach Todd Dodge said. “We thought after spring practice that he would be a good fit in our offense. He has a lot of savvy to him and is a tough kid. … I don’t know that you would expect 327 yards, but we expect great things from him.” So far, UNT has gotten all it had hoped for and then some. Fitzgerald enters the Mean Green’s off week ranked No. 1 nationally with an average of 226.5 receiving yards a game, and also ranks third in receptions per game at 12.5. UNT’s top receiver has more than a 50-yard per game lead on Rutgers wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, who is averaging 176.0 yards a game. Senior wide receiver Brandon Jackson ranks 17th nationally with an average of 108.5 yards a game. The duo helped quarterback Daniel Meager post the top passing performance in school history with 601 yards. The junior ranks fifth nationally in passing yards at 354.5 yards a game and is seventh in completions at 30.5 a game. Fitzgerald is the first UNT player to be named the Sun Belt’s Offensive Player of the Week since Patrick Cobbs received the honor after rushing for 103 yards and scoring the game-winning touchdown in a 14-7 victory over Middle Tennessee in the Mean Green’s 2005 season opener. The win was the capper in the Mean Green’s 26-game streak in Sun Belt play. UNT to shift focus in off week UNT’s coaching staff will use the Mean Green’s off week to take a hard look at what the team has accomplished and where it has fallen short in the first two weeks of the season, Dodge said. UNT lost to Oklahoma and SMU consecutively to open the season, and is off Saturday before taking on Florida Atlantic in the first home game in the Dodge era. The game will also be the Mean Green’s Sun Belt opener. “On Tuesday, we are just going to sit down and look at our needs for improvement and take time with individual techniques,” Dodge said. “We are going to identify the things we do well and the things we need to improve on.” UNT has thrived offensively early in the season and enters its game against FAU averaging 430 yards a game. The Mean Green hasn’t fared nearly as well defensively and ranks last nationally in scoring defense with an average of 62 points allowed a game. UNT’s Sun Belt rival Troy ranks one spot ahead of UNT in the national statistics with an average of 52.5 points allowed a game. Dodge: Thomas will be fine The status of senior running back Jamario Thomas will be a day-to-day decision heading into the Mean Green’s off week, Dodge said. Thomas did not play in the Mean Green’s loss to SMU on Saturday after missing practice most of the previous week. Thomas rushed for 4 yards on five carries against OU. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .

Let's hope our defense doesn't make Florida Atlantic look like Top 25 material.

UNT Sunday mailbag It's time for everyone's favorite question-and-answer session -- the UNT mailbag, an informal rundown of what it going on in the land of the Green (Kelly Green that is) and White. I received several questions in e-mail and a few others were posted on the blog. Our mystery guest who stops by on a regular basis asked about B.J. Lewis. The freshman wide receiver caught three passes for 9 yards early in the first half against SMU and then didn't catch a ball the rest of the night. I asked about injuries on Sunday and no one I talked to had heard of any outside of tackle Robert Peachey and running back Jamario Thomas sitting out. I am not sure what Lewis' status will be in two weeks, but I will have to agree with what most UNT fans are saying. I think Lewis has a bright future and will continue to see a lot of playing time. Steve had several questions, including what happened to UNT's defense against SMU? UNT has some problems, especially in its defensive backfield. My Monday column is based on UNT's struggles to stop SMU. I wonder if UNT has the personnel to play in a system that leaves its cornerbacks on an island. The Mean Green isn't getting much pressure on the quarterback and is giving up a ton of yards in the passing game. Blake wanted to know if UNT would start playing some of its younger wide receivers in the slot as the season goes along. If you ask me, this is an instance of if it isn't broke, why change it? I really like what Brock Stickler brings in terms of being a big, physical player who can go over the middle and catch the ball, B.J. Lewis is a star in the making and Korey Washington is a perfect fit in the slot. I expect all three to stay at the top of the depth chart and get most of the action, and don't forget about Roderick Johnson, who is also sitting second on the depth chart at one slot position. UNT has some talented freshmen behind those players, but I don't see the point in burning their redshirt year if they won't play a whole lot. I would be really surprised if Sam Roberson or Marcus King sees the field this year.

coming into the season, seemed that the defense was going to be our strength and help keep the wolves from the door while the offense was adapting. So far the defense is a huge disappointment and somethin' just ain't workin'. We've got a bunch of kids back from a D that certainly performed better last year.........so a logical question is.........WHAT'S HAPPENED. Hate to say this after only two games, but Mendoza needs to step up with a defensive game plan that produces something other than opponent points.

INSIDE SLANT First-year coach Todd Dodge promised to bring an exciting new brand of football to North Texas when he replaced Darrell Dickey in the offseason. Even though the Mean Green (0-2) lost 45-31 at SMU last week, he delivered. Employing a new four-receiver offense, the Mean Green put up record numbers in the loss. Junior quarterback Daniel Meager threw for a school-record 601 yards and three touchdowns, while junior wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald also set school records with 18 receptions for 327 yards. "I think we can learn a lot of things from this ball game," Dodge told the Denton Record-Chronicle. "We need to make sure we just keep getting better. I told the kids tonight, my opinion of this team, to achieve its goals, are not any different than what they were three weeks ago. We're not near as good as we're going to be." Unfortunately for the Mean Green, their defense was overwhelmed for the second straight week. After allowing 79 points at Oklahoma, UNT gave up 45 points and more than 530 yards in total offense to SMU. The Mean Green, who are off this week, play their Sun Belt opener at home Sept. 22 against Florida Atlantic. NOTES, QUOTES GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Daniel Meager and WR Casey Fitzgerald. Meager, a junior, threw for a school-record 601 yards, while Fitzgerald, a junior, set school marks with 18 receptions and 327 yards receiving. KEEP AN EYE ON: WR Korey Washington. The sophomore and first-year starter caught eight passes for 70 yards against SMU. QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's just disappointing. We got off to a real hot start. We put ourselves in position, but just weren't able to finish the deal." — UNT coach Todd Dodge, to the Denton Record-Chronicle after the Mean Green's 45-31 loss at SMU. STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL LOOKING GOOD: The Mean Green passing game was obviously working last week when junior QB Daniel Meager put up a school-record 601 yards. Junior WR Casey Fitzgerald has 25 receptions in two games. Senior P Spencer Truman averaged more than 44 yards a punt and had a 73-yarder against SMU. STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: Meager — While the junior did set a school record with 601 yards passing against SMU, he did have three interceptions. Meager needs to continue to improve in the new offense and be more consistent. RB Jamario Thomas — The senior, who led the nation in rushing as a true freshman, didn't play against SMU due to a hamstring injury. However, he had just four yards rushing against Oklahoma. The Mean Green need his presence in the backfield. UNT's defense has been awful the first two weeks, allowing 79 and 45 points. The secondary, in particular, must improve. ROSTER REPORT: True freshman RB Micah Mosley started against SMU in place of senior starter Jamario Thomas, who is struggling with a hamstring injury. Sophomore OL Robert Peach (undisclosed injury) did not dress against SMU and was replaced by senior Adam Venegas. Senior OL Josh Alexander (knee) will not play this season. Mean Green Report http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/foo...belt/ntexas.htm