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Head Coach Todd Monken Overall statement... "North Texas is a well-coached football team and Dan McCarney is a proven head coach. (The coaching staff) has been three years there. They are an older, veteran group that outplayed us and outcoached us tonight. We didn't do the things that I talked about early in the game. There were things that I talked about - the keys to victory beyond the five areas of turnovers, explosive plays, third downs, touchdowns in the red zone and lost yardage plays - and that was with a young quarterback of how can we start the game fast. How could we get (Mullens) off to a good start and get the homecoming crowd into it. And we had every opportunity to do it and we did not. We had drops, a missed field goal and had every opportunity to force their team to make critical calls. Then once we didn't do that we had a hard time in the first half getting off the field on third downs. That has been an issue for us. It has been brought up to me before, I get it. We have to find a way to get off the field and we have to find a way to score more. That's the bottom line. We came up with a number of turnovers. I really like our team's fight. I really like our team and there is going to be a day here that we are really good and it is going to come. This is too good a place, too good a history, we got too good a staff to not eventually be a really good football team. It hurts now. It hurts for our seniors and our older kids that continue to fight and we have five weeks left together. That is what we have to keep fighting and playing for each other. No one is coming to rescue us. That is who we have in our room and that's where we are at." On the play of Nick Mullens... "I think he is going to be a really good football player. I thought there were at times where he shows tremendous accuracy, poise, toughness and leadership - all the things you want in a quarterback. Did he play flawless? No, but we knew that. That is what you get with young players. I am proud of him, but there is a number of things that when you get outside the pocket you have to be able to be conscientious of defenders and he made a couple of really bad decisions when he was moving - which was a good thing. We want him to be able to continue to move outside the pocket and make plays down the field. He is only going to get better and we are only going to get better around him." Dylan Reda How tough is it being a senior... "It's tough, but all I can do is set an example. That is what I do every time I step onto the field is to set an example for the younger kids and I want to leave a destiny that they are going to go on next year and I am going to come back and they will go to (the) conference (championship game) and they will win conference. That is where I am right now. I am going to go out every single play and play my hardest in leaving everything on the field because I love my teammates and I love my coaches and I just want the younger kids to look at me thinking that I am a leader (on this team) and show them what it takes to fight and to win." On the trouble with third-down conversions on defense... "We just have to get off the field on third down. There was nothing in the play calling, because (Coach) Duggan was calling everything right. We just need to have a sense of urgency and, us as the players, understand the urgency of a third-and-long situation and make something happen when we have the opportunity to." Nick Mullens On his performance... "As a team we certainly did not get the job done. Personally, I have to be a better leader and go out there and make better decisions and better throws. It is a lot to build on. Every rep counts so I have to continue to get better." On your first start... "Your experience in high school, a big high school helps, but, dealing with the whole process, it is great. God bless the opportunity to go out and lead the team as a freshman but, at the end of the day, you still have to win. I am just working my hardest to do that." On how the team is handling things... "We have to put this past us real quick because we have another one right next week, so we are going to be determined to work hard. (The) freshmen are going to really bond together well and continue to work hard. We have five games left and Coach Monken told us that we had to make the best of it. So that is what we are going to do." North Texas Head Coach Dan McCarney On the quick start by the North Texas offense... "It was a complete start. A lot of people did a lot of real good things. We were physical. We were trying to take away any hope away that they could win the football game early. Clearly, the turnovers were ridiculous. How about scoring 55 points and still turning it over four time? It is just inexcusable. Gotta get that fixed in a hurry. In five days, we play again on national television. We better get that fixed in a hurry. But overall, I thought the effort - led by our seniors - was really good." On efficiency of offense... "We had a lot of good positive things. A good football team learns how to complement each other. If you get a turnover on defense, take it and go score offensively. If you do a good job on special teams and get good field position, take that ball and go score. I think we are learning how to do that with this football team." On different players stepping up... "That's what we are looking for - depth, competition, more play makers. Don't just go out there and compete. Anyone can compete; go make plays. Go make plays to win. Go make difference making plays. We have more guys with that attitude and they understand that and we are seeing more guys doing that." On forcing turnovers... Five of them, I think we got tonight. Outstanding defense any time you can take it away. That's why we are one of the best in the country right now with the takeaways. We know this challenge is going to set up immensely. Rice is already bowl qualified. They got a huge win today. They have been going to bowl games. They have been winning. We haven't. I think it makes for a great matchup on Thursday night. Mason Y'Barbo On rushing performance... "We knew going in that they were going to give us some looks and we stood a good chance running the ball. We started running it against Middle Tennessee. We've had a fire lit under us and we wanted to keep it going. Every game we challenge ourselves, week in and week out, to keep it going." Marcus Trice On forcing turnovers... "It's something we do in practice. We have a turnover circuit in practice. If we mess up in practice, we can nullify those mess-ups by getting turnovers in practice ... We prepare with a tenacious effort. We prepare with an aggressive effort. I think it's all starting to show on the field. We're getting a lot of turnovers lately." On North Texas responding to turnovers by its offense by forcing more turnovers... "One of our core beliefs on defense is 'fearless;' fearless of any situation. If the offense turns it over, we don't care if it's on the two or on the opposing two, we don't care where the ball is. Our objective is to get the ball back and to stop the offense from scoring, no matter where it is." Derek Thompson On first-half offensive performance... "We knew we could do some things well against them. We watched the East Carolina tape last week and they (East Carolina) go out and do the same things we try to do. We knew we had big chunk plays in the passing game. We just had to be on point with what they were doing to us. We were able to hit some big plays but when we turn the ball over four times, three in a row in the second half, it's tough for us to accomplish what we want to against better teams ... It's nice when we can march up and down the field and do what we want to do and be able to go with tempo. I think we ran 49 plays in the first half, which is awesome. You don't see a lot of teams do that." Asked if this was his team's most complete performance of the season... "First half, yes, absolutely. In the first half, we came out and did what we needed to do. It was a great crowd tonight. I was actually really surprised with what they brought out here tonight. Our job was to take them out of it early and I think we did a good job with that." Read more: http://www.southernmiss.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/102613aae.html

North Texas got just a little taste of what its like to get on a roll the last two weeks, when the Mean Green put together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2004. That little bit of success made UNTs players hungrier for more. The Mean Green went out and got more winning one more game and taking one more step toward its first bowl berth in nine years with a 55-14 thrashing of Southern Mississippi at M.M. Roberts Stadium on Saturday night. The win extended UNTs winning streak to three games, its longest run since winning seven straight heading into the 2004 New Orleans Bowl, the Mean Greens last postseason appearance. When you win your second one in a row, you get hungry, UNT offensive lineman Mason YBarbo said. You want to keep it going. We can see the confidence building. That certainly was the case in a win over Southern Miss that ranked among the Mean Greens most complete performances in years. UNT rolled up 529 yards of offense, forced five turnovers and was never threatened by the Golden Eagles, despite turning the ball over four times. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20131027-football-streaking-away.ece

In a storybook world, Nick Mullens would have guided Southern Miss to a victory in his first start at quarterback Saturday against North Texas. But in the real world, it was another loss for the Golden Eagles, by another large margin, and it was a rough debut for the true freshman from Hoover, Ala. Mullens was 12 of 31 passing for 210 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked four times, threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles, one when he was hit as he was passing. I think hes going to be a really good football player, said USM head coach Todd Monken. He showed accuracy, poise toughness and leadership, all the things you want in quarterback. The good news for Mullens was his 17.5 yards per completion, including some very nice deep balls. Ironically, the biggest play he made was an underthrown pass that senior Dominique Sullivan made an adjustment on, caught over the defender and carried in for a touchdown. Read more: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20131027/SOUTHERNMISS/310270030/Mullens-gets-baptism-in-fire

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- North Texas came into Saturday's game at Southern Miss ranked second nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision teams with 20 takeaways. The Mean Green likely will stay among the leaders after collecting five turnovers, as North Texas simply overpowered the Golden Eagles in the first half on its way to a 55-14 rout at Roberts Stadium. "We were trying to take away any hope that they could win the football game early," North Texas coach Dan McCarney said. Derek Thompson threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in the first half as the Mean Green ran out to a 41-7 lead. "It's nice when we can march up and down the field and do what we want to do and be able to go with tempo," Thompson said. Running backs Antoinne Jimmerson, Brandin Byrd and Reggie Pegram each scored twice for North Texas (5-3, 3-1 C-USA), which won its third, consecutive conference game and posted back-to-back road victories for the first time since 2004. McCarney said an expanded deck of playmakers will help the Mean Green in the long haul. "That's what we are looking for — depth, competition, more playmakers," McCarney said. "Don't just go out there and compete. Anyone can compete. Go make plays. Before a homecoming crowd of 23,203, the Golden Eagles (0-7, 0-3) added to the Football Bowl Subdivision's longest active losing streak, dropping their 19th consecutive game. The loss assured Southern Miss back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1933-34. "It hurts now," said first-year Southern Miss coach Todd Monken. "It hurts for our seniors and for our older kids that continue to fight and we have five weeks left together. No one is coming to rescue us." In his first career start, Southern Miss freshman quarterback Nick Mullens completed 12 of 31 passes for 210 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. He also lost two fumbles after being sacked. The five turnovers gave the Golden Eagles 26 giveaways in seven games this season. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/26/3714157/north-texas-beats-southern-miss.html

HATTIESBURG - Franklin D. Roosevelt was settling into his first term in office as president when the Southern Miss football team last suffered back-to-back losing seasons. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles achieved that mark for the first time since 1933-34. North Texas ran roughshod over Southern Miss on homecoming for a 55-14 victory at Roberts Stadium. With the loss, Southern Miss (0-7, 0-3) had its nation's worst losing streak extend to 19 games. "They out-played us, out-coached us tonight," USM head coach Todd Monken said. "We didn't do the things we had talked about doing early in the game. "We had every opportunity to make plays on offense in critical situations and we didn't. We couldn't get off the field on third down (on defense)." It marked the second straight season that USM has been blown out on homecoming after Marshall thumped the Eagles, 59-24, at Roberts Stadium last year. "They all hurt and all I can do is keep fighting," senior linebacker Dylan Reda said. "All I'm going to do is keep thanking the Lord for having a chance to step on that field and be a part of this community." Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/10/26/5062654/golden-eagleslosing-streak-reaches.html

HATTIESBURG - It certainly wasn't the kind of game kids dream about when thinking of their first college start. Southern Miss, with true freshman Nick Mullens starting at quarterback for the first time this season after the Golden Eagles opened the season 0-6, lost 55-14 to North Texas at M.M. Roberts Stadium on Saturday night. But while Mullens' statistics weren't pretty - 12 of 31 passing, one touchdown pass and three interceptions fumbles - the learning experience may pay off in the long run. "I've got to be a better leader, go out and make better decisions, make better throws," said Mullens, who replaced senior Allan Bridgford Saturday night. "It's a lot to build on, but you've got to get better every time out. The game actually started for Mullens, an 18-year-old who was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama last year while playing for Spain Park in Hoover, Ala. On his first pass of the game, Mullens connected with Markese Triplett for 23 yards and the first first down of the game. The next three passes were incomplete, but at least one of them should have been caught. Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/10/26/5062702/nick-mullens-had-his-moments-in.html

North Texas handed Southern Miss another loss for the Golden Eagles’ homecoming game, breezing past the Eagles to the tune of 55-14. The Golden Eagles (0-7, 0-3 Conference USA) tallied their 19th straight loss since 2012, while the Mean Green improved to 5-3 and 3-1 in Conference USA play. Southern Miss missed a golden opportunity to score first after Ed Wilkins’ interception for the Eagles put them on North Texas’ 37-yard line. The Golden Eagles’ drive, however, fizzled out, and Corey Acosta missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. Instead, North Texas struck first on a 46-yard pass from Derek Thompson to receiver Breland Chancellor with 8:15 remaining in the first quarter. The Mean Green would score once more in the quarter on a Reggie Pegram 2-yard touchdown run to put North Texas up 13-0 at the half (the extra point kick on the Mean Green’s second touchdown failed). Read more: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20131026/NEWS01/131026015

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi --- Say this much for Southern Miss: at least the Golden Eagles are consistent. The trouble, of course, is that Southern Miss is consistently bad. The Golden Eagles lost 55-14 to North Texas at home on Saturday, a week after losing at East Carolina by a score of ... 55-14. It was the fourth time this season and third time in four games Southern Miss has given up 55-plus points. (For those interested, the others were a 56-13 loss at Nebraska on Sept. 7 and a 60-7 pummeling at Boise State on Sept. 28). Southern Miss has long prided itself on fielding a consistent winner, and with good reason. The Golden Eagles finished with a winning record for 18 consecutive years from 1994-2011. But that's all over. Saturday's loss dropped Todd Monken's Golden Eagles to 0-7, which means they'll finish with a losing record in back-to-back years for the first time since 1933-34. The Golden Eagles' coach back then was one-time Alabama Rose Bowl hero A.T.S. "Pooley" Hubert, who has been dead since 1978. Teams on Southern Miss' schedule in 1934 included Millsaps, Delta State, Spring Hill and Poplarville Junior College. (It would be a cheap shot to ask if Southern Miss could beat those teams now. After all, Spring Hill hasn't fielded a football team since 1941). Read more: http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-sports/2013/10/creg_stephenson_southern_miss.html

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi --- Southern Miss' period of good feeling on Saturday lasted exactly one minute and 44 seconds. That was how long it took visiting North Texas to turn a close game back into a rout. After the Golden Eagles scored on Nick Mullens' 59-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Sullivan to pull within six early in the second quarter, the Mean Green answered with a quick touchdown drive --- and three more before the half --- on the way to a 55-14 victory on homecoming at Roberts Stadium. The loss was Southern Miss' 19th straight and dropped the Golden Eagles to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in Conference USA. North Texas improves to 5-3, 3-1. "We have to find a way to get off the field and we have to find a way to score more," Southern Miss coach Todd Monken said. "That's the bottom line." Southern Miss has clinched a losing record for the second straight year. The Golden Eagles last had back-to-back sub-.500 seasons in 1933-34, when Babe Ruth was winding down his career with the New York Yankees. North Texas rolled up 30 first downs, 529 yards and ran 89 plays to 10, 249 and 42 in the same categories for Southern Miss. Derek Roberts passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns for the Mean Green, who were 11 of 17 on third down. "We had a lot of good, positive things," North Texas coach Dan McCarney said. "A good football team learns how to complement each other. If you get a turnover on defense, take it and go score offensively. If you do a good job on special teams and get good field position, take that ball and go score. I think we are learning how to do that with this football team." Read more: http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-sports/2013/10/southern_miss_losing_streak_hi.html#incart_river

Dan McCarney talked to his players about the USA Today coaches poll in the days leading up to the Mean Greens game tonight against Southern Mississippi. North Texas head coach is a voter and pays attention to all the ups and downs when it comes to the top-ranked teams in college football. He spent a lot of time discussing the downs the upsets and critical losses this week as a cautionary tale with his players who are suddenly riding high. UNT (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA) has won consecutive games for the first time since 2004 and is just two wins short of becoming bowl-eligible, with a host of what look like winnable games left on the schedule. A game against Southern Miss (0-6, 0-2) seems like arguably the most winnable of all, which is exactly what McCarney warned his players about. UNT doesnt want to start overlooking opponents and stumble down the stretch against a team like Southern Miss, which has lost 18 straight games dating to the beginning of last season. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20131026-football-mccarney-warns-unt-of-upset.ece

HATTIESBURG Forgive the Southern Miss coaches for admiring their opponent. Its just that North Texas is a lot like what USM hopes to become. Experienced. Confident. Skilled. They fit things right and they feed off of each other and play for each other, Southern Miss coach Todd Monken, pictured right, said. Thats a sign of a really good football team, something were trying to build here. Winners of two straight, North Texas comes to Hattiesburg at 4-3 overall, 2-1 in Conference USA play. The Golden Eagles (0-6, 0-2) are still winless this season and have lost their last 18 consecutive contests. North Texas also knows what is like to be down as a program, going 6-37 under former coach Todd Dodge, including an 0-8 start to the 2008 season. But, those days are behind the Mean Green. Led by a stout defense, North Texas is 28th in the country in points allowed per game (21.3) and 37th in the nation against the run, allowing 138.1 yards per game on the ground. Six of 11 starters (on defense) are seniors, Southern Miss offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. Not a lot of true freshmen. Theyve got a lot of guys with a lot of reps to be able to manage (the game) and make adjustments. Read more: http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20131026/SPORTS030104/310260047/North-Texas-wows-Monken-Southern-Miss-its-poise

One more defeat will assure Southern Miss of a second straight losing season and ineligibility for a bowl game, not to mention extending the Golden Eagles run of misery to 19 games. Those are the facts facing the Golden Eagles (0-6, 0-2 Conference USA) as they welcome North Texas (4-3, 2-1) to Roberts Stadium for homecoming at 6 p.m. Saturday. But for first-year Southern Miss head coach Todd Monken, it's all about baby steps. "I don't want to make excuses," Monken said. "It is our job to figure out what our players can do and what we can do to find a way to win games. I understand that. ... We're going to continue to coach our guys. We're going to continue to be positive. Like I said the other day, I love being the coach at Southern Miss. I'm not going to let anything deter me from what my goal is, which is to put the best product on the field." The game will be broadcast live by CBS Sports Network. Here are five things to look for when the Golden Eagles host the Mean Green: New starter at quarterback Monken announced Monday that true freshman Nick Mullens will take over at quarterback for senior Allan Bridgford, who started the Golden Eagles' first six games. Mullens, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Alabama last season, threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in Southern Miss' 55-14 loss at East Carolina last week. Read more: http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-sports/2013/10/football_five_things_to_look_f_3.html

Let's come out and take a damn lead! Would like to see what our defense could do with some points on the board. I would bet Skladany might mix in a few more blitzes and open up the defensive playbook earlier if he knew he had a lead. Keep throwing the ball to Marcus Smith. Yeah I know he had a big drop in the last game but he's getting there and I would like to see him keep progressing for the future. More out passes to the sidelines. These are safer than across the middle and DT has a good enough arm to complete them. Try throwing the ball more deep to Brelan Chancellor. I just think if you can put the ball up in the air deep he will win that battle most of the time. I might try to QB draw or read option to DT more early in the game...seems like we always pull that out late and it works well but what if you switched it up and loosened things up for the running backs instead? Think about putting a shadow on their QB similar to what MUTS did with the Marshall QB last night. They are playing him because he does better when things break down. A shadow would help protect against that. If Q. Brown is health play him! Or at least get him a few snaps. We will need his pass rushing abilities as the season moves on.

Southern Miss very well could start six true freshmen against North Texas for homecoming on Saturday. And that’s just on offense. That’s more than half of the entire offense, made up completely of student-athletes that are only a year or two removed from being old enough to drive a car. The marquee name among Saturday’s freshmen, however, will be making his first collegiate start. Quarterback Nick Mullens was tabbed as the starter by head coach Todd Monken earlier this week. “His performance has warranted us doing this,” Monken said of Mullens. “Could we have made this decision earlier? I don’t think so. Did you really want to start Nick Mullens on the road against a really good team? No. So the timing is right.” While Mullens is the latest freshman to snag a starting spot, starting first-year Golden Eagles is nothing new. The Southern Miss coaching staff has proven it’s not afraid to trot out ability over experience. Tyre’oune Holmes, Marquise Ricard and James Cox have all started as true freshmen at wide receiver. Cameron Tom has started on the offensive line as a true freshman. On defense, Kelsey Douglas and C.J. Perry are both first-year players that have seen starting assignments so far this season. There’s a host of other true freshmen that have played this year, including true freshman punter Tyler Sarrazin, and running back George Payne could join the list against North Texas Saturday. In Payne’s first action this season against East Carolina last week, he had 11 carries and one catch. For some Golden Eagle coaches, it’s nerve-wracking. Read more: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20131024/SOUTHERNMISS/310240029/The-young-get-younger

By all accounts, Nick Mullens simply gets it. Southern Miss’ true freshman quarterback, who was announced as the starter for Saturday’s homecoming game versus North Texas, may have turned 18 years old a mere seven months ago, but he’s miles ahead of where many others would be given the circumstances. On Tuesday – a day after he was named the starting quarterback – when a reporter asked Mullens what he thought was his best attribute, he said his leadership ability and his accuracy. “I have two that I really value: being a leader and being accurate,” he said. “They always say, ‘You can’t defend a perfect ball.’ So that’s what I try to do.” Good game Mullens, who has appeared in three games this season, saw his most significant playing time in relief of Allan Bridgford last week at East Carolina. He finished 9-of-17 for 97 yards with two touchdowns. Read more: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20131024/SOUTHERNMISS/310240031/COLUMN-Eagles-Mullens-simply-gets-it

n 1926, the State Teachers College football team was the Yellow Jackets. The football program began in 1912 at Mississippi Normal College, which would one day become the University of Southern Mississippi. The inaugural game was played at Kamper Park, with the home team winning 30-0. Today, the University of Southern Mississippi football team is led by head coach Todd Monken. The Golden Eagles will take on the North Texas in Saturday’s Homecoming game. Click for picture slide show: http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20131024/NEWS01/310240012/Then-Now-Southern-Miss-football-team

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss football team practiced for about three hours here Tuesday afternoon in preparation for its homecoming contest this Saturday against North Texas. Game time is set for 6 p.m., at Carlisle-Faulkner Field at Roberts Stadium. The Golden Eagles worked a little longer than they normally do on an average practice day and first-year coach Todd Monken explained that he wanted to see a perfect practice out of his team. "If you believe that what you see in practice is what you see in the game, then there is no sense in going beyond it," said Monken. "I owe it to the team that what we ask them to get that done in practice and I thought they responded to that. That's all you can do is hold them to a high standard; to the simplest of things that we are doing. We haven't changed what we are doing, but to ask them to show resolve and to show some fight in doing things the right way." After announcing on Monday that true freshman Nick Mullens of Hoover, Ala., would get the start in Saturday's contest against the Mean Green, Monken said his rookie signal caller got most of the reps in practice and took all the snaps with the first team. He has liked what he has seen from Mullens and got to see some things from his freshman quarterback against East Carolina that you cannot pickup in practice situations. After throwing an interception against East Carolina last Saturday, Mullens made the tackle on the play. To Monken that showed grit, determination, leadership and some want to from his quarterback. Tickets remain available for the game on Saturday and can be purchased online at SouthernMissTickets.com, via telephone at 1-800-844-TICK (8425) or in person weekdays from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Read more: http://www.southernmiss.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102213aaa.html

complete notes in .pdf format: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ntex/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/release/release_20131021aaa.pdf Mean Green Meets Golden Eagles Saturday Night In Hattiesburg NT With A Shot At First 3-Game Winning Streak Since 2004 DENTON, Texas - After capturing its second straight win for the first time since 2004, the Mean Green stays on the road going for a third consecutive win with a battle at Southern Miss on Saturday night. Kickoff from M.M. Roberts Stadium is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be seen on Fox College Sports. North Texas has its best record at 4-3 after seven games since 2003. Southern Miss has dropped 18 straight games and is 0-6 this season. The two teams are meeting for the first time since the 2004 Wyndham New Orleans Bowl. Southern Miss leads the series 4-3 and its the first visit to Hattiesburg for NT since 1979. North Texas has scored 21 points or more in the first seven games of the season for only the second time in the schools 98-year history. The only other season when the Mean Green scored 21 points or more in the first seven games was 1988. The 199 points scored through the first seven games are the most since 1994. Zach Orr notched a career-high 17 tackles and a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss. The 17 tackles are the most in a game for a Mean Green defender since Cody Spencer had 17 in 2003. Orr crossed the 300 career tackle mark for his career and has 315 for his career. He ranks sixth in the nation among active players with 315 career tackles. North Texas leads Conference USA and ranks third in the nation in Red Zone defense, allowing opponents to score just 63 percent of the time inside Mean Green 20-yard line (15-of-24). Southern Miss. ranks 13th in Conference USA in Red Zone offense, scoring 69.2 percent of the time inside the opponent 20, including a league-low six touchdowns on just 13 trips inside the 20. North Texas has scored a touchdown in three of the last four games on either special teams or defense. The defense held Louisiana Tech 37 yards rushing, which is the fewest rushing yards allowed in a road game since October 26, 2002 against Louisiana-Lafayette. Including North Texas, C-USA has six teams competing for the first year in league play. Only North Texas has a winning overall and conference record.

Opening Statement... "We've moved on from last week's game against East Carolina and our focus is now on a really good North Texas team. It's Homecoming this week, which will be exciting for our players and alumni. Dan McCarney has done an outstanding job, as he did at Iowa State. His team reflects his personality. They're a tough, physical defense that plays hard, that chases the ball. Their offense is physical. It's going to be a real challenge. You can see what they've been building towards as a program. They've got kids, it appears, that like to play with each other and with energy and enthusiasm. You can see it and you can feel it. That's a sign of a well-coached team. We're excited to get a chance to come home. We've had only two games here and both times we've had an opportunity to win the game. So we're looking forward to getting back here." On the challenge presented by North Texas defense... "They're really good. I'm telling you, we've played some really good teams and they're as good as any of them; not in any one particular thing other than their effort. What they do, they do well. They don't do a lot until you get to third down and then they'll get after you a little bit. Other than that, they're a four-down team that wants to play simple coverages. They fit things right and they feed off of each other and they play for each other. That's a sign of a really good football team, something we're trying to build here." On what true freshman Nick Mullens, who will start vs. North Texas at quarterback in place of redshirt senior Allan Bridgford, has shown in practice and game situations... "What Nick showed us Saturday was his ability to create when things break down. Whether or not Allan had that ability and then over time got beat up and is not able to do that now, the bottom line is we need a spark. Is it hard to compare? Of course it is. You're talking apples and oranges. What you call, who you are playing and opportunities that each quarterback has been given are different. In this moment, we've got to see what Nick can do. We're obviously struggling offensively. That's part of it. We did assess it a week ago. We looked at every throw of Allan's. We looked at offense in general. We looked at Nick. We had planned on playing him this past week and we did. Like any position, we're constantly trying to assess who gives us the best chance to win." Mullens additional challenges playing behind an inexperienced offensive line... "That's part of it. We think Nick's going to be a good football player and you don't want a young man to get thrown in there with other young players and lose his confidence, to where he becomes timid. He showed that that wasn't the case. We've also got to remember that he's 18 years old and he just showed up during the summer and during two-a-days. With both of our quarterbacks, the sample size was pretty small. It wasn't like you had a huge sample size to go on. In this moment, we've decided this is the course we're going to take for this week. It's a week-to-week thing and this week we're going to give Nick an opportunity to move our offense forward." Read more: http://www.southernmiss.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102113aaa.html

The North Texas Mean Green visit MM Roberts Stadium to take the field with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. North Texas is beginning the second half of the season needing a few wins to solidify a postseason berth. It's been so far, so good with the Mean Green winning back to back contests following a 28-13 victory overt Louisiana Tech on the road. A balanced offense and solid defense were the key against the Bulldogs who actually out gained UNT 404-386. North Texas totaled 165 yards on the ground with Brandin Byrd leading the way with 71 yards on 14 totes with Antoinne Jimmerson adding another 50 yards on 14 carries. Derek Thompson completed 16-24 for 221 yards including a 61 yard scoring toss to Brelan Chancellor while the defense also got on the scoreboard with a 56 yard pick six. Read more at http://sportschatplace.com/cfb-picks/2013/10/26/southern-miss-golden-eagles-vs-north-texas-mean-green-prediction#6mj6mqxGB2QdxI5P.99

North Texas Can we beat North Texas State? Tailgating for North Texas

North Texas went right back to focusing on the next task at hand on Sunday afternoon following its win over Louisiana Tech. Dan McCarney made certain of that. UNTs head coach wanted to make sure his team doesnt squander what he believes is a grand opportunity to build on a budding confidence among his players and coaches, not to mention the growing enthusiasm among its fans and supporters. UNT was sitting at 2-3 just a few weeks ago, but is suddenly riding a wave of momentum after beating Middle Tennessee and Tech in consecutive games. That two-game winning streak is a modest one, but its also the Mean Greens first since 2004. The run is one UNT (4-3, 2-1 Conference USA) will look to build on Saturday when it takes on a struggling Southern Miss team that is sitting at 0-6 and has lost 18 straight games. People are excited because this is the first time we have won two games in a row and the first time that halfway through the season we are over .500, UNT linebacker Zach Orr said. We have a chance to make some good things happen. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20131021-notebook-unt-looks-to-build-on-streak.ece