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On the opening drive in Saturday afternoon’s spring game at Apogee Stadium, junior quarterback Mason Fine hit junior Rico Bussey for a 52-yard gain across the middle of the field. A few plays later he found sophomore running back Evan Johnson for a 10-yard score. The next possession, redshirt senior Quinn Shanbour threw a short pass to redshirt sophomore Keegan Brewer. The Kansas transfer took it 49 yards to the house for a touchdown. During the fourth series, the offense was held to 4th and 1, but they confidently elected to go for it. Sophomore running back DeAndre Torrey took the handoff up the middle, bounced it outside, and sprinted for a 55-yard score. Scoring looked easy for the offense. “I think we came out with a lot of energy and I thought we executed well,” Fine said. “Defense kind’ve had our number all spring so it was good to come out here and kind’ve get the upper hand on them today but I felt like guys came out with the right energy and right mindset.” Coming out with three touchdowns on four possessions, it looked as though the offense would comfortably control the spring game. But the defense turned the tables with adjustments and stops in the backfield. The defense compiled a total of 10 tackles for loss and stopped the offense from scoring on 12 of their 17 drives but still lost the game 44-23 to the offense. “We just got tired of getting beat on deep balls,” sophomore safety Tyreke Davis said. “[We had] a lack of focus in the secondary then we harped a lot on our technique. We just had to step it up late.” View Full Article

March 23, 2018 http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/032318aab.html DENTON – The spring game typically puts a close to all the work throughout the course of 15 practices, however, North Texas still has three practices remaining once festivities wrap up Saturday. The Mean Green are anxious to show off their progress at Apogee Stadium. North Texas athletics has an exciting day in store for its fans Saturday, including the faculty and staff fun run and appreciation picnic at 9 a.m., followed by the Mean Green garage sale in Apogee Stadium’s west side concourse (VIP/season ticket holder access at 9:30) at 10:30 a.m., a pre-game tailgate presented by the game’s title sponsor (Verus Advisors) at the south end of Apogee Stadium and the Mean Green Spring Game at noon. Fans will get a close look at one of the nation’s most exciting offenses, led by junior quarterback Mason Fine. Four of the team’s five leading receivers from 2017 return, providing Fine with a plethora of weapons including Jalen Guyton, Michael Lawrence, Rico Bussey, Jr. and Jaelon Darden. North Texas also has a deep group of running backs, led by Nic Smith and Evan Johnson, while newcomers DeAndre Torrey and Loren Easly look to impress after strong performances throughout the spring. The running back group has big shoes to fill after Jeffery Wilson’s graduation, but a lot of talent remains in the North Texas backfield. Defensively the Mean Green have put in a great deal of work to improve on their performance in 2017. Redshirt freshman Tre Siggers made the transition from running back to safety, and is part of a group that includes returning starter Khairi Muhammad, redshirt junior Taylor Robinson and sophomore Makyle Sanders. Members of one of the most important positions in the secondary for Troy Reffett’s aggressive defense will have another opportunity to solidify their spots. The defensive line has a new look following the departure of Andy Flusche and Tillman Johnson, and a handful of new faces include a pair of junior college transfers on the outside in Darrian McMillan and Tuulau Saafi, as well as interior lineman Dayton LeBlanc. They, along with key returners LaDarius Hamilton, Roderick Young and Ulaiasi Tauaalo will be looking to test the North Texas offensive line Saturday. Chuck Langston’s group has continued to grow and improve this spring, but still has work to do ahead of the fall. The unit returns center Sosaia Mose, Elex Woodworth and Jordan Murray. Fans will also get their first look at junior college transfer Thomas Preston III, who has made a strong early impression. Several freshmen who redshirted last season have seen positive transitions in the weight room, including Jacob Brammer and Manase Mose. The spring game, which has split teams by offense (white) and defense (black), has a unique scoring system in place, which is described below: OFFENSE DEFENSE Result Points Result Points Touchdown 6 Touchdown 7 Field Goal 3 Takeaway 3 Two-Point Conversion 2 Three-And-Out 2 Fourth Down Conversion 2 Fourth Down Stop 2 Three Consecutive First Downs 2 Safety 2 Explosive Pass (16-Plus Yards) 1 Stop (Force Punt) 1 Explosive Run (12-Plus Yards) 1 Sack 1 Point After Touchdown 1 Tackle For Loss 1 The day begins with special teams drills at noon, followed by the team presenting some of last year’s seniors with their jerseys, and then the scrimmage. Also taking place on campus Saturday is a softball doubleheader against Louisiana Tech beginning at 1 p.m. at Lovelace Stadium and a soccer scrimmage against Baylor at 2 p.m. at Mean Green Soccer Stadium. Immediately following the spring game, Verus Advisors is also hosting a post-game event on the promenade of the south end of Apogee Stadium. The White, Green and Black parking lots will be for suite and club seat holders, and parking passes will be emailed. The Blue lot and Fouts lots will be open to the public. There is a dance/drill team event at the Super Pit that same weekend, so parking in the Fouts lot may be limited. Season tickets for 2018 are on sale now, starting at $65. Fans can purchase tickets through the Mean Green athletics ticket office. For more information, visit MeanGreenSports.com or call the ticket office at 940-565-2527 or 800-868-2366.

Link: http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/022018aaa.html The Mean Green enter spring practice following the winningest two-year period since the 2003 and 2004 seasons and come off a 9-5 year complete with a Conference USA West Division championship. The tide is turning in Denton, but there is still a long way to go to reach the heights those within the program desire. North Texas student-athletes have been grinding in the weight room and through conditioning since the start of the semester, but the time has arrived where they can get back out on the field and put the work in there as well. Spring practice begins Wednesday morning and culminates with a luncheon where fans can hear head coach Seth Littrell address offseason topics and the outlook for the spring. Key Additions: Running backs coach Tashard Choice, director of recruiting Luke Walerius, Defensive linemen Darrian McMillan, Tuulau Saafi and Dayton LeBlanc, running back DeAndre Torrey, offensive lineman Thomas Preston III and quarterback Kason Martin. There has been no turnover on the coaching staff to this point, and Choice has been promoted to his new position as the team’s 10th assistant. Choice spent last season in a quality control role and will have the opportunity now to step in with a talented, young running back group. When former director of recruiting David Stenklyft was promoted into the director of football operations role, paving the way for Walerius, who joins the Mean Green from Kentucky. He will be tasked with continuing to grow the program’s recruiting efforts. The six early enrollees include four junior college transfers, looking to earn their places with the team. McMillan and Saafi will be counted on to fill some of the void along the defensive line created by graduation of some key contributors on the edge. Torrey, a standout at Mississippi Gulf Coast, will be added into the mix at running back, joining a talented young group, headlined by rising sophomores Nic Smith and Evan Johnson. North Texas also expects redshirt junior Anthony Wyche back this season, and Stephen F. Austin transfer Loren Easley, who sat out last season, will also be competing for time in the backfield. The pair of freshmen early enrollees LeBlanc and Martin are looking for their first set of practices to get an early start on preparation for the fall. LeBlanc, the son of former Mean Green defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc, spent his junior season at Denton Ryan before transferring to Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School after his father’s move to Kentucky. Martin, another son of a coach, played for his father Kirk at Manvel (now the quarterbacks coach at Syracuse), leading the Mavericks to the Texas 5-A Division I Championship Game. Key Losses: Running back Jeffery Wilson, safety Kishawn McClain, defensive ends Andy Flusche and Tillman Johnson, linebacker Joshua Wheeler, wide receiver Turner Smiley, kicker Trevor Moore and cornerback Eric Jenkins. Production-wise, Wilson’s graduation is the biggest void to fill, at least offensively, as his 1,215 yards and 18 touchdowns are now on their way to the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis. Spring practice is the first chance in a series of opportunities for the running backs mentioned above to seize the job. Smith filled in for Wilson after an injury sidelined the all-conference performer, and concluded his first season of action in Denton with nearly 700 yards and eight total touchdowns. Johnson also provided a spark and change of pace in the backfield, chipping in around 250 yards and three more scores. Torrey enters the fray looking to take advantage of the early reps coming off a freshman season in the Mississippi junior college ranks that saw him rush for 1,298 yards and 12 scores in just nine appearances in 2017. McClain’s former safety spot is also up for grabs, and spring will feature a handful of candidates vying for it with a handful more joining this fall from the high school ranks. McClain was second on the team with 96 tackles in 2017 to go along with a pair of interceptions, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble and leaves Denton as the team’s seventh leading tackler in program history (336). Rising sophomore Makyle Sanders, newly converted safety, redshirt freshman Tre Siggers, and Taylor Robinson seem to have the most to gain entering the spring. North Texas will have a new pair of defensive ends come Sept. 1 with the departures of Flusche and Johnson, creating new opportunities for some new faces on the roster. The junior college pair mentioned above, McMillan and Saafi will be in the mix, as will rising sophomore Dion Novil, who debuted last season. McMillan and Saafi will be learning a new system and the early arrival should pay major dividends in terms of fast-tracking them for the fall. The jack linebacker spot previously held by Wheeler is also now open, and Joe Ozougwu seems to be a good candidate to fill that role, coming off an All-Freshman team nod from the Conference USA coaches, and should figure to get a lot of reps with the first team defense this spring. Moore leaves Denton as the most decorated kicker in program history, holding nearly all of the kicking records and that will be difficult to replace. Some candidates looking to compete for that job will also get an early start in the competition, including Zach Williams and Arkansas graduate transfer Cole Hedlund. Smiley was one of four Mean Green receivers with over 600 yards receiving last year, hauling in 35 catches for 623 yards and five touchdowns. North Texas’ receiving corps is one of the deepest units on the field, especially on the outside. They return outside receivers Jalen Guyton, Rico Bussey, Jr., Quinetin Jackson, O’Keeron Rutherford, and have some newcomers waiting in the wings, including Kansas transfer Keegan Brewer, among others. Additionally, though they aren’t arriving until the fall, the Mean Green are adding a pair of freshmen in Austin Ogunmakin (Alief, Texas) and Jyaire Shorter (Killeen, Texas). Leading receiver Michael Lawrence returns in the slot, as does Jaelon Darden, Kelvin Smith and Caleb Chumley. Lawrence caught a team-best 62 passes for 819 yards with four scores a year ago, while Darden had a strong freshman season with 32 catches for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Smith and Chumley combined for 34 catches and nearly 400 more yards from their tight end spots. With practice opening Wednesday, the wait for football is over for a group hungry to attack their goals in 2018. The work put forth in February and March can serve as the on-field foundation to those ambitions. North Texas is riding a seven-game home winning streak dating back to November of 2016, and is looking to reach its third-consecutive bowl for the first time since the early part of the 2000s. The Mean Green’s goals are simple: go undefeated at home, compete for the Conference USA Championship and win a bowl game. It all gets started Wednesday.

As I was digging around about college rankings in a discussion, I stumbled across this article. Puts Alec as the favorite here and ranked as 107 out of 128, ahead of several of our peers (in terms of QB situation). That perception jump from dead last to over 20 spots ahead is a decent boost. Now let's take the upward momentum and actually do something. *Insert Princess Leia hope hologram gif* I'll go on record as saying I don't think we win a whole lot in 2016, but I sure hope we see a lot of fun football games playing Air Littrell . http://athlonsports.com/college-football/college-footballs-pre-spring-1-128-starting-quarterback-rankings-2016