Five things UNT must to do improve in 2015

Coach Bill Lewis · July 27, 2015

UNT will open fall practice in a matter of days, another key milestone leading up to the Mean Green’s season opener at SMU on Sept. 12.

Just a year ago, UNT was on a roll heading into its 2014 opener off a 9-4 finish and a win over UNLV in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. The Mean Green couldn’t maintain the momentum that season provided and crashed to a 4-8 finish.

So what does UNT need to do to get back on track? Here’s a look at five key challenges the Mean Green face.

1. Solve the quarterback issue.

UNT found out just how important Heart of Dallas Bowl MVP Derek Thompson was to its team last season, when the Mean Green struggled mightily to replace him. Thompson threw for 2,896 yards and 16 touchdowns with a passing efficiency rating of 133.6 in 2013.

UNT never came close to filling the void Thompson left while running through three starters in 2014. Those three players combined to throw for 2,073 yards and 13 touchdowns with a passing efficiency rating of 112.4.

Andrew McNulty started the last six games of the 2014 campaign after UNT started Josh Greer and Dajon Williams for three games each. McNulty is back and enters fall practice as UNT’s starter after a solid spring. He will have to hold off JUCO transfer DaMarcus Smith in what figures to be a head-to-head showdown for the starting job.

UNT’s hopes to improve as a team in 2015 will rest largely on McNulty or Smith showing that they can get the Mean Green’s offense rolling. UNT scored 21 or fewer points in seven games last season.

read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/07/five-things-unt-must-to-do-improve-in-2015.html/

UNT86 · July 27, 2015

I would change the order of some of these.

To me, #1 is the WR situation. Our QB play will improve when someone other than Carlos is a threat to actually get open. We also need someone that can make someone miss and take it to the house.

#2 is that the secondary has to stay healthy. The starters will be good, but the depth isn't there.

#3 is the new DC. There are lots of adjustments that Cosh knows but the players don't. There is no way in 1 spring to put in the entire defense and any adjustments that you will need along the way.

#4 is the RB's not putting the ball on the deck. Jimmy has always had ball security issues and so did Wilson in his brief showing last year.

#5 is the play of our QB. If a JUCO transfer can beat out a 5th year senior in 3 weeks of two-a-days, then he really is something special. I have my doubts that he can or will.

Harry · July 27, 2015

To follow 86's point, I would say my biggest concern is quality depth. Last year when Lee and Lincoln got injured you could tell the defense really suffered.

C-USA is becoming a league where you need two lines deep. UTEP's coach realizes this and when he arrived he had like 14 scholarship receivers. He has since pared this down and moved those spots over to the hogs.

Ben Gooding · July 27, 2015

1. Who Mac puts at QB

2. How said QB performs

3. If Mac starts a bad QB, how long its takes him to realize he F'd up (again)

4. DL play, younger linemen specifically (Combs, Tillman & Taulo (?))

5. One RB how be it Wilson, Jimmy, Rex, Ivery must produce at a high level. Show that they can be "that" guy.

foutsrouts · July 27, 2015

To put it simply, we've just got to find a way to score more points. If you take out our 2 opponents last season who were the worst in the country in their respective divisions (smu/Nichols), we averaged just over 20 points per game. That's just not going to cut it when the average NCAA team scored close to 30.