Halfway through season, North Texas football showing drastic signs of improvement

[Skipper]

It’s the middle of October, which means we’re at the halfway mark for a few things.

For one, the semester is half over and mid-terms are lurking over students like hawks. On a more positive note, North Texas football is at the halfway point of its 2016 campaign. Just as I predicted at the beginning of the season (I didn’t), the Mean Green are sitting pretty at 3-3 with a 2-1 record in Conference USA.

So unlike last year when North Texas had the dreaded and inexplicable week one bye, the Mean Green now get a much-needed week off in the heart of their three-month trudge, which gives us time to answer the following question.

What the heck is happening in Denton, and are we actually seeing #NewDenton?

Yes, yes we are.

The numbers are pretty convincing. In 2015, the Mean Green scored 182 points all year. Through six games in 2016, North Texas has scored 155 points.

Go back and read those last two sentences. Really soak it in, because that is absolutely incredible.

The offense is night and day better. The Mean Green are averaging 25.8 points per game this season, 10.6 points higher than their 15.2 average from last year.

True freshman Mason Fine was called upon in week one to lead the offense and has been sublime. Fine has only coughed the ball up twice in six weeks, throwing an interception at Florida and fumbling last week against Marshall.

You can’t ask much more from your freshman quarterback, who is probably worried about his English 1310 mid-term this week.

And while the offense has improved by leaps and bounds, the real story of this team is the defense.

Under first-year defensive coordinator Mike Ekeler, North Texas’ defense is holding opponents to 28.7 points per game. Last year, opponents averaged 41.2 points per contest. When you cut your opponents scoring almost in half, you’re going to win some football games.

Even though the wins have come against schools with a combined record of 1-13, each victory counts exactly the same as North Texas pushes for its first bowl game since 2013.

Junior defensive back Kishawn McClain has stepped up into a leadership role and has gone above and beyond. He has been crucial to the defense’s success and leads the team in interceptions with three.

In fact, the defense has been what has kept them in a majority of games. Against Middle Tennessee State University, the Mean Green thwarted off the Blue Raiders for nearly an entire half before surrendering a slim seven-point lead.

Against Marshall University, the defense forced The Thundering Herd to settle for field goals, which were missed on both occasions. The offense then went out and strung together a few scoring drives that put them in the driver’s seat, and the defense sealed the deal with a pick-six.

Hallelujah. Light the tower, because that is how you win games.

 

Featured Image: Junior running back Jeffery Wilson (26) celebrates after scoring against MTSU. Colin Mitchell

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[rws69]

http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/current_congrove_rankings.html

This ranking has UNT moving up from 126th pre-season to 106th. Note Army from 109th all the way up to 66th. 

SMU going nowhere at 112th. UTSA climbed from 123rd to 101st. LaTech at 74th and WKy at 58th.

Looking at our most recent game, UNT score against Marshall (falling from 41st to 91st) was almost the same that Pitt (34th) scored against them a week earlier.

Fun to look at but more reasons to actually play the games.

Edited October 13, 2016 by rws69

[Got5onIt]

Who'd like to see NT play SMU now? I'm certain it would be a different outcome...

[NorthTexan95]

Quote

The numbers are pretty convincing. In 2015, the Mean Green scored 182 points all year. Through six games in 2016, North Texas has scored 155 points.

Wow.   

Nice article. 

[JesseMartin]

30 minutes ago, Got5onIt said:

Who'd like to see NT play SMU now? I'm certain it would be a different outcome...

Definitely.  The defense has gelled, and the offense has a solidly talented leader.  I'm sure Morris provided a great sense of senior leadership, but whether he had too much rust from not playing live games or just never got to cruising altitude at the collegiate level, he hasn't performed in his limited time thus far.  I do think the score would be different...probably right around what the final was, but switched.

[NT93]

On ‎10‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 7:47 PM, rws69 said:

http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/current_congrove_rankings.html

This ranking has UNT moving up from 126th pre-season to 106th. Note Army from 109th all the way up to 66th. 

SMU going nowhere at 112th. UTSA climbed from 123rd to 101st. LaTech at 74th and WKy at 58th.

Looking at our most recent game, UNT score against Marshall (falling from 41st to 91st) was almost the same that Pitt (34th) scored against them a week earlier.

Fun to look at but more reasons to actually play the games.

I'm burying the lead here because that was a great post by Skipper, BUT according to these rankings UT would finish 4th in The Belt.  That hilarious.  Not from the standpoint that the rankings are a sham, but from the standpoint that the richest school in America would be the 4th best in the mighty Sun Belt.