Hot take

Milo · June 11, 2020

UNT Football will be better this season than we were last season.

-New coaching staff

-Coming off a great recruiting class

Pin it.

MeanGreenTexan · June 11, 2020

6 minutes ago, Milo said:

UNT Football will be better this season than we were last season.

-New coaching staff

-Coming off a great recruiting class

Pin it.

With the $$ Littrell is getting, there’s nowhere to go but up.

But we said those same things last year (“New OC! Gone are the failures to adjust at halftime by Harrell!!”), and 2019’s class was one of Littrell’s best.

I expect us to be better, but without Fine, I don’t know that we’ll be a West Division contender. 8 wins max.

untjim1995 · June 11, 2020

2 hours ago, Milo said:

UNT Football will be better this season than we were last season.

-New coaching staff

-Coming off a great recruiting class

Pin it.

We have new coordinators, a new QB, same talent back at OL that got Fine killed, a defense that has no push from its front seven, and a OOC schedule that is MUCH harder than we have played in recent years.

Thank God for the Ut-system kids in our division and an FCS spare. I seriously see another 4 win season, and that might be pushing it.

2021 is SL’s make-it-or-break-it year. We get back to winning 7+ games, he will stay here and probably get an extension. If he doesn’t, he will either get bought out with two years left on his contract or will be coaching for his job in 2022, which rarely turn out well for the coaches on the hot seats, as recruiting tends to fall down.

NT93 · June 11, 2020

2 hours ago, Milo said:

UNT Football will be better this season than we were last season.

-New coaching staff

-Coming off a great recruiting class

Pin it.

Love the positivity, but I just don’t see it.

I hope you can revive this post in December and do a little bragging though.

GrandGreen · June 11, 2020

No one thought NT would be as bad as they were last year. This year they will surprise people and vie for the championship.

The oc will be rough, toughest schedule in a long time and a lot of inexperience on the team.

This team will have young talent and by the the league schedule, they should be ready.

If NT has a QB, there is no reason they can't be very competitive in CUSA.

Fine will go down as a NT great without doubt, but a lot of last year; he was injured and not the force he usually was.

NT could actually get an upgrade at QB when compared to the injured Fine. Not in leadership, but running and throwing the ball.

The conference schedule actually sets up well for the Green.

Edited June 11, 2020 by GrandGreen

97and03 · June 11, 2020

1-3 in the OOC portion of the schedule is very likely. 2-2 would almost be miraculous given we will be breaking in a new QB behind a rebuilt OL and almost a completely new secondary.

In conference I like our chances against UTEP, Rice, Charlotte, UTSA and MUTS. Not so much against SoMiss, LaTech or UAB.

So if all those five conference games go our way plus the FCS game, that puts us at 6-6 with a good foundation of young talent at most positions. I would take that after last year. I have a hard time seeing much better than that. Not having spring ball makes it harder to guess so who knows?

VideoEagle · June 11, 2020

We can be better than last year - a lot better - and not be contending for a title.

No one had spring training this year which could help equalize things. This year is going to depend on talent and individual work. I agree on the six wins as a likely result, but with so many unknowns it's more difficult this year to make predictions.

In my imagination, we always start 14-0.

MGNation92 · June 11, 2020

Entirely depends on if we do this baylor offense or not. If it's standard run of the mill Littrell Air Raid, then I see 5-7. Baylor offense might get us to 7-5

I think our defense will improve, but if we switch to zone midseason for "personnel reasons" then I give up. Gaddie and Cam Johnson should fill both corner roles.

Aune Passes for 3500 yards, 25 TD's and 10 INTs, Bean switches to WR

Cooke County Kid · June 11, 2020

UNT will be 9-4 with a bowl win.............................. I dreamed it last night 🙂

GO MEAN GREEN!!!

WIN GAMES!!!

BillySee58 · June 11, 2020

If Littrell could go 5-7 with that 2016 roster then there’s no reason this team shouldn’t be able to win 6 games.

Also no reason we shouldn’t be better at QB than we were in 2016.

Coach Andy Mac · June 11, 2020

1 hour ago, BillySee58 said:

If Littrell could go 5-7 with that 2016 roster then there’s no reason this team shouldn’t be able to win 6 games.

Also no reason we shouldn’t be better at QB than we were in 2016.

How can last years team with our best QB ever? Win only four games? We were picked to win the damn conference. I agree that we could be better at QB because Fine played hurt most of last year.

BillySee58 · June 11, 2020

38 minutes ago, Coach Andy Mac said:

How can last years team with our best QB ever? Win only four games? We were picked to win the damn conference. I agree that we could be better at QB because Fine played hurt most of last year.

I have no clue. The thing I keep coming back to is outside receivers. We won previously with a sub par line and we won previously with a defense that gave up points. But last year we didn’t have outside receivers that really scared opposing DCs like we did with Guyton and Bussey.

That, to me, is possibly the biggest thing I’m looking at early on, outside of QB play. Can Shorter and Simpson make defenses pay consistently for playing man coverage on the outside? The tools are there, and hopefully they took their lumps as freshmen and can now take off as sophomores like Guyton and Bussey did.

97and03 · June 11, 2020

23 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

I have no clue. The thing I keep coming back to is outside receivers. We won previously with a sub par line and we won previously with a defense that gave up points. But last year we didn’t have outside receivers that really scared opposing DCs like we did with Guyton and Bussey.

That, to me, is possibly the biggest thing I’m looking at early on, outside of QB play. Can Shorter and Simpson make defenses pay consistently for playing man coverage on the outside? The tools are there, and hopefully they took their lumps as freshmen and can now take off as sophomores like Guyton and Bussey did.

That 2018 defense was pretty good in my opinion. We bury Reffett for last year but the D was improving year by year 2016-18. Honestly they didn’t have the horses last year and they went too conservative too soon.

I think the outside WRs will be a threat to score on any play this year. But that OL has to give the new inexperienced QB a few seconds to get the ball out. Fine never had the time but delivered anyway often because he was willing to sacrifice his body for it. No idea if the next guy will.

I think with two new coordinators and a new QB - plus other new coaches and a rebuilt OL and secondary - the lack of spring ball puts us behind others except UTSA who is dealing with a new staff also.
One plus is that we were unlikely to have a great OOC anyway given the level of competition so it gives us time to prepare for conference play. And that is what really matters.

edcollopy · June 11, 2020

Fine was not a threat to run against an over aggressive pass rush. The next 2 QBs will have more get up and go, so I think that they'll burn enough teams to get them to hesitate just enough.

BillySee58 · June 11, 2020

22 minutes ago, 97and03 said:

That 2018 defense was pretty good in my opinion. We bury Reffett for last year but the D was improving year by year 2016-18. Honestly they didn’t have the horses last year and they went too conservative too soon.

I think the outside WRs will be a threat to score on any play this year. But that OL has to give the new inexperienced QB a few seconds to get the ball out. Fine never had the time but delivered anyway often because he was willing to sacrifice his body for it. No idea if the next guy will.

I think with two new coordinators and a new QB - plus other new coaches and a rebuilt OL and secondary - the lack of spring ball puts us behind others except UTSA who is dealing with a new staff also.
One plus is that we were unlikely to have a great OOC anyway given the level of competition so it gives us time to prepare for conference play. And that is what really matters.

Yeah I was more referring to 2017 when we won despite giving up points and having a line that gave up a lot of pressure. But yeah, I’m really excited about our receiving core.

Side Show Joe · June 12, 2020

We might be a little better, but I doubt we will be a bowl team. New offensive and defensive coordinators, no starting QB, and no spring practices, combined with a very tough OOC schedule, is just too much. And, I still don't think Littrell is placing a high enough priority on acquiring talent in the trenches. I think he should have hit the transfer portal harder.

Coach Andy Mac · June 12, 2020

THere is a precedent for us having a good team with a green QB though. Andrew Smith did lead us to a bowl win over Cincy but he tragically died after that. I believe he was a freshman QB so it's possible. I think Scott Hall had an injury.

MeanGreenTexan · June 12, 2020

5 hours ago, Coach Andy Mac said:

THere is a precedent for us having a good team with a green QB though. Andrew Smith did lead us to a bowl win over Cincy but he tragically died after that. I believe he was a freshman QB so it's possible. I think Scott Hall had an injury.

Littrell’s offense is a little different than Dickey’s (back then)! 😂

Also, I love Scott Hall, but he’s not the same QB as Mason Fine. The dropoff from Hall->Smith =\= Fine->Bean/Aune.

97and03 · June 12, 2020

12 hours ago, Coach Andy Mac said:

THere is a precedent for us having a good team with a green QB though. Andrew Smith did lead us to a bowl win over Cincy but he tragically died after that. I believe he was a freshman QB so it's possible. I think Scott Hall had an injury.

Maybe we should do a poll:

Which roster QB would you sacrifice to the football gods for a bowl win this season?