DRC: Five reasons for pessimism for UNT heading into the 2022 season (Part II of annual series)

Brett Vito · May 9, 2022

Edited May 11, 2022 by Brett Vito

rws69 · May 9, 2022

This time last year close followers of NT football saw a schedule that was going to be difficult in the first half of the season and a bit easier in the second half. Folks should keep that in mind when they see reports of how much the team improved during the season. I don't doubt the team improved, but don't overlook how the schedule played into that.

Cr1028 · May 10, 2022

21 hours ago, rws69 said:

This time last year close followers of NT football saw a schedule that was going to be difficult in the first half of the season and a bit easier in the second half. Folks should keep that in mind when they see reports of how much the team improved during the season. I don't doubt the team improved, but don't overlook how the schedule played into that.

Conversely you have to give at least a little grace for the difficulty of the schedule for the first half of the season if what you’re advocating is to hold true.

Edited May 10, 2022 by Cr1028

untjim1995 · May 12, 2022

There are only 5?

Seriously, though, this schedule makes up for a lot of this. If you can’t win 7 games against this group, you truly should get fired. North Texas Football hasn’t played a schedule this easy since we moved up to FBS in 1995. Look up the OOC schedules alone and you’ll see what I mean. Somewhere, Darrell Dickey must be wondering how he got to be the coach here while we had to play at Fouts, in the fledging SBC, with an OOC that had multiple P5 opponents every year. He played OOC games versus Texas, OU, LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, A&M, Tech, Baylor, TCU, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado, most of who were at their peaks. That we had anything left for SBC play was amazing. And now we watch SL get to play in a great stadium, in a league that is just as bad as the old SBC, and we play @Memphis and @UNLV while playing SMU and a FCS spare at home.

southsideguy · May 12, 2022

Easy schedule but SL will make it look hard.

emmitt01 · May 12, 2022

#1- SL has NEVER, not once, proven he can win when it truly matters

#2- Despite having what seems like 30 different QB's on this roster over the last half decade, we still don't have one that makes you say "yeah, that's the guy!" during games

#3- A WR room that has been full of "potential" for a while now still hasn't come close to matching what we had with Darden, Bussey, and Guyton

#4- While we bring in transfers from FCS and D2 schools, our opponents bring in transfers from the P5 ranks. You can say until you're blue in the face that people were "productive" at lower levels, but talent is talent is talent (if you don't believe this, watch film of games from years past).

#5- I can't quite put my finger on the exact reason, but this feels like the least excited I've been for a season in a long time. Like, less excited than the last few years of Dickey or McCarney eras.

MeanGreenTexan · May 12, 2022

I expect the UTEP game to be a close loss, but I would not be overly-surprised to see NT to dig out a win if things fall their way (win the turnover battle). SMU will be a shellacking...
The game that should show us a trajectory for the season will be going out to UNLV. If NT can go on the road, rebound from those first two games, and win big, maybe this season can be successful. Drop that game out there, and we're in serious trouble.

MeanGreenTexan · May 12, 2022

3 minutes ago, emmitt01 said:

#1- SL has NEVER, not once, proven he can win when it truly matters

#2- Despite having what seems like 30 different QB's on this roster over the last half decade, we still don't have one that makes you say "yeah, that's the guy!" during games

#3- A WR room that has been full of "potential" for a while now still hasn't come close to matching what we had with Darden, Bussey, and Guyton

#4- While we bring in transfers from FCS and D2 schools, our opponents bring in transfers from the P5 ranks. You can say until you're blue in the face that people were "productive" at lower levels, but talent is talent is talent (if you don't believe this, watch film of games from years past).

#5- I can't quite put my finger on the exact reason, but this feels like the least excited I've been for a season in a long time. Like, less excited than the last few years of Dickey or McCarney eras.

To jump on point #4, we've seen this play out in front of our eyes already.
Guys like Enoch Jackson & a healthy Tommy Bush were productive, heavy-minute, players for us last season. Whereas guys like Landon Maston, Dawson Nobriga, Braelon Hill, Sean-Thomas Faulkner, & Kameron Hill (D2 & FCS transfers) only provided depth.

Cr1028 · May 12, 2022

1 hour ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

guys like Landon Maston, Dawson Nobriga, Braelon Hill, Sean-Thomas Faulkner, & Kameron Hill (D2 & FCS transfers) only provided depth.

Having Faulkner playing safety in the bowl game because Sanders chose to sit was a big blow to the defense. If he and Torrey play I have zero doubt we win that game.

Edited May 12, 2022 by Cr1028

Wag Tag · May 12, 2022

The statement concerning transfers could be said about the entire class. If bottom of the class ranking at 12 is maintain I would think his requirements to keep the job has gone up dramatically. He needs to win 8 plus, not get blown out, win the bowl game and have competent qb play. Recruiting is only going to get harder as is winning in the ACC!

Edited May 12, 2022 by Wag Tag

MeanGreenTexan · May 12, 2022

24 minutes ago, Cr1028 said:

Having Faulkner playing safety in the bowl game because Sanders chose to sit was a big blow to the defense. If he and Torrey play I have zero doubt we win that game.

I thought Faulkner played fairly well during the season when he was in, but he was certainly exposed in the bowl game. Not his best game, for sure, and I bet he'd tell you the same.

As for the run game getting going if Torrey played... I dunno. I think it would have been better, for sure, but I don't know if Torrey would have gone over 60yds the way Miami, OH was playing us. When Aune was the leading rusher at 28yds (and CFB includes yards lost in sacks in a QBs rushing stats), that's pretty bad.
I just think they knew our run scheme and defended it well.

MGNation92 · May 12, 2022

I only need one reason.

Seth Littrell is the head coach

NT80 · May 12, 2022

This should be the first season with a new head coach and staff and lots of optimism, but instead we get more mumbles and lameness.....

Wag Tag · May 12, 2022

2 minutes ago, NT80 said:

This should be the first season with a new head coach and staff and lots of optimism, but instead we get more mumbles and lameness.....

For me the shock is the recruiting class with a 12 ranking. If his class was like his last 2 I would feel very optimistic. To me this is a major red flag!!!

Cr1028 · May 12, 2022

32 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I thought Faulkner played fairly well during the season when he was in, but he was certainly exposed in the bowl game. Not his best game, for sure, and I bet he'd tell you the same.

As for the run game getting going if Torrey played... I dunno. I think it would have been better, for sure, but I don't know if Torrey would have gone over 60yds the way Miami, OH was playing us. When Aune was the leading rusher at 28yds (and CFB includes yards lost in sacks in a QBs rushing stats), that's pretty bad.
I just think they knew our run scheme and defended it well.

I made a mistake, it looks like Faulkner played some safety against UTSA too. I didn’t realize. Maybe sharing the defensive backfield with Keelan Crosby instead of Sanders opened up too much field for STF to cover.