Previewing North Texas

meangreen11 · August 30, 2023

Gametime: Saturday, September 2^nd at 3 pm Central/1 pm Pacific

TV: ESPNU

Denton, Texas (just outside Dallas) and DATCU Stadium (capacity 30,850)

Expected Weather: 101 degrees and @30% humidity

2022 Record: UNT finished 7-7, losing to Boise State in a bowl game

The Weather:

The Bears find themselves in a rare road opener versus a Group of 5 program. This is the result of a late scheduling challenge in 2019 that allowed UNT to demand a return trip in order to fill Cal’s schedule gap.

The heat and humidity will be a factor, primarily because DATCU stadium is situated such that the home team is under shade in the afternoon while the visitors will be standing in the sun. The fact that this game has an afternoon kickoff is nearly criminal. As much for the fans as for the players. New UNT head coach Eric Morris has made a point of letting the press know that he believes the weather will be to the Mean Green’s advantage and sources tell us that even after ESPN and Cal agreed to push the kickoff into the evening, Morris vetoed the idea.

The UNT Offense:

This is a brand new staff and scheme as former UNT head coach Seth Litrell (who was arguably the most successful HC in the history of the program) was let go after failing to win a conference title. Litrell and his former OC Mike Bloesch (currently Cal’s run game coordinator and offensive line coach) set all kinds of records in Denton with an offense that was well-balanced between the run and the pass.

That may change under new HC Eric Morris, fresh off his debut season as the OC at Washington State where the Cougars offense finished 10^th in the Pac-12 in yards per play in conference play (just behind Cal) and 7^th in scoring in Pac-12 play. Morris, the former HC at FCS Incarnate Word, is known for his pass-centric offenses. The Cougars passed the ball nearly 60% of the time in 2022, though their leading rusher finished with a respectable 5.34 yards per carry average in conference play. It remains to be seen whether Morris will adapt his offense approach based on the Mean Green personnel.

read more: https://bearinsider.com/s/3719/previewing-north-texas

Pavlovs Eagle · August 30, 2023

3 hours ago, meangreen11 said:

and sources tell us that even after ESPN and Cal agreed to push the kickoff into the evening, Morris vetoed the idea.

Interesting... Not sure I agree with if it's true, but 🤷‍♂️

UNTLifer · August 30, 2023

1 hour ago, Pavlovs Eagle said:

Interesting... Not sure I agree with if it's true, but 🤷‍♂️

ESPN may have agreed to move it but then it wouldn’t be on TV. They control the scheduling much more than the schools, so I find this story to be made up. Morris may have wanted to keep the game at three, but ESPN would have much more pull in this decision.

Edited August 30, 2023 by UNTLifer