Sun Belt Season Preview...

[SouthernCollegeSports]

For those interested... http://SouthernCollegeSports.com

[NTPhiKap99]

I really hope everyone else in the country is wrong. It looks like we are the only people who think we can even put up a respectable season this year.

[Green Mean]

North Texas

OFFENSE: There can only be improvement in a unit that struggled in all aspects of the game last season. The Mean Green averaged only 12.8 points per game, passing for a total of 1,382 yards, which ranked 117th in the nation. UNT will transition to a spread offense to open the field, allowing their QB’s to work on the move. Three QB’s saw extensive playing time last season return, which is the good news, but the bad news is that the 3 combined for 9 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The strength of this unit are clearly the RB’s with Jamario Thomas leading the way after a 668 yard season.

DEFENSE: North Texas will convert to a 4-3 defense this season under new coordinator Ron Mendoza. The Mean Green return 10 starters from last year’s unit and will be led by a strong corps of linebackers, with senior Maurice Holman the best of the bunch. The focus from the coaching staff will be getting this group to generate turnovers after forcing only 14 last season. With an offense that is likely to struggle for a period learning a new system this group must carry the load.

SPECIAL TEAMS: The strength of this unit is returning punter Truman Spencer, who averaged 40.8 yards per punt as UNT finished 2nd in the league. Steve Woodward steps into the kicking duties as a redshirt freshman, taking over for the graduated Dennis Hopovac, making this an area of concern as Woodward lacks the same range. UNT will look for improvement in both return games as the Mean Green finished 7th in the league in kickoff returns and 5th in punt returns. Also of note is that UNT led the league last season with 5 blocked kicks.

COACHING: Making his debut in 2007 will be Todd Dodge, who arrives at UNT from Carroll High School where he compiled a career mark of 79-1. This will be Dodge’s 2nd stint at the Denton campus as he previously served as offensive coordinator in 1992-93, a timeframe that saw UNT average 26 points per game. Dodge should have a cohesive transition as a good portion of his Carroll HS staff has followed him to UNT.

SCHEDULE: It cannot get much tougher to start the season as the Mean Green head to Oklahoma in week #1 and have 4 of their first 5 contests on the road. A key non-conference game is in week #7 with a road game at Southern Methodist, a game that UNT won 24-6 last season. Also, UNT will play Navy for the 1st time ever in one their 5 home contests. A tough break is having 4 road games out of their 7 Sun Belt contests.

IF EVERYTHING GOES WELL.... This still appears to be a rebuilding season, and if UNT can reach 4 or 5 wins, the year should be considered a success. The development of a QB is critical, and if Daniel Meager can continue his play from the spring game where he threw for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns, UNT may have a legitimate passing threat to combine with what looks to be a strong running game. The experienced defense adjusts quickly to the new alignment, and its excellent linebacking corp wreaks havoc on opposing offenses.

IF THINGS DON'T GO SO WELL.... UNT has a repeat of the 2006 season and battles just to stay out of the SBC basement. The transition from a pounding run-first attack to a spread offense takes much longer than anticipated as the Mean Green struggle to fit into a new system. With an offensive line that returns two starters and is relatively inexperienced, the running attack is unable to get on track, and the offense cannot sustain any drives. With only 3 receivers on scholarship in the spring semester, this looks like an offense that will need a full season to adjust to a new system.

MAKE OR BREAK: The key player is clearly QB Daniel Meager who started last year and then was benched at mid-season. Meager is the established starter now and will be expected to pass the ball all over the field instead of just managing a game and handing off to Jamario Thomas. Also of note, the offensive line must improve for the 117th ranked offense to show any substantial improvement. A critical game for UNT is their conference opener on September 22nd when they play host to Florida Atlantic, a team that the Mean Green has not defeated in any of their 3 meetings.

[the real grad88]

These write-ups don't concern me in the least. None of them take into account the awesome recruiting that we have seen that will make an immediate impact. They also don't take into account the "burn-out" factor of last season in the coaching department. I say this team has the weapons and now the coaching to make an immediate run for the championship. I don't think that is being overly optimistic in saying so either. In the words of Gomer Pyle, I think it's going to be a case for..."surprise...surprise...surprise!" Get ready.

[Cr1028]

MAKE OR BREAK: The key player is clearly QB Daniel Meager who started last year and then was benched at mid-season.

Started last year and was benched at midseaon huh?

[GreenBat]

SPECIAL TEAMS: The strength of this unit is returning punter Truman Spencer, who averaged 40.8 yards per punt as UNT finished 2nd in the league. Steve Woodward steps into the kicking duties as a redshirt freshman, taking over for the graduated Dennis Hopovac, making this an area of concern as Woodward lacks the same range. UNT will look for improvement in both return games as the Mean Green finished 7th in the league in kickoff returns and 5th in punt returns. Also of note is that UNT led the league last season with 5 blocked kicks.

I thought Woodward had a stronger leg than Hop, he just wasn't as accurate and he's worked on that.

[BIG DAWG]

Don't give much credit to all these predictions, especially Sunbelt predictions, because the majority of these guys don't cover the Belt, and make there predictions half-assed.

Plus, if we went by all these damned predictions...why play the game right.

Here is to 7-5! I follow the Belt, and that prediction is solid. GO MEAN GREEN!