UNT #122 in returning starters

IslandEagle · February 10, 2014

Outside of a miracle, it will be a rebuilding year for us. I can live with that. Even if there is a drop off, we'll have lots of talent returning the following year....not even counting next year's recruiting class and/or transfers.

PlummMeanGreen · February 10, 2014

Hate to bring it up, but UTSA has 19 returning starters.

Quite true, WW, but the Road Runners without an experienced QB this Fall (just like us).

Yet after Fall, 2014, UT-SA graduates 30 plus seniors. OUCH!

GMG!

.

Edited February 10, 2014 by PlummMeanGreen

Ben Gooding · February 11, 2014

No disrespect, but shut the rebuilding stuff up. Expect more. There is ample talent on this roster to compete and win in the CUSA in 2014.

Eagle1855 · February 11, 2014

I do expect SMU to be a UNT win.

I mean, I hope it is. But what reason is there to *expect* it to be? I don't mean this to be taken as snarky. I'm serious, why would we expect a W? They played pretty well down the stretch against Cincy and UCF and return 14 starters. They'll be breaking in a new QB... but so will we.

In terms of toughness, I'd put this game around #3 on our schedule, behind @Texas and @ Indiana -- a team that returns almost all of their starters.

greenminer · February 11, 2014

No disrespect, but shut the rebuilding stuff up. Expect more. There is ample talent on this roster to compete and win in the CUSA in 2014.

We are stepping out of rebuilding mode, but not quite a program that just reloads.

Let's expect more, but respect that the story of UNT football is not a story of good fortune and patience.

Edited February 11, 2014 by greenminer

Ben Gooding · February 12, 2014

Like I said, there is ample talent on this roster to win 6 games in CUSA and snag a couple OOC games along the way. We should beat Nichols, UTEP, FIU, FAU, UAB, So Miss and La Tech. Those should be W's. SMU, Indiana, utsa and Rice are all 4 "winnable" games. It's time to start expecting more. I promise you 10-2 is theoretically possible. 7-5 is possible as well. Execution will be the difference, because I promise you the talent is there.

North Texas Shep · February 12, 2014

HIT 7! Our coaches can get these young men ready. We can do it.

UNT90 · February 12, 2014

I don't know if we would have beaten FAU last year, much less this coming year.

Ben Gooding · February 12, 2014

Yeah, we would have. And we will beat them this year.

BillySee58 · February 12, 2014

I don't know if we would have beaten FAU last year, much less this coming year.

Sometimes you're too skeptical. Just like you kept warning everyone before the season that Ball State wasn't going to be a win in your opinion.

It gets talked about every once in a while, but I don't think people realize how good we were last year. In retrospect, it's kind of hard to look at our win-loss record without feeling like we lost all of our swing games, except for maybe Ball State, but we handled them in the second half and you could see who the better team was. The only way a team could beat us was if they had a stellar passing attack and qb, or we were giving up non-offensive touchdowns, coupled with our offense being stagnant (particularly early). 3 of the 6 tds scored in the Tulane and Ohio losses (games we losses by a combined 9 points) were not given up by our defense. Unless FAU's defense was getting scores and/or scoring special teams tds, no way they would've been close to our 2013 team.

As for this year, if our offense can be a little more productive and consistent at home, only SMU and maybe USM have the team and passing game to keep things interesting. FAU has the defense to keep it from being a blowout, but let's not forget the superhuman effort it took from Eric Soza just to score 21 points against us in Apogee.

Edited February 12, 2014 by BillySee58

casual fan · February 12, 2014

Soza is gone and that's great.

The problem is UTSA returns nearly all of their starters.

We will play a senior team, in S A, that held us to 13 points & 110 yards rushing while they rushed for 184 yards at 5.9 yards per carry.

Not an easy game.

MEANGREENCOACH2 · February 12, 2014

we return our ROAD pavers as well. Will be a great game cant wait to make the trip.

meangreener · February 12, 2014

I don't know if we would have beaten FAU last year, much less this coming year.

Oh dear lord.

TIgreen01 · February 12, 2014

Expectations and hopes are two very different things. We all hope the "potential" talent on our roster will step in and fill holes nicely. However, to expect so many new starters to be as good as some of those very good 4 and 5 year starters we had last year is a bit too "hopeful", impo.

That said, our schedule is definitely setup for us to have a shot at winning most of our home games. So our record could end up still being at or near .500 even if this team is not nearly as good as last year's team.

MeanGreenTexan · February 12, 2014

Expectations and hopes are two very different things. We all hope the "potential" talent on our roster will step in and fill holes nicely. However, to expect so many new starters to be as good as some of those very good 4 and 5 year starters we had last year is a bit too "hopeful", impo.

That said, our schedule is definitely setup for us to have a shot at winning most of our home games. So our record could end up still being at or near .500 even if this team is not nearly as good as last year's team.

The return of our offensive line (sans Anyiam) gives me alot of hope, as the O-line is the motor of the offense.

The virtual abandonment of our defensive front 7 (sans Akunne) gives me great trepidation.

Ben Gooding · February 12, 2014

The offense will be more prolific this upcoming year compared this years past. Canales will have a QB that really fits to what he is trying to do. Therefore play calling will be more leniant to what he likes. Rather than 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Defense is the Q. Secondary will be solid and I think LB corp will be solid as well. We just need D linemen to take on double teams and let the LB and safeties run free. GMG

MeanGreenTexan · February 12, 2014

The offense will be more prolific this upcoming year compared this years past. Canales will have a QB that really fits to what he is trying to do. Therefore play calling will be more leniant to what he likes. Rather than 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Defense is the Q. Secondary will be solid and I think LB corp will be solid as well. We just need D linemen to take on double teams and let the LB and safeties run free. GMG

Hard to imagine the offense more prolific without Chancellor. Gotta find his replacement. I think Carlos Harris can do some of the things Chancellor did, but we'll have to see.

I don't know if you're assuming a specific person will be the starter at QB, but we all know how the playcalling went whenever McNulty was in. If he's our starter, I certainly hope he is improved and/or trusted enough to at least attempt a throw.

TIgreen01 · February 12, 2014

The offense will be more prolific this upcoming year compared this years past. Canales will have a QB that really fits to what he is trying to do. Therefore play calling will be more leniant to what he likes. Rather than 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Defense is the Q. Secondary will be solid and I think LB corp will be solid as well. We just need D linemen to take on double teams and let the LB and safeties run free. GMG

You're forgetting about an entire 1/3 of the game. Special teams. That is a HUGE unknown after graduating what I think was the best kick/punt returner in the nation. Brelan flipped the field and/or scored more times than I can remember and was a factor in every game. Our offense will not be nearly as prolific, at least in scoring, if they are having to constantly march the length of the field.

meangreener · February 12, 2014

I think we are a 7 win squad but the absence of ST will hurt. Brelan made a play EVERY time he got the ball on a return. Never seen that.

meangreenthirteen · February 13, 2014

Y'all are nuts. We're winners now. 9 wins. Take it to the bank.

Ben Gooding · February 14, 2014

Brelan had inflated receiving stats due to busted coverage and DT extending plays. DW will bust a lot of coverages and expect more over the top throws when such happens. As far as ST goes, Brelan will be missed no doubt. Someone will fill in, maybe Ivery? He has that elusiveness and that would be a great break-in role for a freshman. Nevertheless, 5-1 at home is VERY doable. 3-2 on the road is doable as well. The offense will be much better if DW wins the job is all I an really trying to say. He is growing to impress.

pastorgrant · February 14, 2014

Just wanted to point out that while Brelan is virtually irreplaceable as a returner, our Special Teams success was not just on the receiving end and was much bigger than one person. Overall, I still expect us to have one of the better Special Teams units in the country.

Eagle1855 · February 14, 2014

The most positive thing about our "reloading" year is that CUSA 2.0 isn't really much stronger than the Sun Belt -- if even -- and for that reason, we should be winning 6 games every year with good coaching and decent recruiting alone. Further, our conference home/away schedule sets up really, really nicely.

We play La Tech, UAB, Southern Miss, Rice, FAU, UTEP, FIU, and UTSA. While that's certainly a more attractive schedule from a brand perspective, is it really anymore difficult than Ark State, ULL, ULM, Troy, USA, Texas State, et al?

BillySee58 · February 14, 2014

Sometimes when a team has not quite broken or is around the .500 mark you'll hear their fans say "we might be an improved team from last year, but have the same record or maybe a little worse." Their was some of that from us going from Mac's first year in 2011 to his second in 2012. We might have the opposite situation going into this year.

With our schedule, the way we play at home, and Mac's ability to get his team ready for road games, which is now starting to show in the win column, we could possibly be a worse team than last year and still win at, around, or more than 8 regular season games. I also fully believe we were better than an 8 win regular season team last year, but we didn't get it so I can't fully make that claim. Losing 3 games that we all know should've been wins was the toughest part of last season, but it was still a great season and I'm not complaining.

Ben Gooding · February 14, 2014

I am not saying that this upcoming years team is a better team than the HOD team. I just think that the way the schedule sets up and the guys we do have on the roster I truly think matching 8 wins in the regular season is doable. I think that 9 wins in the regular season is doable and I really think it will be done. 5-1 at home with the only loss being a slip up game, and 4-2 on the road with loses to UT and/or Indiana/Rice. 9-3 is very doable and I wish people would see that. This 6-6 crap is not going to happen, and if it does it will be a disappointing season in my book.