UNT OL will test Texas

Side Show Joe · August 27, 2014

By Wescott Eberts

Only five offensive lines in the country feature more experience than North Texas.

When Navarro College transfer Josh Greer takes the first snap from center on Saturday against the Texas Longhorns for the North Texas Mean Green, he will do so behind one of the nation's most experienced offensive lines.

So while the Mean Green lost most of the skill position talent from the squad that won nine games and finished the season with an impressive destruction of UNLV at the Heart of Dallas Bowl, the offensive line should remain a team strength -- head coach Dan McCarney returns 123 starts and four starters in the trenches.

http://www.statesman.com/feed/sports/experienced-north-texas-ol-will-test-talented/fjGnX/

meangreenthirteen · August 27, 2014

Awesome. Those were some major props. Thanks for posting.

South Texas Green · August 27, 2014

Nice article. Lots of interesting stats to take in. I'm just not sure a "predictable" offense is necessarily a bad thing. In my mind, it's another way of a team focusing on what it's good at. Why wouldn't you want North Texas to showcase their running game? If the guys up front are a strength, then let's see them get some time to shine in the trenches. It's like my old high school coach used to say, "They know we're running the 28 sweep, but can they stop it?" A talented team like Texas certainly has the ability to stop us, but we can't give up our best hand just because it's too "predictable". The best scenario we can hope for is that an efficient running game opens up opportunities for some timely passes.

GO MEAN GREEN!

UNT90 · August 27, 2014

The best scenario we can hope for is that an efficient running game opens up opportunities for some timely passes.

GO MEAN GREEN!

But if it doesn't, you need an efficient passing game to open up the run.

It's a two way street, and sometimes we are a little bullheaded in understanding this football truth.

Eagle1855 · August 27, 2014

The ability to extend drives in that manner helped McCarney's squad rank No. 11 in field position

This is such a big part of why we had so much success on defense and ultimately, in the W/L column.

To have a shot in this game, we've got to be much, much better with our average field position than the last few times we played down there.

MeanGreen13 · August 27, 2014

I am a little bit worried about this game for the OL. I watched the HOD bowl game again last night and early in that game, the interior line (our strength) was getting absolutely man handled by UNLV DTs. there was a play where cyril got pushed way back and another where a DT just out quicked him to get to the QB. I am worried about his lateral quickness against Reed from Texas. If I were Vance Bedford, that's where I would put reed for sure cause that may be a weakness moving forward. Hope they do well in this game but i think there is far more reason for concern with our OL early in the season than people are seeing.

GOMG2013 · August 27, 2014

Great pro UNT article that highlights a STRENGTH of our team. Did not highlight the negative of replacing so many starters and missing our HOD MVP qb.

GOMG2013 · August 27, 2014

I am a little bit worried about this game for the OL. I watched the HOD bowl game again last night and early in that game, the interior line (our strength) was getting absolutely man handled by UNLV DTs. there was a play where cyril got pushed way back and another where a DT just out quicked him to get to the QB. I am worried about his lateral quickness against Reed from Texas. If I were Vance Bedford, that's where I would put reed for sure cause that may be a weakness moving forward. Hope they do well in this game but i think there is far more reason for concern with our OL early in the season than people are seeing.

And last season BYU and Miss St ran all over Texas. In spite of that, people are giving them credit because this is a NEW season. analysts are assuming growth and improvement for UT.

Why not North Texas? Will North Texas be the only team where players are not going to get better or improve?

pastorgrant · August 27, 2014

I am a little bit worried about this game for the OL. I watched the HOD bowl game again last night and early in that game, the interior line (our strength) was getting absolutely man handled by UNLV DTs. there was a play where cyril got pushed way back and another where a DT just out quicked him to get to the QB. I am worried about his lateral quickness against Reed from Texas. If I were Vance Bedford, that's where I would put reed for sure cause that may be a weakness moving forward. Hope they do well in this game but i think there is far more reason for concern with our OL early in the season than people are seeing.

Needed to keep watching. By the end of the first half, UNLV's DL didn't have a prayer and it stayed that way till the end.

Eagle1855 · August 27, 2014

I am a little bit worried about this game for the OL. I watched the HOD bowl game again last night and early in that game, the interior line (our strength) was getting absolutely man handled by UNLV DTs. there was a play where cyril got pushed way back and another where a DT just out quicked him to get to the QB. I am worried about his lateral quickness against Reed from Texas. If I were Vance Bedford, that's where I would put reed for sure cause that may be a weakness moving forward. Hope they do well in this game but i think there is far more reason for concern with our OL early in the season than people are seeing.

This is a good post. And to this point, the fact that we couldn't get anything going on offense against teams like UTSA and Tulane (forget Georgia) is further cause for concern. UT will likely have a better defense than every team we faced last season.

But as it's been said, it's a new season, and you assume the team has progressed with another offseason under their belt. And you hope Greer is a ready-made starter and game-manager who can help take pressure off the run game with effective throws.

pastorgrant · August 27, 2014

This is a good post. And to this point, the fact that we couldn't get anything going on offense against teams like UTSA and Tulane (forget Georgia) is further cause for concern. UT will likely have a better defense than every team we faced last season.

But as it's been said, it's a new season, and you assume the team has progressed with another offseason under their belt. And you hope Greer is a ready-made starter and game-manager who can help take pressure off the run game with effective throws.

UT's defense was ranked #67 last year when all was said and done. Could it be that our offense faces a better D every day in practice?

I know the competition makes it hard to really tell, but I seriously doubt WVU would hang 40 on us.

Eagle1855 · August 27, 2014

UT's defense was ranked #67 last year when all was said and done. Could it be that our offense faces a better D every day in practice?

UT also played in a better offensive league. So it's unlikely our offense faces a better D in practice every day.

I think our OL is our strong point, but I also don't think that will matter a single bit if we can't throw the ball. If we cannot pass effectively to keep them from stacking the line (like we did in the K-State game), we will be in for a very long, disappointng day in Austin. We will not beat them at straight-up, smash-mouth football.

JRock · August 27, 2014

Great article. Good recognition about our growth.

TIgreen01 · August 27, 2014

UT also played in a better offensive league. So it's unlikely our offense faces a better D in practice every day.

I think our OL is our strong point, but I also don't think that will matter a single bit if we can't throw the ball. If we cannot pass effectively to keep them from stacking the line (like we did in the K-State game), we will be in for a very long, disappointng day in Austin. We will not beat them at straight-up, smash-mouth football.

^ What this guy said.