North Texas loses heartbreaker to Army

2009 North Texas Mean Green ... Head Coach: Todd Dodge

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 3-9
2008 Record: 2-9

9/3 at Ball St W 20-10
9/12 Ohio L 31-30 2OT
9/19 at Alabama L 53-7
9/26 MTSU L 37-21
10/3 OPEN DATE
10/10 at ULL L 38-34
10/17 FAU L 44-4
10/24 at Troy L 50-26
10/31 WKU W 68-49
11/7 ULM L 33-6
11/14 at FIU L 35-28
11/21 Army L 17-13
11/28 at Ark. St

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 3-9
2008 Record: 1-11

8/30 at Kansas St L 45-6
9/6 Tulsa L 56-26
9/13 at LSU L 41-3
9/20 OPEN DATE
9/27 at Rice L 77-20
10/4 FIU L 42-10
10/11 UL Lafayette L 59-30
10/18 at UL Monroe L 35-23
10/25 Troy L 45-17
11/1 at WKU W 51-40
11/8 at Fla Atlantic L 46-13
11/15 OPEN DATE
11/22 at Mid Tenn L 52-13
11/29 Arkansas St L 33-28

North Texas Mean Green

Nov. 21
Army 17 … at North Texas 13
North Texas was going for a late field goal and some padding, but it was blocked and Army took advantage. Trent Steelman scored the game winner from two yards out in the final two minutes, while the other Army scores came on a nine-yard Patrick Mealy run and 38-yard Alex Carlton field goal. UNT outgained Army 447 yards to 287, but turned the ball over five times. Lance Dunbar ran for a 68-yard score for the Mean green.
Player of the Game: Army QB Trent Steelman completed 7-of-15 passes for 87 yards and ran 23 times for 132 yards and a score
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 31-41, 225 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 13-132, 1 TD, Receiving: Darius Carey, 9-67
Army: Passing: Trent Steelman, 7-15, 87 yds
Rushing: Trent Steelman, 23-132, 1 TD, Receiving: Ali Villanueva, 5-77 
What It All Means: Could there be any more devastating wins for the Mean Green? After a disastrous loss to FIU, UNT collapsed late against Army in a game it should’ve won. Five turnovers were devastating, and the lack of run defense once again reared its ugly head. To close out the home slate with a loss like this is going to be bitter going into the offseason, with the defense failing to come up with a stop on the final Knight drive, but there’s one final shot to get something positive with a battle against a dead Arkansas State team to close. The offense can’t keep giving the ball away, but there are signs of live with the league’s No. 1 rushing attack.

Nov. 14
at FIU 35 … North Texas 28
Down 28-14 after the end of the first half, FIU came back with 21 unanswered points with Peter Riley picking off a pass 26 yards for a score and with Wayne Younger running for a 23-yard score with just over five minutes to play to take the lead for good. Kendall Berry started the Golden Panther scoring with two first quarter touchdown runs, but UNT dominated early with Lance Dunbar running for touchdowns from 42 and six yards away, and Riley Dodge running for a 38-yard score and hitting Darius Carey for a 15-yard touchdown. UNT outgained FIU 513 yards to 258.
Player of the Game: FIU RB Kendall Berry ran 14 time for 82 yards and two scores.
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 28-37, 314 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 24-119 yds, 2 TD, Receiving: Jamaal Jackson, 9-90
FIU: Passing: Paul McCall, 12-18, 85 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kendall Berry, 14-82, 2 TD, Receiving: T.Y. Hilton, 4-34, 1 TD
What It All Means: The offense worked fine with 513 yards and Riley Dodge playing well, but there was nothing to show for it in the second half while the defense totally collapsed in the fourth quarter. This was a game the Mean Green had to win with Army and at Arkansas State coming up, and while the firepower should be enough to make those games interesting, the defense hasn’t shown enough to prove that either game is winnable if it comes down to a big stop. The lack of a pass rush is killing the D. 

Nov. 7
ULM 33 … at North Texas 6
Greg James picked off three passes and Trey Revell hooked up with LaGregory Sapp on touchdown passes from 12 and eight yards out in a rout. North Texas only managed two Jeremy Knott field goals and came up with just 268 yards of total offense. ULM starting the scoring on a one-yard Frank Goodin run, and ended it in the final minutes on a 25-yard Goodin scoring dash.
Player of the Game: ULM DB Greg James made four tackles and three interceptions with a broken up pass.
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 21-37, 189 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 15-40, Receiving: Darius Carey, 9-72
ULM: Passing: Trey Revell, 14-22, 282 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Frank Goodin, 19-102, 2 TD, Receiving: LaGregory Sapp, 7-187, 2 TD
What It All Means: A week after ripping apart Western Kentucky like the defense wasn’t on the field, the North Texas offense went completely into the tank. The running game that had been so strong was stopped cold, Riley Dodge was mistake-prone, and the losing ways were back. The pass defense is going to have problems with FIU next week, but it won’t have problems against Army or Arkansas State to close out. It’ll be vital to get the offense back on track to make up for the defensive issues. 

Oct. 31
at North Texas 68 … Western Kentucky 49
WKU held a 35-21 lead in the first half helped by two Kawaun Jakes touchdown passes and a 61-yard Marell Booker touchdown run and a 50-yard Tyrell Haden dash, and then it was all North Texas. Riley Dodge ran for three touchdowns and threw four touchdown passes, with two of his runs coming in the third quarter, and Lance Dunbar tore off a 71-yard touchdown dash to tie it at 49 late in the third quarter to spark a run of 19 unanswered points.
Player of the Game: North Texas QB Riley Dodge completed 24-of-30 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran 15 times for 70 yards and three scores.
Western Kentucky: Passing: Kawaun Jakes, 14-19, 127 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Marrell Booker, 8-104, 2 TD, Receiving: Jake Gaebler, 9-58
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 24-30, 262 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 23-227, 1 TD, Receiving: Jamaal Jackson, 6-76, 2 TD
What It All Means: This is how the offense is supposed to work. Granted, it was against the worst team in college football, but Riley Dodge was almost perfect both running and throwing, Lance Dunbar continued to be impressive as the home-run hitter for the ground game, and the offense rolled up 583 yards while not turning the ball over. The defense is still a disaster, but if the offense can keep doing this, there will be chances to pull out wins against ULM and FIU over the next two weeks. 

Oct. 24
at Troy 50 … North Texas 26
Troy exploded for 17 points in the first quarter with two short DuJuan Harris touchdown runs and got a 20-yard touchdown pass from Levi Brown to Tebiarus Gill and a six-yard Brown touchdown run on the way to a 41-7 lead. North Texas got touchdown runs from three and 69 yards out, and a 60-yard touchdown catch, from Lance Dunbar, and a seven-yard Michael Outlaw catch, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up. Troy outgained UNT 697 yards to 395.
Player of the Game: Troy QB Levi Brown completed 27-of-44 passes for 469 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for a score.
North Texas: Passing: Nathan Tune, 22-33, 267 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 14-111, 2 TD, Receiving: Michael Outlaw, 7-112, 1 TD
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 27-44, 469 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 12-66, 2 TD, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 5-83 
What It All Means: Nathan Tune was able to throw well once the team fell behind. Lance Dunbar wasn’t able to get involved in the game because of the early deficit, but he was still able to rumble for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout loss. After so much hope to start the season, yet another bad defensive performance, with no production from the line, meant yet a sixth straight loss. Fortunately, Western Kentucky is up next to stop the slide.

Oct. 17
Florida Atlantic 44 … at North Texas 40
Florida Atlantic scored 20 second quarter points and reeled off a 37-7 run with Rusty Smith running for a 17-yard score and hitting Jason Harmon and Lester Jean for touchdown passes, but North Texas fought back. The Mean Green got 238 yards and three touchdown runs from Lance Dunbar, and a 69-yard Jamaal Jackson touchdown catch, on the way to a 40-37 lead in the fourth quarter, but FAU was able to take the lead back with a one-yard Alfred Morris touchdown run with just under five minutes to play. The FAU D held on, but it was one of the few times either offense was stopped as the two teams combined for 1,044 yards of total offense.
Player of the Game: Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 21-of-40 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran three times for 30 yards and a score
North Texas: Passing: Nathan Tune, 13-17, 129 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 25-238, 3 TD, Receiving: Jamaal Jackson, 5-85, 1 TD
Florida Atlantic: Passing: Rusty Smith, 21-40, 308 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Alfred Morris, 29-147, 2 TD, Receiving: Chris Bonner, 6-134, 1 TD
What It All Means: The North Texas offense finally got moving with a brilliant second half to push Florida Atlantic late, but it was yet another loss. Lance Dunbar was brilliant running the ball with 238 yards and three scores, but the defense couldn’t come up with a big stop. After the great second half rally, the D should’ve been able to halt the FAU offense that struggled so much in the second half, but couldn’t. QB Riley Dodge suffered an ankle injury, but Nathan Tune was terrific completing 13-of-17 passes for 129 yards and a score. Forget about the Troy game up next, but Western Kentucky should stop the losing streak in two weeks. 

Oct. 10
at Louisiana-Lafayette 38 … North Texas 34
Helped by a UNT holding penalty on fourth down, ULL drove for a game-winning touchdown in the final moments with Marlin Miller catching a four-yard touchdown pass with 27 seconds to play. The Ragin’ Cajuns had to rally after holding a 24-10 lead helped by a 70-yard interception return for a score from Dwight Bentley and a 33-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown from Andrew Joseph. UNT went on a 24-point run helped by three of Lance Dunbar’s four rushing scores, but the ULL D stiffened and the offense took over in the fourth quarter.
Player of the Game: Louisiana-Lafayette RB Undre Salis ran 19 times for 93 yards and led the team with three catches for 30 yards.
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 24-38, 209 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 32-187, 4 TD, Receiving: Jamaal Jackson, 10-73
Louisiana-Lafayette: Passing: Chris Masson, 13-29, 122 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Undre Salis, 18-93, Receiving: Undre Salis, 3-30
What It All Means: North Texas got a brilliant rushing day from Lance Dunbar, who ran for 187 yards and four touchdowns, and the team had the game in hand, but four turnovers, 11 penalties, and a rough day from QB Riley Dodge meant a tough loss and a major disappointment. The team might be playing far better, but it’s on a four-game losing streak mainly because it can’t stop turning the ball over. The offense hasn’t been bad moving the ball, and the defense has been great against the pass, but the mistakes and the special teams have been awful. Now come two nasty games against Florida Atlantic and Troy before a certain win over Western Kentucky. 

Sept. 26
Middle Tennessee 37 … at North Texas 21
Dwight Dasher ran for two touchdowns and connected with Benjamin Cunningham from 50 yards out and Desmond Gee from 24 yards away to give Middle Tennessee the win. The Blue Raiders exploded for 20 points in the second quarter to get up 30-7, but UNT fought back with a four-yard Riley Dodge touchdown run and an 18-yarder from Lance Dunbar. Dunbar also took off for a 66-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Mean Green was done in by five turnovers. Middle Tennessee didn’t give the ball away.
Player of the Game: Middle Tennessee QB Dwight Dasher completed 21-of-43 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and he caught 16 passes for 75 yards and two scores.
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 35-54, 313 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 5-101, 2 TD, Receiving: Jamaal Jackson, 11-82
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 21-43, 269 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 16-75, 2 TD, Receiving: Sancho McDonald, 5-74 
What It All Means: UNT is far better than it’s been in past years, but it can’t make a slew of big mistakes and hope to win against the better Sun Belt teams. Riley Dodge moved the offense well, but his three interceptions, along with two other turnovers from the offense, killed any shot of coming up with a nice win. Yes, UNT is on a three-game losing streak, but this isn’t like the last few seasons. The team is playing better, but it has to show it next week against Louisiana-Lafayette or the promising season will quickly slip away.

Sept. 19
at Alabama 53 ... Arkansas 7
Alabama got up early and didn't have to breathe hard scoring the first 44 points of the game before North Texas finally got on the board on a 34-yard Lance Dunbar catch in the third quarter. Bama QB Greg McElroy started out the scoring with a two-yard touchdown run and followed it up with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Marquis Maze and a 29-yard touchdown play to Trent Richardson. Terry Grant added two short touchdown runs in the second half. North Texas only managed seven first downs.
Player of the Game: Alabama QB Greg McElroy completed 13-of-15 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
Alabama: Passing: Greg McElroy, 13-15, 176 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Mark Ingram, 8-91, 1 TD, Receiving: Marquis Maze, 4-49, 1 TD
North Texas: Passing: Nathan Tune, 16-23, 126 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: J. Hamilton, 7-31, Receiving: Darius Carey, 5-34
What It All Means: The loss of Riley Dodge takes away the dangerous element to the North Texas offense. He wouldn't have been the difference against Alabama, but he would've added a different look than Nathan Tune. Tune was fine, he didn't make any big mistakes, but he didn't make any big plays needed to give the Mean Green a shot at the upset. With Sun Belt play kicking in next week against Middle Tennessee, UNT needs to get the running game rolling again and has to hope that Tune can push the ball deep from time to time. Right now, there's no reason for the Blue Raiders to worry about the deep ball.

Sept. 12
Ohio 31 ... at North Texas 30 2OT
In the second overtime, Ohio got a 15-yard touchdown catch from Taylor Price and the two point conversion after a roughing the passer penalty put the ball on the two. Ohio only managed 232 yards of offense, but it took advantage of several North Texas mistakes with Kenny Jackson returning an interception 69 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown, but UNT was able to send it into overtime with 46 seconds to play on the second of three Jeremy Knott field goals. The two teams traded field goals in the first overtime, and the Mean Green's Cam Montgomery ran for his second score of the game in the second OT.
Player of the Game: Ohio LB Noah Keller made 13 tackles with a tackle for loss.
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 12-20, 117 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Cam Montgomery, 22-88, 2 TD, Receiving: Alex Lott, 7-61
Ohio: Passing: Theo Scott, 7-17, 92 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Garrett, 17-61, Receiving: Taylor Price, 7-68
What It All Means: This was a disastrous loss for several reasons. Not only did the Mean Green avoid a hot start in a game it should've won, it lost its star. The big question going into the season was whether or not QB Riley Dodge could stay on the field, but he suffered a non-throwing shoulder injury and isn't expected to be back for a few weeks. With nine penalties, four turnovers, and converting 2-of-14 third down chances, this was a lousy performance that all but gave the game to Ohio.

Sept. 3
North Texas 20 … at Ball State 10
North Texas started out strong with a 10-0 first half lead helped by a three-yard Lance Dunbar touchdown run, but Ball State answered with ten straight points highlighted by a 27-yard MiQuale Lewis touchdown run. And then the Mean Green dominated the final 11 minutes with a four-yard touchdown catch from Michael Outlaw and a 19-yard Jeremy Knott field goal to put the game away.
Player of the Game: North Texas QB Riley Dodge completed 23-of-33 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and he ran 12 times for 73 yards.
North Texas: Passing: Riley Dodge, 23-33, 216 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Cam Montgomery, 17-149, Receiving: Michael Outlaw, 7-43
Ball State: Passing: Kelly Page, 15-34, 140 yds, 1 INT
What It All Means: This might not have been the high-octane passing offense performance that head coach Todd Dodge was supposed to be known for, but UNT came up with something that hasn’t been seen around the program for several years: defense. Riley Dodge appears to be the real deal at quarterback, looking like the leader and the playmaker that he was supposed to be out of high school, but the real story was how Craig Robertson and the defense time and again came up with stops and held BSU RB MiQuale Lewis under wraps, outside of a big touchdown run. If the defense plays like this all year, North Texas will be a legitimate player in the Sun Belt title chase.