NCAA Football Preview - North Texas Mean Green

Aug 26, 2011 - 6:35 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - 2010 SEASON IN REVIEW: It's hard to grasp how steep of a drop-off North Texas has made in the Sun Belt Conference since 2004. During a stretch in the first five years of the new millennium, the Mean Green won an impressive 26 straight conference games and made four straight appearances in the New Orleans Bowl. Then North Texas recorded two straight losing seasons in 2005 and 2006, and under a new head coach starting in 2007, Todd Dodge, proceeded to go 5-31 over the next three years and 3-9 last season, relegating a once-proud program to the Sun Belt cellar.

Dodge was forced out last season after starting the season 1-6, and despite a huge road win over Middle Tennessee late in the year and a near upset of Kansas State in the final game of the season, the Mean Green never really stopped the bleeding. North Texas returned 16 starters a year ago but was one of the conference's most injury-plagued squads, playing with four quarterbacks throughout the year and losing 37 starts overall.

Now former Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney takes over after three years serving under Urban Meyer as assistant head coach at Florida.

"I've been working eight months to get this program in a position to be much, much more competitive," said McCarney. "We have so much work to do to close the gap, to get back to being competitive again and have a chance to win games."

2011 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: North Texas had some huge offensive games in 2010 (including 462 total yards at Clemson), but was wildly inconsistent, and much of that was attributed to the team's overall health. The Mean Green lost three starting quarterbacks to injury, but are re-energized with sophomore Derek Thompson projected to start this fall, and junior college transfer Brent Osborn providing depth.

Thompson should be able to rely on two-time First Team All-Sun Belt running back Lance Dunbar to carry much of the offensive load, which he did in 2010 with 1,553 yards and 13 touchdowns. The offensive line will have to adjust to the departures of two First Team All-Sun Belt picks in left tackle Victor Gill and right guard Esteban Santiago. The front does return center J.J. Johnson and senior Matt Tomlinson, who will likely move to right guard to replace Santiago.

Leading wide receiver and punt returner Darius Carey was dismissed from the team in June, leaving a depleted unit without three of their top four receivers from 2010. The top returner is senior Tyler Stradford, who had 24 catches and 11.2 yards per catch average in 2010.

DEFENSE: The Mean Green defense was effective against the run a year ago, allowing 185 yards rushing per game. Now McCarney wants those numbers up, despite having to replace a pair of all-league selections in end Shavod Atkinson and tackles Kelvin Jackson. North Texas has a really good prospect in senior defensive end Brandon Akpunku, who started 10 games with 53 tackles and 3.5 sacks. The Mean Green also has a trio of high motor tackles who all gained valuable experience last year in Brandon McCoy (31 tackles, four for loss) Tevin Cantly (6-4, 336) and Ryan Boutwell (five games played in 2010).

The linebacking corps will have to replace Craig Robertson and the 133 tackles from 2010, but there is experience with their second and third-leading tacklers back in Jeremy Phillips and Zachery Orr. The secondary was injury- plagued in 2010, but has seven players back who have started at least one game, and that includes a quality crew of senior corners (Royce Hill, D'Leon McCord and Steven Ford) who combined for 23 starts. DaWaylon Cook is back at safety after a medical redshirt a year ago, and seniors Brad Graham and Ryan Downing are a pair of former juco transfers who will compete at the other safety position.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Zach Olen is one of the Sun Belt's best kickers, and last year was his coming out party. The sophomore hit 13-of-15 field goals (including 2- of-3 from 40 yards or more) with a 53-yarder as his long as a true freshman. Losing Carey won't exactly help the punt return game, but North Texas has the athletes to compensate. And they have Brelan Chancellor back to handle the kick return duties, where he posted a 28 yard average and two touchdowns last year.

OUTLOOK: McCarney has a proven track record and should give North Texas some credibility as they try and resurrect their program. The Mean Green certainly don't lack athletes, with players like Dunbar and Akpunku on both sides of the ball. But McCarney's focus is turning his football team into a more physical outfit.

"This was the smallest Division I team I have ever been around," said McCarney of first arriving at North Texas this winter. He said 74 players reported to camp with considerable weight gains. "You have no chance, zero chance to win games in the Sun Belt, or non-conference, or anybody we play if we're not a lot more physical in the trenches than North Texas has been for many years."

They have 12 starters back, and avoiding another injury-riddled roster like last season will be key. North Texas has tough non-conference games with Houston coming to town and road trips at Alabama and Tulsa, but every other game they should be competitive in. Having a winning season and getting back to a bowl for the first time in seven years is realistic, especially with McCarney at the helm.