DENTON, Texas (11/24/07) The North Texas football team plays its final home game of the 2007 season when it hosts Western Kentucky in a non-conference game, today at Fouts Field. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m.
The game will be televised back to the Bowling Green, Ky. as part of a Western Kentucky television production. The game can be heard locally on the Mean Green Radio Network with George Dunham and Hank Dickenson.
North Texas is coming off a heartbreaking loss at Arkansas State in which the Mean Green led the entire game before the Indians scored a touchdown with two seconds remaining in the game to win 31-27. North Texas led by as much as 21 points in the first half but surrendered a 27-yard touchdown with two seconds remaining to suffer its fourth-straight loss. North Texas leads the Sun Belt Conference and ranks No. 8 nationally in passing offense. Western Kentucky is making the transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA and will be a football-playing member of the Sun Belt beginning in 2008.
This will be the first-ever meeting between North Texas and Western Kentucky who will begin playing as Sun Belt Conference foes in 2008. The Hilltoppers have played two current Sun Belt teams this year, defeating Middle Tennessee 20-17 and losing to Troy 21-17.
North Texas will salute 18 seniors prior to this week’s game with Western Kentucky. Being recognized will be Josh Alexander, Lawrence Brown, Blake Burruss, Brian Carlson, Jeremiah Chapman, Roderick Cotton, Deavin Cox, Brandon Dixon, Raifu Durodoye, Cliff Higgs, Maurice Holman, Brandon Jackson, Derek Mendoza, Brandon Monroe, Montey Stevenson, Jamario Thomas, Adam Venegas and Aaron Weathers. Of the 18 seniors being honored, 11 will finish their careers as four-year letterwinners. There are 259 career starts by the 18 seniors, led by Jeremiah Chapman who will be starting his 35th game this week. Five of the 18 seniors being recognized this week played in the last bowl game that North Texas participated in. Maurice Holman, Brandon Jackson, Derek Mendoza, Brandon Monroe and Jamario Thomas all saw significant action as freshmen in the 2004 New Orleans Bowl.
North Texas will be very close to setting an all-time home attendance record in this week’s game against Western Kentucky. The highest average attendance for North Texas during a season is 19,704 which was set in four games during the 1997 season and included a game against Texas A&M at Texas Stadium. The highest average attendance with all games at Fouts Field is 19,517 which was set in 1994. The Mean Green needs to have 14,878 at Fouts Field this week to average 19,705 for the season.
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