University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: NT Can Flat Out Run
10/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
By Ryan Kasmiersky, October 30, 2010, 11:08 p.m.
Well we just got back to Denton from Western Kentucky and I couldn't help noticing that a few things stuck out from the Saturday that was the Halloween eve.
Bear with me now, but let's look past the North Texas win over Western Kentucky for just a second.
Did anyone happen to catch some of the other Sun Belt scores this week? FAU takes down FIU 21-9 and ULM beat Troy at home 28-14.
The parity of the nation is finally starting to catch up to the Sun Belt Conference as there are now seven teams with two conference wins or more and every football team has at least one conference win.
Ok, now that I pointed that out, let's dive into our game in Kentucky this afternoon.
First and foremost, every give a round of applause to Mike Canales for becoming the seventh head coach in North Texas history to win his first game with the team.
This game, in all honesty, seemed to come down to half-time adjustments. For example, at halftime, Lance Dunbar had 10 carries for a mere 43 yards as the Mean Green racked up only 65 yards.
Compare those halftime numbers to those on the final box score and prepare to be astonished.
North Texas ran all over the Hilltoppers in the second half finishing with 311 yards rushing on 41 attempts. Dunbar added 172 yards to his 43 yards at halftime to finish with 215 and three scores while true freshman Brandin Byrd ended the game with 83 rushing yards and one score on only five carries.
The Mean Green can certainly run the ball with the best in this league and if I have to bet, Riley Dodge will be able to keep teams honest if they try to load the box.
Plain and simple, this win has energized this team and they aren't looking at going quietly into that dark not just yet.
