University of North Texas Athletics
Positives Abound After First Fall Scrimmage
8/11/2018 1:58:00 PM | Football
DENTON – Saturday marked the first scrimmage of fall camp at Apogee Stadium, as the Mean Green were in action on a cool, rainy morning. Though there are always areas to correct, North Texas had a lot of positives to take away from their first Saturday scrimmage.
Play of the Day: Redshirt freshman wide receiver Greg White (Riverdale, Georgia) hauled in a 23-yard touchdown reception on a fade in the corner of the end zone, courtesy of a Cade Pearson (Texarkana, Texas) fourth-down throw.
Defensive Play of the Day: Redshirt senior linebacker E.J. Ejiya (Blaine, Minnesota) recorded a sack on a key third down situation late in the scrimmage. The stop came on third down and forced a field goal try.
Run of the Day: Redshirt junior Christian Hosley punched in a three-yard touchdown during the goal line portion of the scrimmage, with a very physical run that was punctuated by the San Antonio native running over a would-be tackler at the goal line.
• Six quarterbacks on the roster saw action in the scrimmage. Junior Mason Fine (Peggs, Oklahoma) had a strong day, completing 15-for-26 passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He connected on scoring throws of 34, 47, 48 and seven yards, respectively.
• Redshirt senior quarterback Quinn Shanbour (Oklahoma City) had a strong day, evidenced by his first series, where he picked up a first down on third-and-short with a keeper, and then hit redshirt sophomore receiver Keegan Brewer (Corinth, Texas) on a rollout to his right, for an 18-yard gain. Shanbour also had another big play on the day, running for a 52-yard touchdown after a good read.
• Senior corner Kemon Hall (Calhoun City, Mississippi) made an impact Saturday, and two plays stood out in particular. He had tremendous coverage on a deep ball intended for Rico Bussey, Jr. early in the scrimmage, knocking the ball down, and again broke up a pass intended for Bussey near the goal line, staying step-for-step with the big-play receiver.
• Sophomore Evan Johnson (Loranger, Louisiana) had some good moments Saturday, including a 12-yard gain early in the day that was set up by a very decisive cut.
• Bussey hauled in a 52-yard gain on a long throw by Fine on the opening series that helped set up a field goal.
• Graduate transfer kicker Cole Hedlund (Argyle) had a very strong day in difficult conditions. With rain coming down off-and-on throughout the scrimmage, Hedlund fared very well, making 7-of-8 field goal attempts. He connected from 22, 37, 42, 45 (twice), 47 and 48 yards, respectively. His only miss, was when he pushed a 42-yard attempt just wide.
• Senior defensive back Ashton Preston (Edmond, Oklahoma) recorded an interception in the early-going, taking advantage of a ball that wasn't able to be brought in by the receiver. Preston displayed good awareness off the deflection to haul it in.
• Some segments of the scrimmage were 7-on-7, and in that area, freshman linebacker Jordan Hunt (Wylie, Texas) picked off a pass on one of his first series on the field.
• Redshirt junior running back Anthony Wyche (Philadelphia) busted a big gainer after reversing field and bouncing the run back against the grain. He also finished a goal line situation very well in a similar fashion, putting an exclamation mark on a four-yard touchdown run by muscling through a tackle to cross the plane.
• Sophomore defensive lineman Dion Novil (Abilene) had a solid performance Saturday, finding several ways to make plays for the defense. He recovered a fumble, had a couple tackles for loss, and made a few other nice stops against the run in short yardage situations.
• Junior defensive back Jameel Moore (Cedar Hill, Texas) had a nice pass break-up after staying step-for-step with his man in coverage on a deep ball down the sideline.
• Fine connected with junior Michael Lawrence (Sweetwater, Texas) for a 16-yard pickup late in the scrimmage, as Lawrence came up with a sliding catch at midfield.
• Freshman safety Alex Morris (Humble, Texas) came up with a great break on the ball to get a pass breakup on a pass intended for Brewer.
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Hayden Harrison (Wolfforth, Texas) had one of the hits of the day, dislodging the ball from a receiver with a monster hit over the middle of the field.
• Junior defensive end LaDarius Hamilton (Corrigan, Texas) recorded a sack by tracking down Fine for a three-yard loss during some situational work that helped hold for a field goal attempt.
• Redshirt junior linebacker Mike Linehan (Highland Park) and sophomore safety Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas) combined on a tackle for loss on a run to the left side.
• Freshman quarterback Kason Martin (Manvel, Texas) picked out Cudjoe Young for 16 yards on a play over the middle to convert a fourth-and-six.
• Shanbour threw a touchdown pass on his final throw of the day, connecting with White on a fade route.
The Mean Green return to the practice field Sunday afternoon before an off day on Monday.
The 2018 season opens Saturday, Sept. 1, when North Texas hosts Metroplex rival SMU at 6:30 p.m. at Apogee Stadium. Season tickets for the 2018 Mean Green football season are on sale now and fans can purchase tickets through the Mean Green athletics ticket office by calling 940-565-2527 or 800-868-2366, or visiting MeanGreenSports.com/tickets.
See below for comments from head coach Seth Littrell, quarterback Mason Fine and linebacker E.J. Ejiya
Play of the Day: Redshirt freshman wide receiver Greg White (Riverdale, Georgia) hauled in a 23-yard touchdown reception on a fade in the corner of the end zone, courtesy of a Cade Pearson (Texarkana, Texas) fourth-down throw.
Defensive Play of the Day: Redshirt senior linebacker E.J. Ejiya (Blaine, Minnesota) recorded a sack on a key third down situation late in the scrimmage. The stop came on third down and forced a field goal try.
Run of the Day: Redshirt junior Christian Hosley punched in a three-yard touchdown during the goal line portion of the scrimmage, with a very physical run that was punctuated by the San Antonio native running over a would-be tackler at the goal line.
• Six quarterbacks on the roster saw action in the scrimmage. Junior Mason Fine (Peggs, Oklahoma) had a strong day, completing 15-for-26 passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He connected on scoring throws of 34, 47, 48 and seven yards, respectively.
- Fine connected with redshirt junior receiver Jalen Guyton (Allen, Texas) on a 34-yard scoring strike on third down early in the scrimmage.
- The junior signal-caller again hit the big play on a deep ball over the middle to junior Cudjoe Young (Chattanooga, Tennessee) for a 47-yard touchdown.
- Fine converted another third down when he hit sophomore Jaelon Darden (Houston) down the near sideline for a 48-yard touchdown toss.
- In the goal line portion of the day, Fine picked out Bussey (Lawton, Oklahoma) for a seven yard score towards the end of the scrimmage.
• Redshirt senior quarterback Quinn Shanbour (Oklahoma City) had a strong day, evidenced by his first series, where he picked up a first down on third-and-short with a keeper, and then hit redshirt sophomore receiver Keegan Brewer (Corinth, Texas) on a rollout to his right, for an 18-yard gain. Shanbour also had another big play on the day, running for a 52-yard touchdown after a good read.
• Senior corner Kemon Hall (Calhoun City, Mississippi) made an impact Saturday, and two plays stood out in particular. He had tremendous coverage on a deep ball intended for Rico Bussey, Jr. early in the scrimmage, knocking the ball down, and again broke up a pass intended for Bussey near the goal line, staying step-for-step with the big-play receiver.
• Sophomore Evan Johnson (Loranger, Louisiana) had some good moments Saturday, including a 12-yard gain early in the day that was set up by a very decisive cut.
• Bussey hauled in a 52-yard gain on a long throw by Fine on the opening series that helped set up a field goal.
• Graduate transfer kicker Cole Hedlund (Argyle) had a very strong day in difficult conditions. With rain coming down off-and-on throughout the scrimmage, Hedlund fared very well, making 7-of-8 field goal attempts. He connected from 22, 37, 42, 45 (twice), 47 and 48 yards, respectively. His only miss, was when he pushed a 42-yard attempt just wide.
• Senior defensive back Ashton Preston (Edmond, Oklahoma) recorded an interception in the early-going, taking advantage of a ball that wasn't able to be brought in by the receiver. Preston displayed good awareness off the deflection to haul it in.
• Some segments of the scrimmage were 7-on-7, and in that area, freshman linebacker Jordan Hunt (Wylie, Texas) picked off a pass on one of his first series on the field.
• Redshirt junior running back Anthony Wyche (Philadelphia) busted a big gainer after reversing field and bouncing the run back against the grain. He also finished a goal line situation very well in a similar fashion, putting an exclamation mark on a four-yard touchdown run by muscling through a tackle to cross the plane.
• Sophomore defensive lineman Dion Novil (Abilene) had a solid performance Saturday, finding several ways to make plays for the defense. He recovered a fumble, had a couple tackles for loss, and made a few other nice stops against the run in short yardage situations.
• Junior defensive back Jameel Moore (Cedar Hill, Texas) had a nice pass break-up after staying step-for-step with his man in coverage on a deep ball down the sideline.
• Fine connected with junior Michael Lawrence (Sweetwater, Texas) for a 16-yard pickup late in the scrimmage, as Lawrence came up with a sliding catch at midfield.
• Freshman safety Alex Morris (Humble, Texas) came up with a great break on the ball to get a pass breakup on a pass intended for Brewer.
• Redshirt sophomore linebacker Hayden Harrison (Wolfforth, Texas) had one of the hits of the day, dislodging the ball from a receiver with a monster hit over the middle of the field.
• Junior defensive end LaDarius Hamilton (Corrigan, Texas) recorded a sack by tracking down Fine for a three-yard loss during some situational work that helped hold for a field goal attempt.
• Redshirt junior linebacker Mike Linehan (Highland Park) and sophomore safety Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas) combined on a tackle for loss on a run to the left side.
• Freshman quarterback Kason Martin (Manvel, Texas) picked out Cudjoe Young for 16 yards on a play over the middle to convert a fourth-and-six.
• Shanbour threw a touchdown pass on his final throw of the day, connecting with White on a fade route.
The Mean Green return to the practice field Sunday afternoon before an off day on Monday.
The 2018 season opens Saturday, Sept. 1, when North Texas hosts Metroplex rival SMU at 6:30 p.m. at Apogee Stadium. Season tickets for the 2018 Mean Green football season are on sale now and fans can purchase tickets through the Mean Green athletics ticket office by calling 940-565-2527 or 800-868-2366, or visiting MeanGreenSports.com/tickets.
See below for comments from head coach Seth Littrell, quarterback Mason Fine and linebacker E.J. Ejiya
Players Mentioned
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
S
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
K
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
S
/ Football
DL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
S
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ FootballSaturday, April 18
Wednesday, April 15
Wednesday, April 08
Wednesday, April 01