University of North Texas Athletics
Reset
9/20/2018 9:05:00 AM | Football
DENTON – Reset. Every single week, just reset. That is the mantra going around the Mean Green athletic center after one of the biggest victories in recent memory.
It's a message that head coach Seth Littrell has been preaching since well before the start of the 2018 season. Last year was a positive step for the football program, but it was just a part of the process. That was 2017, and approaching 2018, Littrell challenged his team to reset and refocus to help continue the momentum in the right direction.
This team could not rest on its accomplishments from a year ago if it wanted to complete their ultimate goals in 2018. Nothing has changed three-plus weeks into the regular season.
The Mean Green are 3-0 with wins over a Metroplex rival and a dominant road victory over Arkansas. Sure, North Texas enjoyed its win this past Saturday – each one is hard to come by and should be celebrated.
That said, by the time Sunday rolls around, the mindset must shift back to the task at hand, which in this case, is Liberty.
"There's no doubt in my mind we enjoyed that win for 24 hours," Littrell said. "We got back here on Sunday and once the tape went up we started talking about learning from our mistakes and growing from them. At the end of the day, it's time to reset, and they've done a good job with that the last few weeks."
Resetting after the win over Arkansas is key. The combination of the big win, as well as the fanfare and national attention the punt return called "Peter Pan" received, it would be easy to pause and listen to the positive conversation around the team's strong start. Not this group though. They are razor-focused on what awaits them Saturday in Lynchburg, Virginia.
"Resetting to me means that everything is back to square one," defensive lineman Ulaiasi Tauaalo said. "Nothing matters besides our preparation. When we prepare the right way, the game will take care of itself. After Saturday we go ahead and reset again, back to step one. We have to believe in the process to get the result. Whether that's a win or a loss, we have to reset and keep moving on to our next opponent."
Liberty enters play at 1-1, and were forced to postpone last week's game until December due to Hurricane Florence. The Flames are in their first season as an FBS school, and gained notoriety last year after going into Waco and knocking off a power five opponent of their own in Baylor.
Littrell and the Mean Green are wary of the talented group from Lynchburg, a team the head coach called the most talented team they've seen in 2018.
"This is a champion's mindset," safety Taylor Robinson said. "Champions focus on the mission each week to get the win. Then, reset every week and take no opponent lightly. We focus on preparing to get a week better each and every week."
Mean Green fans should bask in the performance from last week and continue to enjoy the start to this season. Seeing North Texas splashed all over television both national and local, hearing pundits discuss the Mean Green on the radio airwaves and reading countless stories probably feels pretty good for ardent supporters.
Just don't expect the team to share that feeling. They're too busy preparing for Liberty, the same way they reacted after each of their other wins this season.
"This philosophy is important to us because it only takes a little bit of complacency to go from a great season to an average season," wide receiver Michael Lawrence said. "It helps us remain humble and show that we still have a lot of room to grow, no matter how big a win is. Starting with Sunday, we don't talk about what's in the past, we focus on who we have that week. We never look ahead because any team can beat you if you don't prepare the right way.
"Everyone outside of football is telling us how great we are and if you drink that kool-aid, that's what gets you beat. That's why we reset. We don't let the outside world distract us from who we have that week."
Liberty. That's all that matters right now for the Mean Green as they look to finish this particular week 1-0.
It's a message that head coach Seth Littrell has been preaching since well before the start of the 2018 season. Last year was a positive step for the football program, but it was just a part of the process. That was 2017, and approaching 2018, Littrell challenged his team to reset and refocus to help continue the momentum in the right direction.
This team could not rest on its accomplishments from a year ago if it wanted to complete their ultimate goals in 2018. Nothing has changed three-plus weeks into the regular season.
The Mean Green are 3-0 with wins over a Metroplex rival and a dominant road victory over Arkansas. Sure, North Texas enjoyed its win this past Saturday – each one is hard to come by and should be celebrated.
That said, by the time Sunday rolls around, the mindset must shift back to the task at hand, which in this case, is Liberty.
"There's no doubt in my mind we enjoyed that win for 24 hours," Littrell said. "We got back here on Sunday and once the tape went up we started talking about learning from our mistakes and growing from them. At the end of the day, it's time to reset, and they've done a good job with that the last few weeks."
Resetting after the win over Arkansas is key. The combination of the big win, as well as the fanfare and national attention the punt return called "Peter Pan" received, it would be easy to pause and listen to the positive conversation around the team's strong start. Not this group though. They are razor-focused on what awaits them Saturday in Lynchburg, Virginia.
"Resetting to me means that everything is back to square one," defensive lineman Ulaiasi Tauaalo said. "Nothing matters besides our preparation. When we prepare the right way, the game will take care of itself. After Saturday we go ahead and reset again, back to step one. We have to believe in the process to get the result. Whether that's a win or a loss, we have to reset and keep moving on to our next opponent."
Liberty enters play at 1-1, and were forced to postpone last week's game until December due to Hurricane Florence. The Flames are in their first season as an FBS school, and gained notoriety last year after going into Waco and knocking off a power five opponent of their own in Baylor.
Littrell and the Mean Green are wary of the talented group from Lynchburg, a team the head coach called the most talented team they've seen in 2018.
"This is a champion's mindset," safety Taylor Robinson said. "Champions focus on the mission each week to get the win. Then, reset every week and take no opponent lightly. We focus on preparing to get a week better each and every week."
Mean Green fans should bask in the performance from last week and continue to enjoy the start to this season. Seeing North Texas splashed all over television both national and local, hearing pundits discuss the Mean Green on the radio airwaves and reading countless stories probably feels pretty good for ardent supporters.
Just don't expect the team to share that feeling. They're too busy preparing for Liberty, the same way they reacted after each of their other wins this season.
"This philosophy is important to us because it only takes a little bit of complacency to go from a great season to an average season," wide receiver Michael Lawrence said. "It helps us remain humble and show that we still have a lot of room to grow, no matter how big a win is. Starting with Sunday, we don't talk about what's in the past, we focus on who we have that week. We never look ahead because any team can beat you if you don't prepare the right way.
"Everyone outside of football is telling us how great we are and if you drink that kool-aid, that's what gets you beat. That's why we reset. We don't let the outside world distract us from who we have that week."
Liberty. That's all that matters right now for the Mean Green as they look to finish this particular week 1-0.
Players Mentioned
Saturday, April 18
Wednesday, April 15
Wednesday, April 08
Wednesday, April 01