Photo by: Manny Flores
UNT Looks to Bounce Back vs. Charlotte
10/9/2020 3:39:00 PM | Football
DENTON - North Texas (1-2, 0-1 C-USA) continues Conference USA play when they host Charlotte (0-2, 0-1 C-USA) at 7 p.m. CT from Apogee Stadium in Denton. North Texas enters play after falling to Southern Miss 41-31 in their conference lid-lifter last week. Charlotte enters play this week after losing their C-USA opener at Florida Atlantic 21-17 last week.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Roy Philpott (pxp) and Kelly Stouffer (analyst), and on the radio on the Mean Green Sports Network with Dave Barnett (pxp) and Hank Dickenson (analyst).
Series History
North Texas and Charlotte will meet for just the second time, with the 49ers winning the only previous meeting in comeback fashion, 39-38 last season in Charlotte.
* North Texas led 35-21 heading into the fourth quarter in last season's matchup, but the 49ers came back to score the go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds remaining to edge the Mean Green 39-38.
Success Against Charlotte
Several members of the Mean Green had success in last season's matchup with the 49ers.
* Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in Charlotte in the 2019 meeting.
* Redshirt junior running back Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas) carried 17 times for 131 yards and caught a pass for five yards in last season's meeting.
* Senior linebacker Tyreke Davis (Denton) had eight tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack in Charlotte last year.
* Senior defensive lineman Dion Novil (Abilene, Texas) recorded six stops in the loss last season.
That's Offensive
North Texas enters Week 6 with the third-ranked total offense in the nation, and top total offense in Conference USA at 573.7 yards per game.
* UNT totaled 483 yards of total offense last week against Southern Miss.
Thirty-Plus is the Norm
North Texas enters play this week averaging 41.0 points per game, which ranks 11th in the nation and leads Conference USA. The Mean Green posted 31 points last week at home against Southern Miss.
JD=TD
Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) continued his hot start to the 2020 season, catching a career-high-tying 13 passes for 104 yards and another touchdown against Southern Miss last week. He previously caught 13 in last season's win over Middle Tennessee on 10/19/19.
* Darden is tied for the national lead in touchdown catches through the first five weeks with six. Florida tight end Kyle Pitts also has six scoring grabs. Darden has scored on 26.1% of his catches so far in 2020.
* Darden also is tied for 25th nationally in points responsible for (36) with his teammate, redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Aune (Argyle), and is tied for 33rd nationally in points responsible for per game (12.0) through the first five weeks of the season, also with Aune. In scoring, he is tied for seventh nationally with five others at 12.0 per game and is tied for fifth in total points scored (36).
* Darden has 23 catches for 241 yards and six scores through three games thus far in 2020.
* Darden is a member of the team's leadership council.
* Dating back to 2019, Darden has 15 touchdown catches in his last 10 games.
* Darden has 179 career receptions, which ranks fifth in program history, and is now just three receptions behind David Brown (1991-94), who finished his career with 182.
* Darden has 25 career receiving touchdowns, which is second-most in program history behind only Ron Shanklin, who played from 1967-69 and finished with 31 in his illustrious career.
* Darden also now has 1,833 career receiving yards, which is just 106 yards behind Marcus Camper (1985-88) for 10th in program history.
* Darden has 2,456 career all-purpose yards, and entering Saturday's game against Charlotte, and is 566 yards shy of Broderick McGrew (1996-99), who has 3,022 for his career for 10th in program history.
Awesome Aune
Redshirt sophomore Austin Aune (Argyle) earned the first start of his collegiate career last week against Southern Miss and finished 28-47 for 339 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
* Aune led the Mean Green offense to 31 points last week against the Golden Eagles.
* Aune is 47-83 for 726 yards with five touchdowns and one interception, and has carried 13 times for 32 yards and another score thus far in 2020.
* Aune ranks eighth in the nation (and second in Conference USA) in yards per completion (15.45), and is 13th in the nation (and second in C-USA) in yards per pass attempt (8.75).
* Aune also ranks 22nd in the country in passing efficiency (147.6).
* Aune additionally ranks 25th in the nation in points responsible for (36).
* Aune ranks 19th nationally in passing yards (726), 25th nationally in passing touchdowns (five) and 26th in passing yards per game (242.0).
* Aune is the oldest quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2020 (born 9/6/1993). He is the 12th oldest player in the country across all positions according to a survey of the nation's football communications contacts.
#TouchdownTorrey
Senior running back DeAndre Torrey (Gautier, Mississippi) entered 2020 with a clean bill of health following a season where he battled through injury.
* Torrey carried 15 times for 82 yards and a touchdown last week against Southern Miss and has 40 carries for 212 yards and two scores in 2020.
* Torrey showed an explosive burst in the fourth quarter of last week's game against Southern Miss on his 34-yard fourth quarter touchdown that pulled the Mean Green within 10 at 34-24.
Siggers Still a Factor
Redshirt junior running back Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas) had a breakout season for the Mean Green in 2019. Siggers ranked second in Conference USA in rushing yards per carry (5.61) and fifth in the conference in rushing yards per game (85.3).
* Siggers led the team in all rushing categories in 2019. He carried 152 times for 853 yards and six touchdowns, and also caught 11 passes for 60 yards.
* Last week against Southern Miss Siggers carried 13 times for 54 yards and his first touchdown of 2020. He has carried 27 times for 95 yards and one score across two games thus far in 2020.
* Siggers has 948 yards rushing for his career, just 52 shy of the 1,000 yard plateau.
SIMPSOOOOONNNN!!!!!
Sophomore receiver Deonte Simpson (Beaumont, Texas) caught a career-best five passes for a career and team-high 113 yards and a touchdown last week against Southern Miss.
* Simpson has caught nine passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns through the first three games of 2020.
* Simpson hauled in a 37-yard scoring strike from redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Aune (Argyle) midway through the fourth quarter last week to pull the Mean Green within 10 points at 41-31.
* Simpson has a penchant for the big play, as both of his touchdowns in 2020 fit that description (37 yards against Southern Miss last week and 55 yards against SMU on 9/19).
* Simpson ranks 13th in the nation in yards per reception (23.22), and trails his teammate, redshirt junior Greg White (Riverdale, Georgia), who is ninth at 24.43 yards per reception.
KD the Shark
Junior linebacker KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) recorded a career-high 14 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack last week against Southern Miss.
* Davis, nicknamed "Shark," leads the Mean Green with 23 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries through his first two appearances of 2020.
Shorthanded Defensive Unit vs, USM
North Texas was shorthanded last week defensively against Southern Miss and performed admirably in the absence of several starters and members of its defensive two-deep due to a combination of injuries and contact tracing. UNT was without four defensive players who started against SMU on 9/19, and several others within the team's depth chart, which forced players into different positions and roles.
* Safety Makyle Sanders (Tyler, Texas) moved from the secondary to fill in at SAM, where he recorded three stops, an interception (the second of his career) and broke up a pass.
* With Sanders' move from the HAWK safety spot, that meant a combination of Texas Tech transfer John Davis (Euless, Texas) and DeShawn Gaddie (Arlington) filled into that spot. Davis, who made his first career start, recorded six tackles, while Gaddie added four and a pass break-up.
* Gaddie's move from corner opened a starting spot for true freshman Upton Stout (Houston), who posted a career-high 11 stops.
* Redshirt junior linebacker Chris Thornton (Amarillo, Texas) made his first career start at WILL, posting a career-best seven tackles in his first action of 2020, and first snaps at linebacker ever for the Mean Green.
* The absence of depth meant a position switch for true freshman Isaiah Johnson (Lubbock) who moved to linebacker (he is now back to running back and No. 23), and a more significant role for redshirt sophomore linebacker Silakivai Carmichael (Grand Prairie, Texas).
Kevin (Brings the) Wood
Sophomore linebacker Kevin Wood (Converse, Texas), who is expected to return this week, earned his second career start on 9/19 against SMU, playing in the SAM spot, and recorded a career-high 13 tackles to lead the team and also added a tackle for loss.
* Wood, who has made two appearances thus far in 2020, is the team's third-leading tackler with 18 and 2.5 tackles for loss.
* Wood was an All-Freshman team selection by the 14 Conference USA head coaches in 2019, after he recorded 17 tackles, two of which were for loss, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble in 12 games.
Kyleb Steps Up
Redshirt senior linebacker Kyleb Howell (Lantana, Texas), who is also expected to return to action this week, was thrust into action as the starting MIKE linebacker on 9/19 against SMU and recorded 11 tackles for the Mean Green.
* Howell made the switch to linebacker from fullback/h-back following the Week 1 win over HBU.
* Howell has been a key fixture on special teams the past two seasons.
* Howell has 13 total tackles through his first two games of the 2020 season.
Playing Stout
True freshman Upton Stout (Houston) recorded a career-best 11 tackles in his first career start last week against Southern Miss.
* Stout has a total of 21 tackles (the second most on the team) and a pass break-up through the first three games of his career.
Fly Me to the Moon(ey)
Junior kicker Ethan Mooney, a preseason all-conference selection by the league's 14 head coaches, went 16-20 on field goals and 43-44 on extra points in 2019, his first as the Mean Green's placekicker. He earned all-conference honorable mention status for his performance last season.
* Mooney went 1-2 on field goals, his first two attempts of 2020, last week, hitting from 49 and having his attempt from 40 at the end of the first half blocked. He also made all four of his extra point attempts.
* With those four made extra points, Mooney now is now eighth in program history in career PATs made, with 52. He is five shy of seventh place, currently held by Jeremy Knott (2008-09), who made 57 in his two-year career.
His Name is Bernardo
Redshirt junior punter Bernardo Rodriguez (Coppell, Texas) punted two times, averaging 45.5 yards per attempt, with a long of 57 last week against Southern Miss.
* Through the first three games of 2020, Rodriguez is averaging 45.4 yards per attempt on 10 punts and ranks 10th nationally in that category.
Three Minutes Or Less
UNT had three scoring drives of three minutes or less in the game against Southern Miss last week, two of which resulted in touchdowns. North Texas now has 16 such drives, 14 of which have gone for touchdowns through three games in 2020.
* The Mean Green had 38 scoring drives in 2019 that took three minutes or less. 30 of those resulted in touchdowns.
Home Cooking
Following the loss to Southern Miss last week, North Texas is now 19-8 at home during the Seth Littrell era and 1-2 so far in 2020.
* The Mean Green have won 17 of their last 22 home games dating back to 2016, when North Texas beat Southern Miss (11/19/16). Three of those five losses have come in the last four home contests.
Third Down Success to Start 2020
UNT has had a strong start offensively on third downs after going 11-19 last week against Southern Miss.
* Through three games in 2020, the Mean Green are 30-53 (56.6%). That mark ranks fifth in the nation. Defensively there is still some work to do, as the Mean Green allowed the visiting Golden Eagles to convert on 8-17 third downs. The Mean Green have allowed its three opponents to convert 22/49 (44.9%) of their third downs, which ranks 49th in the country.
Aerial Assault
UNT threw for 339 yards last week against Southern Miss. The Mean Green passing offense ranks 11th in the nation and is at the
top of Conference USA through the first five weeks of the season (335.0 per game).
* North Texas ranked 27th in the country in passing offense in 2019, averaging 283.3 yards per game and ranked second in C-USA.
* Redshirt sophomore Austin Aune (Argyle) completed 28-47 passes for a career-best 339 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions last week.
O-Line Improving
North Texas returned two starters along the offensive line from the team in 2019, and five more who saw action. The group is in year one under co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Mike Bloesch, and has allowed just three sacks in as many games of the 2020 season, which ranks 12th nationally.
* UNT allowed 26 sacks in 2019. Bloesch joined the Mean Green following a five-year stint at Tulsa, four of which where he was their offensive line coach.
Littrell Looking to Catch Rust
North Texas head coach Seth Littrell is just one win shy of tying former UNT head coach Rod Rust (1967-72) for sixth in program history in wins.
* Littrell is 28-27 entering play this week against Charlotte.
* Rust finished his North Texas career at 29-32-1.
First Down!
North Texas totaled 27 first downs in its game last week against Southern Miss, and after five weeks, rank ninth in the nation in that category (85). They have the fourth-most nationally among teams who have played just three games.
#NFLMeanGreen
There are currently three former Mean Green players on active rosters in the National Football League and all saw action this past week - linebacker Craig Robertson (New Orleans Saints), wide receiver Jalen Guyton (Los Angeles Chargers) and running back Jeffery Wilson (San Francisco 49ers).
* Wilson caught one pass for 13 yards and carried three times for six yards in the 49ers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night.
* Guyton caught one pass for a 72-yard touchdown in the Chargers' loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
* Robertson saw action on Sunday for the Saints in a road win over the Detroit Lions.
* Defensive end LaDarius Hamilton is a member of the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, as he looks to continue to work for a spot on the Cowboys' active rosters. Fullback Jamize Olawale, also a member of the Cowboys, opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPNU with Roy Philpott (pxp) and Kelly Stouffer (analyst), and on the radio on the Mean Green Sports Network with Dave Barnett (pxp) and Hank Dickenson (analyst).
Series History
North Texas and Charlotte will meet for just the second time, with the 49ers winning the only previous meeting in comeback fashion, 39-38 last season in Charlotte.
* North Texas led 35-21 heading into the fourth quarter in last season's matchup, but the 49ers came back to score the go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds remaining to edge the Mean Green 39-38.
Success Against Charlotte
Several members of the Mean Green had success in last season's matchup with the 49ers.
* Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown in Charlotte in the 2019 meeting.
* Redshirt junior running back Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas) carried 17 times for 131 yards and caught a pass for five yards in last season's meeting.
* Senior linebacker Tyreke Davis (Denton) had eight tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack in Charlotte last year.
* Senior defensive lineman Dion Novil (Abilene, Texas) recorded six stops in the loss last season.
That's Offensive
North Texas enters Week 6 with the third-ranked total offense in the nation, and top total offense in Conference USA at 573.7 yards per game.
* UNT totaled 483 yards of total offense last week against Southern Miss.
Thirty-Plus is the Norm
North Texas enters play this week averaging 41.0 points per game, which ranks 11th in the nation and leads Conference USA. The Mean Green posted 31 points last week at home against Southern Miss.
JD=TD
Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) continued his hot start to the 2020 season, catching a career-high-tying 13 passes for 104 yards and another touchdown against Southern Miss last week. He previously caught 13 in last season's win over Middle Tennessee on 10/19/19.
* Darden is tied for the national lead in touchdown catches through the first five weeks with six. Florida tight end Kyle Pitts also has six scoring grabs. Darden has scored on 26.1% of his catches so far in 2020.
* Darden also is tied for 25th nationally in points responsible for (36) with his teammate, redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Aune (Argyle), and is tied for 33rd nationally in points responsible for per game (12.0) through the first five weeks of the season, also with Aune. In scoring, he is tied for seventh nationally with five others at 12.0 per game and is tied for fifth in total points scored (36).
* Darden has 23 catches for 241 yards and six scores through three games thus far in 2020.
* Darden is a member of the team's leadership council.
* Dating back to 2019, Darden has 15 touchdown catches in his last 10 games.
* Darden has 179 career receptions, which ranks fifth in program history, and is now just three receptions behind David Brown (1991-94), who finished his career with 182.
* Darden has 25 career receiving touchdowns, which is second-most in program history behind only Ron Shanklin, who played from 1967-69 and finished with 31 in his illustrious career.
* Darden also now has 1,833 career receiving yards, which is just 106 yards behind Marcus Camper (1985-88) for 10th in program history.
* Darden has 2,456 career all-purpose yards, and entering Saturday's game against Charlotte, and is 566 yards shy of Broderick McGrew (1996-99), who has 3,022 for his career for 10th in program history.
Awesome Aune
Redshirt sophomore Austin Aune (Argyle) earned the first start of his collegiate career last week against Southern Miss and finished 28-47 for 339 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
* Aune led the Mean Green offense to 31 points last week against the Golden Eagles.
* Aune is 47-83 for 726 yards with five touchdowns and one interception, and has carried 13 times for 32 yards and another score thus far in 2020.
* Aune ranks eighth in the nation (and second in Conference USA) in yards per completion (15.45), and is 13th in the nation (and second in C-USA) in yards per pass attempt (8.75).
* Aune also ranks 22nd in the country in passing efficiency (147.6).
* Aune additionally ranks 25th in the nation in points responsible for (36).
* Aune ranks 19th nationally in passing yards (726), 25th nationally in passing touchdowns (five) and 26th in passing yards per game (242.0).
* Aune is the oldest quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2020 (born 9/6/1993). He is the 12th oldest player in the country across all positions according to a survey of the nation's football communications contacts.
| Name | Pos. | Age |
| James Stefanou, Colorado | K | 33 |
| Tom Hutton, Oklahoma State | P | 30 |
| Zach Von Rosenberg, LSU | P | 29 |
| Greg DeLuca, Northern Illinois | LB | 29 |
| Ben Griffiths, USC | P | 28 |
| Tyson Dyer, New Mexico | P | 28 |
| Luke Larson, East Carolina | P | 28 |
| Damian Jackson, Nebraska | LB | 28 |
| Corey Dunn, Iowa State | P | 27 |
| Max Duffy, Kentucky | P | 27 |
| Jordy Sandy, TCU | P | 27 |
| Austin Aune, North Texas | QB | 27 |
#TouchdownTorrey
Senior running back DeAndre Torrey (Gautier, Mississippi) entered 2020 with a clean bill of health following a season where he battled through injury.
* Torrey carried 15 times for 82 yards and a touchdown last week against Southern Miss and has 40 carries for 212 yards and two scores in 2020.
* Torrey showed an explosive burst in the fourth quarter of last week's game against Southern Miss on his 34-yard fourth quarter touchdown that pulled the Mean Green within 10 at 34-24.
Siggers Still a Factor
Redshirt junior running back Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas) had a breakout season for the Mean Green in 2019. Siggers ranked second in Conference USA in rushing yards per carry (5.61) and fifth in the conference in rushing yards per game (85.3).
* Siggers led the team in all rushing categories in 2019. He carried 152 times for 853 yards and six touchdowns, and also caught 11 passes for 60 yards.
* Last week against Southern Miss Siggers carried 13 times for 54 yards and his first touchdown of 2020. He has carried 27 times for 95 yards and one score across two games thus far in 2020.
* Siggers has 948 yards rushing for his career, just 52 shy of the 1,000 yard plateau.
SIMPSOOOOONNNN!!!!!
Sophomore receiver Deonte Simpson (Beaumont, Texas) caught a career-best five passes for a career and team-high 113 yards and a touchdown last week against Southern Miss.
* Simpson has caught nine passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns through the first three games of 2020.
* Simpson hauled in a 37-yard scoring strike from redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Aune (Argyle) midway through the fourth quarter last week to pull the Mean Green within 10 points at 41-31.
* Simpson has a penchant for the big play, as both of his touchdowns in 2020 fit that description (37 yards against Southern Miss last week and 55 yards against SMU on 9/19).
* Simpson ranks 13th in the nation in yards per reception (23.22), and trails his teammate, redshirt junior Greg White (Riverdale, Georgia), who is ninth at 24.43 yards per reception.
KD the Shark
Junior linebacker KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) recorded a career-high 14 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack last week against Southern Miss.
* Davis, nicknamed "Shark," leads the Mean Green with 23 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries through his first two appearances of 2020.
Shorthanded Defensive Unit vs, USM
North Texas was shorthanded last week defensively against Southern Miss and performed admirably in the absence of several starters and members of its defensive two-deep due to a combination of injuries and contact tracing. UNT was without four defensive players who started against SMU on 9/19, and several others within the team's depth chart, which forced players into different positions and roles.
* Safety Makyle Sanders (Tyler, Texas) moved from the secondary to fill in at SAM, where he recorded three stops, an interception (the second of his career) and broke up a pass.
* With Sanders' move from the HAWK safety spot, that meant a combination of Texas Tech transfer John Davis (Euless, Texas) and DeShawn Gaddie (Arlington) filled into that spot. Davis, who made his first career start, recorded six tackles, while Gaddie added four and a pass break-up.
* Gaddie's move from corner opened a starting spot for true freshman Upton Stout (Houston), who posted a career-high 11 stops.
* Redshirt junior linebacker Chris Thornton (Amarillo, Texas) made his first career start at WILL, posting a career-best seven tackles in his first action of 2020, and first snaps at linebacker ever for the Mean Green.
* The absence of depth meant a position switch for true freshman Isaiah Johnson (Lubbock) who moved to linebacker (he is now back to running back and No. 23), and a more significant role for redshirt sophomore linebacker Silakivai Carmichael (Grand Prairie, Texas).
Kevin (Brings the) Wood
Sophomore linebacker Kevin Wood (Converse, Texas), who is expected to return this week, earned his second career start on 9/19 against SMU, playing in the SAM spot, and recorded a career-high 13 tackles to lead the team and also added a tackle for loss.
* Wood, who has made two appearances thus far in 2020, is the team's third-leading tackler with 18 and 2.5 tackles for loss.
* Wood was an All-Freshman team selection by the 14 Conference USA head coaches in 2019, after he recorded 17 tackles, two of which were for loss, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble in 12 games.
Kyleb Steps Up
Redshirt senior linebacker Kyleb Howell (Lantana, Texas), who is also expected to return to action this week, was thrust into action as the starting MIKE linebacker on 9/19 against SMU and recorded 11 tackles for the Mean Green.
* Howell made the switch to linebacker from fullback/h-back following the Week 1 win over HBU.
* Howell has been a key fixture on special teams the past two seasons.
* Howell has 13 total tackles through his first two games of the 2020 season.
Playing Stout
True freshman Upton Stout (Houston) recorded a career-best 11 tackles in his first career start last week against Southern Miss.
* Stout has a total of 21 tackles (the second most on the team) and a pass break-up through the first three games of his career.
Fly Me to the Moon(ey)
Junior kicker Ethan Mooney, a preseason all-conference selection by the league's 14 head coaches, went 16-20 on field goals and 43-44 on extra points in 2019, his first as the Mean Green's placekicker. He earned all-conference honorable mention status for his performance last season.
* Mooney went 1-2 on field goals, his first two attempts of 2020, last week, hitting from 49 and having his attempt from 40 at the end of the first half blocked. He also made all four of his extra point attempts.
* With those four made extra points, Mooney now is now eighth in program history in career PATs made, with 52. He is five shy of seventh place, currently held by Jeremy Knott (2008-09), who made 57 in his two-year career.
His Name is Bernardo
Redshirt junior punter Bernardo Rodriguez (Coppell, Texas) punted two times, averaging 45.5 yards per attempt, with a long of 57 last week against Southern Miss.
* Through the first three games of 2020, Rodriguez is averaging 45.4 yards per attempt on 10 punts and ranks 10th nationally in that category.
Three Minutes Or Less
UNT had three scoring drives of three minutes or less in the game against Southern Miss last week, two of which resulted in touchdowns. North Texas now has 16 such drives, 14 of which have gone for touchdowns through three games in 2020.
* The Mean Green had 38 scoring drives in 2019 that took three minutes or less. 30 of those resulted in touchdowns.
Home Cooking
Following the loss to Southern Miss last week, North Texas is now 19-8 at home during the Seth Littrell era and 1-2 so far in 2020.
* The Mean Green have won 17 of their last 22 home games dating back to 2016, when North Texas beat Southern Miss (11/19/16). Three of those five losses have come in the last four home contests.
Third Down Success to Start 2020
UNT has had a strong start offensively on third downs after going 11-19 last week against Southern Miss.
* Through three games in 2020, the Mean Green are 30-53 (56.6%). That mark ranks fifth in the nation. Defensively there is still some work to do, as the Mean Green allowed the visiting Golden Eagles to convert on 8-17 third downs. The Mean Green have allowed its three opponents to convert 22/49 (44.9%) of their third downs, which ranks 49th in the country.
Aerial Assault
UNT threw for 339 yards last week against Southern Miss. The Mean Green passing offense ranks 11th in the nation and is at the
top of Conference USA through the first five weeks of the season (335.0 per game).
* North Texas ranked 27th in the country in passing offense in 2019, averaging 283.3 yards per game and ranked second in C-USA.
* Redshirt sophomore Austin Aune (Argyle) completed 28-47 passes for a career-best 339 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions last week.
O-Line Improving
North Texas returned two starters along the offensive line from the team in 2019, and five more who saw action. The group is in year one under co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Mike Bloesch, and has allowed just three sacks in as many games of the 2020 season, which ranks 12th nationally.
* UNT allowed 26 sacks in 2019. Bloesch joined the Mean Green following a five-year stint at Tulsa, four of which where he was their offensive line coach.
Littrell Looking to Catch Rust
North Texas head coach Seth Littrell is just one win shy of tying former UNT head coach Rod Rust (1967-72) for sixth in program history in wins.
* Littrell is 28-27 entering play this week against Charlotte.
* Rust finished his North Texas career at 29-32-1.
First Down!
North Texas totaled 27 first downs in its game last week against Southern Miss, and after five weeks, rank ninth in the nation in that category (85). They have the fourth-most nationally among teams who have played just three games.
#NFLMeanGreen
There are currently three former Mean Green players on active rosters in the National Football League and all saw action this past week - linebacker Craig Robertson (New Orleans Saints), wide receiver Jalen Guyton (Los Angeles Chargers) and running back Jeffery Wilson (San Francisco 49ers).
* Wilson caught one pass for 13 yards and carried three times for six yards in the 49ers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night.
* Guyton caught one pass for a 72-yard touchdown in the Chargers' loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
* Robertson saw action on Sunday for the Saints in a road win over the Detroit Lions.
* Defensive end LaDarius Hamilton is a member of the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, as he looks to continue to work for a spot on the Cowboys' active rosters. Fullback Jamize Olawale, also a member of the Cowboys, opted out of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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