Mean Green Open 2020 Against HBU Saturday

Photo by: Manny Flores

9/4/2020 9:00:00 AM | Football

DENTON - The Mean Green open their 2020 season on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT from Apogee Stadium when they host Southland Conference foe Houston Baptist. Due to the ongoing CoVID-19 pandemic, the stands will certainly look different with capacity limited to 25%, however the excitement level around the football program is still extremely high. Fans who aren't in attendance can watch the game live on ESPN3, with Doug Anderson and LaDarrin McLane on the call, or listen on the Mean Green Sports Network with Dave Barnett and Hank Dickenson.

North Texas is looking to rebound from a disappointing 4-8 season in 2019, and they face an HBU team that won a program-record five games last season. Below are some select notes and storylines for Saturday's lid-lifter.

Series History
North Texas and Houston Baptist have never met prior to Saturday's season opener.

* UNT opened last season with a 51-31 win over another Southland opponent, Abilene Christian, and also dispatched conference-mate Incarnate Word in Week 2 of the 2018 season, 58-16 and Lamar 59-14 to open the 2017 campaign.

* Houston Baptist head coach Vic Shealy is the program's only head coach in its brief history, which began in the 2014 season.

* HBU offensive line coach Jared Kaster crossed paths with Mean Green associate head coach Tommy Mainord for one season (2012) in Lubbock. Kaster was a freshman offensive lineman at Texas Tech while Mainord coached receivers under then-head coach Tommy Tuberville.

* HBU defensive line coach Issac Mooring crossed paths at Texas State with current Mean Green tight ends coach Adrian Mayes in 2017 and 2018. Mooring held the same position with the Bobcats on the same staff as Mayes, who was tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator in San Marcos on then-head coach Everett Withers' staff.

* HBU finished 5-7 in 2019. The Huskies and Mean Green had a pair of common opponents in 2019, in UTEP and Abilene Christian. HBU dropped a nail-biter in El Paso to open the 2019 season, 36-34 to the Miners, and fell 45-20 at ACU in mid-October. The Mean Green dispatched of ACU 51-31 to open its season, while also defeating UTEP comfortably, 52-20 on homecoming weekend.

* A pair of Huskies are former members of the Mean Green, in offensive lineman Doro Omerhi and punter Blake Patterson. Omerhi and Patterson were both with the Mean Green for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Opening Up
North Texas will begin its 105th season of football when it kicks off the 2020 season at home against Houston Baptist on Saturday. Since the inaugural season in 1913, North Texas has accumulated a record of 520-514-33, amassed 25 conference championships and played in 10 bowl games.

* The Mean Green are opening the season at home for only the 40th time out of 105 years in program history. North Texas is 23-14-2 in those previous 39 games, North Texas started the season out at home with a win last year, knocking off Abilene Christian 51-31. They've also won three of four season openers at home under head coach Seth Littrell, including each of the last three.

* North Texas is 41-60-3 all-time in the season debut. The Mean Green have won just six season-openers in the last 23 years, but knocked off ACU 51-31, SMU 46-23 and Lamar 59-14 in each of its last three season-openers.

Home Openers
The Mean Green enter Saturday's match-up with Houston Baptist with a 6-4 record in its last 10 home openers. All-time, North Texas is 70-30-3 in home openers (excluding games played in Irving at Texas Stadium), with a 6-3 mark in its current home, Apogee Stadium.

Thirty-Plus is the Norm
The Mean Green averaged 30.6 points per game in 2019, which ranked third in Conference USA.

* North Texas has averaged 33.7 points per game over its last three seasons.

* North Texas has seen its scoring output surge under head coach Seth Littrell, since he took over ahead of the 2016 season. Prior to Littrell's arrival, the Mean Green averaged just 15.2 ppg in 2015.

* UNT has scored 24.8, 35.5, 34.6 and 30.6 ppg in Littrell's four seasons at the helm.

* Three of Littrell's seasons in charge have seen top-six scoring outputs in program history.

Most Points Per Game
1. 1951        36.2 ppg
2. 2017        35.5 ppg
3. 2018        34.6 ppg
4. 2013        31.8 ppg
5. 1969        31.6 ppg
6. 2019        30.6 ppg

Dynamic Darden
Senior wide receiver Jaelon Darden (Houston) set single season career highs across the board in 2019, pacing the Mean Green receivers with 76 catches for 736 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

* Darden enters the 2020 season on the watch list for the Maxwell, Biletnikoff and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Awards, as well as being a member of the Reese's Senior Bowl Top 250 list and is a preseason all-conference selection.

* Darden is a member of the team's leadership council.

* Darden's 12 receiving touchdowns led Conference USA and ranked 12th in the country in 2019. Those 12 touchdowns tied for second-most in a single season in program history.

* Darden also ranked second in C-USA in receptions per game, with 6.3. That ranked 21st nationally (eighth among players who were expected to play in 2020, however six of those play in conferences who will not be playing this fall).

* Darden closed his 2019 season with nine touchdown catches in his final seven games.

* Darden's two games last season with three touchdowns tied for most in the nation for a player with three or more touchdowns in a game.

* Darden enters his senior season with 156 career receptions, which ranks sixth in program history, for 1,592 yards and 19 touchdowns (seventh-most in program history).

* Darden has 2,210 career all-purpose yards, and entering his senior season, is 812 yards shy of Broderick McGrew (1996-99), who has 3,022 for his career.

Shorter Looks to Build on Promising '19
Redshirt sophomore receiver Jyaire Shorter (Killeen, Texas) enters 2020 as the Mean Green's second-leading receiver, and was an all-freshman and honorable mention all-conference selection by the C-USA head coaches in 2019.

* Shorter finished with 24 catches for 473 yards and nine scores in 2019.

* Shorter averaged 19.7 yards per reception, which ranked 14th in the country and second-best in Conference USA, and has scored on 37.5% of his catches.

* Shorter was second on the team (and in Conference USA) in receiving touchdowns with nine, and ranked 32nd in the country.

* Shorter had a career-best three touchdowns on 10/26/19 at Charlotte, which was one of four times last season that a Mean Green player had a three-receiving touchdown game. Jaelon Darden had three touchdown performances on 11/2 in the win over UTEP and on 10/12 at Southern Miss, and tight end Jason Pirtle (Locust Grove, Oklahoma) also caught three in the season-opener against Abilene Christian on 8/31.

Novil Is A Major Problem
Senior defensive lineman Dion Novil (Abilene, Texas) is a key disruptor in the middle for the Mean Green defense.

* Novil is on the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Outland Trophy, and was named preseason all-conference by the league's 14 head coaches.

* Novil is a member of the team's leadership council.

* Novil is coming off the most productive season of his career on his way to all-conference honorable mention honors. He finished with 61 total tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks at nose tackle in 2019 for the Mean Green.

* Throughout his career in Denton, Novil has appeared in 29 games, posting 98 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.

* Over the course of his career, Novil has shown a lot of versatility, having played on the edge as well, earlier in his career.

Cam Johnson Finds A New Home Inside
Senior defensive back Cam Johnson (Houston) has found a new position in the secondary in new defensive coordinator Clint Bowen's defense - as a field safety (similar to a nickel corner). Johnson spent the first three seasons of his North Texas career on the outside at corner.

* Johnson had 58 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a half sack, four pass break-ups and blocked a field goal in 2019.

* Johnson is approaching 100 career tackles, entering the season with 92.

New Kids on the Corner
A trio of North Texas cornerbacks will be looking to make an impact in new defensive coordinator Clint Bowen's defense. Cam Johnson (Houston) has moved inside, while the other starting corner from last season, Nick Harvey, graduated.

* Redshirt junior corner Quinn Whitlock (Pinola, Mississippi) has won one of the starting corner jobs, and appeared in three games during an injury-plagued 2019. Whitlock previously spent two seasons at Copiah-Lincoln CC in Mississippi. He posted 28 solo tackles, 16 assisted tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, six pass break-ups, an interception and a fumble recovery in 2018.

* Redshirt sophomore Jordan Rucker (Denton) joins the Mean Green following two seasons at Purdue, including the 2019 season where he made five appearances, primarily on special teams for the Boilermakers. Rucker was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA following his transfer from Purdue. A former standout at Ryan High School, Rucker was a unanimous first team All-District selection during his senior season, where he recorded 38 tackles and three tackles for loss in 2017 for the Raiders.

* Sophomore DeShawn Gaddie (Arlington) has worked his way into the rotation and consideration to start at corner with a strong fall camp. He appeared in all 12 games in 2019, posting a total of three tackles and blocked a punt after playing most of his time on special teams.

* True freshman Upton Stout (Houston) had a breakout camp and has worked his way into the rotation at corner. Stout was a three-star prospect out of back-to-back state champion North Shore High School. He decided to come to North Texas over offers from Houston, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico, Northwestern State, South Alabama, Utah State, UTSA and Saturday's opponent, Houston Baptist.

The Lawfirm of Davis and Davis
Senior linebacker Tyreke Davis (Denton) and junior linebacker KD Davis (Ennis, Texas) enter their second seasons paired at the will and mike linebacker spots. The pair were the team's leading tacklers in 2019 and are both members of the team's leadership council.

* Tyreke Davis has continued to put on weight to get up to 220 pounds. He earned all-conference honorable mention status and recorded 80 total tackles (43 solo), a team-high 14.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass break-up in 12 appearances in 2019. The former two-way standout at Ryan High School in Denton began his career in Denton as a nickel corner and shifted to linebacker, where he starred with the Ryan Raiders during his high school career.

* KD Davis led the Mean Green in tackles and earned all-conference honorable mention status in 2019 after recording 88 total tackles (37 solo), 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, a pair of fumble recoveries and a pass break-up in 12 appearances.

RB Depth
Running back is arguably the deepest position on the roster for UNT. In addition to redshirt junior Tre Siggers (Duncanville, Texas) and senior DeAndre Torrey (Gautier, Mississippi) North Texas has an incredibly talented and deep group in the backfield.

* Siggers and Torrey combined to rush for 1,233 yards and eight rushing touchdowns in 2019.

* Redshirt freshman Oscar Adaway III (North Little Rock, Arkansas) only appeared three times and had four carries for 42 yards in 2019, he will be counted on in a much bigger way in 2020. Adaway, a former three-star prospect, was the ninth-ranked recruit in the state of Arkansas in the 2019 class by ESPN. He carried 139 times for 953 yards and 12 touchdowns and also caught 42 passes for 656 yards and six more scores during his senior season at North Little Rock HS in 2018.

* Redshirt senior Nic Smith (Fort Worth) is another member of the Mean Green who has experience as a starter, and has rushed for 1,154 yards and eight touchdowns in his North Texas career thus far. He added about 10 pounds to his frame from last season and is up to 204, which should only enhance his physical running style.

* Senior Evan Johnson (Loranger, Louisiana) returns and is another intriguing option for head coach Seth Littrell's offense. A different type of back, Johnson is a bit smaller than his counterparts but has shown his flexibility as a runner and receiver. He has rushed for 323 yards and three scores throughout his North Texas career. Johnson also factors into the kick return game.

* A pair of true freshman also join the group and build out the depth of a group that has a very bright future in Denton. Isaiah Johnson (Lubbock) and Ikaika Ragsdale (Las Vegas) are a pair of three-star prospects who have flashed during their first fall camp. Johnson rushed for 1,322 yards and scored 23 total touchdowns during his senior season while leading Lubbock Cooper to the UIL Class 5A Division II semifinals, while Ragsdale carried 96 times for 756 yards as a senior while scoring 13 touchdowns at Bishop Gorman High School.

Howl at 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's 16 field goals made in 2019 were the fourth-most in a single season in program history.

Most FG's Made in a Single Season
1. Trevor Moore, 2017      20
2.  Cole Hedlund, 2018        19
Keith Chapman, 1989     19
4. Ethan Mooney, 2019       16
5. Trevor Moore, 2014      15

* Mooney is a member of the team's leadership council and is a co-chair within UNT's Student-Athlete Advisory Commitee (SAAC).

QB Battle Continues
With the graduation of Mason Fine, who was the Mean Green's starting quarterback for each of the past four seasons, a new face will be leading the UNT offense in 2020.

* At least heading into Week 1's tussle with Houston Baptist, there are two primary faces who are still in contention to fill that role - a pair of redshirt sophomores - Austin Aune (Argyle) and Jason Bean (Mansfield, Texas).

* Aune enters the season at the age of 26 (with his 27th birthday coming following the HBU contest). He made two appearances in 2019, completing 4-5 passes for 136 yards with a touchdown.

* Aune redshirted in 2018 following his transfer from Arkansas.

* Aune was originally a three-star prospect out of Argyle High School and signed with TCU. Also a baseball standout, Aune was drafted in the second round (89th overall) by the New York Yankees in 2012. He made the decision to leave TCU just days after his summer arrival and spent six seasons in the Yankees' minor league system, the last two of which were at High-A Tampa. Aune spent time at shortstop and all three outfield positions during his time in the minors.

* Bean made seven appearances in 2019 for the Mean Green and was the team's primary backup for the majority of the season. He completed 23-35 passes for 176 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing for 80 yards on 13 carries. His only other appearance came during his true freshman year, in the New Mexico Bowl against Utah State in limited action.

* Bean was originally a three-star prospect in the 2018 signing class out of Mansfield Lake Ridge High School. He shared time his senior year and threw for 1,682 yards and 20 touchdowns, and also ran for 694 yards and three more scores, reaching the Class 5A Division I state quarterfinals.

Neon Deion
Redshirt senior Deion Hair-Griffin (Fort Worth) was electric as a kick returner in 2019 for the Mean Green, leading the nation in kick return average (though he fell one return short of NCAA minimums to officially take the title).

* Heading into 2020, Hair-Griffin is a preseason all-conference selection at kick returner and is on the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy.

* Hair-Griffin averaged 40.8 yards per return on 12 returns and was named a second team all-conference performer by C-USA head coaches in 2019.

* Hair-Griffin had one kick return for a touchdown, which was a 96-yard score in the season-opener against Abilene Christian on 8/31/19. That 96-yard return tied for the ninth-longest return in program history. Hair-Griffin had five returns in 2019 of 50-plus yards, four of which are of 60 or more yards (96, 71, 63, 61 and 50).

JUCO Impact
The Mean Green added a trio of talented junior college transfers in its 2020 signing class - defensive end Davontae McCrae (East Mississippi Community College), offensive lineman Anterrious Gray (Northwest Mississippi Community College) and offensive lineman Teeshaun Turpin (Long Beach City College).

* McCrae, a Miami native, is penciled in as a starter at defensive end and has certainly impressed during fall camp. A three-star prospect, McCrae started his collegiate career at NC State, where he redshirted his first season before transferring to EMCC in Scooba, Mississippi.

* Gray, who goes by "AJ," immediately made his way into the starting group at guard for the Mean Green. The Mississippi native was a three-star prospect and was ranked as the No. 9 junior college guard in the nation by the 247 Sports Composite. As a senior, he helped pave the way for 2,830 rushing yards for Northwest Mississippi CC in 2019, while helping the Rangers to an 8-3 season and the MACJC championship game.

* Turpin, a Cleveland native, spent his last two seasons in California at LBCC. He adds good depth at either tackle spot for the Mean Green and has really come on towards the later stages of fall camp. Turpin, like McCrae and Gray, was also a three-star prospect. He helped pave the way for a potent LBCC rushing attack that averaged 196.2 rushing yards per game in 2019.

Three Minutes Or Less
The Mean Green had 38 scoring drives in 2019 that took three minutes or less. 30 of those resulted in touchdowns.

Home Cooking
North Texas is 18-6 at home during the Seth Littrell era and finished 4-2 in 2019.

* The Mean Green have won 16 of their last 19 home games dating back to 2016, when North Texas beat Southern Miss (11/19/16).

Over the Hill
North Texas is a perfect 17-0 when scoring 40 or more points under head coach Seth Littrell.

* Prior to Littrell's arrival in Denton, the Mean Green had only topped 40 points 16 times from 2002-2015. Littrell's teams have exceeded that number in just four seasons.

Texas-Made
There are currently 84 players on the North Texas roster who are from the state of Texas. 27 players are not from the Lone Star State, and the next highest representation comes from the north in Oklahoma, with eight.

Leadership Council
The Mean Green selected 12 members to their 2020 leadership council at the conclusion of fall camp and the members are:

Redshirt sophomore QB Austin Aune (Argyle)
Redshirt junior OL Jacob Brammer (Richmond, TX)
Senior WR Jaelon Darden (Houston)
Junior LB KD Davis (Ennis, TX)
Senior LB Tyreke Davis (Denton)
Junior DS Nate Durham (Rockton, IL)
Redshirt senior WR Deion Hair-Griffin (Fort Worth)
Redshirt sophomore QB Kason Martin (Manvel, TX)
Redshirt junior OL Manase Mose (Euless, TX)
Senior DL Dion Novil (Abilene, TX)
Senior S Makyle Sanders (Tyler)
Senior RB DeAndre Torrey (Gautier, MS)