University of North Texas
SMU
UNT Set For Rivalry Game Against SMU
8/30/2022 1:40:00 PM | Football
DENTON – The UNT football team will look to improve to 2-0 on Saturday as it plays its home opener against rival SMU. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m., at Apogee Stadium and the game can be seen on CBS Sports Network with the radio broadcast on KHYI 95.3/KXXN 97.5 (Wichita Falls)/Varsity Network App.
Head coach Seth Littrell and selected players spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, how players stepped up for injured teammates in last week's season-opening win, a good opening game for his quarterback and how his team is far from a finished product despite a dominant opening win.
Meeting will mark 100th anniversary of initial UNT-SMU game
The UNT-SMU series began back in 1922 and has been played 41 times over the years with the Mean Green having a recent run of success in Denton with a 4-2 all-time mark at home, as several games were played at the old Texas Stadium in Irving.
Junior quarterback Austin Aune, who was redshirting back in 2018 when the Mean Green scored their last victory over SMU, said the rivalry adds a unique dynamic to the game.
"It's the team across the street," Aune said. "Still, the goal each week is to go 1-0, no matter who it is across from us. We have our game plan and have worked hard throughout the week and we just have to execute one play at a time. We know there's a big rivalry between fans with Denton and Dallas being close. It should be a great atmosphere and we're excited for it."
While UNT scored a 31-13 victory over Conference USA foe UTEP in last week's season opener, SMU will be making its season debut against the Mean Green - an advantage that could go both ways.
"For sure, it definitely does give us an advantage," sophomore running back Ayo Adeyi said. "Getting a game in early helped us make our mistakes early, and I feel like we're learning from that. Going into SMU we can learn from that and hopefully come out better than we did last year."
Aune said the advantage could also go the other way, as the Mustangs will have recent game film to watch heading into the game.
"You can look at it both ways," said the reigning C-USA Offensive Player of the Week. "We have a game under our belt and we can look back on film and they can watch a game of ours. It's a balance. It's great that we're 1-0 and they're looking to come in and go 1-0. We just have to execute and fix mistakes from the last game and keep rolling."
Mean Green shows resiliency in opener
Last year, the Mean Green were the epitome of resiliency, as they closed the season with five straight victories to earn bowl eligibility with the thought in the back of their minds in each of those games being a loss would end any hope of making the postseason.
It didn't take long for the team to show off its resiliency once again in 2022, as a couple of key contributors went down with injuries in the win over UTEP and gave way to capable backups who made the most of their opportunities.
Senior starting cornerback John Davis, Jr., was knocked out of the game early with an injury, and starting right guard Daizion Carroll left the game with an injury later.
They gave way to sophomore Ridge Texada and redshirt freshman Febechi Nwaiwu, respectively, and both came in and helped the team not miss a beat.
"JD went down on the perimeter and Ridge came in and focused and stepped in and had a really good game," Littrell said. "That's what you have to do. In college football, each week there's gonna be battles and guys go down. It's a physical game, and other guys step up. Febechi did a great job against one of the most talented teams in our conference with a great defensive line. He graded out really well. Obviously, there's room for improvement with every position but nothing was too big for him. He stepped in and did a great job. He's been excited to get in there, and he did a great job."
Nwaiwu wasn't the only offensive linemen thrown in a fire, as sophomore right tackle Jett Duncan made his first career start and impressed coaches and teammates alike.
"He played really well," Littrell said. "He did his job. It's one of those positions where, with the front we played, it's not an easy task. You're on an island on your own a lot and he did a great job. He's very competitive. I felt great about him going in because he's going to do exactly what he's coached to do every game. He's put in a lot of work and we all have room for improvement, but it was a great start for him."
Players know there's still room to grow
A lot went right in Saturday's season-opening victory against UTEP.
The Mean Green rushed for 163 yards and Aune had 236 passing yards and had just one turnover - a fumble late in the first half before the defense limited the resulting damage to three points before the half instead of a touchdown.
"Obviously getting the W was all I cared about," Aune said. "I think after watching tape, there's still a lot of things I can work on, which is great. I've gotten to the film room and made some corrections and have worked on those things during this week's practices.
"I think we ran the ball good and hit our shots when we needed to. We can clean some things up and be better on both run and pass, so that's always a positive. We have to lock into the details and execute this week."
2022 UNT Football Season Tickets are on sale now. Season, mini-plan and single game tickets are now available through the UNT Athletics Ticket Office. Click here to purchase now. Tickets may also be purchased by calling 940-565-2527 or visiting the main ticket office at Apogee Stadium during normal business hours Monday-Friday from 9 am-5 pm.
