University of North Texas
Texas Southern
Football Looks To Bounce Back At Home
9/6/2022 2:12:00 PM | Football
DENTON – The UNT football team will look to get back in the win column on Saturday as it hosts Texas Southern at Apogee Stadium with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN3 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, bouncing back from last week's loss, the recovery and return of some star players and how a new addition to the defense excelled in his second game with the Mean Green.
Mean Green resetting after loss
UNT dropped its home opener to SMU on Saturday and came to the team facility on Sunday ready to move on and prepare for the Texas Southern.
"We came in Sunday and cleaned up tape," UNT head coach Seth Littrell said. "There were a lot of mistakes we have to get corrected this week. Whether positive or negative, you have to learn from every game because there's always things to work on and you have to put it in the past."
Littrell said Saturday's loss wasn't an issue of effort - just a lack of execution - and he believes he has the type of team that can overcome adversity, as its shown in the past.
"I know our guys will respond," Littrell said. "We have a mature football team with a lot of great men and a great culture. We're going to bounce back and get better."
Adaway, Shorter make their way back
Sophomore running back Oscar Adaway and junior wide receiver Jyaire Shorter missed all of and all but two games of the 2021 season, respectively, due to injuries.
Adaway nearly matched his career-best game on Saturday against SMU with 117 yards - one shy of his career-high - and a touchdown after limited action in the season opener, and Shorter saw his first game action since the second game of the 2021 season with two catches for 29 yards.
Adaway returned to open the season against UTEP from a torn ACL and then put up his fourth career 100-yard game against SMU and said he had to just put the injury out of his mind to get back to form.
"It's a blessing," Adaway said. "I can't do nothing but thank the man up above. With an injury like that, you just tell yourself it never happened. People say, 'Get your appetite back,' and I tell them it never left."
Littrell said it was good to see Shorter back on the field, not only because of his large, physical frame and the threat it provides the offense, but also just because he knows what Shorter went through to get back to 100% health after a foot injury.
"It was awesome," Littrell said. "He's been working hard and he's had a lot of adversity he's had to overcome. I'm proud of him for getting through that, and it was awesome to see. He's only going to get more comfortable and better. He hasn't played in over a year and not really a lot in two years. It was great to get him in there and making some plays for us."
Mose set to break career starts mark
Saturday's game against SMU marked the 50th career start for senior center Manase Mose, who tied the mark set by defensive lineman Andy Brewster (2001-2004).
This Saturday when he takes the field for North Texas' first offensive snap against Texas Southern, he'll make his 51st career start and move into the solo lead in program history.
"He's one of our captains and a great leader and another coach on the field," Littrell said. "He makes all our calls and he's invaluable with his experience and the way he works. It's huge, especially at that position. If you really think about it, there's two people who touch the ball on every snap and that's the center and quarterback. That's an invaluable position and he's done a great job."
Trieb has breakout game against SMU
Sophomore defensive end Tom Trieb never felt quite right in his Mean Green debut against UTEP when he finished with a lone tackle after dealing with cramps and having to sit through a lightning delay before taking the field for the first time with UNT.
The former top-rated JUCO recruit in Illinois, who started his career at Northern Illinois, was more in his element against SMU, however, as he finished the night tied for a team high with seven tackles, including two stops for-loss and a fumble recovery.
"That first week, I was kind of out of my head with the rain delay and was out of my element," Trieb said. "But the second one, I was more myself and playing more of my game."
2022 UNT Football Season Tickets are still available. Season, mini-plan and single game tickets are 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 a.m.-5 p.m.
