Friday, October 24
Charlotte, NC
6:00 PM CT
University of North Texas
at
Charlotte
Mean Green Set For National Broadcast in Charlotte
10/21/2025 1:26:00 PM | Football
DENTON – The UNT football team is set to travel east for a Friday night showdown with Charlotte, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 with kickoff set for 6 p.m. The radio broadcast can be found on 1190 AM/The Varsity Network.
Head coach Eric Morris and select players spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, the Mean Green's new perch atop the nation's offenses, the short week of work leading up to Friday's game, UNT's defense getting ready to see two quarterbacks, Morris crediting an assistant coach for his game management while also calling plays for a highly successful offense and the emergence of wide receiver Cam Dorner.
Nation's top scoring offense resides in Denton
The Mean Green enter Friday night's game with the top scoring offense in all of FBS, averaging 45 points per game after last weekend's 55-point outburst against UTSA – the third 50-point game of the season for UNT.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of that figure is the fact the Mean Green have done that with, once again, a new cast of stars after losing all of its statistical leaders from a year ago to the transfer portal.
One constant has been head coach Eric Morris, who has emerged as one of the brightest offensive minds and most respected quarterback gurus in the country.
"Our coaches have done a phenomenal job and the kids have done a phenomenal job when they've had opportunities to make plays," Morris said. "Obviously, having a quarterback perform the way (redshirt freshman Drew Mestemaker) has this year is a huge indicator of why we've had that success.
"It also wasn't on my bingo card that our true freshman running back would be in the spot he's in and continuing to earn carries."
A big key to UNT's offensive success this season has been its success in the red zone, with 40 red-zone scores in 42 trips inside the 20-yard line, which is 16th in all of FBS. A lot of the credit inside the program for the red-zone success has been the improvement of the running game and the emergence of true freshman running back Caleb Hawkins to go with returning back Makenzie McGill II.
"The improvement of the run game this year has improved that," senior wide receiver Cameron Dorner said. "It's set up our whole offense. We get 4 yards on a carry and then go play action at the goal line and things are open and that's pretty sweet."
UNT working on short prep week
The Mean Green (6-1, 2-1 American) are set for their second nationally televised Friday night game of the season this week at Charlotte, but the difference this time is it isn't following a bye week. That means a wrench has been thrown in the preparation schedule for this week, and Morris said it's something his team has handled well.
"Short weeks are always a little tough on coaches and players," he said. "Once you start finding a rhythm, especially in the back half of the season, and you have to get off that rhythm, it's tough. But we both have the same amount of time to prepare for this game. I think you feel a little rushed but the older a team is – and we have a bunch of mature guys who've played a ton of football - you get into Tuesday and Wednesday and by Wednesday afternoon you want to have the whole game plan in, and we're tracking that way."
Senior cornerback David Fisher said the one less day of preparation puts it more on the players to have productive mental reps and not just physical reps in practice.
"We just have to understand it's a short week and we know they have the advantage with more time (being at home), but we have to get mental reps in practice. Reps are limited, so we have to stay focused and be sure we get our work in."
UNT defense ready for two QBs
Charlotte (1-6, 0-4) enters Friday's game looking for its first conference win and just its second win of the year. The 49ers are averaging nearly 30 points per game less than the Mean Green at just a smidge over 17 points per game.
But one wrinkle the 49ers will throw at UNT on Friday is a two quarterback look – one who is mainly a passer and another is more productive with his legs.
"We have to be prepared for multiple QBs because they do two different things, but they do those things great," Fisher said. "We have to focus on our individual job and do our one of 11."
Morris listed the two quarterbacks as one of the reasons he believes the 49ers are due for a win and are improving with each passing week.
"They have two explosive wide receivers and two quarterbacks," he said. "One's a dual-threat guy you have to prepare for and one's more of a pocket passer. They have two really good LBs and a safety – No. 6 - who makes plays all over the field. They're really good in the kicking game, too. They have explosive returners and have been great in coverage. They're primed right now and are getting better and better as they build this program. For us to go in there and be locked in and continue to do what we do and not revert back will be key. Their defense likes to pressure a lot and we'll have be good in our pass protection. We'll also have to be ready for what they do QB-wise and react to that defensively."
Dorner making name for himself at UNT
Cameron Dorner has emerged as a go-to threat for Mestemaker in his short time at UNT, after transferring in this season from Division II Shepherd University.
Last week against UTSA, Dorner caught five balls for 63 yards and his third touchdown of the season – good for a tie for second on the team for the season.
Morris said Dorner has quickly gained the trust of his quarterback, and that's why he's been able to make the jump to FBS football so easily.
"I've seen progression and growth in him, which is a good thing," Morris said. "Making the jump to this level, he hasn't always been the healthiest since he's been here but he's always worked hard. Drew has a ton of trust in him. He's a really good route runner and is twitchy and has really great hands. The trust he's built with Drew and the way he's maximized his opportunities when they came his way has been fun to watch. When you do that as a player, coaches start trusting you and you find more ways to get him the ball because when you do, good things tend to happen."
Dorner said he knew he'd contribute at the FBS level and didn't care about his totals, as long as he could contribute to a winning program. So far, he's done just that, and he credited his coaches and quarterback for having confidence in him to perform.
"It helps to have a good quarterback," Dorner said. "He's very precise and the coaches and us being on the same page with him and making sure we run the route he wants and coming back to the ball the way he wants - that chemistry between the quarterback and the wide receiver room has been huge for us this year."
Head coach Eric Morris and select players spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, the Mean Green's new perch atop the nation's offenses, the short week of work leading up to Friday's game, UNT's defense getting ready to see two quarterbacks, Morris crediting an assistant coach for his game management while also calling plays for a highly successful offense and the emergence of wide receiver Cam Dorner.
Nation's top scoring offense resides in Denton
The Mean Green enter Friday night's game with the top scoring offense in all of FBS, averaging 45 points per game after last weekend's 55-point outburst against UTSA – the third 50-point game of the season for UNT.
Perhaps the most remarkable part of that figure is the fact the Mean Green have done that with, once again, a new cast of stars after losing all of its statistical leaders from a year ago to the transfer portal.
One constant has been head coach Eric Morris, who has emerged as one of the brightest offensive minds and most respected quarterback gurus in the country.
"Our coaches have done a phenomenal job and the kids have done a phenomenal job when they've had opportunities to make plays," Morris said. "Obviously, having a quarterback perform the way (redshirt freshman Drew Mestemaker) has this year is a huge indicator of why we've had that success.
"It also wasn't on my bingo card that our true freshman running back would be in the spot he's in and continuing to earn carries."
A big key to UNT's offensive success this season has been its success in the red zone, with 40 red-zone scores in 42 trips inside the 20-yard line, which is 16th in all of FBS. A lot of the credit inside the program for the red-zone success has been the improvement of the running game and the emergence of true freshman running back Caleb Hawkins to go with returning back Makenzie McGill II.
"The improvement of the run game this year has improved that," senior wide receiver Cameron Dorner said. "It's set up our whole offense. We get 4 yards on a carry and then go play action at the goal line and things are open and that's pretty sweet."
UNT working on short prep week
The Mean Green (6-1, 2-1 American) are set for their second nationally televised Friday night game of the season this week at Charlotte, but the difference this time is it isn't following a bye week. That means a wrench has been thrown in the preparation schedule for this week, and Morris said it's something his team has handled well.
"Short weeks are always a little tough on coaches and players," he said. "Once you start finding a rhythm, especially in the back half of the season, and you have to get off that rhythm, it's tough. But we both have the same amount of time to prepare for this game. I think you feel a little rushed but the older a team is – and we have a bunch of mature guys who've played a ton of football - you get into Tuesday and Wednesday and by Wednesday afternoon you want to have the whole game plan in, and we're tracking that way."
Senior cornerback David Fisher said the one less day of preparation puts it more on the players to have productive mental reps and not just physical reps in practice.
"We just have to understand it's a short week and we know they have the advantage with more time (being at home), but we have to get mental reps in practice. Reps are limited, so we have to stay focused and be sure we get our work in."
UNT defense ready for two QBs
Charlotte (1-6, 0-4) enters Friday's game looking for its first conference win and just its second win of the year. The 49ers are averaging nearly 30 points per game less than the Mean Green at just a smidge over 17 points per game.
But one wrinkle the 49ers will throw at UNT on Friday is a two quarterback look – one who is mainly a passer and another is more productive with his legs.
"We have to be prepared for multiple QBs because they do two different things, but they do those things great," Fisher said. "We have to focus on our individual job and do our one of 11."
Morris listed the two quarterbacks as one of the reasons he believes the 49ers are due for a win and are improving with each passing week.
"They have two explosive wide receivers and two quarterbacks," he said. "One's a dual-threat guy you have to prepare for and one's more of a pocket passer. They have two really good LBs and a safety – No. 6 - who makes plays all over the field. They're really good in the kicking game, too. They have explosive returners and have been great in coverage. They're primed right now and are getting better and better as they build this program. For us to go in there and be locked in and continue to do what we do and not revert back will be key. Their defense likes to pressure a lot and we'll have be good in our pass protection. We'll also have to be ready for what they do QB-wise and react to that defensively."
Dorner making name for himself at UNT
Cameron Dorner has emerged as a go-to threat for Mestemaker in his short time at UNT, after transferring in this season from Division II Shepherd University.
Last week against UTSA, Dorner caught five balls for 63 yards and his third touchdown of the season – good for a tie for second on the team for the season.
Morris said Dorner has quickly gained the trust of his quarterback, and that's why he's been able to make the jump to FBS football so easily.
"I've seen progression and growth in him, which is a good thing," Morris said. "Making the jump to this level, he hasn't always been the healthiest since he's been here but he's always worked hard. Drew has a ton of trust in him. He's a really good route runner and is twitchy and has really great hands. The trust he's built with Drew and the way he's maximized his opportunities when they came his way has been fun to watch. When you do that as a player, coaches start trusting you and you find more ways to get him the ball because when you do, good things tend to happen."
Dorner said he knew he'd contribute at the FBS level and didn't care about his totals, as long as he could contribute to a winning program. So far, he's done just that, and he credited his coaches and quarterback for having confidence in him to perform.
"It helps to have a good quarterback," Dorner said. "He's very precise and the coaches and us being on the same page with him and making sure we run the route he wants and coming back to the ball the way he wants - that chemistry between the quarterback and the wide receiver room has been huge for us this year."
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