UNT Set for First Road Content at Western Michigan

DENTON – The UNT football team will look to improve to 2-0 for the second season in-a-row when it squares off with Western Michigan on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., in Kalamazoo. The game can be seen on ESPN+, with the radio broadcast set for 1190 AM/The Varsity Network.

Head coach Eric Morris and select players spoke to the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, Wyatt Young's career day, the first road trip of the season and the impressive defensive performance against Lamar.

Spreading the Wealth
One of the intriguing components of the UNT offseason was seeing how the group of returning receivers, which included six players who caught double-digit passes a year ago, blended with a crop of veteran newcomers.

The season opener against Lamar provided some clarity for Mean Green fans, and some uncertainty for opposing defenses. Nine different players caught a pass in the win against Lamar, continuing a consistent trend of the North Texas offense under Eric Morris. Since taking over prior to the 2023 season, UNT has had at least eight different pass catchers in 25 of 26 games under Morris, including each of the last 17 games dating back to Nov. 4, 2023.

Morris credited the offensive scheme and quarterback Drew Mestemaker's ability to move through progressions for the variety in touches. While there were plenty of touches to go around, sophomore receiver Wyatt Young stood out against Lamar, posting career highs with four receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

"That's kind of the way the offense works," Morris said. "We haven't been an offense that features one wideout and moves him all over the place, although we will schematically move guys around from time to time. It was Dalton Carnes who was playing good for us and then his helmet comes off, so Wyatt goes in next play and got his second touchdown being in the right place at the right time. I thought he played phenomenal."

Following an offseason where he felt like he made great strides, Young will look to carry the momentum gained from his career day into the rest of the season.
"It was a great and it really boosted my confidence," Young said. "I hope to keep it rolling the next couple weeks. The offseason really helped, being able to dive into the playbook and get more comfortable in the offense."

A First Time for Everything
When UNT takes the field on Saturday, not only will it be the first time in a road environment this season, but it will also be the first time facing Western Michigan in program history. In fact, Saturday will mark the first time North Texas has played against any team from the state of Michigan.
Coming off a dominant 51-0 win against Lamar, Morris knows the team must refocus ahead of its first road test of the season.

"We earned the right to win that game by the way we've been practicing lately," Morris said. "I've been impressed by our attention to detail in practice and our effort in practice. I think that translated over to the game and allowed us to play fast. It starts all over this week. It's the first time we've traveled on the road and anywhere you are, it's hard to win on the road, that's just college football. We have to handle this week really well and prepare like we did for Lamar."

Western Michigan opened its season on the road at Michigan State, falling, 23-6, on Aug. 29. After quickly falling in a hole, the Broncos defense was stout in the second half, holding the Spartans offense scoreless, while getting a touchdown of their own on a 32-yard pick six from Tate Hallock. Defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary is in his first season at Western Michigan, which provides some game planning challenges for the UNT offense.

"On the defensive side of the ball for them, I thought they played well against Michigan State in the second half," Morris said." They got some really good players and there's not a lot of tape on this defensive coordinator. We will have to come out and do a great job making adjustments."

As for the players, it's a business-as-usual mindset heading into the first road trip of the season. Both Young and linebacker Shane Whitter mentioned Western Michigan's physicality has stood out on tape and expect the Mean Green to be ready to go come Saturday.

"We saw a great team and one that is not going to shy away," Whitter said. "We know we have to be ready to play all four quarters."

SHUT DOWN DEFENSE
New defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity had a debut to remember against Lamar, pitching UNT's first shutout since the 2003 season.

The Mean Green defense only allowed 119 total yards, which is the fewest given up by North Texas since Abilene Christian mustered 95 yards of offense on Sept. 5, 1992. The Mean Green's ability to stop the run, something that has plagued UNT in years past, was critical to the defensive success as Lamar's 31 rushing yards was the seventh fewest given up by a UNT defense since 2000.

"Since Coach Cassity has come in here, we've had a stop the run first mindset," Whitter said. "We knew Lamar was going to try and run the ball up the middle, so we took that personally to take that away from them."

While a shutout is as good as a start as one could ask for, Whitter and the rest of the defense understands there are still improvements that need to be made heading into Saturday.

"We've been working on details like getting our eyes and communication right. We had a few busts against Lamar, so we're trying to clean up the little things so we can play our defense and worry about giving our best effort."

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Players Mentioned

Dalton Carnes

Drew Mestemaker

Shane Whitter

Wyatt Young

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