North Texas Ready for Texas, But Horns Will Prevail

Habe on the Horns

By Steve Habel/Associate Editor

It’s been easy to run down the schedule for the Texas football team for 2014 and place the season opener versus North Texas on Saturday as a win. But is everyone underestimating the Mean Green, a team that won nine games and beat UNLV in the Heart of Dallas Bowl at the end of last season?

The thinking here is that North Texas will be a tough test for the Longhorns, which [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] begin the Charlie Strong era with as many questions about themselves as answers.

Strong knows what he wants to see from his team when the lights go on Saturday night.

“We want to be multiple on offense, and we’ve got to be able to mix the run and the pass,” he said. “Then defensively, we need to be aggressive. We need to tackle well, but we also need to cover pressure and guys need to be able to cover and get off blocks.”

“It’s never about the opponent, it’s about us and it’s about how well we go out and compete and how well we play together as a team,” Strong added. “If we get those things established, it doesn’t matter who you line up against.”

Save for questions at receiver and at right tackle, the Horns are secure with the offensive lineup that will take the field on Saturday night.

“We have two good backs in Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray, and we have a quarterback who’s had an unbelievable preseason camp with [David] Ash where you can play action pass, get the ball down the field,” Strong said. “The thing we’re probably missing right now is just a receiver that can really go get it, that can make a guy miss and take the ball 30 or 40 yards. If we can get those things established, then we should be pretty good on offense.”

North Texas was picked as the preseason favorite to win the West Division of Conference USA but is inexperienced at quarterback, where the four players vying for the top signalcaller job have combined for just one career start. The Mean Green does have an impressive offensive line, with 122 career starts along the five big guys in the trenches.

The Mean Green has only nine starters back from last year’s team and has to replace its leading passer, rusher, receiver, tackler, kick returner and punt returner from 2013.

North Texas has never beaten Texas and last played the Longhorns in 2006 when UNT lost 56-7. In seven of the nine games played – all of which have been played in Austin – Texas has been ranked in the Top 25. In five of the nine games, the Mean Green has faced the Longhorns while they were ranked in the Top 10, including three straight.

North Texas coach Dan McCarney, who formerly coached at Iowa State, and Strong were assistant coaches at Florida together for 28 games in 2008 and 2009. The pair was part of the Gators’ 2008 national championship team, and during their two-year stint together on the defensive staff, Florida had a record of 26-2, winning the national title in 2008 and Sugar Bowl in 2009.

“Dan was just wired, always had a lot of energy, and I know his team will be well coached because he did a great job when he was at Iowa State,” Strong said. “Looking at the job he’s done there at North Texas, nine wins, beating UNLV in a bowl game – that team will be well coached.  The thing about it with his coaches, they’ll be very prepared for us.”

The Horns are ranked 24th in the preseason coaches’ poll, but senior cornerback Quandre Diggs says it doesn’t matter what the ranking say about his team.

“Everyone is always hating on Texas, and it would make North Texas’s season if they can beat us,” Diggs said. “It’s my job as one of the leaders on this team to make sure that doesn’t happen. We are ready to play, and we can’t wait to show it.”

Strong said he has prepared himself for the moment he runs out onto the field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium as the  coach for the first time.

“You kind of stand, you look around, you just look at the history, you look at all those names out there and just what has happened within the tradition and the pride that’s been built within this program,” he explained. “Now I have a chance to go lead this football program.

“It’s going to be fun and exciting, but still, I had to take a step back, too, and just realize we need to go win this football game,” Strong added. “We’ve got to go play well, too, or I may not be enjoying that moment for very long.”

Let’s call it Texas 31, North Texas 13 as the Horns get off to a winning start.

Just sayin’, ya know?

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