Draylen Ross suffered right along with the rest of North Texas? veteran players over the last few months.
The senior defensive lineman saw the rankings that had UNT listed among the worst teams in college football and saw the predictions for 2009 that have the Mean Green right back where they left off ? at the bottom of the Bowl Subdivision barrel.
Those reviews and previews have fueled his fire ? not to mention that of his teammates ? heading into UNT?s season-opener at Ball State at 6:30 p.m. today.
?We are so excited to get another chance to erase the past,? Ross said. ?It?s a new season and a new reason. We are going to try to get this first one and put our best effort forward.?
UNT?s best was rarely anywhere close to being good enough last season, when the Mean Green finished 1-11, including an 0-7 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. UNT?s only win of the season came against Western Kentucky, which was still in the process of moving up from the NCAA?s Championship Subdivision at the time.
The season was one of the worst in UNT history and was actually a step back from the first season of the Todd Dodge era, when the Mean Green finished 2-10.
Living with that disappointment was tough on UNT?s coaches, as well as its players.
?We are anxious to get out on the field again,? Dodge said. ?There is no way to make what happened last year better than to get back out there. We want to get into the hunt with Ball State. [Last season] was a disappointment because after 2007 I preached that we were in six games and could have won them. I was disappointed that we lost too many games by too big a margin last season. We need to be in the hunt going into the fourth quarter.?
That could be harder than it sounds for UNT, which is facing a Ball State team coming off one of its best seasons in school history.
The Cardinals won their first 12 games in 2008 before finishing 12-2.
Ball State is breaking in a new quarterback in Kelly Page after Nate Davis declared for the NFL Draft and Stan Parrish took over as head coach after Brady Hoke left for San Diego State.
While there have been some key departures since last season, Ball State still has several key players back who know what it takes to win after consecutive bowl appearances.
?The continuity we have had is huge,? Parrish said. ?Brady and I are dead center on the same page. Even though we have some new coaches, we couldn?t ask for better continuity. ? We have a lot of new offensive players, but we expect those players to come in and perform.?
Those newcomers will have someone to lean on in running back MiQuale Lewis, a first-team All-MAC performer last season when he rushed for 1,736 yards.
?He will lend a sense of calm to a young team,? Parrish said. ?He is a great centerpiece for our offense.?
UNT is in much the same position with veteran running back Cam Montgomery and quarterback Riley Dodge. Montgomery rushed for 928 yards last season and will be the most proven among UNT?s skill position players who will be led by redshirt freshman quarterback Riley Dodge.
Parrish mentioned Riley Dodge and the Mean Green?s overall team speed as two concerns for Ball State.
There is little doubt that Dodge, the former Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year in Texas, will play a key role in UNT?s ability to break out of a funk that has seen the Mean Green fail to win more than three games in a season since 2004.
A few years ago, UNT had several players it could call on who had played a role in the Mean Green?s run of four straight Sun Belt titles beginning in 2001. Those players have all since completed their careers, leaving a host of hungry veterans who have experienced more than their share of disappointment over the last few years.
Those players are hoping to put an end to that series of dismal games and seasons beginning tonight.
?We have something to prove this year,? UNT linebacker A.J. Penson said. ?It?s not OK to be the underdog, but that is what we are right now. We are going to work hard to change that and push ourselves to the top.?
KEY MATCHUP
UNT will have what will be a largely reconstituted defensive line taking on a group from Ball State in the same position.
UNT will rotate its defensive linemen frequently, but will depend on junior college transfers Shavod Atkinson and Kelvin Jackson. Both are more than 300 pounds and showed the potential to hold their own in fall practice. UNT?s defensive ends will also be largely inexperienced. Redshirt freshman Tevinn Cantly and converted linebacker Brandon Akpunku will both see significant time.
Ball State lost three All-MAC linemen after last season, but does return Michael Switzer. The junior has started 27 games and will anchor the Cardinals? offensive front that will try to create room for running back MiQuale Lewis and buy time for redshirt freshman quarterback Kelly Page.
UNT was terrible last season defensively largely because of an unproductive line that was gashed for long runs and rarely pressured opposing quarterbacks. The Mean Green had just 12 sacks last season.
If the Mean Green can?t at least hold its own against Ball State up front, it will be a long night for UNT.
HOW THEY MATCH UP
UNT?s offense vs. Ball State?s defense
UNT finished last in the Sun Belt Conference a year ago in scoring offense with an average of 20 points a game and lost three of its most productive players in quarterback Giovanni Vizza and wide receivers Casey Fitzgerald and Brock Stickler.
The Mean Green does return running back Cam Montgomery, who rushed for 928 yards a year ago, but will have inexperienced players at most of its other skill positions. UNT?s offensive line is experienced and will have to provide stability.
Ball State allowed only 20.5 points a game a year ago and returns several of its key players, including defensive end Brandon Crawford, a second-team All-MAC selection, and safety Sean Baker, the MAC Freshman of the Year.
UNT?s defense vs. Ball State?s offense
UNT has multiple question marks on a revamped defense.
The Mean Green will likely start an entirely new defensive line in addition to two new starters at safety. UNT is hoping those changes will bolster a unit that allowed 47.6 points a game a year ago.
UNT allowed a whopping 5.6 yards per rushing attempt and 275.5 passing yards a game. The Mean Green does have an experienced batch of linebackers returning, led by senior Tobe Nwigwe and Craig Robertson.
Ball State has several of its key players back on offense, including running back MiQuale Lewis, a first-team All-MAC selection. Leading wide receiver Briggs Orsbon and tight end Madaris Grant also return.
Those experienced players should help ease the transition for redshirt freshman quarterback Kelly Page.
FOUR DOWNS: KEYS TO TODAY?S GAME
1. KEEP BALL STATE?S LEWIS CONTAINED
MiQuale Lewis is among the best running backs in the country and is certainly among the most productive after rushing for 1,736 yards last season.
Lewis isn?t the biggest running back at 5-6 and 189 pounds, but he is tough to tackle and has great vision. Ball State will be happy to feed Lewis the Ball if UNT can?t slow him down.
The Mean Green has a veteran cast of linebackers, but will feature a largely unproven defensive line with two new starters at tackle in Shavod Atkinson and Kelvin Jackson.
If Lewis goes wild, it will be a long day for UNT.
2. MAKE SURE RILEY DODGE IS COMFORTABLE
Riley Dodge will make the first start of his college career at quarterback for UNT. The former Southlake Carroll standout knows the Mean Green?s offense, which is a revved-up version of what he ran in high school.
Dodge?s experience in high school will help, but he is still going to have to make the adjustment to the college level. UNT can help ease the transition by showing that it can run the ball effectively and that its wide receivers will make plays when they get a chance.
UNT can?t put the whole game on Dodge to win or lose.
3. POST A STOP OR TWO ON DEFENSE
Making a play or two defensively sounds simple enough, but recent history shows reaching that goal has been a problem for UNT. The Mean Green has finished last nationally in scoring defense in each of the last two seasons.
UNT made very few game-changing plays last season, when it had a total of just 12 sacks and 10 interceptions.
The Mean Green?s inability to make plays forced it to play from behind all season. More often than not, it proved to be more than UNT could handle
4. CLEAN UP THE SPECIAL TEAMS DISASTER
UNT?s special teams were terrible last season when the Mean Green finished last nationally in kickoff coverage with an average of 31 yards allowed per return.
UNT also had seven kicks blocked and gave up five returns for touchdowns on kickoffs and punts. The Mean Green missed five field goals and six extra points.
Head coach Todd Dodge said he wants his team to be in the hunt against Ball State heading into the fourth quarter. UNT will have to be better on special teams for that to happen.
The senior defensive lineman saw the rankings that had UNT listed among the worst teams in college football and saw the predictions for 2009 that have the Mean Green right back where they left off ? at the bottom of the Bowl Subdivision barrel.
Those reviews and previews have fueled his fire ? not to mention that of his teammates ? heading into UNT?s season-opener at Ball State at 6:30 p.m. today.
?We are so excited to get another chance to erase the past,? Ross said. ?It?s a new season and a new reason. We are going to try to get this first one and put our best effort forward.?
UNT?s best was rarely anywhere close to being good enough last season, when the Mean Green finished 1-11, including an 0-7 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. UNT?s only win of the season came against Western Kentucky, which was still in the process of moving up from the NCAA?s Championship Subdivision at the time.
The season was one of the worst in UNT history and was actually a step back from the first season of the Todd Dodge era, when the Mean Green finished 2-10.
Living with that disappointment was tough on UNT?s coaches, as well as its players.
?We are anxious to get out on the field again,? Dodge said. ?There is no way to make what happened last year better than to get back out there. We want to get into the hunt with Ball State. [Last season] was a disappointment because after 2007 I preached that we were in six games and could have won them. I was disappointed that we lost too many games by too big a margin last season. We need to be in the hunt going into the fourth quarter.?
That could be harder than it sounds for UNT, which is facing a Ball State team coming off one of its best seasons in school history.
The Cardinals won their first 12 games in 2008 before finishing 12-2.
Ball State is breaking in a new quarterback in Kelly Page after Nate Davis declared for the NFL Draft and Stan Parrish took over as head coach after Brady Hoke left for San Diego State.
While there have been some key departures since last season, Ball State still has several key players back who know what it takes to win after consecutive bowl appearances.
?The continuity we have had is huge,? Parrish said. ?Brady and I are dead center on the same page. Even though we have some new coaches, we couldn?t ask for better continuity. ? We have a lot of new offensive players, but we expect those players to come in and perform.?
Those newcomers will have someone to lean on in running back MiQuale Lewis, a first-team All-MAC performer last season when he rushed for 1,736 yards.
?He will lend a sense of calm to a young team,? Parrish said. ?He is a great centerpiece for our offense.?
UNT is in much the same position with veteran running back Cam Montgomery and quarterback Riley Dodge. Montgomery rushed for 928 yards last season and will be the most proven among UNT?s skill position players who will be led by redshirt freshman quarterback Riley Dodge.
Parrish mentioned Riley Dodge and the Mean Green?s overall team speed as two concerns for Ball State.
There is little doubt that Dodge, the former Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year in Texas, will play a key role in UNT?s ability to break out of a funk that has seen the Mean Green fail to win more than three games in a season since 2004.
A few years ago, UNT had several players it could call on who had played a role in the Mean Green?s run of four straight Sun Belt titles beginning in 2001. Those players have all since completed their careers, leaving a host of hungry veterans who have experienced more than their share of disappointment over the last few years.
Those players are hoping to put an end to that series of dismal games and seasons beginning tonight.
?We have something to prove this year,? UNT linebacker A.J. Penson said. ?It?s not OK to be the underdog, but that is what we are right now. We are going to work hard to change that and push ourselves to the top.?
KEY MATCHUP
UNT will have what will be a largely reconstituted defensive line taking on a group from Ball State in the same position.
UNT will rotate its defensive linemen frequently, but will depend on junior college transfers Shavod Atkinson and Kelvin Jackson. Both are more than 300 pounds and showed the potential to hold their own in fall practice. UNT?s defensive ends will also be largely inexperienced. Redshirt freshman Tevinn Cantly and converted linebacker Brandon Akpunku will both see significant time.
Ball State lost three All-MAC linemen after last season, but does return Michael Switzer. The junior has started 27 games and will anchor the Cardinals? offensive front that will try to create room for running back MiQuale Lewis and buy time for redshirt freshman quarterback Kelly Page.
UNT was terrible last season defensively largely because of an unproductive line that was gashed for long runs and rarely pressured opposing quarterbacks. The Mean Green had just 12 sacks last season.
If the Mean Green can?t at least hold its own against Ball State up front, it will be a long night for UNT.
HOW THEY MATCH UP
UNT?s offense vs. Ball State?s defense
UNT finished last in the Sun Belt Conference a year ago in scoring offense with an average of 20 points a game and lost three of its most productive players in quarterback Giovanni Vizza and wide receivers Casey Fitzgerald and Brock Stickler.
The Mean Green does return running back Cam Montgomery, who rushed for 928 yards a year ago, but will have inexperienced players at most of its other skill positions. UNT?s offensive line is experienced and will have to provide stability.
Ball State allowed only 20.5 points a game a year ago and returns several of its key players, including defensive end Brandon Crawford, a second-team All-MAC selection, and safety Sean Baker, the MAC Freshman of the Year.
UNT?s defense vs. Ball State?s offense
UNT has multiple question marks on a revamped defense.
The Mean Green will likely start an entirely new defensive line in addition to two new starters at safety. UNT is hoping those changes will bolster a unit that allowed 47.6 points a game a year ago.
UNT allowed a whopping 5.6 yards per rushing attempt and 275.5 passing yards a game. The Mean Green does have an experienced batch of linebackers returning, led by senior Tobe Nwigwe and Craig Robertson.
Ball State has several of its key players back on offense, including running back MiQuale Lewis, a first-team All-MAC selection. Leading wide receiver Briggs Orsbon and tight end Madaris Grant also return.
Those experienced players should help ease the transition for redshirt freshman quarterback Kelly Page.
FOUR DOWNS: KEYS TO TODAY?S GAME
1. KEEP BALL STATE?S LEWIS CONTAINED
MiQuale Lewis is among the best running backs in the country and is certainly among the most productive after rushing for 1,736 yards last season.
Lewis isn?t the biggest running back at 5-6 and 189 pounds, but he is tough to tackle and has great vision. Ball State will be happy to feed Lewis the Ball if UNT can?t slow him down.
The Mean Green has a veteran cast of linebackers, but will feature a largely unproven defensive line with two new starters at tackle in Shavod Atkinson and Kelvin Jackson.
If Lewis goes wild, it will be a long day for UNT.
2. MAKE SURE RILEY DODGE IS COMFORTABLE
Riley Dodge will make the first start of his college career at quarterback for UNT. The former Southlake Carroll standout knows the Mean Green?s offense, which is a revved-up version of what he ran in high school.
Dodge?s experience in high school will help, but he is still going to have to make the adjustment to the college level. UNT can help ease the transition by showing that it can run the ball effectively and that its wide receivers will make plays when they get a chance.
UNT can?t put the whole game on Dodge to win or lose.
3. POST A STOP OR TWO ON DEFENSE
Making a play or two defensively sounds simple enough, but recent history shows reaching that goal has been a problem for UNT. The Mean Green has finished last nationally in scoring defense in each of the last two seasons.
UNT made very few game-changing plays last season, when it had a total of just 12 sacks and 10 interceptions.
The Mean Green?s inability to make plays forced it to play from behind all season. More often than not, it proved to be more than UNT could handle
4. CLEAN UP THE SPECIAL TEAMS DISASTER
UNT?s special teams were terrible last season when the Mean Green finished last nationally in kickoff coverage with an average of 31 yards allowed per return.
UNT also had seven kicks blocked and gave up five returns for touchdowns on kickoffs and punts. The Mean Green missed five field goals and six extra points.
Head coach Todd Dodge said he wants his team to be in the hunt against Ball State heading into the fourth quarter. UNT will have to be better on special teams for that to happen.
