"View from the other side: North Texas"

[Chechem]

As a reporter for the Denton (Texas) Record Chronicle, Brett Vito has covered North Texas for the past nine years. He agreed to answer five questions about second-ranked Alabama's home game Saturday against North Texas.

    1. North Texas football has won 10 games total in six seasons since the Mean Green won four consecutive Sun Belt Conference championships from 2001-04. Can new coach Dan McCarney succeed where predecessor Todd Dodge failed?

That's the plan. If anyone can get UNT turned around, it's McCarney. He took over a train wreck of a program at Iowa State and turned the Cyclones into a consistent bowl team a few years down the line. The hope is that he can do the same thing at UNT, which is also a train wreck but has a lot to work with now that a new stadium is in place. UNT opened its $79 million palace of a football venue last week when the Mean Green lost to Houston. UNT is also in a great location in the DFW area. People have looked at UNT for years and wondered why the Mean Green can't win. UNT was successful for a while under Darrell Dickey, going to four straight bowl games from 2001-04, but hasn't done a thing since. McCarney has vowed to change that.


    2. Alabama coach Nick Saban says North Texas has a "unique attack" that's "difficult to defend." What do you believe he means by that?

I think that might be your classic example of a coach talking up an opponent. UNT runs a spread system similar to what a lot of college teams use. UNT does have a very talented running back in Lance Dunbar, but most of its top skill position players from last season's team graduated. UNT didn't score an offensive point in its season-opening loss to Florida International and managed just 290 yards last week against Houston.

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[cbbama99]

3. Dunbar has run for 2,931 yards the past two years. Two years ago in a 53-7 loss at Alabama, he ran five times for 5 yards but scored the Mean Green's only touchdown on a 34-yard touchdown catch. How good is he and can he give the Crimson Tide's stiff defense trouble?
Dunbar is about as good a running back as you are going to see at a non-AQ school. He could play for a lot of major conference programs. He was recruited by several coming out of high school, including Colorado and Virginia, but decided to stay home. I am pretty sure he will be drafted. I don't know how much trouble he will give Alabama, but if he sees daylight, he can hurt any team out there. The problem is that UNT is starting three freshman offensive linemen and has a quarterback who had started a grand total of one game before this season. Everyone is keying on him.

Somewhere I hear the sound of Hightower and Upshaw licking their chops.

[BAMAWV]

4. Chancellor is one of the more unique players I have seen come through UNT. He's tiny at 5-9, 177, but has great vision, is fast and incredibly shifty. What really impresses me about him is that you will see him get absolutely drilled on a return, bounce back like he put it in reverse while trying to parallel park and then keep right on going. Houston coach Kevin Sumlin says he is one of the best his team has ever seen, which makes sense. Chancellor set the school record for return yards against Houston last week with 286. Dan McCarney says he just likes to watch the guy return kicks. I do as well. And I'll tell you this, we aren't the only ones.

5. This won't be popular with the UNT faithful, but I don't see this going well for the Mean Green. UNT will be without arguably its best linebacker in Jeremy Phillips and starting center JJ Johnson due to injuries. UNT was going to be at a huge disadvantage in terms of talent anyway. Losing those two guys isn't going to help. UNT will hope that Alabama comes in flat, but I expect the Tide to jump out to an early lead and then put in a bunch of hungry backups who will help Alabama coast to the finish. Alabama 49, North Texas 7.


 

[ricky023]

but I expect the Tide to jump out to an early lead and then put in a bunch of hungry backups who will help Alabama coast to the finish. Alabama 59, North Texas 7.


 

FIFY
RTR!

[BAMAWV]

but I expect the Tide to jump out to an early lead and then put in a bunch of hungry backups who will help Alabama coast to the finish. Alabama 59, North Texas 7.


 

FIFY
RTR!

That wasn't my pick, but the guy from Denton, TX being interviewed. HTH

[ricky023]

  yea and I fixed it for him then.  RTR!

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