Putting its first team on the field in 1953, the Mean Green of UNT have met with uneven results. Now into his 6th year, Head Coach Seth Litrell has guided the team to a .500 overall mark but included winless efforts in four post-season bowl appearances. The strongest teams graced the fields in the mid-late 1970s under Coach Heyden Fry. A defining contributor to those successes was one of the most celebrated and widely acclaimed stars in program history.
Coming off a combined recent two-year 8-14 record in Conference USA, the Green-White-Black trimmed clad Mean Green stare up at another uphill climb. Since 2011, they have enjoyed the pleasure of their 30,850 capacity Apogee Stadium, the first newly built athletic venue to receive a LEED Platinum certification. The 2021 campaign is off to a 1-3 start. The arousing Sep 4 opening 44-14 win has been followed by three setbacks, with only the recent Sep 25 road game at Louisiana Tech ending in a competitive (24-17) final score.
Defensive end Davontae McCrae out of Miami heads the incoming recruits, but neither he nor his 21 colleagues rank higher than 3 Stars. Sophomore QB Austin Aune out of Argyle, TX, has yet to throw an interception, and overall statistical comparisons between UNT and the four opponents are, in fact, tighter than would be inferred from the win-loss total. Other key returning starters are CUSA Honorable Mention Senior RB DeAndre Torrey, teamed with consensus All-Conference First Team DL Dion Novil, who trimmed back to 310 pounds from last year’s 330-pound weigh-ins.
These and others on the roster will need to continue to put forth their best efforts. A coming bye weekend is followed by an October 9 road trip North to Columbia, MO, where the perennially rugged Tigers of ‘Ol Mizzo have posted a season 2-2 record.
