A Mean Green Dynasty - NCAA 12

[GeorgiaSports]

North Texas Drops Another!

The North Texas Mean Green dropped their second game in a row this Saturday. After starting the season a surprising 3-0 the North Texas Mean Green have dropped 2 games. This week a NT received a beating from Louisville. The final score was a dismal 34-17. The NT team went scoreless, much like in the previous weeks game, in the first half but managed to put up 17 points in the second half. However, the Cardinals scored 20 in the first half alone, followed by 14 more points in the 4th quarter. The Mean Green took another blow as starting quarterback Max Stewart was removed from the game after a concussion mid way through the first quarter.

North Texas Mean Green at Louisville Cardinals
Oct 1, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
North Texas Mean Green (3-2)	0	0	10	7	-	17
Louisville Cardinals (3-1)	7	13	0	14	-	34

Team Stats Comparison
	UNT	LOU
Total Offense	308	415
Rushing Yards	-4	189
Passing Yards	312	226
First Downs	16	17
Punt Return Yards	0	29
Kick Return Yards	59	36
Total Yards	367	480
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Converstion	5-17	8-17
4th Down Conversion	3-3	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-2-1	6-3-2
Penalties	7-67	3-20
Posession Time	14:35	13:25

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		UNT	LOU
0:00	(LOU) TD UL: N. Davidson, 50 yd pass from J. Henry (J. Noel kick)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		UNT	LOU
1:42	(LOU) FG UL: J. Noel, 27 yd FG	0	10
0:18	(LOU) FG UL: J. Noel 19 yd FG	0	13
0:36	(LOU) TD UL: V. Johnson, 6 yd pass from J. Henry (J. Noel kick)	0	20
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		UNT	LOU
3:38	(UNT) FG NT: B. Booth, 33 yd FG	3	20
1:01	(UNT) TD NT: J. Pennington, 0 yd run (B. Booth kick)	10	20
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		UNT	LOU
1:00	(LOU) TD UL: N. Davidson, 12 yd pass from J. Henry (J. Noel kick)	10	27
2:31	(UNT) TD NT: M. Faulk, 6 yd pass from J. Hoffman (B. Booth kick)	17	27
0:44	(LOU) TD UL: D. Carter, 5 yd run (J. Noel kick)	17	24

North Texas Mean Green PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Stewart 3/4 33 0 0 J. Hoffman 18/36 279 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Pennington 20 28 1.4 1 J. Hoffman 5 -9 -1.8 0 M. Stewart 3 -23 -7.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD M. Faulk 6 76 12.6 1 P. Lewis 5 83 16.6 0 J. Pennington 3 50 16.6 0

Louisville Cardinals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Henry 15/30 226 3 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD D. Carter 25 127 5.0 1 J. Henry 11 36 3.2 0 N. Davidson 3 22 7.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD N. Davidson 5 109 21.8 2 V. Johnson 4 49 12.2 1 C. Lundy 2 41 20.5 0

Q&A with the Coach after the game:

Q: Coach how do you feel about today's game?
A: Well, I don't feel good about it. I'm extremely disappointed in our performance, obviously.

Q: Do you feel like the loss of Stewart hurt you?
A: Yes and no. Uh, we weren't doing very good with him in, you know? He was 3/4 I think it was, but he was getting sacked so much that every yard that was gained in the air was given back, you know? Uh, As far as that goes though, I think Hoffman stepped in and done a great job. He threw two interceptions, but you know, he's the backup he's not put into these games often, and he's going to be shaky. He stepped up and played well though. That being said it did have an effect on us, yes. Stewart is the starter for a reason, you know? Not saying he's better, but he's who are game is built around, you know? And, he's the one our receivers are used to having throw to them. Just watching these two kids throw, they might not look any different but when you're out there catching passes from them you notice differences. I don't think his injury caused us to lose, obviously didn't help us win though.

Q: Do you know what happened to Stewart and the extent of the injury?
A: We know its a concussion, but as far as how serious I'm not sure. Hopefully he'll be back next week, but if not you know Hoffman will be starting. We will be working on two game plans in case Stewart can't start. Each quarterback has certain things that they are better at, and so we will plan accordingly. Um, I think we can win games with either, so its not a huge deal in my opinion.

[GeorgiaSports]

The North Texas Mean Green Take on Florida Atlantic!

In a game that both teams desperately need to win in order to get their season back on track. FAU comes into the game with a 2-3 record, having lost its last contest at ULL. This FAU team has struggled to win on the road, which could be good for the Mean Green.

Matchup Preview | October 7, 2011
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Florida Atlantic Owls (2-3, 1-3 Away)		North Texas Mean Green (3-2, 1-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 14.0 Points Per Game 24.0 1232 Total Offensive Yards 1895 657 Rushing Yards 314 575 Passing Yards 1581 Defensive Stats Comparison 1860 Total Yards Allowed 1902 812 Rushing Yards Allowed 662 1048 Rushing Yards Allowed 1240 Injury Report (C) G. Campbell PRB. (DT) M. Montgomery 5 Weeks (HB) B. Henderson 4 Weeks Game Notes These two conference foes are both in need of a win to get their season back on track. North Texas has dropped two straight after starting the season off a surprising 3-0. FAU has only won one road game this year, so they are looking to improve on their road game against a struggling North Texas. Early in the season North Texas was struggling on turnovers, but now they've seemingly righted the ship and are +4 in the turnover diff which ranks them #19 in the country in that category. FAU however has a solid pass defense which is where this North Texas team has done most of its work, in the air. So this one should shape up to be a good one.

North Texas - FAU Stat rankings
OFFENSE	TOT	OFF	PASS	RUSH	PPG	PTD	RTD	SACK	1DWN
North Texas	2327	1895	1581	314	24.0	12	4	23	61
FAU	1802	1232	575	657	14.0	3	3	13	89
DEFENSE	TOT	PASS	RUSH	PTS	SACK	FUMB	INT
North Texas	1902	1240	662	122	13	12	4
FAU	1860	1048	812	122	14	2	2
CONVERSIONS	3DC	3DA	3D%	4DC	4DA	4D%	2PC	2PA	2P%
North Texas	23	78	29%	9	12	75%	1	4	25%
FAU	40	90	44%	3	6	50%	1	1	100%
RED ZONE	ATT	TD	FG	OFF%	DATT	DTD	DFG	DEF%
North Texas	14	7	1	57%	35	13	5	51%
FAU	16	5	5	62%	16	9	3	75%
PENALTIES	PEN		YARDS
North Texas	29		231
FAU	38		274
TURNOVERS	DIFF	GIVE	INT	FUMB	TAKE	INT	FUMB
North Texas	4	12	12	0	16	4	12
FAU	-2	6	5	1	4	2	2

Pre-Game Q&A with Coach Briggs:

Q: Do you think this is your teams week to get back on track?

A: Well, yeah, I mean, I don't know why you wouldn't expect me to say yes though.

Q: Is Stewart going to be starting?

A: Stewart is 100% and will be playing.

Q: Are you feeling a lot better about the turnover situation now?

A: I'm feeling better about that, but now we're losing games. We're still turning the ball over, but fortunately the defense is causing some turnovers, you know? That's ok though, every team in going to turn the ball over at sometime or another, but we're minimizing that, or trying to, so we're happy. We're working much better as a team you know? If the defense makes a mistake and allows points our offense is going out there and trying to score more points to keep us in it, rather than giving up or bickering at the defense. Same with the offense, you know, if they make a mistake such as turn the ball over the defense is going out there and working hard to stop them and trying to force them to turn the ball over rather than just giving up and bickering with the offense. So we're working well together as a team now, and that's obviously key in this game. So I'm happy overall, we're just facing tough teams and we're a little roughed up right now with injuries, but that's ok, we'll get back on track. I can't think of a better week to do it than this week, being this is a conference game.

Thanks for your time coach.

No problem, thank you.

[GeorgiaSports]

Pennington Leads North Texas to a 24-17 Win Over FAU!

North Texas's runningback, Pennington, come up big this week putting up nearly 200 yards in a winning performance by his team. Not only did Pennington lead his team in rushing, he also lead the team with 4 receptions for 67 yards. The team threw the ball well along with the very good run game. This came as a shock to many, including head coach Micheal Briggs. He had talked earlier in the week about how well the FAU pass defense was. However, the concern being mainly on the passing game allowed NT to run the ball a bit more effectively to start the game out. Many thought the game was going to be a blow out, but after the first half North Texas seemingly couldn't find their way into the endzone. They didn't have any turnovers, and they moved the ball well, until they got nearly in FG range and seemed to stall out.

Florida Atlantic Owls at North Texas Mean Green
Oct 8, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Florida Atlantic Owls (2-4)	0	7	2	8	-	17
North Texas Mean Green (3-3)	14	10	0	0	-	24

Team Stats Comparison
	FAU	UNT
Total Offense	225	375
Rushing Yards	59	176
Passing Yards	166	199
First Downs	8	12
Punt Return Yards	7	41
Kick Return Yards	55	42
Total Yards	287	458
Turnovers	1	0
3rd Down Converstion	1-11	3-12
4th Down Conversion	1-2	1-2
2-Point Conversion	1-1	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-0	3-1-1
Penalties	1-10	5-39
Posession Time	7:27	20:33

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		FAU	UNT
5:02	(UNT) TD NT: J. Pennington 66 yd run. (B. Booth kick)	0	7
0:16	(UNT) TD NT: J. Pennington 19 yd run. (B. Booth kick)	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		FAU	UNT
3:57	(UNT) FG NT: B. Booth 29 yd FG	0	17
0:43	(FAU) TD FAU: S. Miller, 16 yd pass from K. Dingle (M. Jamison kick)	7	17
0:08	(UNT) TD NT: L. Bowers, 47 yd pass from M. Stewart (B. Booth kick)	7	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		FAU	UNT
5:45	(FAU) Safety NT: Team Safety.	9	24
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		FAU	UNT
2:22	(FAU) TD FAU: L. Muhammad, 30 yd pass from K. Dingle (2-pt)	17	24

Florida Atlantic Owls PASSING C/A YDS TD INT K. Dingle 13/29 166 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Bush 18 51 2,8 0 K. Dingle 4 2 0.5 0 E. Gardener 1 6 6.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD S. Miller 5 62 12.4 1 J. Bush 3 41 13.6 0 S. Rhoden 2 20 10.0 0 L. Muhammad 1 31 31.0 1 A, Smith 1 10 10.0 0 D. Jacobs 1 2 2.0 0

North Texas Mean Green PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Hoffman 1/1 15 0 0 M. Stewart 9/18 184 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Pennington 34 192 5.6 2 M. Stewart 4 -18 -4.5 0 E. Ford 1 1 1.0 0 M. Faulk 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Pennington 4 67 16.7 0 J. Moore 2 40 20.0 0 P. Lewis 1 1 1.0 0 K. Jones 1 29 29.0 0 M, Faulk 1 15.0 15.0 0 L. Bowers 1 47 47.0 1

Player of the Game:

Justin Pennington -
34 Carries, 192 Yards, 2 TDs, 4 Rec, 67 Yards

"First off I have to think the big guys up front, uh, they really gave me some great running room, that's uh the hard part generally is having space to run. The running is easy, heck anybody can run. But yeah, we played a good team today and we showed how strong we can play. I know we went scoreless in the second half, but I felt like we still moved the ball well. So, hey, it worked. I'm honored to have won Player of the Game. Its an award that's bitter sweet, you know, you're honored to have it but at the same time you know everybody on this team worked just as hard today as you did and deserve it as much as you do. I'm honored though, and I greatly appreciate the award."

Post Game Q&A with the Coach:

Q: Coach, you told us early in the week this team was going to be difficult to pass against, why do you think you guys were able to do so well against them?
A: These guys brought a ton of pressure. Our offensive line had a hard time overcoming that pressure, you know? There were snaps where they would be hitting Stewart as he was handing the ball off. They got their entirely too quick. We're going to have to fix that otherwise, you know other teams are going to plan to do the same to stop our passing game. That being said, I think out lack of a solid run game before now really helped today because they weren't expecting to see Pennington run the ball the way he did, you know. Once they adjusted in the second half they uh, you know, stopped the run a bit better but we managed to open up enough time to throw the ball a bit. So I think they prepared a bit more for the pass, and kinduva forget entirely about the run. That's not to take anything away from Pennington though, he's a heckuva'n athlete, and he's capable of putting these numbers out there every game I truly believe. He's one of those guys that gives it 100% effort all the time. Even in practice he's 100% wide open all the time, running as hard as he can, he blocks when he needs to he's just that type of person and those type of people are what football teams need.

Q: What do you think about your throwing game today?
A: I thought we done fair. I liked where we were in terms of how much we threw. I think it was something like 18 or 19 times, if we can continue to throw that many times, and maybe even as many as 25 times a game I feel like we're where we need to be. I think Stewart threw for something like 9/18 and you know, I know he was shaken up a bit on the one play where he came out of the game and Hoffman went in, so you know, he probably wasn't 100% after that, and luckily we had a great running game to fall back on. That's exactly why I want to have both an effective pass and rush came, you know? If one's not working you can also kinda fall back on the other. Its hard for a defense to shut both down. Hoffman only had the one attempt and I know it was an incomplete pass, but its hard to ask someone to come in cold and go out there and throw the ball on 3rd and 6, but we had confidence in him and he knew to just throw it away if he needed to, and you know he had a man open and hit him but the defender hit the receiver before he could completely control it, and it fell incomplete. So I think Hoffman done good, that's just one of those things.

Q: What exactly happened to Stewart on that play where he came out of the game?
A: He was knocked down and had his throwing hand stepped on, and being in a throwing situation and a rather critical one he didn't feel like he was going to be able to complete that pass due to not being able to grip the ball well so he came out and we sent Hoffman in. His hand was good enough after that to grip the ball enough to continue playing, and at that point we were trying to keep it on the ground and let the clock run. He played a good game, and he wanted to finish it and the medical staff said he was fine to do so, and so he did.

[GeorgiaSports]

North Texas travels to ULL!

The ULL Ragin' Cajuns are looking to bounce back after losing their last game and beat a North Texas team that rebounded last week after losing two straight. Both teams desperately need this conference win, and will be fighting hard to get it. Expect a close game, and expect a good one! ULL, who has only played two home games so far this season, is looking to get another win in front of its homecrowd after losing its last game against Troy at home. This 3-3 ULL team could improve to a 4-3 ULL team today, which would set them on par with NT at 4-3. However, NT could improve to 5-2 and send this ULL team farther down at 3-4.

Team Leaders:

North Texas:
Passing: M. Stewart 57/145 - 1486 yards - 12 TD - 10 INT
Last game: 9-18 - 184 yards - TD.

Rushing: J. Pennington 100 Carries - 369 yards - 3.7 AVG - 73.8 YPG.
Last game: 34 Car - 192 yards - 2 TD - 4 Rec - 67 Yards
Receiving: L. Bowers 17 Rec - 660 yards - 38.8 AVG - 9 TD - 110.0 YPG
Last game: 47 Rec yards
Tackles: J. Perry - 23
Interceptions: M. Upshaw - 2
Sacks: L. Ford - 5


ULL:
Passing: J. Robinson 76/139 - 1091 yards - 8 TD - 1 INT
Last game: 14/26 - 213 yards - 15 Car - 22 yards - 2 TDs
Rushing: G. Williams - 81 Carries - 367 yards - 4.5 AVG - 0 TD - 61.2 YPG
Last game: 25 Car - 92 Yards
Receiving: C. Carlson - 40 Rec - 557 yards - 13.9 AVG - 7 TD - 92.8 YPG
Last game: 7 Rec - 136 Yards - 2 TDs
Tackles: E. Robinson - 17
Interceptions: M. Lewis - 2
Sacks: T. Dailey - 4

Matchup Preview | October 15, 2011
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North Texas Mean Green (4-2, 2-2 Away)		Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (3-3, 1-1 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 24.0 Points Per Game 22.0 2270 Total Offensive Yards 1919 1780 Passing Yards 1163 13 Passing TD 10 490 Rushing Yards 756 6 Rushing TD 3 73 First Downs 98 17 Red Zone Attempts 18 8-2 Red Zone TD-FG 9-7 58% Red Zone Percentage 88% 2785 Total Yards 2631 Defensive Stats Comparison 2127 Total Yards Allowed 1853 1406 Passing Yards Allowed 953 721 Rushing Yards Allowed 900 139 Points Allowed 158 18 Sacks 14 4 Fumble Recoveries 2 4 Interceptions 5 37 Red Zone Attempts 26 14-5 Red Zone TD-FG 13-6 61% Red Zone Percentage 73% Injury Report (DT) M. Mongomery 4 Weeks No Injuries (HB) B. Henderson 3 Weeks Game Notes Statistically these two teams are fairly evenly matched. A conference game that both teams desperately need. You will see a hard fought game from both teams. Should be a close match.

[GeorgiaSports]

Pennington and Backup QB Hoffman lead North Texas to victory!:

The NT Mean Green won over ULL today in a 31-14 victory. NT runningback Justin Pennington had another big showing today with 163 yards on 30 carries. The backup quarterback, Hoffman, came in after Stewart the starting quarterback threw three interceptions. Its not thought Stewart was pulled for the interceptions, but we have not received official word from the coaching staff yet. NT has shown lately they can have a great running game and are capable of putting up serious numbers.

Stewart threw a pick six with four minutes left in the first quarter. However, on the kickoff following the interception thrown by Stewart the teams return specialist and leading receiver Bowers had a huge 62 yard return that allowed the team to have great field position

Then with just five seconds left in the first quarter Pennington had a huge conversion on third and eight. He managed to get the drive alive that would keep not only the North Texas drive alive, but keep from having to kick the ball back to ULL and give them good field position.

When Stewart threw his final third and final interception of the game, which was then taken down the field by the ULL offense and capped off with a touchdown he was pulled from the game. As said earlier in this entry we're not sure if he was pulled by the coaching staff or for what reason. He had taken numerous rough hits on sacks so there's a possibility there was an injury. We'll find out later when we're able to talk with head coach Michael Briggs.

North Texas Mean Green at Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns
Oct 15, 2011 1 2 3 4 OT F UNT (5-2) 10 14 0 7 - 31 ULL (3-4) 7 0 7 0 - 14 Top Performers PASS: J. Hoffman - 3/5, 72 Yards, 1 TD. RUSH: J. Pennington - 30 Carries, 163 Yards, 5.4 AVG, 1 TD REC: J. Greco - 3 Rec, 77 Yards, 25.6 AVG, 1 TD.	Team Stats Comparison UNT ULL First Downs 10 6 3rd Down Efficiency 6-14 2-18 4th Down Efficiency 0-1 0-2 Total Yards 458 227 Passing Yards 199 83 Rushing Yards 132 60 Penalties-Penalty Yards 6-45 6-40 Turnovers 3 0 Time of Possession 22:10 5:50
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING UNT ULL 4:05 (ULL) TD ULL: N. Hayden, returned interception 26 yds (D. Cain kick) 0 7 3:21 (UNT) TD NT: J. Pennington, 8 yd run (B. Booth kick) 7 7 1:33 (UNT) FG NT: B. Booth, 36 Yd FG. 10 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING UNT ULL 3:58 (UNT) TD NT: P. Lewis, 4 Yd pass from M. Stewart. (B. Booth kick) 17 7 0:00 (UNT) TD NT: L. Bowers, 87 Yd pass from M. Stewart (B. Booth kick) 24 7 THIRD QUARTER SCORING UNT ULL 3:17 (ULL) TD ULL: G. Williams, 40 Yd run. (D. Cain kick) 24 14 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING UNT ULL 2:10 (UNT) TD NT: J. Greco, 44 Yd pass from J. Hoffman (B. Booth kick) 31 14
North Texas Mean Green PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Hoffman 3/5 72 1 0 M. Stewart 5/14 127 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD J. Pennington 30 163 5.4 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J. Greco 3 77 25.6 1 P. Lewis 2 33 16.5 1 L. Bowers 1 87 87.0 1 Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns PASSING C/A YDS TD INT J. Robinson 7/25 83 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD G. Williams 9 45 5.0 1 J. Robinson 2 7 3.5 0 T. Johnson 1 8 8.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD C. Carlson 3 49 16.3 0 B. Williams 2 22 11.0 0 B. King 1 8 8.0 0 C. Holland 1 4 4.0 0

Q&A with the Coach:

Q: What aspects of this weeks game did you find that your team really improved on from previous weeks?
A: Well, I think over the last two or so weeks we've really improved our running game. I think Justin [Pennington] has really come around. I knew he had the ability, it was just a matter of him getting comfortable and being the back every down, you know. I mean not only that but we had to work on getting him some room to run, too. If our guys can open him up a hole to get a yard he's the type of back that can make it into a huge gain, you know? He's just hard to get to to get down. Not to get to far off topic though, that's certainly what I feel we've improved. Another thing I'm happy with is Bowers returns. We've always known he's a great return man, and during this weeks game he really showed us how good he was. He didn't take one back to the house this week, but he did give us great field position on nearly every drive with his solid returns, you know? There were a couple where he couldn't return them and we got pinned deep, but he played smart and didn't grab the ball up off the ground and turn it over so starting in bad position was ok, you know? As a coach, I was overjoyed with not only the ability he showed, but the smarts. So often young players will try and be the hero and scoop a ball up and return it and turnover, he didn't and that's great.

Q: What did you think about Stewarts performance?
A: Well, I thought he done good when he was on. Certainly not his best game, but he's had worse, you know. I think he rebounded well after all those rough hits, and I know, you're trying to get me to talk about the uh returned interception. Let me say, no coach would be happy with that, obviously. That being said he responded well. He blocked it out, he forgot about it, and he went on and kept playing you know. He took some hits today, you know. He kept getting up though. I'm happy with him. He's becoming a better quarterback. A smarter quarterback. He's uh, you know, he's got a lot more to learn but he's getting there.

Q: What happened to Stewart and why was he removed from the game?
A: Stewart had taken some rough hits, and he didn't feel like he could continue playing at a high enough level after some hits he had taken. We pulled him before he was hurt any further. So he's alright just roughed up a bit some soreness, but as far as we know he's ok. I know him and I know he's a very competitive guy, and I know unless he wouldn't have just left the game because he was having a bad game, you know? I mean its not like we were behind when he left, he was just struggling. He had confidence in Hoffman and so do the rest of us, and so he was put in to play. Its not a big deal. Mainly just a safety precaution to keep Stewart healthy.
Q:Have you thought about making Hoffman the starter? Or someone perhaps?
A: No. We started the season with Stewart because we were confident in him and his ability. As long as he's healthy we plan to keep him our starting quarterback. Not to say I don't have confidence in Hoffman and Todd too [3rd string QB] because I do, otherwise, they wouldn't be on the roster, you know? I have confidence in all my guys. The entire team does. So Stewart will be our starter the rest of the season. Realistically, we're performing well, we're winning games, we're in the mix of things in our conference, I don't want to change anything unless we absolutely have to, you know? So no, no plans to make anybody else our starter.