North Texas coach Seth Littrell would love it if there was a simple trick or adjustment he could turn to as he looks to address the Mean Green’s biggest issue of late.
Unfortunately, there isn’t an entry in the unwritten coaches’ manual that is a sure-fire fix for starting slow.
Littrell has been asked about it plenty lately and was again heading into the Mean Green’s game against Marshall on Friday at Apogee Stadium. It only makes sense considering the Mean Green’s recent history.
UNT fell behind Missouri 31-7 in a loss last week. That start fell right in line with what transpired in each of the Mean Green’s previous two games when they fell behind Louisiana Tech 24-0 and UAB 33-0.
“We just have to execute,” Littrell said Tuesday during his weekly press conference. “I’d love to tell you there’s some guru thing of coaching where you can try to get players to settle down and get comfortable.
“I think some of that is making routine plays.”
UNT hasn’t made enough of those plays on either side of the ball in the early going of any of its last three games and has paid the price.
The costly mistakes have come on both sides of the ball. Last week, a first-quarter interception seemed to turn the tide in UNT’s 48-35 loss to Missouri.
UNT came up with a stop on Missouri’s first possession of the game. The Mean Green hung on the the ball for just two plays before Missouri defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine intercepted an Austin Aune pass.
Missouri scored four plays later and never looked back.
“It starts with good quarterback play,” Aune said of what’s standing between UNT and better starts. “I made a bad decision and tried to fit one in there when I should have thrown it out of bounds.
“It’s hard to dig yourself out of a hole.”
UNT’s offense is far from the only issue. The Mean Green’s defense has given up a series of big plays in the first quarter of games this season.
Louisiana Tech running back Marcus Williams Jr. scored on a 42-yard run to help the Bulldogs jump out to an early lead on UNT. Tight end Garrit Prince caught a 42-yard touchdown strike from Dylan Hopkins in the early going for UAB.
“We just have to lock in, get better on the basics and the foundational things,” cornerback John Davis Jr. said. “Once we do that, I feel like we can compete with pretty much any team in the conference.”
{span style=”font-size: 1.17em;”}UNT to face challenge in short week{/span}UNT has played several midweek games throughout its history.
This week marks the first time the Mean Green will play on a Friday. UNT has adjusted its schedule to accommodate an early game.
UNT usually gives its players Monday off. Littrell and his players were deep into preparation by Monday morning this week.
“It was a quick turnaround, but the first couple days of practice have gone well,” Littrell said. “We came out of the game healthy and haven’t had any setbacks.”
That bodes well for UNT heading into a rare game that will compete with Friday night football in Texas.
Littrell said he loves playing any time UNT gets the opportunity, but he was also quick to express his love for the Texas tradition of Friday night high school football.
“I love Friday night football,” Littrell said. “In the state of Texas, especially, it’s unbelievable. The coaches in Texas do a great job. I enjoy watching it.”
UNT hoping Aune can build on solid start
Aune took full advantage of his first chance to start this season last week against Missouri. He threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns.
That performance marked a dramatic improvement from UNT’s previous two games. UNT failed to hit the 100-yard mark passing against Louisiana Tech or UAB.
“The more you play, the more the game slows down for you and the more defenses you see,” Aune said. “You also know how to react to each play call.”
UNT had failed to score more than 17 points in any of its previous three games when Aune split time with Jace Ruder.
“Austin got better as the game went on,” Littrell said. “I thought he did some really good things in the passing game, had some explosive plays and shots down the field.”
He also gave UNT a spark in the running game while rushing for 59 yards, his second straight game to clear the 50-yard mark.
Aune rushed for 56 yards against Louisiana Tech.
“With his speed and athleticism, we’re going to have to continue to grow in that area and make sure he’s a strong runner when he has the ball,” Littrell said.”
Briefly ...
Tyrae Thornton, a cornerback who played sparingly this season after transferring from Rice, has left the program, Littrell confirmed.
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