Photo by: Manny Flores
Littrell, Players Preview Rice Game
10/26/2021 1:45:00 PM | Football
DENTON – The UNT football team will look to get back in the win column on Saturday as they travel down I-45 to Houston to play Rice. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and the game can be seen on ESPN3 with the radio broadcast on KHYI 95.3/KNTU 88.1/Varsity Network App.
Head coach Seth Littrell, along with senior linebacker Tyreke Davis and sophomore quarterback Austin Aune met with the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, what they expect to see from Rice.
Mean Green ready for physicality
While the Mean Green are coming off a hard fought loss to Liberty last week, the Owls are riding high after a win at UAB to improve to 2-1 in Conference USA play.
Littrell stressed the physical nature of Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren's teams and said his team was ready for a fight in the trenches come Saturday.
"They're coming off a huge win, and (Bloomgren) does a great job," Littrell said. "They want to play physical and they play power football. You have to be smart with their motions and you have to stop the run, first and foremost. They're going to try to get their boots, waggles and deep shots off it. You have to be smart and disciplined.
"We have to play well up front. Defensively, they're very multiple with different looks and different coverages and pressures. They're well coached and very technical in getting off blocks and using their hands. It's going to be a physical football game."
UNT finds positives in Liberty loss
For the first time since the season-opening win over Northwestern State, the Mean Green found the end zone in the first quarter in Saturday's 35-26 loss to Liberty and built a 20-7 lead over the Flames.
Quarterback Austin Aune said the offense worked better, overall, in the game than it had in some time, specifically because of what he and Littrell called a dominant effort from the offensive line.
"That's a really good Liberty team," Aune said. "Obviously, the win would've given us more confidence but we all felt like we should've won the game and put the ball in the end zone early. It gives us more confidence in the offense and also on defense since they stopped one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. It gives us some momentum from this point."
"The O-line played great both in the running game and passing game. I felt great in the pocket and we did a great job in the running game, and our backs ran well. They did a great job up front."
Defensively, the Mean Green tallied a season-high six sacks and a season-high nine quarterback hurries.
Adeyi has second straight career game
Redshirt freshman running back Ayo Adeyi carried the ball 16 times for 99 yards in Saturday's game against Liberty, as both totals set new career highs for the Mansfield native a week after establishing those highs in the game against Marshall. He also had a 42-yard touchdown run, which was the longest rush of his career.
Adeyi has seen his workload increase with more injuries to the running backs, as he and senior DeAndre Torrey have shouldered the load for the running game.
"I'm proud of him," Littrell said. "He's done a lot of great things. He's playing fast and runs with a purpose. He's been a great changeup for DeAndre with guys down. Those guys have gotten the bulk of the work and he's continued to gain confidence. I've been pleased with Ayo. He's made the most out of his opportunities."
Next-man-up mentality
Like Adeyi, other position groups have been hit hard with injuries and have seen several new faces get their chances to shine.
On Saturday, starting safety DeShawn Gaddie was ejected for targeting, starting cornerback Quinn Whitlock left with an injury, as did fellow starting corner John Davis, Jr.
That led to guys like Ridge Texada, Harold West and Dillion Williams seeing more extensive playing time.
"They stepped up big time in the last game and even the game before that," Tyreke Davis said. "In the secondary, we just didn't execute when we needed to. We can play good all game but it just comes down to two or three plays that decide a game, and that's what happened."
Along those same lines, junior kicker Ethan Mooney, who's been a rock solid contributor in the kicking game for years, was unavailable for Saturday's game. That meant freshman Aaron Beckham was called upon to handle kicking duties essentially 24 hours before kickoff.
Beckham went 2-for-3 on field goal attempts and made both of his extra points. He also had three touchbacks on kickoffs.
"He did good, especially not knowing until late Thursday or Friday," Littrell said. "It was a great opportunity for him. He did some good things. That experience for him will help us down the road."
Looking forward to AAC membership
Last week, UNT made a big move for the football program, and the university as a whole, when it was announced the school will join the American Athletic Conference after nearly a decade in Conference USA.
"It's a great opportunity for our university," Littrell said. "We're very excited. I haven't really had time to sit down and take it all in but it's a credit to the president (Neal Smatresk) and our athletic department, (Vice President/Director of Athletics) Wren, and the things they've done with our program. It's given us an opportunity to continue to move up and compete. It's a great opportunity for everyone."
Head coach Seth Littrell, along with senior linebacker Tyreke Davis and sophomore quarterback Austin Aune met with the media on Tuesday and discussed, among other things, what they expect to see from Rice.
Mean Green ready for physicality
While the Mean Green are coming off a hard fought loss to Liberty last week, the Owls are riding high after a win at UAB to improve to 2-1 in Conference USA play.
Littrell stressed the physical nature of Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren's teams and said his team was ready for a fight in the trenches come Saturday.
"They're coming off a huge win, and (Bloomgren) does a great job," Littrell said. "They want to play physical and they play power football. You have to be smart with their motions and you have to stop the run, first and foremost. They're going to try to get their boots, waggles and deep shots off it. You have to be smart and disciplined.
"We have to play well up front. Defensively, they're very multiple with different looks and different coverages and pressures. They're well coached and very technical in getting off blocks and using their hands. It's going to be a physical football game."
UNT finds positives in Liberty loss
For the first time since the season-opening win over Northwestern State, the Mean Green found the end zone in the first quarter in Saturday's 35-26 loss to Liberty and built a 20-7 lead over the Flames.
Quarterback Austin Aune said the offense worked better, overall, in the game than it had in some time, specifically because of what he and Littrell called a dominant effort from the offensive line.
"That's a really good Liberty team," Aune said. "Obviously, the win would've given us more confidence but we all felt like we should've won the game and put the ball in the end zone early. It gives us more confidence in the offense and also on defense since they stopped one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. It gives us some momentum from this point."
"The O-line played great both in the running game and passing game. I felt great in the pocket and we did a great job in the running game, and our backs ran well. They did a great job up front."
Defensively, the Mean Green tallied a season-high six sacks and a season-high nine quarterback hurries.
Adeyi has second straight career game
Redshirt freshman running back Ayo Adeyi carried the ball 16 times for 99 yards in Saturday's game against Liberty, as both totals set new career highs for the Mansfield native a week after establishing those highs in the game against Marshall. He also had a 42-yard touchdown run, which was the longest rush of his career.
Adeyi has seen his workload increase with more injuries to the running backs, as he and senior DeAndre Torrey have shouldered the load for the running game.
"I'm proud of him," Littrell said. "He's done a lot of great things. He's playing fast and runs with a purpose. He's been a great changeup for DeAndre with guys down. Those guys have gotten the bulk of the work and he's continued to gain confidence. I've been pleased with Ayo. He's made the most out of his opportunities."
Next-man-up mentality
Like Adeyi, other position groups have been hit hard with injuries and have seen several new faces get their chances to shine.
On Saturday, starting safety DeShawn Gaddie was ejected for targeting, starting cornerback Quinn Whitlock left with an injury, as did fellow starting corner John Davis, Jr.
That led to guys like Ridge Texada, Harold West and Dillion Williams seeing more extensive playing time.
"They stepped up big time in the last game and even the game before that," Tyreke Davis said. "In the secondary, we just didn't execute when we needed to. We can play good all game but it just comes down to two or three plays that decide a game, and that's what happened."
Along those same lines, junior kicker Ethan Mooney, who's been a rock solid contributor in the kicking game for years, was unavailable for Saturday's game. That meant freshman Aaron Beckham was called upon to handle kicking duties essentially 24 hours before kickoff.
Beckham went 2-for-3 on field goal attempts and made both of his extra points. He also had three touchbacks on kickoffs.
"He did good, especially not knowing until late Thursday or Friday," Littrell said. "It was a great opportunity for him. He did some good things. That experience for him will help us down the road."
Looking forward to AAC membership
Last week, UNT made a big move for the football program, and the university as a whole, when it was announced the school will join the American Athletic Conference after nearly a decade in Conference USA.
"It's a great opportunity for our university," Littrell said. "We're very excited. I haven't really had time to sit down and take it all in but it's a credit to the president (Neal Smatresk) and our athletic department, (Vice President/Director of Athletics) Wren, and the things they've done with our program. It's given us an opportunity to continue to move up and compete. It's a great opportunity for everyone."