DENTON — Eric Morris is doing his dead-level best to keep his players straight after North Texas crashed the AP Poll for the first time since poodle skirts and Sputnik and everybody liked Ike, but it’s hard with all the calls and texts. And social media. Not to mention a billboard commemorating the milestone on the interstate.
Seems like you ought to be able to enjoy your No. 22 ranking a little, seeing as how it’s been, you know, 66 years since the last time.
But no.
“Everybody wants to text you and congratulate you and tell you how good you’re doing,” Morris said, “but, you know, at the same time, I mean, that can all go away just like that.”
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He snapped his fingers.
Lighten up, Eric.
Frankly, it seems like overkill to suggest UNT could blow its good fortune against Rice this week or Temple the next. The Mean Green has too much going for it to qualify as a flash-in-the-pan, even if the last time it rose this high, it didn’t last long.
Consider the multiple narratives of a comeback story for not just one but two centuries:
Drew Mestemaker, the freshman quarterback who didn’t start a game at the position in high school, leads the FBS’ most prolific offense.
Caleb Hawkins, the freshman running back who didn’t start until his sixth game at UNT, is tied for the FBS lead in touchdowns with 19.
And Skyler Cassity’s defense leads the FBS in turnover margin.
UNT has earned its ranking and shot at whatever awaits this postseason. The Mean Green is too good, too well-coached, on both sides of the ball to belly up now.
But, in the spirit of the moment Tuesday, it seemed like a good time to bring up what happened in the 63-36 loss to South Florida last month.
Maybe you remember that UNT went into the game against the 24th-ranked Bulls undefeated. Full house for the first time in the history of DATCU Stadium. Packed press box, too.
And by the start of the fourth quarter, from my perch up high, I could see a long string of taillights headed for the highway.
“Obviously that was a big moment for us at a big time and a sellout,” Morris said. “And whether it’s anxiety or whatever went on, you know, we didn’t perform up to par.”
Which is putting it mildly. The Mean Green hung in for a half, mostly because of the turnovers generated by an opportunistic defense. Then it all fell apart. If the players didn’t quit, the fans did. In my column from the game, I raised the question of whether the Mean Green and its patrons would return.
Five weeks later, the evidence is in:
The Mean Green is back.
Only 13 U.S. presidents later.
In the story of its latest ranking, getting blown out by USF wasn’t a fun chapter, but, if nothing else, it taught UNT what it takes to be great.
“I’ve always been a big believer that you can learn as much from a mistake as you can from doing something the right way,” Morris said. “My grandfather used to tell me, you can learn as much from a dumb person as you can from a smart person. We were able to reset both as coaches and players really nicely after that. We’ve overcome a lot of things this year.
“And that always, I think, makes for a tougher team down the stretch.”
Will Jones II — a senior safety from Mansfield Summit whose college career started at Kansas State in 2019 before taking him to USF and UNT — said the players don’t talk about their only loss, but they learned from it.
Jones places great faith in the Mean Green’s ability to generate turnovers. If you were thinking there’s a little luck involved, Jones takes exception.
“We’re coached hard every week, every day, about getting the ball and making the plays when the ball is in the air and when the running backs have the ball,” he said. “We’re ball aware. Just getting the ball back to our offense, because, you know, they’re putting up points.”
Yes, they are. Between Mestemaker’s arm and Hawkins’ feet, UNT packs a terrific one-two punch. And it’s paying off. Donations are up to the Green Lights Fund, designed to bolster the Mean Green’s NIL coffers. An expanded weight room is in the plans.
Next comes the real test: Persuading students to vote in favor of a fee hike this week that would benefit athletics. Could be a tough sell at a school more famous for producing musicians than athletes.
As one athletic department official told me Tuesday, “It’s hard to convince an oboe player that you need more money for football.”
Look, this will take some getting used to for everybody at UNT. It’s been a long time since they were ranked. Longer than Voyager I’s deep space mission. Longer than the Peace Corps. Longer than the Rolling Stones. Time is on their side at last.
On Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
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