The secret to success in 2022 for North Texas is to bottle the momentum gained during a five-game winning streak to close the 2021 season and carry that over to a new campaign. The Mean Green were 1-6 more than halfway through last season, but a loss at home to Liberty was the spark that became a wildfire. North Texas wouldn’t lose again until the bowl game, knocking off future Conference USA champion UTSA along the way. 

The turnaround was a result, at least in part, to a change in philosophy. North Texas abandoned its normally pass-happy offensive style that allowed former quarterback Mason Fine to set records for a tough, rugged style that placed two tight ends on the field on most plays. Some of that was dictated by a rash of injuries at wide receiver. Some of it was because the strengths of the offense were along the offensive line and at running back. 

Head coach Seth Littrell, a former offensive coordinator, believes that recipe will remain an integral part this season. 

“We didn’t change our identity quick enough last season based on injury and the youth. That’s on us as coaches,” he admitted. “There was a recipe for success down the stretch and we’re getting a lot of guys back, so we’re going to continue to be a physical team that plays complimentary football.”

Another catalyst for the resurrection midway through a difficult season was the character and culture built inside the North Texas locker room. Littrell, who took over the Mean Green ahead of the 2016 season, proved successful early in his career with nine-win seasons in 2017 and 2018. Some of the leaders of the current roster – namely linebacker KD Davis and offensive lineman Manase Mose – were on that 2018 team that won nine games. The two leaders helped hold the locker room together during a rough start to the season. 

“We knew what we had in the locker room,” Mose said about last year’s team. “It was up to us players to go out there and prove that to everyone else.” 

But can North Texas carry that momentum into a new season? 

“We can bring that momentum in this year, but there is a reset with a new season,” Mose continued. “We need to rebuild that foundation and tightness within the group that propelled us to that success.” 

A slew of injuries in 2021, specifically at wide receiver and in the secondary, forced a lot of inexperienced players onto the field earlier than expected. Take the Liberty game for example. One defensive back was lost to a targeting penalty and another to an injury, both in the first half. That forced the Mean Green to face a Liberty offense led by Malik Willis, a first-round NFL Draft pick, with two freshman defensive backs. Running back Oscar Adaway III was lost before the season. Littrell estimated that he finished 2021 with only six of his 16 scholarship wide receivers healthy enough to play. 

“The positive was a lot of young players got reps and game experience,” Littrell said. “Our culture is a huge reason why we were able to finish the season out the way we did. Our chemistry and culture are as good as it’s been in my time at North Texas.” 

UNT receives an early opportunity to build on that culture to start this season. A shift in the Conference USA landscape forced a new schedule. North Texas now opens the season in Week 0 with an August trip to UTEP for a unique opportunity to start the 2022 campaign against a conference opponent. That urgency should force the Mean Green to hit the ground running in fall camp. There aren’t any tune-up games available, and the week starts a week earlier than previously expected. 

“We’ll need a good camp and to be locked in,” Littrell said. “We have the experience to handle it. If we can stay healthy and keep our culture the way it is, we have a chance to be successful.”

The Ceiling
Improvements at quarterback and on defense allow North Texas to compete for the West Division crown in Conference USA. 

The Floor 
North Texas misses out on bowl season thanks to a lackluster offense and a defense without a pass rush. 

Game of the Year 
North Texas at UTSA — Oct. 22
The Roadrunners are emerging as North Texas’ favorite team to beat, and the Mean Green were the only program to knock off UTSA in the 2021 regular season. Seth Littrell’s squad hopes the Nov. 12 matchup between the two programs means more than just a bowl berth. This could be an important game in the C-USA race.