2014 Schedule Preview: North Texas Mean Green

The Charlie Strong Era kicks off with the home opener versus the North Texas Mean Green on Aug. 30. The Texas Longhorns will be favored in this one, assuming half the team does not get suspended or dismissed between now and the end of the month.

As we count down the days until the team takes the field for real, let’s take a look at Texas’ opponent that day.

North Texas finished the 2013 season 9-4, 6-2 in Conference USA. The Mean Green earned a trip to the Heart of Dallas Bowl, where it whipped the UNLV Rebels 36-14. Along the way, North Texas beat teams like Rice, Tulsa, Southern Miss, Ball State and Louisiana Tech. Aside from a 45-21 defeat to the Georgia Bulldogs, the Mean Green were competitive in its other losses. North Texas is picked to win the Conference USA West division this season.

Suffice to say, this isn’t New Mexico State coming to town.

North Texas returns just nine starters on both sides of the ball. The Mean Green will need to replace some key contributors from last year’s squad. This should benefit a Texas team implementing new offensive and defensive schemes

Here is a in-depth look at the North Texas Mean Green.