Southern Miss 49, North Texas 14 – What We Learned

Screen Shot 2015-10-03 at 10.05.20 PMNorth Texas’ offense needs to do more. The Mean Green wasn’t all that intimidating on Saturday evening against Southern Miss. They couldn’t finish, the play-calling offered few surprises and with the exception of running back Jeffrey Wilson, North Texas didn’t show much fight until the fourth quarter. North Texas rotated between Andrew McNulty and DaMarcus Smith at quarterback because neither could truly take control of the team and get the offense going. Not being able to get quality production out of players is the primary problem facing the Mean Green offense – they just need more. More desire, more effort, more production. They just look flat. The offensive line contributed to the struggles, giving up six sacks and failing to create adequate running lanes for the backs. Wilson was the only bright spot for North Texas, racking up 136 yards on 22 carries, which was impressive considering the rest of the team;s output. If the rest of the offense can follow Wilson’s example, things will get better for North Texas.  The defense is deflated. When you give up 573 total yards of offense, you’re not going to win many games. North Texas was slow defensively and didn’t challenge the Southern Miss offensive line at all. The Golden Eagles ran all over North Texas, trucking right down the middle of the field and beating the secondary with ease. North Texas has yet to have an interception this season, and though they forced third-and-longs often, they couldn’t make stops when necessary. The Mean Green defense looked tired and beat as the game went on, which led to easier drives and more efficient scoring from Southern Miss. Special teams provided a small spark for North Texas, primarily in the form of punter Eric Keena, who averaged 44.3 yards per boot. North Texas has to focus on the little things. Although North Texas didn’t have many penalties or turnovers in this game, the ones that were committed proved to be costly. An interception in the second quarter stymied a possible scoring drive  and a holding call turned a touchdown into a punt in the third. Regardless, a team with a struggling offense and defense can’t afford miscues. Until they start doing the little things right – offensively, defensively and mentally – the Mean Green will be a team opponents circle on the schedule.