No. 4 Alabama Welcomes North Texas Back to Bryant Denny

On Saturday, Sept. 19, the North Texas Mean Green will enter Bryant-Denny Stadium ready to battle the Alabama Crimson Tide. They will be without their starting quarterback, Riley Dodge, for the mid-afternoon showdown.

Dodge suffered the same fate as Sam Bradford, with a similar injury to his throwing shoulder, but luckily for Dodge, the injury is not as severe. He suffered a grade-two separation of his acromio-clavicular joint late in the third quarter of the home opener, a heartbreaking double overtime loss to Ohio University.

Dodge is already back to throwing, with little in the way of pain to keep him from practice, but he is being held out to prevent a worse outcome if he played against Alabama and suffered another hit to the shoulder. This is a wise choice considering the way the Crimson Tide relentlessly pressured fifth-year senior Paul McCall in the second half of the FIU win.

The backup QB, Nathan Tune, entered the Ohio game in front of the home crowd at Fouts Field during the third quarter, ending the night 9-of-16 for 69 yards and one INT.

Unfortunately, the interception was returned for a touchdown, giving Ohio the lead late in the fourth quarter. Tune quickly recovered, leading the Mean Green on an 11-play, 57-yard drive that yielded a 22-yard field goal that tied the game, sending it into overtime.

The Mean Green scored a touchdown to go ahead in the second extra period, only to lose when Ohio matched the score and then connected on a two-point conversion for the win. The loss for North Texas put their early season record at 1-1.

Head Coach: Legendary in Texas High School Football

The starting quarterback, Riley Dodge, is son of Todd Dodge, head coach of the Mean Green. The elder Dodge was schooled in Port Arthur, Texas under the tutelage of Ronnie Thompson. Thompson was a pioneer of the pass-happy offensive system that took root and has prospered in the Texas high school system. It was the precursor to the popular run and shoot offense.

As a senior in 1980, Todd Dodge became the first Texas high school QB to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a single season. The season culminated in reaching the finals of the Texas High School Championship against the storied Odessa Permian High.

Although Dodge ended his season with a 28-19 loss to Permian, his Port Arthur Jefferson High team scored more points against the Permian Panthers than any other team in the 1980 season. The undefeated Panthers shut out nine of their 13 opponents.

Todd Dodge matriculated to the University of Texas and eventually lead the Longhorn offense. In 1985, Dodge shattered previous passing records with a game-high 359 yards, a record that stood for 13 years.

He pursued a career in coaching immediately after graduation, coaching his way through the Texas high school and college systems to eventually lead Southlake Carroll High as head football coach in 2000. In 2002, Southlake Carroll won its first State 5A championship.

In 2005, Southlake recorded its third 5A state championship with quarterback Greg McElroy at the helm.

The North Texas Challenge

Dodge is credited with creating a hybrid passing attack that blends the run and shoot with three- and five-step drop-back passing, mixed with the zone running game.

The so-called "Air Raid offense" made popular by his high school exploits has been brought to the big stage of the college ranks with his hire by North Texas.

In two games, the 2009 Mean Green have scored 50 points and completed 44 of 68 pass attempts against two interceptions. They average 201 passing yards per game balanced by an average of 205 rushing yards.

Early tendencies of the North Texas team suggest a weakness in team discipline, resulting in penalty yards and a high turnover ratio. In two games, the Mean Green have been penalized 18 times for 158 yards and lost four of five fumbles. Moreover, the QB has been sacked four times.

Playmakers

They have been effective in the red zone, scoring 77 percent (10-of-13) of the time, with five scores as touchdowns (38 percent). The North Texas defense has recorded two interceptions, two sacks, and has held opposing offenses to 207 yards/game.

The rushing offense is led by a senior, No. 26, Cam Montgomery. The 6'1", 210-lb. running back has 237 yards on 39 carries (118 yds/game), two TDs, and no fumbles. He also has two receptions for 44 yards.

Sophomore Lance Dunbar (5'9", 190 lbs.) is second in line at tailback. No. 5 has accumulated 92 yards on 23 carries with one TD, netting 4.0 yd/rush.

The receiving corps is led by No. 82, Michael Outlaw, recruited out of Starkville, MS (East Mississippi CC). In 2008, Outlaw was 12th in the nation with 46 receptions for 624 yards. In two games, Outlaw has nine receptions for 55 yards.

Nine different receivers have caught passes in the first two games. The most efficient is No. 15, Jamaal Jackson. Jackson has seven receptions for 127 yards, averaging 18.1 yards per catch (63.6 per game).

The North Texas receivers are small in size, ranging from 5'9" to 6'2" and between 175 and 210 lbs.

Offensive Line

Relative to the beefy Alabama defensive line, where the front three in crimson collectively weigh over 900 pounds, the offensive line of the Mean Green will present a much lighter counterpart in the trenches.

Center J.J. Johnson (6'2", 280 lbs.) will line up in front of Terrence Cody (354 lbs.). OG Coleman Feeley (6'4", 318 lbs.) will be needed to double-team the Alabama NG on plays to the right, while OG Kelvin Drake (6'2", 302 lbs.) will assist from the left side.

Victor Gill (6'5", 250 lbs.) and Esteban Santiago (6'3", 285 lbs.) will protect from the tackle position, attempting to keep Nathan Tune out of harm's way.

Expect Tune to make quick reads or suffer punishment from the speedy Crimson defensive line and blitzing linebackers. QB2 will have his work cut out for the Saturday night event.

In the Sun Belt Conference, the Mean Green will compete, but on Saturday night, they will do well to stay in the game for the first quarter of play. Look for the Alabama defense to work well together and hold the line against this young team.

A shutout and shutdown of the Mean Green is not unexpected. A touchdown at any point in the game would be a true victory for the N. Texas offense.

Mean Green Defense: No Gauntlet for the Tide

The North Texas defense does not boast stellar statistics. DE Brandon Akpunku is listed at 206 lbs., and Tevinn Cantly is a mass at 6'4", 310 lbs. but is a RS freshman and will have to work against skilled Alabama offensive linemen. DT Draylen Ross and Jesse DeSoto are listed at 285 lbs., a good 25 to 30 pounds lighter than the average Alabama offensive lineman.

Look for Alabama to run the ball early and often in order to wear down the North Texas defense before the end of the first half.

Additionally, McElroy should have plenty of time to attack through the air if the offensive line gets the job done. Alabama receivers should be able to outrun, out-jump, and out-finesse the North Texas secondary at will.

If Alabama does not rack up 500 yards of balanced offense, something is wrong and an unexpected hidden weakness will be exposed. The Alabama defense should pitch a shutout.

Outcome Is an Easy Prediction: Pain for North Texas

Unfortunately for Todd Dodge and his young team, there is no chance for a victory. They will take their licks and go home with a pocket full of cash to grow the program for seasons to come.

The Air Raid offense will be put on hold for at least a week. The best that they can hope for is to leave Tuscaloosa injury free and ready to play Middle Tennessee in the confines of Fouts Field, at home in Denton, Texas on Sept. 26.