Gear Up For Game Day: North Texas

LARAMIE -- As always, I love to utilize this space each week during the season to not only give you the important info -- game time, TV channel, betting lines, etc. -- but also drop a bit of randomness on your plate.

So here goes.

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What on earth is a Mean Green?

There are conflicting reports.

Once simply known as the Eagles, North Texas received its new nickname back in 1966, during a home game against Texas Western (Now known as UTEP). Innocently enough, it was a sports information director's wife, Sidney Sue Graham, who blurted out "That’s the way, Mean Green!"

Or was it "Greene?"

Before "Mean" Joe Greene was tossing his Steelers jersey to a kid in a Coca-Cola commercial and hoisting four Lombardi Trophies, he was a one-man wrecking crew on the North Texas State (The school dropped the "state" back in 1988) defensive front. The former All-American was selected No. 4 overall in the 1969 NFL Draft.

Was Graham referring to him? After all, he was the leader of a unit that ranked as high as second in the nation.

Bill Mercer, then the team's play-by-play broadcaster, later said she was talking about the defense as a whole.

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The name stuck and the local media ran with it.

“She always said it was never intended to be about Joe Greene,” Sidney Sue's son, Mark Graham, told the Denton Record-Chronicle after her death in April of 2018. “She would make a point of saying that Joe is not mean at all. (She’d say,) ‘He’s a great player, but he’s as nice a guy as you’d ever want to meet.’ So she was sensitive about that. She felt bad that he got that nickname and that she felt like it was her fault.”

Legendary head coach Hayden Fry embraced the moniker full-time in 1973. Rick Villarreal, who was named the school's athletic director in 2000, made it all official. All 16 NCAA-sanctioned teams at UNT would be called the Mean Green.

Eagles are boring anyway.

Who went to North Texas?

I must admit, I was shocked to see how many notable people attended school in Denton.

This list is impressive.

Dr. Phil McGraw is a UNT grad. So is broadcaster Phyllis George, actor James Hampton and television personality Melissa Rycroft.

Not familiar?

Check out these names: Pat Boone, Don Henley, Norah Jones, Meat Loaf, Maren Morris, Roy Orbison and James Young, Chris Thompson, Mike Eli and Jon Jones. all once called Denton home. The last four names make up the Eli Young Band, a group formed at UNT.

You might have figured it out after looking at that list above, UNT has one of the top music programs in the nation.

One of my all-time favorite musicians, Rex Brown, was offered a scholarship to the school. Instead, he joined a band called Pantera. The rest is history. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (his real last name is Williams) also attended UNT and played on the football team.

Here is all you need to know -- and the links -- for Saturday's tilt in Denton:

WHO: Wyoming (0-3, 0-0) at North Texas (2-1, 0-0)
WHEN: Saturday, Sept.. 21 at 5 p.m. MST
WEATHER: High of 97, low 73, mostly sunny, wind 10 mph
WHERE: DATCU Stadium, Denton, Texas (30,100 capacity)
TRAVEL: Drive Texas
STREAMING: ESPN-Plus
TV: ESPN-Plus
RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network
TICKETS: Wyoming Ticket office
BOX SCORE: ESPN
ROSTERS: Wyoming / North Texas
HISTORY: First meeting
BETTING ODDS: UNT -7, O/U 55.5
HEAD COACHES: Jay Sawvel / Eric Morris

Meet the Mean Green:

* Head coach: Eric Morris (2nd year) 7-8 overall record, 3-5 in American Athletic play

* Offensive coordinator: Jordan Davis (2nd season); Defensive coordinator: Matt Caponi (2nd season)

* Record in 2023: 5-7 overall, 3-5 in American Athletic Conference

* Offense in 2024: Average 36 ppg, 469 ypg (140.3 rush, 328.7 pass)

* Defense in 2024: Allow 41.3 ppg, 472 ypg (149.7 rush, 322.3 pass)

* Key Returners/ Newcomers - Offense: Chandler Morris (QB - 73-112, 899 yds, 9 TD, 6 INT; 13 rush, 19 yds, 2 TD), Damashja Harris (RB - 23 rush, 193 yds, TD; 4 catch, 7 yds), Damon Ward Jr. (WR - 15 catch, 281 yds, 2 TD), DT Sheffield (WR - 13 catch, 148 yds, 3 TD), Wyatt Young (WR - 6 catch, 119 yds, TD), Jeremiah Aaron (WR - 5 catch, 97 yds, TD), Oscar Hammond (TE - 7 catch, 84 yds, TD)

* Key Returners - Defense: Jayden Hill (S - 25 tackles), Jaylen Smith (LB - 21 tackles), Evan Jackson (S - 20 tackles, 2 PBU), Jordan Brown (LB - 18 tackles), Ethan Wesloski (LB - 12 tackles), Brian Nelson II (CB - 10 tackles, INT, 2 PBU), Roderick Brown (DL - 6 tackles, 2 sacks)

* Injured/ questionable: Ikaika Ragsdale (RB - 22 rush, 58 yds, TD), Landon Peterson (Guard), Damashja Harris (RB - 23 rush, 193 yds, TD; 4 catch, 7 yds), Damon Ward Jr. (WR - 15 catch, 281 yds, 2 TD), Jeremiah Aaron (WR - 5 catch, 97 yds, TD), Tyler Mercer (Center)

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players