Mean Green

UNT put in a package to help it do a better job of converting in short-yardage situations after last season, and it times having Riley Dodge under center has worked wonders when the Mean Green needs a yard or two.

If you look back through the first four games of the season, it's pretty obvious UNT has a long way to go to get where it needs to be, though.

UNT is ranked 104th out of 120 teams nationally in both third down conversions (30.36 percent) and fourth down conversions after failing on all three of its attempts. The Mean Green is one of nine teams nationally that has at least three fourth-down tries without converting one.

I went back and counted and the Mean Green has failed to convert on third down, fourth down or goal-line situations with two yards or less to gain 13 times in its first four games of the season.

Several of those misses have been killers.

UNT had two cracks at the end zone from inside the Ohio 2-yard line at the end of regulation before settling for a field goal that sent the game into overtime. UNT ended up losing in double overtime.

Riley Dodge also lost a fumble on a running play on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line against the Bobcats.

UNT also came up short on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 at the at the Middle Tennessee 43-yard line late in the first half of its loss to the Blue Raiders last week.

The Mean Green's struggles probably have a lot to do with getting used to what it is trying to do in short yardage situations.

UNT has a huge line and a running back who is a power guy in Cam Montgomery.

The Mean Green needs to start taking advantage of those assets as it heads into the final two months of the season.

When a team's margin for error is small, it has to convert on as many opportunities as it can.

It's never too early to look ahead to the next game, especially with UNT off this week and not much going on.

The Mean Green takes on Louisiana-Lafayette next in what will be a battle of teams trying to snap out of free falls.

UNT has lost its last three after a season-opening win at Ball State, including its Sun Belt Conference opener against Middle Tennessee. The Mean Green lost by 16, but that was after being down 30-7 at halftime.

ULL is in much the same boat after losing its last two games to LSU and Nebraska. The Ragin' Cajuns fell to in-state rival Tigers 31-3 before being blasted by Nebraska 55-0. ULL has gone 10 quarters without scoring a touchdown.

The winner of this one will keep hope alive for at least another week in the Sun Belt title chase in what looks like a key game for both teams. At 0-1 in conference play, UNT can't afford another loss if it wants to claim that it is still in the race for the Sun Belt title.

Only once in Sun Belt history has a team with two losses even tied for the league title, and UNT still has trips to preseason favorites Troy and Arkansas State coming up.

ULL is 2-2, has a win over Kansas State on its resume, hasn't played a conference game yet and while it was drilled in its last two games, no one thought the Ragin' Cajuns were going to beat LSU or Nebraska anyway.

A win over UNT would get ULL halfway to being bowl-eligible and leave the Cajuns just four wins short of the seven wins it looks like it will take for a Sun Belt team ensure itself of a bowl slot without winning the conference title.

With Western Kentucky, both of the Sun Belt's Florida schools and Louisiana-Monroe still left to play, it isn't hard to see ULL getting to six or seven wins.

ULL won six last year and was left out of the bowl picture when the Independence Bowl took Northern Illinois instead, basically to appease Louisiana Tech, which wants nothing to do with its in-state rivals from the Sun Belt.

Every conference game is big, and this one won't be any different.

For an early look at the Ragin Cajuns, who are sticking with Chris Masson as their starting quarterback, read the Lafayette Daily Advertiser and my old friend from my days in Abilene, Josh Parrott.

Here's a link: Daily Advertiser