0The game of the year is just a couple of days away. So what will be the key?
If you ask me, it might come down to how UNT's defensive ends Brandon Akpunku and KC Obi fare against a couple of veteran tackles from Rice.
Akpunku and Obi are both about 240 pounds now and have put on weight since last year. They are both still a little on the small side, though.
Clemson had some success attacking UNT on the perimeter in the running game. It's the same strategy several teams have used over the last few years. Western Kentucky based its whole game plan on it last year and hung with UNT for a while in what turned into a shootout.
Don't be surprised to see Rice go the same route. Left tackle Scott Mitchell was a preseason All-Conference USA selection, while Tyler Parish has started 17 games, including 13 in a row, at right tackle. Both guys are in the 290-295 range.
My guess is Rice takes its chances with two pretty good running backs in Tyler Smith and Sam McGuffie on the perimeter rather than pound the ball inside, where UNT has a couple of pretty good defensive tackles in Shavod Atkinson and Kelvin Jackson.
Starting quarterback Taylor McHargue also has the ability to run if he gets into open space.
As for the mailbag, I didn't ask where UNT ended up working out yesterday. When the weather is as bad as it was, UNT will often head to one of the indoor facilities at a local high school. It can be a bit of a pain for UNT because it has to get guys on a bus and there is the potential for them to have to split up and go to a couple of different sites.
It really would do UNT a world of good to have an indoor practice field at some point. It's just a matter of when UNT can get one built. I believe it is in the master plan.
I still love the old Darrell Dickey quote for days like yesterday that went something like this,
"We would have gone to our indoor practice facility, but we were worried the guys would get hurt running into the lockers."
Rim shot
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brett, on the local boy front. i have seen chase baine play ball and have seen very little of weston squire..... they both seem to have skills and baine looks awfully quick and strong on his limited chances running the ball.... are there just not positions to put these guys in, whats the deal. seems like we have talent that goes unused if that makes sense.
I am expecting a good game from our D includeing the ends, but it is a good point.
It does kind of make you wonder if Weber and McCoy are this year's Eddrick Gilmore and Draylen Ross - ie. quality career strongside DEs who never should have been moved to DT.
That I have seen Weber seems a little better at DT than Gilmore and Ross were. He's an effective rusher from that slot, but if we get gouged outside this week, I think Dodge may have to pull the plug on that experiment before the season is lost.
We will see how it goes.