4. College Football News Preview 2020: North Texas Mean Green Defense 3 Things To Know
– New defensive coordinator Clint Bowen comes in from Kansas, where his defenses over the last six years were able to take the ball away – at least before last season – but struggled to do a whole lot more on a consistent basis.
Now he gets a D that was 11th in Conference USA overall, struggled against the run, and had a hard time getting off the field.
There’s enough experience returning to potentially be a whole lot better.
– The linebacking duo of KD Davis and Tyreke Davis finished 1-2 on the team in tackles, respectively, combining for 168 stops. They’re not all that big, but they can get around.
Tyreke Davis was one the best in the conference at getting behind the line, and after missing time last year, 238-pound senior Ozougwu should be able to do more from his Jack position.
The line loses all-star LaDarius Hamilton – the team’s top pass rusher – but 6-4, 315-pound senior Dion Novil is back on the nose, and there’s enough experience returning to make up for the other losses on the front three.
– The secondary needs some work after losing three of the team’s top five tacklers. The former group could hit, but it couldn’t pick off passes – North Texas generated just four interceptions.
Senior Cam Johnson is back at one corner, and there’s help from the young parts returning along with Purdue transfer Jordan Rucker. Makyle Sanders – who made 38 tackles – and Keelan Crosby to come through at safety.