Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - 2006 SEASON IN REVIEW: Since winning four straight Sun Belt Conference titles, the North Texas Mean Green have fallen on tough times, posting back-to-back 2-5 league campaigns and losing nine games in each of the past two season. The Mean Green weren't very competitive over the first month of the '06 season, but did play better down the stretch. The team began last season just 1-4, with all four losses coming by 20 or more points. A 25-22 seven-overtime thriller over winless Florida International gave UNT hope of a turnaround, but that didn't last long. The team followed that victory with three straight losses, although two of those setbacks came by single digits. A surprising 16-7 triumph at UL-Lafayette stopped the bleeding, but only momentarily, as the Mean Green was outlasted by Florida Atlantic (17-16) and UL-Monroe (23-3) to close out the season. With the poor 3-9 finish, the Darrell Dickey era was brought to an end by the school and legendary Texas high school coach Todd Dodge was brought in. Dodge has no head coaching experience at this level, but he brings a big reputation and hope for a turnaround with him.

2007 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: On the offensive side of the ball is where Dodge should have the biggest impact, as he replaces the team's running style with his pass-happy spread attack. The biggest beneficiary of this change should be quarterback Daniel Meager, who has battled for the starting spot the last two seasons. The junior is hardly a lock to be the starter all season, but has experience, throwing for 1,458 yards and eight scores in his career. The new open style of attack should give him a chance to showcase his talents, although finding a reliable target may be easier said than done. UNT returns just one starting wide receiver in Brandon Jackson, who ranked second on the team with 17 catches as a junior in '06. In the backfield, senior Jamario Thomas is welcomed back and he hopes to regain his form that made him one of the top freshman in the nation in 2004. Since rushing for 1,801 yards and 17 scores as a freshman, Thomas has struggled with injuries and has yet to live up to the hype surrounding him. The 210-pound back rushed for 668 yards last season, but now fully healthy, he could be ready to breakout, again.

DEFENSE: Unlike the offense, the Mean Green's defense welcomes back a wealth of experience, as 10 starters return from a unit that ranked 64th in the nation in total defense (338.4 ypg) last year. UNT however, generated just 14 turnovers last season and because of that the defense will be switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 alignment. That means more tackles and possibly a bigger season for defensive end Blake Burress. The 6-7, 263-pound senior broke through last season, finishing with 53 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He is a versatile player that is starting to live up to his hype. Due to the alignment switch, the Mean Green have four returning starting linebackers for just three spots. The highlight of this talented and deep linebacking corps is 224-pound senior Maurice Holman, who ranked second on the squad with 74 tackles last season. He is a solid tackler with great speed and he should play a big part in this unit's success once again. In the secondary, the Mean Green welcome back all four starters, including safety Aaron Weathers. The senior has led the club in tackles over the last two seasons with 191 total, but he needs to be more aggressive against the pass with just one interception to his credit last season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Junior punter Truman Spencer averaged 40.8 yards per kick last season and while he doesn't have the biggest leg, he is consistent and good enough to keep his job. The kicking job belongs to freshman Thomas Moreland, marking the third straight year the Mean Green will open a season with a new kicker.

OUTLOOK: UNT is in a transition period, so expect a lot of struggles at the beginning of the season. There are too many holes to fill for the Mean Green, but it should be much more exciting to watch in Dodge's system. An improvement may not come this year, but at least UNT has a plan for the future.