Riley Dodge News

There was a time not too long ago when North Texas head coach Todd Dodge seemed larger than life.

Trent Steelman rushed for 132 yards and the winning touchdown with 1:43 left, and Army kept its postseason hopes alive by beating North Texas 17-13 Saturday.

For North Texas assistant coach Chuck Petersen, Saturday's game against Army will be like turning back the clock in his football career.

Riley Dodge could probably run the play with his eyes closed. He's been directing this spread offense since the sixth grade.

In the world of college football, Army stands out for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most important for North Texas heading into a 3:08 p.m. showdown on Saturday is the way the Black Knights will attack the Mean Green offensively with the triple option.

For a while, it appeared as if North Texas has solved the offensive problems that plagued it last week in a loss to Louisiana-Monroe. The Mean Green racked up 300 yards of offense in the first half and scored four touchdowns.

On the surface, it doesn't appear as if North Texas head coach Todd Dodge has much in common with Mario Cristobal, his counterpart who will be on the opposite sideline on Saturday when the Mean Green takes on Florida International.

Wayne Younger scored on a 23-yard run with 5:08 left, capping 21 unanswered points by Florida International in a 35-28 win over North Texas on Saturday night.

Safety Greg James highlighted the defensive effort for ULM against North Texas on Saturday.

Line: Florida International by 2. Series Record: Series tied 2-2. Last meeting: 2008, Florida International 42-10. North Texas looks to get its offense back on track after not scoring a touchdown in a loss to Louisiana-Monroe, the first time that's happened in a Sun Belt game since Todd Dodge became coach in 2007.

There are separate moods going into Fouts Field when ULM takes on North Texas. The Eagles are hopeful after notching their first Sun Belt victory of the season against Western Kentucky last week.

ULM is a mentally tough team. They sit at 4-4 overall, but their four losses are to Sunbelt powerhouse Troy and 3 BCS schools.

The assumption when Todd Dodge took over as North Texas' head coach after the 2006 season was the Mean Green would develop into a team that relied on throwing the ball all over the field.

Quarterback Riley Dodge didn't know he wanted to play for North Texas. Before his dad, Todd, took over as the Mean Green's head coach, the younger Dodge had lready committed to Texas -- following in his father's footsteps as one of the Longhorns' great quarterbacks.

North Texas head coach Todd Dodge could sense a different feeling around the school's athletic department this week, one he thought wide receiver Jamaal Jackson summed up perfectly.

North Texas clinched its first conference win this past Saturday 68-49 victory over Western Kentucky.

North Texas has been fishing for a solution to the problems that have plagued its defense all season long.

That's just what UNT did on Saturday night thanks to an impressive offensive performance in a 68-49 victory.

On the surface, it seems natural that Tyler Bailey would end up playing college football.

North Texas sets school points mark in 68-49 win Eds: APNewsNow. North Texas 68, Western Kentucky 49.