North Texas has a scheduling problem this weekend, and its first-year coach is asking Denton to help solve it.
The Mean Green (3-2) host Charlotte at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at DATCU Stadium, the same kickoff time as Texas and Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Neal Brown, who coached on Steve Sarkisian's Texas staff last season, opened his weekly news conference Tuesday with a pitch to students and anyone local looking for a team.
"It's a cool rivalry, I get it," Brown said, according to UNT Athletics. "It's a cool game, but that thing's sold out. We have tickets available." He promised that fans in premium seating would have the Red River game on TV so they could follow both, and called a Mean Green game "a lot of entertainment for not a lot of spending."
Why the push
UNT has averaged 21,025 fans through two home games, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported. The opener against UNLV kicked off at 2:45 p.m. with an official game-time temperature of 100 degrees, and the second home date came against Houston Christian, an FCS opponent.
The team arrives home after a 45-44 overtime win at Tulsa in its American Conference opener, a game that aired nationally on ESPN. The Mean Green are halfway to the six wins needed for bowl eligibility.
Charlotte is 0-5 and lost 59-8 to Memphis in its most recent game. Quarterback Tayven Jackson said the record does not mean much to him. "I look at the tape," he said.
