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FACTS & STATS: Site: Fouts Field (30,500) -- Denton, Texas. Television: Local. Home Record: Ohio 0-1, North Texas 0-0. Away Record: Ohio 0-0, North Texas 1-0. Neutral Record: Ohio 0-0, North Texas 0-0. Conference Record: Ohio 0-0, North Texas 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: Coming off a thrilling road win over Ball State, the North Texas Mean Green will face another Mid-American Conference opponent in the Ohio Bobcats when the two teams collide this Saturday at Fouts Field.

The Bobcats put forth a strong effort in their season-opener against Connecticut, but the end result was a 23-16 setback to the Huskies at Peden Stadium. Ohio is coming off a lackluster 4-8 2008 campaign, but the team is hoping to corral its first winning season since 2006.

As for the Mean Green, they were very surprising in their season-opener, holding Ball State to just 10 points en route to a 20-10 victory. North Texas was horrendous defensively in 2008, and the performance against the Cardinals could be a sign of good things to come in the new season. However, opening in Denton has been a problem for North Texas, as the team is just 3-8 in its last 11 home openers.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.

The Bobcats did not have much fight in them on the offensive side of the ball against UConn, as the team tallied just 247 total yards in the season opening loss. Ohio's main problem was its inability to run the football, as the Bobcats were held to just 61 yards on an abysmal 1.9 ypc. The leading rusher was quarterback Boo Jackson, but he finished with only 20 yards. Tailbacks Donte Harden and Chris Garrett struggled mightily, totaling just 17 rushing yards apiece. Fortunately Jackson did enjoy some success with his arm, throwing for 117 yards and one score on 8-of-16 passing. Jackson had a strong 2008 season, throwing for 2,355 and 19 touchdowns after taking over for Theo Scott who was lost early in the year with an injury. Scott however, is now fully healthy and also saw time against UConn, and although he threw an interception in the loss, the signal caller did complete 7-of-12 passes for 69 yards and one score.

Defensively the Bobcats did some good things, but also struggled in certain areas, mainly against the run, as the Huskies punished Ohio for 259 yards on a 5.3 yards per carry. Stopping the run has been a major issue for Ohio over the past few seasons, and last year the team surrendered 158.0 ypg. However, on the bright side the Bobcats were able to force some miscues in the opener against UConn. In fact the team collected four turnovers, three of which were interceptions. Linebacker Lee Renfro's performance was another good sign for Ohio, as the senior led the team with 12 tackles, two TFLs and one sack. Renfro finished second on the team in 2008 with 83 stops and looks primed to eclipse his '08 numbers.

North Texas only tallied 20 points in the season-opener, but the team's point total does not do justice to how effective the offensive unit was against Ball State. The Mean Green tortured Ball State for 512 total yards, including 296 rushing yards on 5.8 ypc. Cam Montgomery, who rushed for 928 yards and nine scores in 2008, had his way against the Cardinals, rushing for 149 yards on 17 carries. Quarterback Riley Dodge added 73 rushing yards, while Lance Dunbar added 63 yards and one score. Dodge also had an impressive game with his arm, completing 23-of-33 passes for 216 yards. Coach Todd Dodge's son threw one touchdown, but also tossed an interception in the win. What really stood out about the redshirt freshman's debut was his ability to spread the ball around, as nine different players caught at least one pass. Michael Outlaw led the way with seven receptions and was also on the receiving end of Dodge's first touchdown pass.

More impressive than the offensive showing by North Texas was the team's amazing display on the defensive side of the football. The Mean Green were one of the worst defensive teams in 2008, allowing an atrocious 47.6 ppg and 483 total ypg. So shutting down an offense as dangerous as Ball State was clearly a pleasant surprise for coach Dodge. North Texas held BSU to just 309 total yards, and also forced two turnovers in the contest. However, not all was well with this unit, as the squad did have some trouble against the run, allowing the Cardinals to pound the rock for 169 yards and four scores. Linebackers Craig Robertson and Tobe Nwigwe were all over the field in the opener, as Robertson racked up 12 tackles, while Nwigwe collected 11 stops. Nwigwe also forced a fumble, which was recovered by Robertson.

The surprising turnaround by North Texas from 2008 could be a fluke, but that is highly unlikely. The Mean Green were solid against Ball State, and against a weaker MAC opponent, North Texas should be able to grab another victory this Saturday.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: North Texas 31, Ohio University 16