The situation North Texas head coach Todd Dodge faces tonight in the Mean Green's season opener at Oklahoma is much different than what he became accustomed to at Southlake Carroll.

Dodge's Dragons were the bullies on the block for the last five years, winning four state titles and 79 of 80 games. Carroll was expected to win every time it played under Dodge.

That won't be the case tonight when the Mean Green takes on the Sooners.

OU is ranked eighth nationally and is expected to roll over a UNT team that struggled the last two seasons before Dodge arrived in December.

Those circumstances won't change Dodge's approach in his first game with the Mean Green.

"As a coach, you state what you want from your team," Dodge said. "We are going to have very specific plans we have unveiled to our kids. All week long we [have talked] about what it will take for us to be in the hunt."

Dodge has emphasized to his players how important it will be to persevere while playing one of the top teams in the country.

UNT's veteran players are familiar with the challenge after playing a series of top-ranked teams over the past few seasons. The Mean Green opened against defending national champion Texas a year ago, one of four times in the last five seasons that UNT has started the season with a game against a Big 12 team on the road.

The Mean Green has also played at least one nationally ranked team for the last seven years. UNT lost all eight games in that span and has dropped 22 straight against ranked opponents since upsetting San Diego State in 1974.

"We have played a lot of games where we were underdogs," UNT linebacker Brandon Monroe said. "I don't think this time will be any different. We are trying to maintain our focus and cover our assignments on the field."

While playing a nationally ranked team is nothing new for UNT, little else about the game will be familiar for the Mean Green. Dodge dropped the run-based system favored by former head coach Darrell Dickey in favor of a spread offense.

UNT will also wear its new Under Armour uniforms for the first time.

But the biggest difference -- and the biggest story -- will be Dodge, the man who made those changes.

"I think when you look at Todd Dodge and his track record of success, it is really quite amazing," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "He has had 79 wins and only one loss in the last five years. I don't care where you are coaching, that is doing an excellent job."

Dodge was the starting quarterback for Texas in the early 1980s and faced the Sooners plenty of times in his career. That background gives him perspective when it comes to the challenge UNT will face.

"It would be an awesome task getting ready to play Oklahoma if it was our first year or our 10^th year," Dodge said. "I knew the schedule when I took the job. I have always tried with my staff and my players not to get hung up on things that we can't control."

OU returns eight starters on offense and another six on a defense that is expected to be among the best in the Big 12 Conference.

Taking on a nationally ranked team could be tough for Dodge in his UNT debut, but those who know Dodge best believe he will succeed in the long run, including OU kicker Garrett Hartley, who played for Dodge at Carroll.

"Coach Dodge is a highly motivated individual," Hartley said. "He gets his players motivated around him. That is why he had so much respect at Southlake."

What's at stake

Even if it doesn’t win, North Texas is looking to get off to a solid start in the first season of the Todd Dodge era. The former Southlake Carroll head coach took over at UNT in December and is aiming to turn the Mean Green around after it finished a combined 5-18 in the past two seasons.

As always, starting the season off with a solid performance will be easier said than done at UNT. The Mean Green is opening the season against a Big 12 opponent for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Sooners are ranked eighth nationally.

Oklahoma enters the season trying to erase memories of a loss to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl and begin a run at the national title. The Sooners are also trying to break in a new quarterback in redshirt freshman Sam Bradford.

A solid performance against the Mean Green would get Bradford off to a good start heading into a showdown with Miami next week.

UNT offense vs. OU defense

North Texas will have the element of surprise in Dodge's first game at UNT, but the Sooners will have a decided edge in talent. Oklahoma returns six defensive starters, including all four members of its secondary. That experience will bode well for the Sooners in a game against a UNT team that is expected to throw the ball at least half the time.

UNT's chances will rest with junior quarterback Daniel Meager, an on-again, off-again starter who will run the Mean Green’s new spread offense. UNT has spent months learning the new system, but running it against a team with the Oklahoma’s caliber of athletes will be a lot different than running it in practice.

OU offense vs. UNT defense

Oklahoma will be a little short-handed in its season opener against UNT. Starting tailback Allen Patrick is hobbling on a sprained ankle, while backup Chris Brown has been suspended for Saturday's game. The Sooners will also be breaking in redshirt freshman Sam Bradford as their new quarterback.

Oklahoma will have a decided edge over UNT despite those obstacles. The Sooners are loaded with talent and have an offensive line featuring four starters who weigh more than 300 pounds.

Coaching

Todd Dodge will make his highly anticipated debut with UNT against Bob Stoops, one of the top coaches in college football.

Dodge was a highly regarded high school coach and should eventually succeed on the college level. There is little doubt that Stoops and his veteran college staff will have an edge against the Mean Green, though.

Stoops has a national title on his resume from the 2000 season and the Sooners are annually one of the top teams in the Big 12.

Key matchups

UNT offensive tackles vs. OU defensive ends

UNT is scheduled to have two players -- Robert Peachey and Matthew Menard -- making the first starts of their college careers at tackle against Oklahoma. Peachey is battling a hamstring injury and could miss the game, which would push senior Adam Venegas into the starting lineup.

No matter who ends up starting, the Mean Green's tackles will be a key to UNT's success in its season opener. Junior Daniel Meager will start the first game in the Dodge era at quarterback and will need time to settle into the pocket and throw the ball.

If UNT's tackles struggle, it could be a long night for the Mean Green. Fortunately for UNT, the Sooners don't feature a host of veteran pass rushers at defensive end. Senior John Williams played in just eight games last season after recovering from a knee injury he suffered in 2005.

Williams has one sack in his career, while sophomore Auston English is coming off a redshirt season after seeing spot duty as a freshman in 2005.

If UNT's tackles can hold up against a pair of inexperienced OU defensive ends, the Mean Green's chances to stay in the game will improve significantly.

UNT LB Maurice Holman vs. OU RB Allen Patrick

Oklahoma can make Sam Bradford's debut at quarterback significantly easier if it can run the ball effectively against the Mean Green.

Patrick is expected to carry the load for the Sooners, despite battling a sprained ankle. Backup running back Chris Brown has been suspended for OU's game against UNT. Patrick appears more than capable of powering the Sooners' running game without Brown.

Patrick stepped in last season when starter Adrian Peterson was injured and rushed for 761 yards. He exceeded the 100-yard mark in four games.

UNT will turn to senior linebacker Maurice Holman to help slow down Patrick and force the Sooners to throw the ball. Holman finished second among Mean Green players in tackles last season and has been an honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference pick in each of the last two seasons.

UNT head coach Todd Dodge said that Holman has looked better than ever in fall practice and will be one of the Mean Green's leaders defensively.

Holman will be one of three senior linebackers in UNT's new 4-3 alignment that replaced the Mean Green's old 3-4. The addition of another defensive lineman should help free Holman to run to the ball and make more plays.

UNT will need Holman to make several plays against Patrick to help keep the Mean Green in the game.

Player to watch

Oklahoma is loaded with talented players, but perhaps its best offensive weapon is wide receiver Malcolm Kelly.

The 6-4 junior from Longview reached the 1,000-yard mark in career receiving yards quicker than any player in Sooners history and enters the year with 1,464 yards. UNT head coach Todd Dodge knows well the challenge that Kelly will present.

"We came close to playing Longview in the playoffs a couple of times while I was at Southlake Carroll, and Oklahoma has done a tremendous job developing him," Dodge said. "He came from a great high school program that didn't throw the ball much and now he is on track to be the leading receiver in Oklahoma history."

The Sooners will have a new starting quarterback in Sam Bradford, but there is little doubt OU will try to get the ball to one of its top playmakers early and often.

The Sooners’ starting tailback, Allen Patrick, has been battling an ankle injury and backup Chris Brown has been suspended for the game.

UNT could turn to Kelly to help loosen up the Mean Green's defense, which is based on stopping the run. The Mean Green will start Latif Nurudeen and Antoine Bush at the cornerback spots.

Nurudeen will be making the first start of his career for UNT. Bush has more experience after starting all but one game last season, but is 5-11 and will be facing a much taller player in Kelly.

It could be a long night for UNT if Kelly is able to make a few big plays in the passing game. Kelly certainly has the talent to make the Mean Green pay for any mistakes it makes defensively.

"Kelly has a lot of speed," Dodge said. "You look at Roy Williams from a few years ago at Texas and he is a lot like that, except he is taller. He is a lot like Limas Sweed from Texas. He can really run."

Kelly has used those talents to post some huge games against the elite teams in the Big 12 and beyond. Middle Tennessee, one of UNT's rivals in the Sun Belt Conference, was among Kelly's victims last season. Kelly hauled in three passes for 134 yards in the first quarter and finished with 164 yards. He added 10 catches for 142 yards against Nebraska in the Big 12 title game.

A few more big games would push Kelly even closer to the OU record for career receiving yards of 3,241 yards set by Mark Clayton from 2001-04. Kelly has two years to catch Clayton, which would be an impressive feat, Dodge said.

"That wouldn't have been that impressive 10 years ago," Dodge said of owning OU's career receiving record. "But with how much they have been chunking the ball around, they have had some pretty good receivers and have some guys in the NFL right now."

Kelly could be the next in line and will be a dangerous player the Mean Green must slow down to stay with the Sooners.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.