North Texas defensive end Eddrick Gilmore knew exactly what the Mean Green would face in its game against Army on Saturday at Fouts Field.

The Black Knights ran the triple option at UNT, forcing the Mean Green to play handle individual responsibilities for the fullback dive, the quarterback keeper and the option pitch.

For the most part, UNT performed admirably in a 17-13 loss. Army finished with just 287 yards of total offense.

“They ran the ball like we knew they’d run it,” Gilmore said. “They pound it out and then hit the big play. They made some plays and we didn’t. We knew Army was a disciplined football team and we were disciplined, too. We knew how they would play. We just came up short.”

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the game for UNT defensively was one of the few big plays Army broke off against the Mean Green didn’t come on the option it had worked so hard to prepare to defend.

Army quarterback Trent Steelman rolled out late in the fourth quarter on a misdirection fake and had nothing but open field in front of him.

UNT didn’t stop Steelman until he had reached its 7-yard line after a 55-yard run. Steelman scored the game-winning touchdown two plays later from 2 yards out.

Steelman finished with 132 rushing yards, which accounted for nearly half of Army’s offensive output for the game.

“It was a called play that worked out very well for us,” Steelman said. “I came up to the line of scrimmage and saw the way they were aligned and knew if I could get to the corner, I could get some positive yards.”

That play spoiled what was otherwise a solid day for UNT’s defense. Cornerback Adryan Adams led UNT with 10 tackles while outside linebacker Jeremy Phillips added eight, including a tackle for a loss of a yard. Phillips also forced a fumble.

UNT has shown signs of improvement in the last two weeks after struggling defensively early in the season. The Mean Green gave up 258 yards in a loss to Florida International last week.

“Defensively, we did everything we needed to do,” UNT head coach Todd Dodge said. “When you play a team like Army you have to be assignment sound with the fullback, the quarterback and the pitch. We stayed focused play after play.”

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