In just about every way imaginable, North Texas’ game against Army today will be a study in contrasting styles.

The Mean Green’s offense is all about the flash and dash with its spread formation that emphasizes getting its athletes into space where they can make plays.

There might not be a more polar opposite than Army, a team that uses a disciplined triple-option attack to slowly grind out yards and wear down opponents.

The team that can impose its will and its tempo will likely have an opportunity to win a key game in its season. Army can be eligible for a bowl if it wins its last two games of the season, while UNT is looking to pick up a third win.

UNT won three games in the first two seasons of the Todd Dodge era and can significantly pick up its pace with a win over the Black Knights.

“If we let this game become a track meet, if we allow it to become about who is going to do the best job of jumping up in the air and catching the ball between their legs, we won’t have a chance,” Army head coach Rich Ellerson said. “We need to play Army football. We need to be methodical, disciplined, and relentless. We need to execute and adjust and not blink for 60 minutes. If we do that, we have a great chance. If we don’t, we won’t.”

Army has thrived in games in which it has been able to control the tempo. The Black Knights knocked off Vanderbilt 16-13 in overtime and beat a Ball State team UNT defeated in its season opener, 24-17.

Army comes into today’s game ranked third nationally with an average of 154.8 passing yards allowed per game.

The Black Knights struggle when they allow opponents’ offenses to get on track. Army has allowed at least 27 points in five of its six losses on the season.

“These guys do a good job,” UNT quarterback Riley Dodge said. “They play a defense similar to Louisiana-Monroe. Not to take anything away from them, but the reason they are so high in the rankings is that teams don’t get many possessions against them and they capitalize on that.”

UNT knows that it can’t afford to make mistakes against Army, similar to those it has made the last few weeks in losses to ULM and Florida International. The Mean Green has a combined turnover deficit in those games of 5-1.

FIU cornerback Peter Riley returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown against UNT last week that help turn a game the Mean Green led 28-14 at halftime.

“We have to come out hot like we did against Florida International,” Riley Dodge said. “I am not too sure what happened in the second half. They adjusted to what we were doing. We are going to have to capitalize on our opportunities [against Army] because you don’t know how long they are going to be on the field.”

There is a good chance Army could be on the field quite a bit against UNT and its defense that has given up at least 28 points in nine straight games. The Mean Green ranks No. 102 nationally in rushing defense with an average of 190.3 yards allowed a game.

Western Kentucky rushed for 281 yards and five touchdowns against the Mean Green three weeks ago. UNT has allowed at least 170 rushing yards in its last eight games.

Army will be content to grind out yards, not to mention the clock against UNT.

“You have to put a premium on first down, because if you don’t play well on first down, they are a team that will take the ball and sit on it,” UNT head coach Todd Dodge said. “They will be very satisfied to get three and a half yards a pop.”

Army is averaging 213.3 rushing yards a game and has three players with at least 425 rushing yards on the season. Slot back Patrick Mealy has 590 yards on the season, while quarterback Trent Steelman has 558.

UNT is a whole lot more flashy with its spread offense. Running back Lance Dunbar has rushed for 1,120 yards, while Riley Dodge has thrown for 1,737 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Mean Green would like nothing more than to give Dunbar and Dodge plenty of opportunities to score against Army, but knows it will have to get the Black Knights offense off the field to make that happen.

That’s easier said than done.

Four downs

Keys to today’s game

Stop the fullback dive

The triple-option offense is much more effective when the first option, the fullback dive, results in big gains. Army fullback Kingsley Ehie is averaging 4.3 yards a carry and is capable of grinding out yards in the middle of the field. Ehie rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns in the Black Knights’ best offensive performance of the season, a 27-14 win over Eastern Michigan.

UNT lost perhaps its best defensive player in middle linebacker Tobe Nwigwe to injury and has given up five rushing touchdowns in three games this season. If UNT and new middle linebacker A.J. Penson can’t slow down Ehie, the Mean Green could struggle.

Get Army off the field

Army will be happy to grind out three and four yards a carry against UNT, wear down the Mean Green’s defense, and keep quarterback Riley Dodge and running back Lance Dunbar off the field. Army ranks seventh nationally in time of possession at 32:47 per game.

The Black Knights might not be flashy, but they can pick up three, four and five yards at a time to shorten a game. Army coach Rich Ellerson said that would be the way the Black Knights approach the game.

UNT’s defense has struggled at times this season and could be in trouble if it can’t make stops on third down.

Avoid mistakes and turnovers

The problem with facing a team that can control the ball like Army is that it reduces the number of possessions its opponents get in a game. There is a good chance that UNT won’t have the ball very often, which makes it critical that the Mean Green does something when it has the chance offensively.

UNT can’t afford to make the same mistakes it has the last few weeks. The Mean Green had a punt blocked last week against FIU, and Riley Dodge threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Similar mistakes will kill any chance UNT has at a win.

Take advantage of a big day in UNT history

Not much has gone right for UNT since the end of its four-year run as Sun Belt Conference champions in 2004, but the program will enjoy a milestone when it breaks ground on a new football stadium this morning.

UNT will have the chance to build on the enthusiasm that event generates in its final game at Fouts Field this season. The Mean Green can post its third win of the year, which would be a high-water mark in the Todd Dodge era, and have a shot at a fourth win in its season finale at Arkansas State.

Matching up

UNT’s offense vs. Army’s defense

UNT has been on a rollercoaster ride during the last few weeks offensively. The Mean Green was great in a 68-49 win over WKU three weeks ago only to have a horrible day in a 33-6 loss to ULM the following week. UNT looked like it was back after scoring 28 points in the first half last week against FIU, but was shut out in the second half.

UNT needs to find a rhythm and not lose it in its game against Army.

The Black Knights are not the biggest team, but they are disciplined and will take advantage of mistakes. Army ranks third nationally in pass defense with an average of 154.8 yards allowed a game.

UNT’s defense vs. Army’s offense

UNT had one of its better games of the season last week when it limited Florida International to 28 points in a loss to the Golden Panthers, who picked up a touchdown in a 35-28 win on an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Building on that performance could be tough against an Army team that will run a finely tuned option offense against the Mean Green. The Black Knights are posting 213.3 rushing yards a game. UNT struggled in its last game against a true triple option team, falling to Navy 74-62 in the 2007 season. What provides UNT some hope that it will have more success this time is that Army is not as productive when it comes to finishing drives and scoring. The Black Knights are averaging only averaging 16.4 points a game.

Key matchup

UNT LB Craig Robertson vs. Army RB Patrick Mealy

Army will run the option at UNT, which has struggled to shut down opposing teams’ running games at times this season. The Mean Green had a particularly tough time in a win over Western Kentucky, which picked up 281 rushing yards and five touchdowns while attacking the perimeter of UNT’s defense.

UNT ranks No. 102 nationally in rushing defense with an average of 190.3 yards allowed a game.

Army is sure to attack UNT on the edge, where the Mean Green has two undersized defensive ends in the rotation in Brandon Akpunku and K.C. Obi, who are listed at 226 and 214 pounds, respectively.

UNT will have to rally to the ball behind outside linebacker Craig Robertson. The junior is UNT’s leading tackler with 89 stops on the season and is also one of the team’s most experienced players in its front seven now that starting middle linebacker Tobe Nwigwe has been lost for the season to injury.

UNT will have to play assignment football against Army and not let the Black Knights get free on the edge. Robertson will likely be assigned to either the quarterback Trent Steelman or running back Patrick Mealy, depending on the play and the way to the Mean Green chooses to defend Army’s offense.

Mealy has a team-best 590 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the season. Robertson and UNT’s defense will have to slow down Mealy for the Mean Green to have a chance at the win.

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