North Texas head coach Todd Dodge didn’t have anywhere he had to be on Saturday, so he made sure to catch what turned out to be a historic game in college football history when Navy took on Notre Dame.

The Midshipmen came into the day having lost an NCAA record 43 straight games to the Fighting Irish before pulling off a stunning 46-44 win in triple overtime. That win will give Navy a wave of momentum heading into a game against the Mean Green on Saturday.

UNT was off last week.

“We hope that this will be good timing for us coming off an off week,” Dodge said. “I don’t know what kind of psychological advantage Navy will have. They poured their hearts out against Notre Dame. We will have to pour ours out as well.”

Reggie Campbell caught a 25-yard touchdown pass in the third overtime from Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. The pair also connected on the ensuing two-point conversion pass.

Notre Dame answered with a 5-yard touchdown run from Travis Thomas, but came up short on the two-point conversion when Thomas was stuffed short of the goal line.

“It is a big win,” Navy head coach Paul Johnson said. “I’m excited for our players. As a football coach, what happens is you never enjoy it as much as when you beat yourself up when you lose. I find myself doing that all the time. We had a celebration in the locker room and I told our guys we have got to come back Monday and get ready for next week.”

While Navy will spend the week looking for a way to maintain its momentum, UNT is still searching for a way to pull out of a season-long slump.

The Mean Green fell to 1-7 on the year in a 48-28 loss to Middle Tennessee in its last game. UNT opened with five straight losses before posting its lone win of the year over Louisiana-Monroe.

The Mean Green has been unable to build on that victory while dropping its last two games.

UNT will have an opportunity to break out of its funk in what will be one of the Mean Green’s biggest nonconference home games in years.

“I definitely think the players are looking forward to it,” Dodge said. “We have an opportunity to be a part of one of the bigger crowds in North Texas history. Navy is one of the more renowned programs to come here in a while.”

UNT players support Dodge as NAACP visit looms

The NAACP will be in town later in the week to take statements from North Texas football players who claim the Mean Green’s coaching staff is racially biased, defensive back Dominique Green said Monday.

Green filed a complaint to the NAACP on Oct. 29 claiming that the staff is racially biased. He made the claim one day after he was suspended by coach Todd Dodge following a sideline incident during UNT’s loss to Middle Tennessee at Fouts Field.

Defensive back Desmon Chatman, who was suspended earlier in the year, and Gary Oubre, who quit the team earlier this season, later said they also would give statements to the NAACP.

The organization was scheduled to visit UNT on Thursday but pushed back its visit.

Several UNT players have since voiced their in support of Dodge, including several who attended his weekly radio show Monday night.

“The whole team will say that there is no racial bias among the coaches,” UNT wide receiver Evan Fentriss said. “Coach Dodge’s most trusted family friend is black and so are a lot of his friends. ... Everyone thought it was a joke in the locker room. There is no way coach Dodge is racist.”

Dodge sees similarities with offenses

On the surface, it appears as UNT and Navy share nothing in common when it comes to their offensive philosophies.

Navy runs the option to perfection and comes into a game against the Mean Green on Saturday leading the nation with an average of 333.3 rushing yards a game, while UNT depends largely on its passing game.

The Mean Green ranks 12th nationally with an average of 297.9 passing yards a game.

Dodge said both teams are trying to accomplish a similar goal in completely different manners.

“If you look at their box score after a game, five different people will have more than 60 yards rushing,” Dodge said. “That is the same thing people are trying to do with the spread. It’s different than it was when the I-formation in the early 1980s, when the tailback carried it 35 times a game and no one else carried it more than five times.”

UNT to get key linemen back

UNT will get two of its key offensive linemen back this week before its game against Navy.

Starting left guard Tyler Bailey, who missed the Mean Green’s loss to MTSU with a concussion, is expected to start against Navy. Bailey had missed two of UNT’s last four games due to a car accident before the Mean Green’s loss to Louisiana-Lafayette on Oct. 6.

Starting center Kelvin Drake should also be back after missing part of the second half of UNT’s loss to the Blue Raiders with a sprained ankle.

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