The assumption when Todd Dodge took over as North Texas’ head coach after the 2006 season was the Mean Green would develop into a team that relied on throwing the ball all over the field.

Dodge sent quarterbacks from Southlake Carroll to Alabama and Missouri in Greg McElroy and Chase Daniel, respectively, not to mention wide receiver Blake Cantu to Oregon.

As UNT heads into a game against Louisiana-Monroe today, though, there is little doubt the Mean Green’s success has been directly tied to grinding out yards on the ground. Sophomore Lance Dunbar leads the Sun Belt Conference with 961 rushing yards and is one big reason the Mean Green is by far the league’s best running team with an average of 197.9 rushing yards a game.

UNT’s ability to run the ball sets up what could be an interesting showdown with the Warhawks, who lead the Sun Belt in rushing defense with an average of 99.4 yards allowed per game on the ground.

“We have to run the ball successfully,” Dodge said. “That’s what we do. We expect to run our offense. They are going to be a great challenge. They are not the biggest up front, but they move around, stunt and get off blocks.”

ULM had two of its best games when it comes to holding opponents’ running games in check in Sun Belt play, limiting Troy to 50 yards on 25 carries and Arkansas State to 29 yards on 34 carries.

Troy gouged UNT for 205 yards on the ground in a win over the Mean Green earlier this year.

ULM defensive end Aaron Morgan leads the league with seven sacks and also ranks second in tackles for loss with 10. Defensive end Troy Evans is tied for third in the Sun Belt in sacks with 4.5.

The Warhawks rank second in the league as a team in sacks with 18.

“This is absolutely a big challenge,” UNT tackle Victor Gill said. “They have a lot of athletic guys, run a lot of different things to confuse you and use their athleticism to make plays.”

The Mean Green believes it is ready to face the challenges ULM poses after posting its best game of the season offensively in a 68-49 shootout win over Western Kentucky that snapped a six-game losing streak.

UNT did just about everything right against the winless Hilltoppers, including piling up 321 rushing yards. Dunbar finished with 227 yards on the ground in his fifth straight game with at least 100 yards.

“Dunbar has great speed,” ULM head coach Charlie Weatherbie said. “He outran Troy for 60 yards and 69 yards.”

Troy was one of the few teams to slow down UNT’s running game. The Trojans held the Mean Green to 19 yards through three quarters before Dunbar broke free on a 69-yard run that accounted for more than half of UNT’s 128 rushing yards on the day.

Troy was up 50-13 after the third quarter of a game the Trojans ended up winning 50-26.

That game was one of the signs of how dependent UNT is on its running attack. The Mean Green rushed for 296 yards against Ball State in its only other win of the season.

UNT is averaging 308.5 rushing yards in its two wins this season, but is posting an average of only 161 yards on the ground in its six losses.

UNT’s opponents have noticed the trend and have focused on stopping the Mean Green’s running game and short passing attack. UNT has had little success throwing the ball down the field this season.

Starting quarterback Riley Dodge has just five completions of 30 yards or more this season in 182 attempts, a total that includes a few short passes UNT’s wide receivers turned into long gains.

“It will be a lot like last week,” Todd Dodge said. “They will spin another guy down into the box at times. That doesn’t mean we will stop running the ball, but if they are effective with it, we will have to go elsewhere.”

All Todd Dodge or any of his players care about at this point is finding a way to build on its win over WKU, not how it tries to get the job done.

Dodge has told his team this week that if it wins its remaining games, it can finish 6-6 and be bowl-eligible. That would require a dramatic turnaround by the Mean Green, which hasn’t won back-to-back games since 2004.

“If we win our next four, at least we have to make somebody talk about it,” Todd Dodge said. “Crazier things have happened, so that is on our minds.”

Four downs

Keys to today’s game

Run the ball effectively

UNT leads the Sun Belt Conference in rushing with an average of 197.9 yards a game behind Lance Dunbar, who has two 200-yard games this season. The Mean Green should also be bolstered by the return of Cam Montgomery, who began the season as UNT’s starter. The senior has battled a strained hamstring and had the flu last week. ULM leads the Sun Belt in rushing defense with an average of 99.4 yards allowed a game. If UNT is to build on its win over WKU last week, it will have to continue running the ball effectively.

Make some stops defensively

UNT has struggled all season long defensively and is coming off one of its more disappointing games in a 68-49 win over Western Kentucky, which was averaging just 16.2 points a game before facing the Mean Green. UNT’s offense essentially won the game, although the Mean Green’s defense played a key role by shutting out the Hilltoppers in the fourth quarter. Backup linebacker Jeremy Phillips made the key play of the game when he intercepted a pass deep in Hilltopper territory. UNT will have to build on that solid stretch of play against the Warhawks.

Continue solid special teams play

UNT had arguably its best performance on special teams this season against Western Kentucky. Jamaal Jackson averaged 30.8 yards per kickoff return and posted a critical 44-yard return that helped set up a UNT touchdown late in the first half. Jeremy Knott made his only field goal of the game and made all nine of his extra points. The Mean Green gave up an 81-yard kickoff return that proved costly, but cut down significantly on the number of mistakes it made earlier in the season.

Protect Riley Dodge

UNT will face perhaps the best defensive front seven it has seen since falling to Troy two weeks ago, not to mention one of the top units it has encountered this season. ULM is allowing just 99.4 rushing yards a game and has 18 sacks on the season. Mean Green quarterback Riley Dodge has battled injuries all year long and has already missed two games, one with a separated shoulder and another with a sprained ankle. ULM has one of the best pass rushers in the Sun Belt Conference in Aaron Morgan and will come after Dodge. UNT’s offensive line has allowed just five sacks on the season and must continue to play well for the Mean Green to win.

Key matchup

UNT RB Lance Dunbar vs. ULM LB Cardia Jackson

UNT sophomore running back Lance Dunbar has been on a roll during the last several weeks and enters the Mean Green’s game against ULM having rushed for at least 100 yards in his last five games. Dunbar went over the 200-yard mark in two of those games and is coming off a 227-yard outing in UNT’s win over Western Kentucky.

UNT is at its best when Dunbar is powering its running game. The only time he has been slowed this season was in a loss to Troy. The Trojans held Dunbar to 17 yards through three quarters and jumped out to a 50-13 lead before kicking it into cruise control in a 50-26 win.

The Mean Green needs Dunbar to be at his best again against ULM, which features one of the best defenses in the Sun Belt. The Warhawks lead the league with an average of 99.4 rushing yards allowed a game. Arkansas State’s Reggie Arnold, one of the top backs in the Sun Belt, managed just 45 yards on 14 carries against ULM.

Senior linebacker Cardia Jackson has helped power the Warhawks defense and leads the Sun Belt in total tackles with 79. Jackson was a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection and anchors a defense that features one of the best front sevens in the league. Defensive end Aaron Morgan leads the Sun Belt in sacks with seven and also ranks second in tackles for loss with 10. ULM’s other defensive end, Troy Evans, is tied for third in sacks with 4.5.

Dunbar will have to get UNT’s offense rolling against the Warhawks for the Mean Green to have a chance to pick up its second straight win, especially with the way the team’s defense has struggled this season.

Matching up

UNT’s offense vs. ULM’s defense

UNT is coming off its best game of the season offensively in a 68-49 shootout win over Western Kentucky and leads the Sun Belt with an average of 197.9 rushing yards a game. Lance Dunbar leads the league in rushing with an average of 120.1 yards a game. The Mean Green has at least 34 points in three of its last four games and must continue its surge against a ULM defense that is allowing 30.6 points a game, a total that ranks fourth in the Sun Belt.

UNT’s defense vs. ULM’s offense

The Mean Green has struggled all season and enters today’s game ranked eighth in the Sun Belt with an average of 39.0 points allowed per game. UNT has forced just 11 turnovers and has allowed at least 30 points in all but one game this season. The Mean Green played perhaps its best quarter of football this year while shutting out Western Kentucky in the fourth period last week and must build on that performance in its game against ULM, which ranks third in the Sun Belt with an average of 27.1 points a game. The Warhawks are averaging 174.2 rushing yards a game and could have starting quarterback Trey Revell back this week after he missed two games with a broken thumb.

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