Analysis - North Texas vs. Miami OH Football In Frisco Classic

North Texas has a five-game winning streak and a home-field advantage against Miami (Ohio) in the first Frisco Football Classic held on 23 December in the north Dallas suburb of Frisco in Texas. The bowl match is a new one. It has been created after the regular season to assist in accommodating a match from every eligible team. The RedHawks and the Mean Green finished their regular campaigns with a tied record. North Texas has dominated the previously undefeated UTSA at home to become eligible for the bowl. Miami and North Texas will be playing against each other for the first time. The Mean Green rely on a rushing defense and attack while the RedHawks use the pass to their advantage. The defense of the Mean Green has been the vital difference in the winning streak. It has held rivals to an average of only about sixteen points per match.

In the first six matches, North Texas lost more than five consecutive matches. The defense leaked an average of thirty-four points per match. After the slow start, the team defeated UTSA, Florida International, UTEP, Southern Miss, and Rice in consecutive weeks. North Texas got a bowl-match invitation in five seasons under Littrell for the fourth time. This will be the team's twelfth bowl appearance all-time. North Texas will seek its third victory in a bowl and its first since in the past nine years. Miami went for four wins, and two losses in the Mid-American Conference play and was a field two-point conversion shy in a defeat at Kent State from getting a spot in the league championship match. The RedHawks are playing the postseason for the twelfth time in the program's history.

Miami has been eligible for the bowl for three of the past five seasons. But for a whole decade, it finished the regular season with the required rate only once. The offense of Miami has found its stride, more so through the air in the past three matches. Quarterback Brett Gabbert is spearheading an offensive attack that had racked up an average of more than 400 yards and nearly forty points per match in the previous month when he passed for nearly 15,00 yards and fourteen touchdowns. Over that entire stretch, the RedHawks went for a couple of wins and losses. The defeats came by a combined three points only. 

North Texas coach Seth Littrell said, "It's been great work. The kids understand that we have a great opportunity to play in Frisco against a good opponent in Miami (Ohio) and try to win a bowl game. That is something no one in this group has done, hoist a championship trophy over their heads and finish it off the right way." Miami coach Chuck Martin said, "Every time these kids have had a challenge, they've never backed down. Even more importantly with this group is that it's continued to build and get better every time they've gotten knocked down. They've never flinched, whether it be a game or whether it be a loss -- I like the resiliency of these kids."

Players to Look Out for in North Texas vs. Miami OH Football Match

DeAndre Torrey is the running back in North Texas. The Mean Green running game is what the team had to lean on to make the bowl match. The whole backfield is checking out, but this player is their workhorse. He is a senior and undersized for a running back. His production is amazing. He has gone for twelve touchdowns and more than 1,200 yards this season. Even though he is a small running back, he runs aggressively. He is not afraid of any contact and is great at shaking off any tacklers. Then, once any hole appears, he simply strikes. It is a very fun way to see the play.

Jack Sorenson is the wide receiver in Miami. He is one of the top receivers in all of the MAC. He leads the MAC in average yards per catch, touchdowns and receiving yards. Sorenson gets the top attention in the passing game from his team too. The next couple of wide receivers on their team cannot give equal production even when combined. His top match of the season came against Ohio. He had a couple of touchdowns, thirteen catches, and nearly three hundred yards. One thing that is vital to understand is how the team will try and utilize Jack Sorenson. He is an explosive threat and a big play in the receiving game. This is despite being listed at only around six feet. Because of his size, most of his value also comes from the slot. So, get your Belichick memes ready.

Kameron Butler is the defensive line in Miami. You have to provide some love to the defensive end of the ball. The team has a couple of pass rushers that require a long look in this game. Phelps should get credit as the leading sack leader of the team, but Butler is only a fraction behind him. Butler also has some forced fumbles, an interception, and nearly fifty total tackles. So, it has been a great year for him. Butler is only a Junior. So, this can be a preview of an insane senior season here. He is athletic from the defensive end position. He can create plays such as tipping quarterback throws to himself. Look out for the player to harass North Texas in the backfield the whole day.

North Texas vs. Miami OH Football Match Spread analysis

After some not-so-good defensive performances at the start of the year, the Mean Green has started playing up to their nickname in several previous matches. They have held rivals to only three hundred yards and fifteen points per match. But the top reason for the turnaround was the dominant running game. It finished third in the nation with more than two hundred rushing yards per match on nearly five yards per carry. The Mean Green passing game is less effective, with Austin Aune averaging seven yards per pass attempt and completing only fifty percent of his passes. The offense of Miami is the exact opposite. It has a mediocre ground game and a lethal aerial attack. The quarterback Brett Gabbert leads the path with more than two hundred and fifty passing yards per match. 

On defense, the strength of the RedHawks is in the defensive end rotation of Dominique Robinson, Ben Kimpler, Lonnie Phelps, and Kam Butler. They combined for forty-five tackles and twenty-five sacks for loss. That said, the team has a good offensive line among the top fifteen teams in the nation in both the power success rate and the sack rate. With those blocks of granite able to regulate the line of scrimmage, they should be able to control the front of Miami. The teams that can run the ball have a long history of performing well in bowl matches. North Texas should be able to churn out the yards against a defense of the RedHawks coming off a match where they surrendered more than three hundred yards on the ground.

Season Stats