DENTON, Texas — On Saturday, North Texas made the decision to terminate the contract of their defensive coordinator, Matt Caponi, following a disappointing game that saw the Mean Green surrender 681 total yards in a 48-27 defeat at the hands of UTSA. This marked their fourth consecutive loss.
During this stretch, the team’s defense struggled significantly, with four opponents managing to produce a rusher who gained over 150 yards against them. Caponi was serving in his second year in the coordinator role, and in the wake of his dismissal, Brian Odom, the linebacker coach, will step in as the interim defensive coordinator for the remainder of the season.
The Mean Green currently hold a 5-5 record and are in urgent need of securing a victory in at least one of their final two games to qualify for a bowl game. Over the course of their losing streak, they have given up an alarming total of 159 points, with an average of nearly 40 points allowed per game, which includes a recent home game where they were narrowly defeated 14-3 by the undefeated No. 16 Army.
“We believe a change on defense is needed at this point to help the team make a strong push toward earning a bowl game berth,” stated Eric Morris, the head coach of UNT, who is in his second year with the program.
Offensively, North Texas stands out as one of the strongest teams in the American Athletic Conference, boasting an average of 35.6 points and 498.4 total yards per game. However, the defense has emerged as a significant liability, ranking last in the league by allowing an average of 458.1 yards and 35.7 points per game, placing them 12th out of 14 teams prior to Saturday’s contests.
The Mean Green will be closing their home schedule against East Carolina next Saturday, followed by a game at Temple on November 30.
Odom joins North Texas after spending two years at Southern Cal, where he served as associate head coach for defense and played a pivotal role as inside linebacker coach. He also has experience as an interim defensive coordinator at both Oklahoma and USC.