1997 North Texas Mean Green football team

1997 North Texas Mean Green football
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	4-7 (3-2 Big West)
Head coach	Matt Simon (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Charlie Hall (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Fred Bleil (1st season)
Home stadium	Fouts Field (Capacity: 30,500)

1997 Big West Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Utah State +		4	–	1					6	–	6
Nevada +		4	–	1					5	–	6
Boise State		3	–	2					5	–	6
Idaho		2	–	3					5	–	6
North Texas		2	–	3					4	–	7
New Mexico State		0	–	5					2	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1997 North Texas Mean Green football team represented the University of North Texas in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Mean Green played their home games at the Fouts Field in Denton, Texas, and competed in the Big West Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Matt Simon. The team finished the regular season with a 4-7 overall record with a 2-3 mark in Big West play. Simon was fired at the conclusion of the season.

"Do you believe in the Mean Green?"

Despite a rough season in which North Texas failed to qualify for a bowl game, the 1997 team managed to pull of one of the signature wins in program history on the road over Texas Tech. The Mean Green led the Red Raiders 30-27 in the dying minutes at Jones Stadium in Lubbock. As a final desperation heave into the end zone was batted down incomplete by the North Texas secondary to secure the upset, play-by-play voice George Dunham exclaimed "Do you believe in the Mean Green?" The call became a rallying cry for Mean Green fans, and is still prominently used by the university to this day.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	at Vanderbilt*	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	L 12–29	38,281	[1]
September 6	at Oregon State*	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR	L 7–33	30,818
September 13	Indiana State*	Fouts Field Denton, TX	W 41–6
September 20	at Texas Tech*	Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX	W 30–27	43,620
September 27	vs. No. 22 Texas A&M*	Texas Stadium Irving, TX	L 10–36	42,224
October 4	at Idaho	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID	L 17–30	10,270
October 18	Boise State*	Fouts Field Denton, TX	L 14–17	15,047	[2]
October 25	at Nevada	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV	L 10–65	19,470
November 8	at New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	W 26–15
November 15	at Army*	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	L 14–25
November 22	Utah State	Fouts Field Denton, TX	W 51–48	6,750
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[3]

References

1. "Vanderbilt dumps North Texas". The Commercial Appeal. August 31, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "BSU capitalizes on miscues in 17-14 win". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). wire services. October 19, 1997. p. 5B.
3. "2017 North Texas Facts & Records" (PDF). North Texas Athletics Department.