Editor’s note: This is part nine of a 13-part series previewing each of Western Kentucky’s opponents for the 2022 football season. Part nine features a look at North Texas. Part 10 will preview Charlotte.

ARLINGTON, Texas – A change to the schedules across Conference USA will bring North Texas to Bowling Green for the first time since 2016.

The Mean Green parlayed a strong finish to the 2021 season into a good offseason, according to head coach Seth Littrell, and the program will be making the trip to Houchens-Smith Stadium to face Western Kentucky on Oct. 29. It will be the Hilltoppers’ homecoming game.

“Really excited about this group. The things they’ve done this offseason to prepare and continue to build our culture, our leadership and the way they’ve worked has been awesome to watch,” Littrell said at the C-USA Football Kickoff at Globe Life Field in Arlington. “I think our culture’s as good as it’s been in a long time – maybe since I’ve been here.”

WKU and North Texas haven’t played since Nov. 12, 2016, when the Hilltoppers came out on top 45-7 en route to a second straight C-USA title. The Hilltoppers have won the last four games in the series to tie it 4-4 entering this fall’s tilt – the final between the two programs before the Mean Green make the move to the American Athletic Conference next year.

The reason this fall’s game was added to the schedule was because of conference realignment. C-USA was forced to reshuffle the league schedule following the departure of Marshall, Southern Miss and Old Dominion for the Sun Belt Conference. WKU’s game against UAB the week before was also added in the changes, and the league this year is eliminating divisions and pitting the top two teams in league play against each other in the championship game.

The addition of North Texas also means WKU will face one of the hottest teams in the second half of the 2021 season.

The Mean Green won their opener against Northwestern State but dropped their next six contests. North Texas then rallied to win its final five games, including a 45-23 decision over then-No. 15 and eventual league champion UTSA to knock it from the ranks of the unbeatens and earn a berth in a bowl game for the fifth time in six seasons under Littrell. North Texas fell 27-14 to Miami-Ohio in the Frisco Football Classic. The six wins were the most for the program since going 9-4 in 2018 – its last winning season.

North Texas both scored and allowed 27.5 points per game last year – marks in the middle of the pack in C-USA.

The Mean Green have been high on the play of their defense early in fall camp, according to reports from Brett Vito, who covers North Texas for the Denton Record-Chronicle. North Texas was tasked with replacing its defensive front but returns senior linebacker KD Davis to highlight the unit. Davis recorded 121 tackles – the top mark in C-USA – with 13 for loss and five sacks last season, and also forced two fumbles, broke up a pass and had seven quarterback hurries. He tested the transfer portal in the offseason but elected to return.

“It means a lot (that he came back), obviously. For the obvious, he’s one of our best players, but more importantly, our relationship and the relationships built around the team – those are huge,” Littrell said. “KD called me. He’s been here a long time, he’s made a lot of great plays for us and he earned the right to be able to being here that long and putting in the work. Four or five years is a long time at one place, let’s face it. That’s any program. He earned that right to be able to make sure this was exactly what was in his best interest for his future.”

North Texas had the best rushing offense in C-USA and fifth-best nationally at 233.5 yards per game last year. They return four starters along the offensive line but no longer have DeAndre Torrey, who accumulated 1,215 yards and 13 scores on 248 attempts in 2021. North Texas does return Ikaika Ragsdale, Ayo Adeyi and Isaiah Johnson, who combined for 1,389 yards and 16 touchdowns on 266 carries, as well as Oscar Adaway III, who missed last season with an ACL injury after rushing 99 times for 572 yards and three touchdowns in 2020.

The Mean Green announced coming out of the spring that Austin Aune would be the team’s starting quarterback, after throwing for 1,991 yards and nine touchdowns last year on 151-of-295 passing with nine interceptions, but he’s been pushed early in camp by Grant Gunnell – who spent last year at Memphis and the two seasons prior at Arizona – according to Vito.

The Oct. 29 game is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Stadium.{&end}