DENTON, Texas — DENTON, Texas (AP) — The last time North Texas was undefeated this deep into a season, the team was still known as the Eagles and it was nearly a decade before “Mean” Joe Greene would be the school’s only consensus All-American.That was 1959, when running back and future AFL star Abner Haynes helped the Eagles to a 5-0 start. Now with a redshirt freshman quarterback who never started a varsity game in high school, a roster with 50 transfers and a defense whose turnover celebration honors former player and wrestling star “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the Mean Green (5-0, 1-0 American) are about to play one of the most-hyped games in school history. North Texas, coming off an open date, hosts 24th-ranked South Florida (4-1, 1-0) on Friday night in a nationally televised game. The Bulls began this season with consecutive wins over Top 25 teams.“I told the kids this week, we’ve earned the right for us to be able to be on this stage and do this,” Mean Green coach Eric Morris said. “Just like anything in life, you’ve got to seize opportunities when they’re there.”But as for the potential playoff implications, and which Group of Five team could be in the mix for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff in two months, Morris said, “I mentioned that zero to our team.”Drew Mestemaker was a walk-on last season with the Mean Green, and wen …
