Radio: KWRD-FM 100.7; KNTU-FM 88.1

TV: None

Line: ULM by 1

The stakes for North Texas at Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday include a possible .500 mark in league play for the first time in seven years, an undefeated conference road mark and strong finish, momentum entering next week's Fouts Field finale against Kansas State and continued viability of interim coach Mike Canales staying on the job.

That's a full plate, but one UNT is playing well enough these days to clean off. It won't be easy with ULM looking to move a step closer towards bowl eligibility. With stakes high on both sides, Rivals.com writers who cover both teams traded questions this week in search of answers.

Q&A with Dusty Thibodeaux, WarhawkReport.com publisher:

TMGR: You can see lots of similar numbers in the Sun Belt Conference for these two teams. UNT and ULM both rank in the top three in time of possession, top four in total defense and top four in rushing defense. Those last two are a little surprising. What are we in for on Saturday?

Warhawk Report: The way things are looking, the Mean Green will be able to pass on the Warhawk's young secondary, but Dunbar's ability to run will be tested. With that said though, this is the same defense that has allowed other SBC backs Alfred Morris (FAU) and Bobby Rainey (WKU) to go over the 100 yard mark.

Offensively I see the Warhawks continuing what they've always done, spread the field and throw the ball, with the run coming later.

TMGR: What are the early returns on the Todd Berry tenure at ULM? It didn't go well for him at Army a few years back, but he seems be a well-respected guy around college coaching anyway.

Warhawk Report: Berry was definitely not a fan favorite when announced as the new Warhawk head coach. After his first appearances over the summer and throughout the season though, his popularity is soaring. He's doing all of the right things on the field and off the field, but more importantly he's doing what he says. Berry has earned the respect of the fans, the team, and the administration, and I think it will only grow more when he's able to put together a championship and bowl bound team.

TMGR: So far, how is freshman quarterback Kolton Browning working out? What's the back story on how he became the Warhawks' starter, and what's his potential? What can receivers Luther Ambrose and Tavarese Maye do to UNT if allowed?

Warhawk Report: Browning has been the major offensive surprise this season for ULM. He was slow out of the gates, as evident by the first quarter against Arkansas. Since that time he's rattled off seven straight games with 200+ yard passing performances and has stepped up to not only become a seasoned quarterback, but has taken on a leadership role amongst his teammates.

As for Ambrose, his speed is always a threat, but his lack of horizontal speed has really limited his effectiveness on the field. There's no doubt though that he still has a kick return score still in him this season. Maye has become a good receiver this season and without good coverage on him, he'll make big plays as seen all season for the Warhawks.

TMGR: Defensively, you see a lot of playmakers for ULM. Ken Dorsey, Cameron Blakes and Jordan Landry have a combined 11 1/2 sacks. Dorsey has 13 tackles for losses. Talk about them.

Warhawk Report: A year ago Dorsey was still not cleared to play after returning from a broken leg in the 2007 season opener. Fast forward a year and he's become the top lineman for the 3-3-5 scheme at ULM. His play up front is complemented by the threat of Blakes from the LB position, forcing teams to pick who to block, while the other makes big plays.

TMGR: It appears Berry is the lowest-paid coach in the Sun Belt, and ULM has either the lowest or second-lowest athletic budget in the league. Can you talk about the fiscal disadvantages ULM and ULL face when it comes to competing, given the state of Louisiana's problems funding colleges that don't bring in the sports revenue of an LSU? We already saw what happened at New Orleans.

Warhawk Report: No doubt that it's tough. Last week while at the LSU game, they [LSU] were awarded a check from Exxon-Mobil for $9.9 million dollars. With things like that, it's definitely difficult to compete on a level playing field. As for the budget cuts, they are tough, but it just makes the university and athletic programs lean on the community more for support. The key is whether communities realize that the Maroon and Gold of ULM equals greenbacks and jobs for them, or if it's more important to support purple and gold.

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Warhawk Report: As the dust starts settles from Todd Dodge being let go a few weeks back, what has been the reaction from UNT fans on his departure and the state of the program?

TMGR: Public opinion has a lot of ebb and flow to it. Without knowing where the line really falls, there's a split on whether UNT should give interim coach Mike Canales the job or hire another experienced coordinator or former head coach who's out of the business. The flavors of the week have been many: Mike Leach, Jeff Bower, Dennis Franchione, Jim Leavitt, among others. Brent Venables (Oklahoma), Dana Holgorsen (Oklahoama State), Mark Stoops (Florida State), Tyrone Nix (Ole Miss), Kevin Wilson (OU) and others among the coordinator ranks are appealing names to many, but it's uncertain if any of the aforementioned have shown direct or intermediary interest in the job -- with the exception of Franchione.

A former assistant of his at TCU and Alabama was poking around UNT last month, likely on a "scouting" mission. As for Canales, he's 2-1 after replacing Dodge, and a win at ULM could go far in moving him up higher. No one wants change when things are going well, but UNT has contracted a firm to run or help with the coaching search. That factor alone wouldn't seem in Canales' favor.

As for Dodge, his son Riley remains at quarterback, but he has transitioned from head coach to fan in the stands. It's fairly remarkable how he and UNT parted ways, given these things can get quite ugly. There's no arguing his tenure went badly from a won-loss perspective, but everyone I've spoken to wishes it had worked out because of the person he seemed to be with players, fans, co-workers, adminstrators, staff, etc.

Dodge wasn't perfect; he could be pretty stubborn, and college head-coaching didn't work out for him for a hundred different reasons, some self-inflicted. All involved knew it was time for a change, a new approach, maybe fresh eyes. Several team parents penned a letter of appreciation to Dodge that ran in the Fort Worth paper this week. It wasn't to protest his firing or anything like that, but to just say thanks. I guess that says something about the man.

Warhawk Report: Lance Dunbar is one of the most explosive players in the conference. Beyond his solid running attack, who should fans watch for from the Mean Green?

TMGR: That's an understatement on Dunbar. If UNT can get its second running back, Brandin Byrd, some productive carries, the ground game is a potential two-headed snake. If not, then Dunbar has shown he can handle any given load, even in the 30-35 carry range. If ULM has a run defense, this is the week to prove it. UNT's veteran offensive line has had injuries, and younger guys like Coleman Feeley, Aaron Fortenberry and Ayodele Adedipe have gained a ton of experience this season. It's paying off, and Dunbar is seeing the holes and lanes. The offense has really settled down with Riley Dodge back despite a casted non-throwing wrist, and with speedy receiver Tyler Stradford having more impact. Wideouts Darius Carey, Jamaal Jackson and Alex Lott, when on, are brutal to cover.

Dunbar's running sets the table, and a higher-percentage passing game is filling in with big plays. By the way, if this is a close game, true freshman kicker Zach Olen has found some serious traction, physically and mentally. He nailed a 53-yarder into the wind at Middle Tennessee, and UNT likes its chances with him in a close one even after he didn't come out of fall camp as the starter. Ira Smith and Brelan Chancellor, a true freshman, bear watching on kickoff returns.

Warhawk Report: Who are the defensive standouts for the Mean Green?

TMGR: Linebackers Craig Robertson, Brad Graham and Zach Orr, safeties John Shorter and Smith, and defensive end Brandon Akpunku are currently UNT's best playmakers. UNT's defense can be infuriating and perplexing to watch. It gives up at least one big-play score every game (or almost), then its digs in and comes up with an inspirational stop to either win games or keep UNT in them late. Dumb penalties seem to have decreased as the season winds down, but you never know when they'll send defensive coordinator Gary DeLoach on a red-faced, curse-filled tirade. Mostly, I think they're finally getting it, albeit very late.

Warhawk Report: North Texas has been in recent rumors about conference realignments, what are the feelings from fans and the administration on this?

TMGR: It seems many or most UNT fans fear some kind of slow death of the Western Athletic Conference and would rather stay in the Sun Belt until something else comes along. Consultant Chuck Neinas told UNT this and advised the athletic department to stay put and build the program to where it can eventually out-spend and dominate the Sun Belt in as many sports as possible, but primarily football and hoops. UNT will then, ostensibly, be more appealing to a Conference USA, etc., when or if those leagues come looking to fill a spot in the trickle-down of realignment.

Sound advice, but the WAC isn't dead yet, despite the possibility of Hawaii leaving for the Mountain West Conference. Is it on par or below the Sun Belt right now? I honestly don't know, and there's a faction inside and outside UNT athletics that believes sitting still isn't the solution when the WAC is so doggedly pursuant of UNT. The school would pick up four regional opponents (La. Tech, NMSU, Texas State and Texas-San Antonio) in, I believe, 2013 if it chose to make the move. Texas State and UTSA will be way down for years, but so were FIU and FAU at one time. Western Kentucky is, well, pathetic in football now. Those who say WAC commish Karl Benson can't or won't figure out a way to make that league more appealing from a TV/bowl/revenue/other standpoint than the Sun Belt are either in denial or don't know Benson's survivalist history in college athletics.

Yes, the WAC is losing teams, but if Utah State, Hawaii (if a WAC counter-offer keeps them), Idaho or La. Tech are poised to be the big dogs in that league, are Troy, MTSU or (someday) FIU truly significantly superior? I guess I don't see it. What's talking here for many nays is old-school Southland Conference pride from UNT's Division I-AA years. Joining up with UTSA and Texas State is just too much to stomach, and if that's the case institutionally, I can't argue with that.

Warhawk Report: UNT was the dominant team in the Sun Belt Conference for the first few years. What has happened to cause them to fall from their prime?

TMGR: It takes a book to sum it up. After some losing years, Darrell Dickey's run-first teams put UNT at the top of the Sun Belt for four years, and then it all came undone. Dickey's diabetes and overall health deteriorated during the late stages of the UNT's conference run, and I think it had a legitimate effect on him being able to keep the program on top. I don't know why, but Dickey's recruiting really fell off, and he took chances on players (grades, character, talent evaluation) that didn't pan out either too often or at crucial positions. UNT's defenses sent several players to the NFL or other pro ranks, and replacing them was an uphill challenge. He also lost DeLoach for a short time to UCLA, which hurt.

After Jamario Thomas won an NCAA rushing title (yards per game) as a freshman, he was never the same after an injury his sophomore year. UNT's crazy-productive running game didn't keep pace the way Dickey's system needed it to. His relationship with UNT brass was also becoming increasingly acrimonious, and it's like any coach when the walls start to close in on his job. It all, well, goes to hell.

As for the Dodge years, that's pretty fresh on the peoples' memories. At the time, he was the local/regional/state hire UNT needed to generate a ton of interest, and he was what UNT could afford. From the standpoint of running a program, it was a lot of trial-and-error, and a number of his staff choices didn't work out. He sought to fix them, but instability at quarterback -- one incumbent starter basically snuck out of town over Christmas break -- injuries, poor play, too many heartbreaking defeats and a laundry list of other factors brought Dodge down.

The biggest factor in this rebuilding process that I can see is this: Texas has 10 FBS programs, and UNT has been scraping by at No. 10 for far too long when it comes to recruiting, funding, facilities, giving and whatever else. In good or bad times, it takes money -- sometimes spending it on a little faith -- to make a football program better than ordinary or mediocre. UNT opens a new stadium next season, and that's a long-overdue step in the right direction.