1996 North Texas Mean Green football team

The 1996 North Texas Mean Green football team represented the University of North Texas in the 1996 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 third-year head coach Matt Simon. The team finished the regular season with a 5–6 overall record with a 3–2 mark in Big West play.

1996 North Texas Mean Green football
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	5–6 (3–2 Big West)
Head coach	Matt Simon (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Fred Bleil (1st season)
Home stadium	Fouts Field
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Big West Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Nevada +		4	–	1					9	–	3
Utah State +		4	–	1					6	–	5
Idaho		3	–	2					6	–	5
North Texas		3	–	2					5	–	6
Boise State		1	–	4					2	–	10
New Mexico State		0	–	5					1	–	10
+ – Conference co-champions

The 1996 campaign marked the first time North Texas had been in a Division I-A conference since leaving the Missouri Valley Conference after the 1974 season. The Mean Green had competed as a Division I-A independent from 1975 to 1982, before dropping down to the Division I-AA Southland Conference from 1983 to 1994. North Texas spent the 1995 season as a transitional Division I-A member and competed as an independent.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	Illinois State*	Fouts Field Denton, TX	W 20–14
September 14	at No. 18 Arizona State*	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ	L 7–52	46,173
September 21	at Texas A&M*	Kyle Field College Station, TX	L 0–55	56,308
September 28	vs. Army*	Texas Stadium Irving, TX	L 10–27	20,413
October 5	at Northern Illinois*	Huskie Stadium DeKalb, IL	W 24–21	16,549
October 12	Vanderbilt*	Fouts Field Denton, TX	L 7–19	16,227	[1]
October 19	New Mexico State	Fouts Field Denton, TX	W 13–0
October 26	Nevada	Fouts Field Denton, TX	L 13–40
November 2	at Utah State	Romney Stadium Logan, UT	L 13–21	11,892
November 9	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium Boise, ID	W 30–27	18,119
November 16	Idaho	Fouts Field Denton, TX	W 24–17	7,000	[2]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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Roster

1996 North Texas Mean Green football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 38 James Allred So OL 67 Phil Armour So QB 18 Jason Attaway So RB 35 Starsky Banks Fr OL 72 Warren Barber Fr OL 70 Jayson Blaine Sr RB 20 Michael Boone So WR 83 Fred McKinney Fr RB 31 David Medina So QB 14 Jason Mills Jr OL 62 David Morgan Fr OL 65 Robert Waddle Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 60 Anthony Coleman Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 19 Toby Gowin Sr PK 11 Jeff Graham Sr	Head coach Matt Simon Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster