Photo courtesy of North Texas Media Relations UNT defensive end Brandon Kennedy will bring his Mean Green team into Tucson Saturday to take on Arizona. Kennedy is one of the top players in the Sun Belt Conference.

It has been a long-running joke in Denton, Texas, that the North Texas Mean Green is only the second-best team in town.

Who's the best, you ask?

In a town with a population around 86,000, many give that tag to the Denton Ryan High School Raiders. The 4A school is ranked No. 3 in the Texas polls at 2-1, is fresh off the 2001 4A Texas State Football Championship, and was state runner up in 2000.

It seems as though the Mean Green has something to shoot for.

In that time, North Texas, currently 1-3, has posted a 12-12 record since 2000 (5-7 in 2001 and 7-5 in 2000). However, the Mean Green has owned its conference in the past two years, going 11-1 and winning last season's Sun Belt Conference Championship.

But North Texas has struggled against non-conference opponents. Since 2000, the Mean Green are a combined 2-14 against teams outside of their conference.

That's the good news for the Wildcats this weekend, when NTU comes to town.

The bad news?

North Texas comes into Tucson with an overall defense that ranks in the top 20 in the nation and a pass defense that ranks in the top five.

That only seems fitting, coming from a school that produced one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history: Joe Greene.

Greene was the fourth player selected in the 1969 NFL Draft and got his nickname, "Mean" Joe Greene, for anchoring of the North Texas Mean Green defense from 1966-1968.

The 2002 North Texas team has its own version of "Mean" Joe Greene on this year's squad. Junior defensive tackle Brandon Kennedy leads the Mean Green defensive unit, starting in 18-consecutive games and earning all-conference recognition in his two previous seasons.

"(Kennedy) is as good as anyone that we will see this year," said Arizona head coach John Mackovic.

North Texas is also getting a lot of production out of sophomore defensive end Adrian Awasom, who leads the team with five sacks and two pass deflections in four games.

The same production isn't coming from the Mean Green's offense. Out of the 117 Division I-A schools, North Texas ranks dead last in total offense. The Mean Green is averaging only 195 total yards per game.

Another advantage for the Wildcats will be the presence of defensive graduate assistant Jeff Rodgers ÷ two years removed from a starting linebacker job at North Texas and an All-Big West award.

This week, Rodgers has had some extra responsibilities because of his ties with many of the North Texas players. Rodgers has been working closely with UA players on the opponent's personalities and the scouting report. That is usually a job that has been reserved for the defensive coordinator, Larry Mac Duff.

"Usually, we are trying to learn on Sunday and Monday about their personnel, but there are only three or four guys on the scouting report that I don't know," Rodgers said. "I could talk a little more about those guys."

Rodgers has also been able to give the Wildcats an inside look into the North Texas program.

"(North Texas) will come to a Pacific 10 Conference stadium and not be intimidated," said Rodgers. "They have played in front of 80,000 at Texas. They played at Oklahoma last season and they've played at Alabama. They definitely have experience."

On a personal level, Rodgers said it would be nice to beat his alma mater.

"It would be nice, but during the game it will be like any other," Rodgers said. "From the opening kickoff to the last horn they are the bad guys."