| North Texas Mean Green — No. 5 | |
| Running Back | Senior |
| Major: | |
| Date of birth: | |
| Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | Weight: 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb) |
| Career history | |
|---|---|
| High school: Haltom High School Haltom City, Texas |
|
College(s):
|
|
| Bowl games | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at ESPN.com | |
Lance Dunbar is an American football player for the University of North Texas Mean Green. He led the team in rushing yards during the 2009 and 2010 seasons and is one of the best running backs in North Texas history.
Contents |
Dunbar lived in New Orleans until 2005, when he was forced to move due to Hurricane Katrina. His family settled in Haltom City, Texas. In his junior and senior years of high school, he had over 2,200 combined rushing yards and was named first-team all-district both years.[1]
Dunbar then opted to attend the University of North Texas, as it was close to his home.[1]
Dunbar played in his first college football game on September 6, 2008, against Tulsa. He had 10 rushing attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown, and he also had three receptions for 25 yards. He played in five games that season, finishing with 178 rushing yards on 39 attempts, for a 4.6 average.[2]
In 2009, Dunbar played in all 12 of North Texas' games. He did not have more than 16 rushing attempts during the first four games. On October 10, against Louisiana-Lafayette, he had 32 carries and set career-highs with 187 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Against Florida Atlantic a week later, he ran for 238 yards, his highest total of the season, and scored three times.[3] Dunbar had 1,378 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns in 2009 and was the team's leading rusher.[4] North Texas had a record of 2-10.[3]
Dunbar was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt team in 2010.[5] He did not rush for over 141 yards in any of the first seven games that year. However, in the last five games, he rushed for over 200 yards three times.[6] During the final game of the season, against Kansas State, he set a career-high for rushing yards, with 270. He had 22 carries and averaged 12.3 yards per attempt that day. In addition, he scored three rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. North Texas lost that game and had a 3-9 record in 2010.[6]
Dunbar finished his junior year with 1,553 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.[7] He led North Texas in rushing yards for the second-straight season and also ranked sixth in the entire country.[8][9] Through 2010, he was second in his school's history in three statistical categories: career touchdowns, all-purpose yards, and 100 yard rushing games.[9]