Marble Falls’ Cyril Lemon, UNT team face off with Texas

JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF

DENTON — In 2011, only months before he was to graduate from Marble Falls High School, Cyril Lemon reluctantly took a recruiting trip to the University of North Texas.

That recruiting trip changed his life.

The next fall he was a member of the Mean Green football team.

Now, three years later, Lemon and his teammates are preparing for their season opener against the University of Texas in Austin on Aug. 30.

“I pass Darrell K. Texas Stadium every time I go home (to Marble Falls),” he said. “Pretty much, it’s a home game. That’s a great place to play. We’ll be focused on the task.”

Lemon’s decision to go to UNT seems to have paid off for both himself and the team. He has started all 37 games since his freshman season. The Mean Green capped their most successful season in a decade last year with a 36-14 win against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on New Year’s Day. They finished the season with a 9-4 overall record.

“It felt real good,” Lemon said. “It felt like when (the Mustangs) won our first bi-district championship in high school. To be a part of a bowl championship and win it, I hold it dear to my heart.”

UNT won five games in a row last season and matched its total number of wins from the previous two years. Its four losses were by a combined 17 points.

And yet Lemon said he and his teammates are not satisfied with what they’ve already accomplished. It’s why they’ve been training throughout the summer for the 2014 season.

“I feel good,” he said. “Our coaches give us work to push us and know when to back off.”

Nicknamed “the Rev” because of his willingness to share his faith, Lemon has received numerous awards from the Sun Belt Conference.

So what can fans expect from the contest against the Longhorns? For starters, the Mean Green will be arriving to the stadium with plenty of confidence.

“We’re a team that’s going to start fast,” Lemon said. “We’re a team that has fight. We’re a team that doesn’t back off easily. We’re trying to stay focused on what we’re doing and worry about how we play.”

He said he and his teammates haven’t forgotten the losing seasons of 2011 and 2012, which still serve as motivation for 2014. It drives them to put in the offseason work and make the most of spring drills and fall training camp, the lineman said.

Lemon plans on entering the NFL draft next semester but said his focus right now is on playing well in his final season for the Mean Green.

“We’re going to stay focused and play every down and every play to its fullest,” he said. “A lot of people don’t get to play this game. I’ll take every day as it comes.”

jfierro@thepicayune.com