Brown Back In Lineup

MeanGreen61 · August 17, 2005

Football: Brown back in lineup

UNT offensive tackle on field after battling through illness

08:44 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 17, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

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North Texas offensive lineman Jeremy Brown (60) is looking to return to form after fighting through a case of mono last season.

Jeremy Brown seemed to be headed for a standout redshirt freshman season at North Texas last year when he felt a twinge in his throat.

Little did he know, it would be the beginning of a downhill slide.

Brown started the first four games of the 2004 season at offensive tackle before a sore throat developed into strep throat, which turned into mononucleosis. The illness forced Brown to miss three games and left him with plenty of motivation to capitalize on a second chance to develop into one of the top players in UNT’s offensive line this season.

“I have been looking forward to this,” Brown said Tuesday following the Mean Green’s only practice of the day. “I feel great and am stronger than I have ever been. I am better than I was last year for sure.”

An improved performance by Brown would be a boost to UNT’s offensive line that lost three starters after last season, including Weston Thaggard.

Thaggard started the last eight games of the 2004 season in place of Brown before deciding during the offseason to give up football.

Thaggard’s decision opened the door for Brown to move back into the starting lineup. The opportunity is one Brown appears to be taking advantage of with a solid performance in fall practice.

“It’s a matter of knocking the rust off,” UNT offensive line coach Harold Etheridge said. “It’s good to have a guy back who has been in there before and has played in a live game. He is young and has a lot of learning to do, but is making a lot of progress.”

UNT’s offensive line has claimed a place in college football history by clearing the way for Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas to win back-to-back NCAA rushing titles the last two years.

Brown helped Thomas rush for 247 yards in a loss to Colorado in the third week of last season. Thomas continued to roll throughout the rest of the year and finished with 1,801 rushing yards.

Brown was forced to watch Thomas rack up several of those yards from the sideline while trying to beat back his case of mono and return for the end of the season.

“It killed me to sit last year,” Brown said. “I am a competitive guy. Any time you have to sit, it’s hard. When it’s a sickness that you can’t control, it’s even worse.”

Brown returned for the last few games of the 2004 season, but was never completely healthy. Watching him play during the first few workouts of fall practice has convinced the rest of UNT’s linemen that he is on his way back.

“It’s good to get Jeremy back,” UNT center Chad Rose said. “He worked really hard in the offseason to get ready to play.”

Brown said the opportunity to block for both Cobbs and Thomas helped motivate him to get ready for fall practice.

He would like nothing more than to help the running backs extend their run of success and help one of his old high school teammates finish off his college career in style.

Cobbs was a senior at Tecumseh, Okla., High when Brown was a freshman defensive lineman. Cobbs is a senior at UNT this season.

Brown said he is looking forward to getting his first chance to block for Cobbs while reclaiming his place as one of the Mean Green’s top young players.

“I am knocking off the rust and getting right back in there,” Brown said. “It’s coming back real quick.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.