Still Need Work After Scrimmage

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Football: Mean Green still need work after scrimmage

Dickey to choose starting QB early next week

09:19 AM CDT on Sunday, August 28, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Construction workers put the final touches on a new artificial surface at Fouts Field just in time for the Mean Green’s scrimmage Saturday morning.

The touchup project on the North Texas football team appears as if it could take a little longer to complete.

Running backs Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas both appeared to be in midseason form, putting them well ahead of Daniel Meager and Matt Phillips, the leading contenders to start at quarterback who both struggled at times on Saturday.

UNT head coach Darrell Dickey said he would chose a starting quarterback early next week after reviewing film of the scrimmage that featured the first- and second-team offenses facing scout teams.

UNT will open the season on Sept. 3 against LSU in Baton Rouge, La.

“It was a good scrimmage, but it was also a little sloppy,” Dickey said. “That’s to be expected because it’s the first time that the players are out there by themselves. You are signaling plays and defenses in, and they are having to deal with substitutions. Because of that, players are not usually as sharp.”

The Mean Green have spent much of fall practice trying to determine who will replace four-year starter Scott Hall at quarterback. Meager and Phillips, a pair of freshmen, have been locked in a battle for the starting job throughout fall practice.

Both had their ups and downs on Saturday.

Meager scored on a 7-yard run and also connected with fullback Keronna Henderson on a 20-yard pass. Phillips hit wide receiver Joel Nwigwe for a 17-yard completion.

Those plays were offset by a few mistakes and UNT’s struggles to move the ball at times.

“We are both young and are going to make mistakes, but we are also improving every day,” Phillips said. “We stuck to the basics today and are trying to fine tune those to make sure we have a good base to start with. We will get more in depth as the season goes along.”

Cobbs and Thomas appeared more than ready to help ease a new quarterback into the Mean Green’s lineup. The last two national rushing champions both made a series of big plays throughout the morning.

Cobbs returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown and appeared to be back to the form that helped him win the 2003 rushing title with an average of 152.7 yards a game. The senior missed the last 10 games of the 2004 season with a knee injury, opening the door for Thomas to win the Mean Green’s second straight national rushing championship with an average of 180.1 yards a game.

Thomas broke free for a 30-yard run during the scrimmage and was also impressive.

“I felt good out there today,” Cobbs said. “I feel like my timing is back. Everything is going good for me.”

While Cobbs’ performance was notable, the highlight of the day was the return of the Mean Green to Fouts Field to practice on a new Sportexe Omnigrass surface. The turf replaced an Astroturf surface that was much harder and had begun to show signs of wear.

“I liked it,” Cobbs said. “It is a lot better than the old stuff we played on.”

UNT installed the new surface late this summer after the school’s board of regents approved a $2.57 million loan for improvements in athletic facilities. A total of $665,000 was set aside from the loan to pay for the new turf.

Mean Green thrive academically

The UNT football team ranked among the elite programs in the Sun Belt Conference last year not only on the field, but also in the classroom.

A total of 24 UNT players earned a spot on the league’s academic honor roll for posting a GPA of 3.0-3.49 last season, the top total in the league. UNT also had nine players on the Commissioner’s List that includes athletes who posted a GPA of 3.50 or better. Only New Mexico State ranked higher than UNT with 12.

“For some of those people out there who don’t think that we are stressing academics in football, the information they are getting is incorrect,” Dickey said.

Agbottah waiting on NCAA paperwork

Freshman safety Kartay Agbottah missed Saturday’s scrimmage because he is still waiting for approval to play from the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Dickey said Agbottah has the required grades and test scores, which have been submitted to the NCAA.

UNT names captains

Five UNT veterans were selected to serve as team captains through a player vote late this week.

Running back Patrick Cobbs will serve as the offensive team captain, while defensive back Ja’Mel Branch and kicker Nick Bazaldua will serve in a similar capacity on defense and special teams, respectively.

UNT normally designates the player who receives the highest combination of votes for special teams captain and either offensive or defensive captain, as the fourth team captain.

UNT’s coaches decided to designate both wide receiver Johnny Quinn and linebacker Phillip Graves team captains after both received a high number of combined votes.

Briefly …

Tight end Charles Brown and defensive lineman T.J. Raymond were among the young players on the team who made an impression during Saturday’s scrimmage, Dickey said.