Football Players,Coaches shake off tough loss

MeanGreen61 · September 22, 2005

Football players, coaches shake off tough loss

Rian Johnson

Staff Writer

September 22, 2005

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Receiver Johnny Quinn said the loss will help the team prepare for upcoming games.

It is an annual event. The Mean Green gets thumped in a non-conference game, then goes on to succeed in its conference.

Last year, NT opened its season with a 65-0 loss against Texas. The year before that, the Mean Green suffered a 37-3 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma. Three years ago, NT had two non-conference losses by 26 points. Yet all three years, the Mean Green finished the season atop the Sun Belt conference.

How does NT manage to overcome the loss to Tulsa?

“First of all, they realize the things we did throughout the course of the game that led to a lopsided score,” Head Coach Darrell Dickey said. “Second of all, they block out all of the things they are hearing around them.”

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Mean Green running back Jamario Thomas at Saturday’s 54-2 loss against Tulsa.

It didn’t take the Mean Green long to begin tackling the issue. The morning after its 54-2 loss to Tulsa, a number of NT players arrived at the athletics center at their own will.

“They were looking at film, wanting to know how they can get better,” Dickey said.

Many of the players took Saturday night personal. The loss came in front of one of the largest crowds to ever attend a game at Fouts Field.

“A score of 54-2 is tough, but the fact that it was our first home game,” NT junior wide receiver Johnny Quinn said. “We had a great turnout … it’s disappointing we played like that in front of our fans.”

Quinn said the loss brought NT down a notch after winning its season opener against Middle Tennessee.

“It’s a reality check,” Quinn said. “That was the first time for me to be 1-0. They beat us in all three phases; offense, defense and special teams.”

Dickey said one reason for such a large defeat could stem from the team’s performance against Middle Tennessee in week one. That matchup had been designated the key game to determine the Sun Belt champion this year.

“I don’t think we handled the big win real well,” Dickey said. “We came back and maybe thought we were a little better than we were.”

Dickey said the win did not create a situation where the Mean Green thought it was superior to Tulsa. Rather, the players may have been a little more relaxed than they needed to be.

“I don’t think we were as focused and intense as we need to be on game day,” Dickey said. “How you prepare each week, how you remain focused and how intense you play is as critical as anything else there is in trying to win a game.”

Quinn said there is no doubt Saturday’s loss will help the team prepare for upcoming games.

“As far as preparation, with a score like that, it just keeps us focused throughout practice to know we have a lot of work to do, to be where we want to be.”

Dickey said the Mean Green has a long way to go before it is at a level it needs to be at, but the team is capable of reaching that level.

“There is a lot of room for improvement,” Dickey said. “But there is a lot of potential for us to get a lot better. As long as our guys stay hungry, focused and want to keep working at it, then we will have a chance to develop this team as the season goes on.”