DRC Grounded

[OldTimer]

Football: Grouned

UNT running game struggling after just two games

08:43 AM CDT on Thursday, September 22, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Just a few weeks ago, North Texas appeared poised to have one of the best running attacks in the country.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

North Texas running back Patrick Cobbs (43) is brought down by Tulsa cornerback Nick Graham (22) as linebackers Chris Chamberlain and Nelson Coleman give chase during UNT’s 54-2 loss on Saturday at Fouts Field.

UNT returned the last two national rushing champions in Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas, not to mention a pair of starters on its offensive line.

So far that experience has not paid off as expected. Cobbs has rushed for 100 yards in each of UNT’s first two games, but the Mean Green are averaging just 111 yards rushing an outing heading into a game at Kansas State on Saturday.

The total represents a significant drop from the 186.4 yards UNT averaged on the ground last year.

“I am very disappointed that we have not been able to run the ball better,” UNT coach Darrell Dickey said. “That is what we pride ourselves in and that has been the key to our success.”

In the past, UNT’s running game has been powered by a series of standout running backs, an experienced offensive line and an efficient passing attack that has made enough big plays to prevent defenses from stacking the line of scrimmage.

UNT has struggled to make that equation work this season, sending the Mean Green’s offense into an extended funk.

Cobbs scored on a 4-yard run in UNT’s season-opening win over Middle Tennessee for the Mean Green’s only offensive touchdown of the season.

Tulsa’s defense, which had allowed 200 yards rushing to both Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma and Laurence Maroney of Minnesota, shut down the Mean Green last week in a 54-2 shellacking.

“We have a lot of young guys who are playing,” Thomas said. “Once we get a few games under our belt, we will be better.”

Line struggles early on

Part of UNT’s struggles can be traced to its offensive line, which has struggled to develop the chemistry that has been a key to its success in previous seasons. The Mean Green’s base running plays employ zone blocking schemes instead of man-on-man strategies.

The zone scheme assigns linemen a section of the field and allows the Mean Green’s running backs to pick out the openings in opposing defenses.

UNT thrived with that scheme during the tenure of center Andy Brewster, a four-year starter who graduated last season. The Mean Green retuned senior guard Dylan Lineberry and junior tackle Joel Foster, but have struggled to return to form.

UNT’s opponents have posted 22 tackles for losses of 95 yards this season.

“A lot of our problem is that we have veterans and younger guys who are getting used to playing together,” Foster said. “It seems like it is always one guy here or there who is breaking down, but it is something we can fix.”

Gaining experience could be the key for the Mean Green. Redshirt freshman Chad Rose is in his first year as a starter at center, while sophomore tackle Jeremy Brown started four games of the 2004 season before mononucleosis limited him the rest of the year.

Senior guard Jason May started nine games in 2003, but sat out all of last season.

“We think that they are all talented young players, but for what we do offensively, they have to come together as a unit and know how to play with each other,” Dickey said. “It’s very important in our offense that there is a chemistry in that offensive line. It is coming together, but we are not anywhere close to where we need to be.”

Quarterback conundrum

During the last two seasons, UNT has complemented its running game with an effective passing attack.

Scott Hall threw for 1,732 yard and 1,818 yards in his final two seasons before graduating last year.

Redshirt freshman Daniel Meager was efficient while throwing for 122 yards against MTSU, but tossed a pair of interceptions and struggled against Tulsa.

UNT ranks last in the Sun Belt Conference with an average of 90.5 passing yards a game and has seen its opponents bring eight or nine defenders into the box to stop Cobbs and Thomas. The Mean Green have yet to consistently make defenses pay for concentrating on stopping their running game.

“Daniel will be the first to tell you that Saturday night wasn’t a great outing for him,” Dickey said. “He has to play better, but we are dealing with a guy who has played two college football games.”

Cobbs thriving, Thomas hurting

Even with UNT’s struggles offensively, Cobbs has been productive for the Mean Green.

The senior rushed for 103 yards against MTSU and added 100 in UNT’s loss to Tulsa while answering questions about his health. Cobbs missed the final 10 games of last season with a knee injury.

Thomas has had a much tougher time overcoming a pulled hamstring that has hampered him since the end of last season. The sophomore has just 71 yards on 17 carries.

“My hamstring has been bothering me a little bit,” Thomas said. “I will be able to help the team more when it gets better.”

UNT has relied on Cobbs to carry its offense with Thomas hobbling and Meager still learning the college game. Cobbs not only leads the team in rushing yards, he also ranks first with eight receptions for 29 yards.

Cobbs has had a hand in 232 of UNT’s 403 offensive yards when his 29 yards receiving are taken into account.

Dickey is hoping the Mean Green can find more balance, a process he believes must begin with an improved running game.

“If we can get our running game to where it needs to be, it will solve a lot of problems,” Dickey said. “But there are a lot of things that need to happen for us to get there.”

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

UNT running game

The following is a look at North Texas running game this season.

111 – Number of rushing yards UNT is averaging through two games this season. The Mean Green averaged 186.4 rushing yards a game last year.

11 – Average number of tackles for losses UNT is allowing through two games this year. UNT allowed an average of 5.75 tackles for losses per game last year.

35.5 – Number of rushing yards Jamario Thomas is averaging this year while struggling to overcome a hamstring injury. Thomas averaged 180.1 yards a game last year.

101.5 – Average number of rushing yards Patrick Cobbs has produced in two games this season while serving as one of the Mean Green’s lone consistent offensive threats.

90.5 – Average number of passing yards UNT is producing per game, a total that ranks last in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mean Green’s struggles to throw the ball have allowed opponents to stack the line of scrimmage to stop the run.