DRC: Mean Green still searching for answers

OldTimer · September 26, 2005

Brett Vito: Mean Green still searching for answers

08:18 AM CDT on Monday, September 26, 2005

Brett Vito

A few weeks ago, it was easy to assume the status quo would continue at North Texas.

The Mean Green entered the season having won four straight Sun Belt Conference titles and had an unprecedented asset in running backs Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas, the last two national rushing champions.

Throw in highly regarded freshman quarterback Daniel Meager and a few other key returning starters and it seemed safe to assume that nothing much was going to change for the Mean Green.

After a rough first three weeks of the season, those assumptions seem precarious at best.

UNT is going to be in a dogfight for the Sun Belt title, a winning season and just about any other goal it set for this season.

The latest reminder came Saturday when the Mean Green suffered their second straight shellacking, a 54-7 loss to Kansas State at KSU Stadium.

The KSU game and the others before it have made it painfully clear that this team still has questions to answer heading into its game against Troy a week from Tuesday.

“We just have to go back, practice hard this week and get ready for our next game against Troy,” UNT safety Aaron Weathers said. “I have no doubt that we can come back and win this game. We have experience in this locker room. Everybody wants to get better every day.”

UNT will need to put that attitude into practice to fix a few key problems the Mean Green face this season, beginning with a once potent running game that now just seems passive.

It was easy to overlook in the avalanche of points the Mean Green gave up to the Wildcats, but for the third straight time this season UNT has not exactly mowed over an opponent with its running attack.

Patrick Cobbs became the Mean Green’s all-time leading rusher against the Wildcats, but he needed 12 carries to squeeze out 34 yards. Jamario Thomas picked up 62 yards, a deceiving number considering he accumulated his total in the fourth quarter after KSU coach Bill Snyder called off his troops. KSU controlled Cobbs up to that point and threw Thomas for a total of 3 yards in losses on four carries.

Three games into the season, UNT is averaging 103 yards rushing a game, well off last year’s average of 186.4.

That total this year can be attributed at least in part to the Mean Green’s offensive line, which is still struggling to come together. UNT never gave its running backs much room to run and also gave up a pair of sacks against KSU.

“We’ve got to run the ball to be successful around here,” UNT wide receiver Johnny Quinn said. “When we run the ball it opens up the pass and that’s something we haven’t done as well as we need to.”

Until then, UNT’s opponents are going to stack the line of scrimmage and dare Meager to beat them.

The former Richardson Pearce standout is capable of breaking through this season. His high school credentials are evidence of that, but the redshirt freshman has been thrown into the fire during his first season as a college quarterback.

UNT won’t ask Meager to win games, but the team’s coaches will demand that he learns to manage the game and become an efficient passer.

An 8-for-18 night that resulted in just 49 yards passing is evidence Meager still has a long way to go.

With Meager struggling and the Mean Green’s running game in slow motion, UNT’s defense has been stuck on the field for extended periods of time. The unit held up in a 14-7 season-opening win over Middle Tennessee, but has broken in the Mean Green’s last two games.

The latest example came against KSU. UNT allowed just three points in the first quarter before the Wildcats exploded for 51 the rest of the night.

Does UNT coach Darrell Dickey have the answers? He has in the past, but who knows if this year will be the same when Sun Belt play kicks back in against Troy.

If UNT’s game against KSU is any indication, Dickey certainly won’t be afraid to experiment to find the answers he is seeking. The Mean Green moved Brandon Monroe back into the starting lineup, this time at middle linebacker after he spent last year on the outside and the first two games of this season as a backup. Robert Harmon started at tight end against KSU.

By the end of the game, converted high school quarterback and true freshman Steve Warren was in at safety, Ajani Banks had played along the offensive line and freshman Dominique Green was in at cornerback. And those were just a few of the freshmen and other inexperienced players who saw action.

On a night when nothing much else went right, getting a chance to see if those players could be the answer to its questions was one of the few bright spots for UNT.

“We were still playing hard in the fourth quarter and got a lot of young guys in the game who we think can help us,” Dickey said. “We are still in the process of finding out who our best players are.”

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

September 26, 2005

On a night when nothing much else went right, getting a chance to see if those players could be the answer to its questions was one of the few bright spots for UNT.
“We were still playing hard in the fourth quarter and got a lot of young guys in the game who we think can help us,” Dickey said. “We are still in the process of finding out who our best players are.”

It's all one big scrimmage for him.

I don't see trying to find out you best players (IN THE THIRD GAME!) as a positive at all. I would like that to happen ... hmm... let's say... first game? Perhaps?

LoveMG · September 26, 2005

Does UNT coach Darrell Dickey have the answers? He has in the past, but who knows if this year will be the same when Sun Belt play kicks back in against Troy.
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?? sad when his onlys answer is the start Sunbelt play; 7-40 in OOC.

Note: Two of those OOC wins are over 1-AA.

His OOC wins: Baylor, TTech, Cincinnati, ULL (before we were in a league with them); Troy; Nicholls State; Samford.

Travis · September 26, 2005

They are still trying to find our best players?!?!?!

I thought that was what two a days, spring practice, last season, and everything else leading up to this season was for.

mad dog · September 26, 2005

Yeah... that's what every practice, every game, every poke and prod and carry and catch and throw all year long is for. It is a CONSTANT evaluation.

I think looking for your best guys is a perfectly legitimate goal given the outcomes of the past two games. When nothing's working, you try to find ways to improve. Re-evaluating talent is one of those ways. Imagine how hacked we'd be if he said he was satisfied with the talent on the field...

FirefightnRick · September 26, 2005

Am I alone in thinking that, if it takes so much to overcome losing 2 to 3 starters on offense, including getting to the third or fourth week of the season in order to get our running game going that, possibly there needs to be a change in our style of offense?

We will lose someone every year. Every Year!

How is it that W. Kentucky, Texas State, FIU, Army, NMSU and so many other offensive systems are able to get it on against larger programs in the beginning of the season and we can't. We have proved this offense is very difficult to learn and operate for 8 seasons now. And then, when it gets going, it's not all that great to begin with as evidence in 3 of the past 4 Bowl games.

We need a change. Go to a system that our level of talent can learn quickly and be affective in all season long.

Rick

Edited September 26, 2005 by FirefightnRick

September 26, 2005

Yeah... that's what every practice, every game, every poke and prod and carry and catch and throw all year long is for. It is a CONSTANT evaluation.
I think looking for your best guys is a perfectly legitimate goal given the outcomes of the past two games. When nothing's working, you try to find ways to improve. Re-evaluating talent is one of those ways. Imagine how hacked we'd be if he said he was satisfied with the talent on the field...
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Excuses.

Of course we all know evaluating the team is part of the game. It is like me drinking coffee every morning when I get to work. When a friend asks me what I did today, I don't say "I got coffee..." It is a given. Not even worth mentioning because it is an every day event. It certainly isn't a bright spot.

This quote makes it seems like he hasn't even found out who his best players are ... not that is he is re-evaluating them.

Edited September 26, 2005 by JohnDenver

Stan R · September 26, 2005

Am I alone in thinking that, if it takes so much to overcome losing 2 to 3 starters on offense, including at least us getting to the third or fourth week of the season in order to get our running game going that, possibly there needs to be a change in our style of offense?
We will lose someone every year. Every Year!
How is it that W. Kentucky, Texas State, FIU, Army, NMSU and so many other offensive systems are able to get it on against larger programs in the beginning of the season and we can't. We have proved this offense is very difficult to learn and operate for 8 seasons now. And then, when it gets going, it's not all that great to begin with as evidence in 3 of the past 4 Bowl games.
We need a change. Go to a system that our level of talent can learn quickly and be affective in all season long.
Rick
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Rick, is that you man? You seem rattled. If you're advocating a radical change like that you are advocating firing dickey and his entire staff, right? Just want to be clear. You'd have to be because hell will freeze over before Dickey will change any part of his gameplan. You know that as much as I do.

Cerebus · September 26, 2005

We will lose someone every year. Every Year!

Yes we do, and we are usually no where near this bad on offense every year. So what changed? DC's have figured out how to overload our zone run game. The gameplan needs to be adjusted.

Go to a system that our level of talent can learn quickly and be affective in all season long.

Effective against everyone and easy to learn, is that all your asking for?

Rick, if you figure that offense out, you are going to make alot of money.

mad dog · September 26, 2005

I hear what you are saying, but that is just an excuse. It wouldn't be a "bright spot" nor needing mention if it were an EVERY down thing. Of course you are always looking for you HOT players ... the ones that are having a good streak of games and need to be in the starting lineup. But you aren't still searching for your best players. You are evaluating your team. There is a difference.
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I think that, in usual situations, you're totally right. Usually, you go into your season with a full spring and august of practices and scrimmages under your belt, and you know who your guys are.

I think, in the first place, there wasn't much difference in talent at a lot of positions. We have 1 and 1A situations at quarterback, halfback, fullback, wide reciever, tight end, o-line, d-line, and linebacker.

Is Daniel Meager better than Matt Phillips. Is Patrick Cobbs better than Jamario Thomas? Is James Mitchell better than Keronna Henderson? Is Zach Muzzy better than Joel Nwigwe, Brandon Jackson, or Brock Stickler? Is Jason May better than Adam Venegas? Is Sky Pruitt better than Montey Stevenson? Is Eli Hutchinson better than Willie Ransom? Is Maurice Holman better than Brandon Monroe?

That's a lot of questions, and there's a lot more. Many of those questions are so tough that they are literally decided week to week, based on performance.

You can have an idea who is good, but, even through all that you may have seen, a given player might not have shown you enough to make a proper evaluation. Now, I'm not saying that's totally ok, as you'd obviously like to know everything about your players going into a season. Obviously the coaches will be the first to say that they made a mistake if there's a glaring issue in talent evaluation. But keep in mind that players also bear a responsibility to SHOW that talent. If they don't show it, you're going to have constant re-evaluations of players all year long to find someone who works.

Edited September 26, 2005 by illuvius32

FirefightnRick · September 26, 2005

Question:

What is a better description for our offensive philosphy? Currently, we set up the pass with the run. But it's more like we set up the pass with the run run?

Stupid idea I know, but as far as I can tell, Navy and Air Force are the only other teams that run as much as we do. Navy nearly beat Maryland the first week of the season amassing 343 yards and only throwing 12 times. But that's Paul Johnson's system. Johnson has never had an offense that didn't move the ball that I can remember. Air force beat Washington the first week of the season, but they had a record passing day against us last year. They can be very successful when they balance out.

Given this, both Air Force and Navy are much stronger and are more established with a broader range in recruiting than we have, and even they struggle with their systems.

We need to get out of the striaght on, power running game since it takes such a long time to reload each year with it.

Rick

Stan R · September 26, 2005

Rick I've agreed with this idea for some time now, and I was watching the Cowboys/49ers and I guess I'm just wondering why we aren't passing more to the tight ends?? Even as conservative as Bill Parcells is I think DD is even more conservative, to the point of ridiculousness. I know they seem to have a case of the dropsies but I don't care. The only way to improve that is with in-game experience. Same with the QB. If you're getting blown out by 55, does it really matter anyway if you're running your gameplan? Try some passing to the tight ends to get Meager some practice if you're considering OOC games scrimmages anyway!

mad dog · September 26, 2005

Excuses.
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::sigh::

I think we should ban this word. It is VERY misused.

I don't think anyone who says something that you categorize as an "excuse" is absolving anyone of blame. If you have taken it that way, then you are mistaken. If anyone on this board truly believes that the past two games were blame-free or just a complete fluke and that we are a really good football team, please speak up. I'd be shocked if anyone did.

You are totally correct in that there IS blame that needs to rest with the coaches, but typically not nearly as much as people want to heap onto them.

Of course we all know evaluating the team is part of the game. It is like me drinking coffee every morning when I get to work. When a friend asks me what I did today, I don't say "I got coffee..." It is a given. Not even worth mentioning because it is an every day event. It certainly isn't a bright spot.

I think that might be my point. If it is an every day event, it's necessarily always going on. But I don't think Coach Dickey said that talent evaluation was a bright spot, though. Brett Vito said that the young players getting playing time was a bright spot. All coach dickey said was that “We were still playing hard in the fourth quarter and got a lot of young guys in the game who we think can help us,” and “We are still in the process of finding out who our best players are.”

This quote makes it seems like he hasn't even found out who his best players are ... not that is he is re-evaluating them.

And, if you haven't found out who your best players are, what are you going to do?

Likely... re-evaluate talent to find out who the heck is going to play.

Edited September 26, 2005 by illuvius32

mgsteve · September 26, 2005

I think a better description of our offense this year is we use the run to set up the punt.

Stan R · September 26, 2005

I think a better description of our offense this year is we use the run to set up the punt.
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LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mad dog · September 26, 2005

I think a better description of our offense this year is we use the run to set up the punt.
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FirefightnRick · September 26, 2005

Cerebus

Effective against everyone and easy to learn, is that all your asking for?
Rick, if you figure that offense out, you are going to make alot of money.

LOL! Well, maybe that dream offense should be like what most successful Mid major and larger programs are running these days or a version similar to them. Texas Tech, Utah, Boise St, TCU, Marshall, etc. Anything in which, IF we do get behind, we still have a chance.

If you listened to the coaches show last Monday and the pregame this past saturday before K State, DD told us outright that we are not a team that can be as affective and do what we do best, if we get behind such as what happened in the Tulsa game. ?????????????? Isn't that going to happen now and then? Aren't we going to get behind? So if we get behind in an OOC game, I can turn the game off then, or head for the car and so can the rest of the team? TCU was down 30 something to 19 the other day in Provo, did you see them running the ball to set up for a field position punt in the 4th? It's mind boggling. What planet am I on?

And obviously some of the styles of offense like what Tech or TCU runs seems to be able to pick up fairly easy, or more easy than ours because I've never seen them produce less than 150 yards in a game, at least not to my memory but I could be wrong. Hell, Tech has had a different QB start for them every year yet they go out and put points on everyone. Even in losses, they produce yardage, move the chains and put up points. TCU too.

That's all I'm asking for. A change to what wins or what gives us the best chance for a win. Obviously what we have currently isn't working and 8 years has proven such.

Rick