Thurs. DRC NT offense looks anemic

[OldTimer]

I don't remember seeing this on the board today. My apology if it has been posted earlier.

Brett Vito: UNT offense continues to look anemic

08:11 AM CDT on Thursday, October 6, 2005

Brett Vito

There are times in sports when numbers lie, instances when they can be twisted and turned to fit any argument.

When it comes to evaluating the North Texas football team’s offense, this isn’t one of them.

Through four games UNT has been just plain bad. There is no other way to put it.

The Mean Green headed into a game against Troy on Tuesday ranked dead last in the country — No. 117 — in total offense with an average of 188 yards a game. Florida Atlantic and Florida International, a pair of provisional members in Division I-A, are off to a better start.

So too, by the way, is Buffalo, which came into the week ranked 116th nationally with an average of 239 yards a game.

Matters only got worse in a 13-10 loss to the Trojans that served as the definitive piece of evidence that the Mean Green have hit rock bottom offensively in a season when so much more was expected.

UNT finished with 229 yards against the Trojans, 80 of which came on a final desperation drive for a touchdown in a failed rally. That late surge came after the Mean Green made mistake after mistake that cost them the game and then some.

UNT came into the night with a 26-game Sun Belt Conference winning streak. The Mean Green left with questions about what is wrong with their offense, why a host of proven players aren’t performing up to expectations and whether a streak of seasons with a winning record is about to come to an end.

“It came down to turnovers and missed opportunities,” UNT coach Darrell Dickey said. “I’m disappointed we made a lot of mistakes that prevented us from scoring.”

UNT had the ball at the Troy 4-yard line in the second quarter and couldn’t get into the end zone, saw a ball skip off the hands of wide receiver Brock Stickler deep in Troy territory and watched its once powerful running game finish with an average of 3.2 yards a carry.

Take out UNT’s final drive and the Mean Green amassed just 149 yards.

UNT has long struggled offensively in non-conference games, and this year was no different. The Mean Green fell flat against Tulsa and Kansas State. What has been shocking is seeing UNT struggle against Sun Belt opponents.

UNT scored just seven points offensively in a 14-7 win over Middle Tennessee in the Mean Green’s season opener and then managed just 10 against Troy. Even that total is deceiving considering UNT’s second quarter field goal was set up by a Troy turnover that gave the Mean Green the ball at the Trojans’ 17-yard line.

UNT led the Sun Belt in scoring last season with an average of 25.8 points a game, a total that increased to 35.9 points a game in Sun Belt play. UNT is averaging 8.2 points a game overall and 12.0 in Sun Belt play this year.

“We had enough opportunities to score and win the game,” UNT offensive coordinator Ramon Flanigan said. “That’s what’s frustrating. We left points on the field.”

That is the last problem one expected the Mean Green to have this season considering the talent the team returned after last season.

Running backs Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas won the 2003 and 2004 national rushing titles, respectively. Junior Johnny Quinn continues to show week after week that he is among the best receivers in the Sun Belt.

So far that talent has not translated into a consistent performance.

Flanigan said the Mean Green’s coaching staff is still struggling to find a way to use Cobbs and Thomas effectively. Both thrived as feature backs, but have struggled sharing time this season.

Cobbs is averaging 73.2 rushing yards a game, while Thomas is posting 39.0 yards a game. Cobbs averaged 152.7 yards in 2003 while Thomas posted 180.1 yards a game last year.

“There is no question that the ability is there,” Flanigan said. “But we have one or two breakdowns per play. That’s tough to overcome.”

UNT’s coaches have talked about costly mistakes throughout the season, but have yet to find a way to eliminate them.

Time is running out to turn the corner.

After falling to Troy, UNT is 1-1 in the Sun Belt and will have to hope for a perfect run to the finish conference play and some help to challenge for the league title again. Both Troy (1-0) and Louisiana-Monroe (2-0) are unbeaten in SBC play.

The Mean Green’s run of three straight winning seasons also appears to be in jeopardy. At 1-3, UNT will need to win five of its last seven games to post a winning record. With a game at LSU looming and another tough road trip to Louisiana Tech coming up, there is no guarantee the Mean Green will be able to recover in time.

If UNT can’t rebound, it will have to look back and wonder what happened to an offense that so far has failed to capitalize on its potential.

“Our timing hasn’t come together yet,” Cobbs said. “We’re not clicking at the same time. We had a lot of chances to make some great plays. We’re close, but until we’re there, we’re just going to be close.”

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