UNT Hoping To Rebound From Loss

MeanGreen61 · October 7, 2005

Football: UNT hoping to rebound from loss

Mean Green hold first full practice since Troy game

08:45 AM CDT on Friday, October 7, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

The first full-scale practice of the post-streak era went just how North Texas coach Darrell Dickey hoped it might Thursday afternoon.

Dickey didn’t see his players mope or slack off. What he detected was a determination to get better following a 13-10 loss to Troy on Tuesday.

The setback on national television ended the Mean Green’s 26-game Sun Belt Conference winning streak and put UNT’s run of four consecutive conference titles in jeopardy. UNT had not lost a Sun Belt game since falling to Louisiana-Monroe all the way back in the fifth week of the 2001 season.

“I feel very good about the attitude of this team and the improvement we are making,” Dickey said. “I really like what I am seeing.”

UNT will have a little extra time to try and bounce back from its loss to Troy before taking on Florida International. The Mean Green are off this weekend and will have a 10-day break before taking on the Golden Panthers in Miami.

The game will mark the beginning of a three-week road trip that will also include a pair of tough non-conference dates with Louisiana Tech (Oct. 22) and LSU (Oct. 29). The Mean Green were scheduled to take on the Tigers on Sept. 3 before the game was postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Thursday’s practice offered UNT’s players a chance to get over their loss to the Trojans and prepare for the road trip.

“It was good to get back out there,” UNT wide receiver Johnny Quinn said. “It’s all about a new week and a new game now. We had a good attitude today in practice.”

UNT is hoping that attitude will help the team quickly improve an offense that has struggled through the Mean Green’s first four games of the season. UNT is averaging just 8.2 points and 198.2 yards of offense an outing.

A game against FIU could offer the Mean Green a chance to get back on track. The Golden Panthers (1-3) rank last in the Sun Belt defensively with an average of 40.8 points allowed a game.

Dickey was not surprised by his players’ attitude in their first day preparing for a game against FIU, even though it came after a tough loss to the Trojans.

“I have watched these kids this year and our kids in the past,” Dickey said. “Our players do not get caught up in all the stuff that surrounds the program. They just focus on their job.”

Bazaldua named Draddy semifinalist

Kicker Nick Bazaldua has been named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, an honor given to one senior each season for excellence in academics and community leadership in addition to success on the field.

Schools are allowed to nominate one player for the award. Semifinalists are required to have a GPA of at least 3.0.

A committee of former college coaches and administrators will select 15 finalists on Oct. 27. The winner will be announced at a dinner on Dec. 6 in New York City.

Bazaldua was a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection and is also an All-America candidate and a Lou Groza Award watch list honoree.

Bazaldua was named first-team all-conference last season when he made 14 of 18 field goals and all but one of his 38 extra point attempts while scoring a career high 79 points.

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

UNTLifer · October 7, 2005

“I have watched these kids this year and our kids in the past,” Dickey said. “Our players do not get caught up in all the stuff that surrounds the program. They just focus on their job.”

Typical DD