UNT still trying to get offense on track

MeanGreen61 · October 13, 2005

Football: UNT still trying to get offense on track

Mean Green wants to unleash rushing attack

09:48 AM CDT on Thursday, October 13, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas offensive coordinator Ramon Flanigan entered the season with a simple plan — get the ball to running backs Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas in a position to be successful.

What he never guessed was how big a challenge that would be for the Mean Green.

Four games into the season both former national rushing champions are struggling and UNT has seen its scoring average plummet from 25.8 points per game a year ago to 8.2 points an outing this season. UNT’s coaches and players attribute that slide to a mix of inexperience and mistakes the Mean Green must quickly correct to turn their season around, beginning with a game at Florida International on Saturday.

“Our problems are from the top to the bottom,” Flanigan said. “We still have a young team that has not played a lot of games together. On offense you need chemistry and that only comes with time.”

Nowhere has that lack of chemistry been more evident than in UNT’s running game. Cobbs won the national rushing title with an average of 152.7 yards a game in 2003 before Thomas averaged 180.1 yards a game to take the 2004 title.

Cobbs and Thomas are struggling while sharing carries this year and are averaging 73.2 and 39.0 yards an outing, respectively.

“Our timing hasn’t come together yet,” Cobbs said. “We are close, but until we get there, we are just going to be close.”

UNT has yet to find a way to get both players into a groove.

“When you look at Patrick and Jamario in their good years, they got better as the game went on because they wore the defense down, saw the cuts over and over, got a feel for how certain plays were being blocked and where the cuts were,’ Flanigan said. “If you are only getting the ball 15 times a game, you may not get in that same groove.”

UNT has struggled to hang onto the ball long enough to get both backs rolling because of a series of mistakes.

UNT turned the ball over five times last week in a loss to Troy that ended the Mean Green’s 26‑game Sun Belt Conference winning streak. UNT’s receivers dropped five passes in a loss to Kansas State, while the Mean Green’s offensive line allowed 14 tackles for losses in a setback against Tulsa.

Dickey attributed those mistakes to a lack of experience at key positions and a few poor offensive play calls, not the Mean Green’s talent or approach.

UNT featured a pair of four‑year starters at quarterback and center in Scott Hall and Andy Brewster, respectively, last season. UNT replaced those players with redshirt freshmen — quarterback Daniel Meager and center Chad Rose — and has struggled to adapt.

“We are not consistent and a lot of that comes with having a mature quarterback and mature players,” UNT head coach Darrell Dickey said. “But our struggles are not all Daniel’s fault. He has made strides recently.”

UNT’s players said they can see those strides, even through they have not shown up on the field yet. The Mean Green rank No. 115 nationally or lower in scoring, total offense, passing yards and passing efficiency.

“We sit down after every game and see fewer and fewer mistakes,” UNT tackle Joel Foster said.

UNT’s players believe that reducing their mistakes will help get Cobbs and Thomas on track and the Mean Green’s offense rolling again.

“We have some talented kids who are doing what we ask them to,” Flanigan said. “It’s only a matter of time before Patrick or Jamario break through.”

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

FirefightnRick · October 13, 2005

We will never experience chemistry by rotating backs. One must stay in the entire game to run the ball in order to work in a rythem. I would make the other back a reciever for the remainder of this season and work him in that way. At least we are admitting that there has been some poor play calling. I can accept that. A highschool freshman can take the ball on 4th and inches and lean over the line to continue what could have possibly been the winning drive towards the end of the Troy game.

Rick

Edited October 13, 2005 by FirefightnRick