Dickey, UNT Face Uncharted Territory

MeanGreen61 · November 15, 2005

Football: Dickey, UNT face uncharted territory

08:47 AM CST on Tuesday, November 15, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

When North Texas walked back onto the practice field Monday, Darrell Dickey faced a new and unwelcome scenario.

UNT won at least a share of the last four Sun Belt Conference titles under Dickey, but was officially eliminated from the league title race after a loss to Florida Atlantic on Saturday.

Dickey now has two games left to try and develop young players while also allowing a few key seniors a chance to end their careers on a positive note.

“We have some young guys who have really come on and look like can be good players in the future, but we have some seniors who have accomplished great things in their careers,” Dickey said. “We think it’s important for them to finish on as positive a note as possible.”

Senior running back Patrick Cobbs extends his UNT career rushing record practically every time he touches the ball. Defensive back Ja’Mel Branch has been a solid player for four years and helped the Mean Green post a 26-game winning streak in Sun Belt play.

That steak ranked among the nation’s longest in conference play until Troy ended UNT’s run by winning a game at Fouts Field earlier this year.

The Mean Green haven’t won a game in front of their home fans this season and felt like they still had something to play for after their loss to FAU.

“I am not giving up,” UNT linebacker Phillip Graves. “We still have two games left. They are home games, and we have to show our fans that we are still a good Division I football team.”

The question is whether UNT can reach that goal while preparing for the future. The Mean Green are already playing a host of young players, including quarterback Daniel Meager and safety Steve Warren.

Both Meager and Warren have started multiple games in their freshman seasons. There are several other freshmen on UNT’s roster who have burned redshirt years, but have not played a significant number of plays

Defensive end/tight end Eddrick Gilmore was among UNT’s top-rated recruits last year and found his way into the Mean Green’s lineup as a deep snapper and backup defensive lineman. The last few weeks of the season could allow UNT’s coaches to get a better idea of how Gilmore and several other players might develop in the future.

There is also matter of the upcoming recruiting season. UNT could have a better idea of what its needs are after taking a longer look at some of its younger players.

Developing younger players isn’t exactly a new task for the Mean Green. UNT has spent a significant part of the season trying to bring players like Meager and Warren along.

“We have been playing a lot of young guys anyway,” Dickey said. “We have had some tough close losses. We have made some progress, but not near enough to win.”

UNT had high expectations coming into the season because of the return of Cobbs and Jamario Thomas, a pair of former national rushing champions. The Mean Green knew they would need a few players to develop to complement those players. UNT has yet to find the right combination.

“It’s been frustrating for all of the seniors that have been here,” senior kicker Nick Bazaldua said. “It hasn’t materialized like we all hoped.”

The question UNT faces now is how to take the first step toward rebuilding while finishing off with a flurry for a senior class that helped the Mean Green win four straight conference titles.

Health will be factor in QB rotation

UNT coach Darrell Dickey said Monday that he will continue to evaluate quarterbacks Daniel Meager and Matt Phillips in practice this week and has not determined how much either will play against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

Meager has started every game this year, but was knocked out of the Mean Green’s game against Florida Atlantic on Saturday with a concussion. Phillips came in for Meager and led UNT on three fourth quarter scoring drives.

Phillips threw for 138 yards in the final period, surpassing UNT’s previous season-high for passing of 129 yards set by Meager in a loss to Troy.

Briefly …

Running back Jamario Thomas is day-to-day with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the FAU game. The sophomore won the national rushing title with an average of 180.1 yards a game last year, but is averaging just 45.1 yards a game this season.

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

UNTFan23 · November 15, 2005

Have we played any of our 2nd and 3rd string players much? I'm only curious cause that is how you develop "young" players. Your starters at this point are veterans.

Michael Scott · November 15, 2005

I do not think 2, 3, and 4 win seasons are uncharted territory for the program - or for Dickey. I guess NT football began in October in 2001.

Oh wait, the schools that have been around only that long beat us.

untbowler · November 15, 2005

Have we played any of our 2nd and 3rd string players much? I'm only curious cause that is how you develop "young" players. Your starters at this point are veterans.
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That is an excellent question, why should we continue to play the Seniors the full game when we have a;ready burned RS and have some underclassmen waiting in the wings. I feel PC deserves to play the games but a few of the others should be riding pine.