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Football: Cox moves to help Mean Green at RB

UNT thin this spring at traditionally strong position

08:21 AM CST on Tuesday, February 28, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas didn’t need to look far this spring when it needed to find a little extra help at running back.

Deavin Cox

Not with Deavin Cox roaming the Mean Green’s defensive secondary.

Cox began his career at UNT as a cornerback after developing into a college prospect at running back during a standout career at Bishop Lynch. The Mean Green’s coaches decided to put Cox back at running back this spring when injuries and graduation left UNT thin at the key position.

So far the move appears to paying off for Cox, who has quickly made an impression at his new — and old — position.

“We need good running backs here and Deavin was a good running back in high school,” UNT assistant head coach Kenny Evans said. “We think he can be a good cornerback, but he was behind some people there. He had a lot of ability and we wanted to find a place to get him on the field.”

Running back seemed like the best fit for Cox, who filled a need for the Mean Green by moving back to offense. The 5-9, 195-pound junior rushed for 1,407 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior at Bishop Lynch.

UNT’s starting running back, junior Jamario Thomas, has battled injuries since last season and missed Monday’s practice with a sprained ankle he suffered during a scrimmage on Saturday.

Patrick Cobbs graduated after setting the school’s career rushing record last season and redshirt freshman Evan Robertson has also missed time during spring practice with an injury.

Those injuries and departures left the Mean Green short on running backs, the focal points of UNT’s offense.

UNT has had a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the last five years. Cobbs and Thomas won back-to-back national rushing titles in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Cox was happy to help fill the void.

“Playing running back at this level is more of a task than what it was in high school, but I definitely think I can contribute,” Cox said. “I don’t feel like I have gotten back into the groove yet. The passing game is something new for me, but running the ball is kind of like riding a bike. Once you know you can do it, it’s always there.”

UNT has found out in each of the last few seasons how important depth at running back can be in its system. In 2004, Thomas stepped in when Cobbs suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of the season and rushed for 1,801 yards.

When Thomas was injured and missed a game late that same year, James Mitchell filled in and rushed for 166 yards in the Mean Green’s regular season finale against Arkansas State.

With Cobbs gone, UNT is looking to add to its depth behind Thomas and Mitchell, the Mean Green’s starting fullback.

UNT missed out on signing a running back in its 2006 recruiting class and signed only Robertson in its 2005 class. The lack of young backs in those classes made it all the more important for UNT to find another player to move to running back on its current roster.

Mike Barela thinks the Mean Green might have found the right player in Cox. Barela, UNT’s director of football operations, is filling in as running backs coach while head coach Darrell Dickey looks for a replacement for Bruce Bell.

Bell retired in February after coaching the Mean Green’s running backs for the previous two seasons.

“Without question, he can help us,” Barela said of Cox. “He brings a little something to the table because he is physical and he is not a young guy.”

Cox is hoping his experience as a high school running back will pay off and help him make the transition back to a position he thrived in just a few years ago.

“I just want to help the team anyway I can, whether it be in a backup role or a starting role,” Cox said. “I am going to be here pushing, which is something we need.”

Briefly …

Linebacker Shawn Early will likely miss the rest of spring practice. The senior is still recovering from a major knee injury he suffered a year ago. Early returned to practice in the opening days of spring workouts, but has yet to fully recover and will concentrate on rehabilitating the knee.

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