DMN :NT offense stalls (it stinks)

[OldTimer]

UNT offense stalls in Tulsa

QUOTE DD "THEY COACHED BETTER THAN WE DID"

12:11 AM CDT on Sunday, September 17, 2006

By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle

TULSA, Okla. – All the momentum North Texas built last week with a win over area rival SMU all but vanished into a hot and steamy Saturday night at Tulsa's Skelly Stadium.

UNT struggled to get going offensively and squandered a solid first-half performance by its defense as Tulsa raced away for a 28-3 win.

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UNT offense stalls in Tulsa

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The outcome was somewhat of a surprise for UNT, which came into the game with a load of momentum after beating SMU last week.

"Anytime you lose, it's disappointing," UNT coach Darrell Dickey said. "We expected to play much better. ... They played better than we did tonight. They coached better than we did."

Perhaps the most frustrating thing was the way UNT (1-2) played offensively after scoring 24 points against SMU. The Mean Green expected to build on that performance against Tulsa (2-1) behind quarterback Woody Wilson, who came off the bench to lead UNT to its win over the Mustangs.

Wilson made his first career start against Tulsa, while senior wide receiver Johnny Quinn played for the first time this season without a cast on his broken left hand.

Neither player provided UNT the spark it needed against Tulsa, which limited the Mean Green to 89 yards of offense.

Wilson completed 4-of-5 passes for 37 yards. Running back Jamario Thomas, who had 90 yards against SMU, had just 33 against the Golden Hurricane. Quinn had one catch for 5 yards.

"I can't say too much about what happened tonight other than we just have to get better as a team offensively, including myself," Wilson said.

UNT's defense provided the offense ample opportunity to take control in the first half. UNT defensive linemen Blake Burruss and Jeremiah Chapman intercepted passes, and the Mean Green held Tulsa scoreless until the final play before halftime.

UNT failed to take advantage when it only came away with a 23-yard field goal from Denis Hopovac in the second quarter that gave the Mean Green an early 3-0 lead.

"That was the difference," Thomas said. "Anytime our defense gives us chances like that, we expect to put the ball in the end zone."

Tulsa took the lead for good with a 13-play, 96-yard drive at the end of the first half that the Golden Hurricane capped with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Paul Smith to tight end Ted Curtis on fourth down on the last play of the half. Tulsa converted three fourth downs on the drive, including one on a penalty after UNT appeared to come up with a drive-killing play.

Redshirt freshman defensive back Korey Washington tipped the ball away from tight end Kyle Grooms, but sophomore linebacker Germaine Dawson was flagged for being offside, giving Tulsa a first down at UNT's 9-yard line.

DAVID CRENSHAW/AP

Tulsa running back pulls away from UNT defensive end Jeremiah Chapman. Chapman had an interception, and UNT held Tulsa to seven points in the first half. The Golden Hurricane took control from there, rattling off 28 unanswered points. Smith threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

The Mean Green never found a way to answer, despite several opportunities early.

"It was a very frustrating night for us, especially offensively," Dickey said. "We came out early, created some opportunities, took advantage of one of them and squandered a few others. ... From then on we couldn't get anything going."

Briefly: Sophomore quarterback Daniel Meager saw his first action of the season when he replaced Wilson. He threw for 25 yards on 2-of-6 passing with an interception. ... Freshman tight end Draylen Ross and sophomore linebacker Colt Mahan made the first starts of their careers. Mahan finished with a game-high 10 tackles. ... UNT has not scored an offensive touchdown in the first quarter of 15 straight games.

E-mail bvito@dentonrc.com

Edited September 17, 2006 by OldTimer