Dickey Enters Key Point In Tenure

MeanGreen61 · September 29, 2006

Football: Dickey entering key point in tenure

UNT looking to get back on track in Sun Belt Conference play

11:09 PM CDT on Thursday, September 28, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas head coach Darrell Dickey was riding a wave of momentum with four straight Sun Belt Conference titles and a 25-game winning streak in league play before the 2005 season.

Those days seem like a distant memory a little more than a year later as the Mean Green prepares for their Sun Belt opener Saturday against Middle Tennessee -- a game that appears be a key point in Dickey’s nine-year tenure with the Mean Green.

For the first time in four years, Dickey will enter the conference season looking to get UNT back on track instead of defending its status as the league’s top team. The Mean Green have lost 12 of their last 14 games dating to last season, when their dominance of the Sun Belt ended.

“We are still working under very difficult circumstances, trying to survive, get into the league and be in contention at the end of the season,” Dickey said. “Four out of the last five years we have been, and we were close last year.”

UNT enters Sun Belt play at 1-3 after navigating the majority of a non-conference schedule that Dickey named as one of the main obstacles the Mean Green have to overcome to return to their glory days of a few years ago.

UNT faced defending national champion Texas and a pair of league champions in Tulsa (Conference USA) Akron (Mid-American Conference) on the road. UNT lost each of those games, but posted just its fourth win in its 32-game series with SMU.

UNT’s win over the Mustangs could prove to be a crown jewel in a successful year, if the Mean Green can make a run in an improved Sun Belt.

UNT was picked to finish fourth in the eight-team conference in the preseason coaches’ poll, despite returning 17 starters.

“The teams have gotten better,” UNT junior linebacker Brandon Monroe said. “It has gotten tougher to win conference games.”

UNT wasn’t far off last year, despite its 2-9 record. The Mean Green dropped five conference games by a touchdown or less last year while playing with what Dickey called one of his youngest and most inexperienced teams in his tenure.

The Mean Green appear to be in better shape this season, even though they have struggled at times. Junior college transfer Woody Wilson has taken over at quarterback and solidified a position that was a weakness a year ago.

Former national rushing champion Jamario Thomas showed signs of returning to his old form by rushing for 120 yards against Akron while UNT’s defense held SMU to six points in just its second game under new coordinator Fred Bleil.

Even with that improvement, reaching the level of success it enjoyed in the Sun Belt previously could be a challenge for UNT.

“Anybody can beat anybody now,” Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts said. “All the games are very competitive because each team has improved.”

The league’s improvement will make it tough for UNT to bounce back from a down season, but Dickey maintains he doesn’t feel any external pressure to turn the program around.

“I don’t see this year as being any more important than any other year,” Dickey said. “The pressure I feel comes from within myself because I want to do the best I can for the kids in this program.”

GreenN'walinsVet · September 29, 2006

How ironic, that the game that saved his NT coaching career 5 years ago, could be the game that ends his coaching career this year.

e-bone ver2.awesome · September 29, 2006

“We are still working under very difficult circumstances, trying to survive, get into the league and be in contention at the end of the season,” Dickey said.

Geez, cut it out with the "woe is me" crap. Every other week we get to hear about how difficult things are and how bad a situation this is, and it's getting old.

untbowler · September 29, 2006

I still do not buy the whole Brutal Non-Conference schedule crap. This is a dream OOC year, but oh wait even though Akron and Tulsa are no where close to the same team as last year, they were Champs. Do you really think being 4x Champ caused other coaches to think we were unbeatable? Noway, inf act they probably circled the game to be statement game. We seem to turtle in these games afraid to compete against Conference Champions. We should have finished OOC 3-2 no questions asked, now I wonder if SMU was a fluke and La. Tech will only expose the coaching staff even more.

GrandGreen · September 29, 2006

We are still working under very difficult circumstances, trying to survive, get into the league and be in contention at the end of the season,” Dickey said. “Four out of the last five years we have been, and we were close last year.”

Can't anyone put a muzzle on this guy. No wonder he can not be competitive recruiting against any team not rated in triple digits.

I also disagree that the leauge is getting better, NT has just got worse. How can it be better when there is not a team rated higher than 100. Imo the NT teams of 2002 and 2003 have been the class of the Belt so far, those teams were among the best of the so called mid-majors. The NT teams of 2001 and 2004 as well as the tri-champs of last year were bad teams relative to the rest of the football world.

the green rokemi · September 29, 2006

“We are still working under very difficult circumstances, trying to survive, get into the league and be in contention at the end of the season,” Dickey said. “Four out of the last five years we have been, and we were close last year.”

Compare that with my signature which was from DD before last season

Edited September 29, 2006 by the green rokemi

Spaceraider · September 29, 2006

Try this. This was the unofficial slogan of most MT fans last year in mccollum's final season:

http://people.delphiforums.com/spaceraider1/NO%20EXCUSES.gif

meangreanmick · September 29, 2006

In the past I have been very disappointed in DD comments about the school or fans. However, I have seen a different DD this season in his comments at the kickoff bbq and at the NT exes party in Austin before the UT game.

Might there be a little over-sensitivity on this one? I don't see anything negative about the school or fans, and its hard to argue with his comment. We have had to use the first several games to find a QB, figure out if we have a defense, work through numerous injuries, and play a few games in which we were simply outmanned (I am counting UT and Tulsa there). Everyone has injuries, but we don't yet have the depth to overcome that like some other schools already do - but we have to get there soon.

To me its one thing to say something negative about the school, fans, program etc. Its something completely different to say "its been difficult circumstances".

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 29, 2006

In the past I have been very disappointed in DD comments about the school or fans. However, I have seen a different DD this season in his comments at the kickoff bbq and at the NT exes party in Austin before the UT game.
Might there be a little over-sensitivity on this one? I don't see anything negative about the school or fans, and its hard to argue with his comment. We have had to use the first several games to find a QB, figure out if we have a defense, work through numerous injuries, and play a few games in which we were simply outmanned (I am counting UT and Tulsa there). Everyone has injuries, but we don't yet have the depth to overcome that like some other schools already do - but we have to get there soon.
To me its one thing to say something negative about the school, fans, program etc. Its something completely different to say "its been difficult circumstances".
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Maybe he changing his tune a little this year because he is finally figuring out that his teams should be a lot better than they are in the 9th season of his tenure.

On another note, granted we lost some close games last year in the sun belt, but a 2 - 9 season is not close to winning the conference as he wants people to believe in that article.

untbowler · September 29, 2006

We have had to use the first several games to find a QB, figure out if we have a defense, work through numerous injuries, and play a few games in which we were simply outmanned (I am counting UT and Tulsa there).
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Sowhat was thew Spring for then, he had all 3 QB's in Spring Ball, plus he should ahve already known what Meager and Phillips bring to the table. Someone needs to buy DD/RF a TV and VCR so they can actually watch game film from last year.

Also i refuse to admit that Tulsa is a better team than we are. UT we were outmanned but no other team should get that distinction.

LoveMG · September 29, 2006

How ironic, that the game that saved his NT coaching career 5 years ago, could be the game that ends his coaching career this year.
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Quoner · September 29, 2006

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WE DID IT GUYS!!!

It took 4 weeks and the SMU game almost threw us off track, but we created enough negativity and repetitive idiocy in our posts to bring LoveMG back! I miss him....

I'd say I told you so, but they deleted the post where I called this 3 weeks ago....

Keep on wallowing in what is bad - its extra fun. See you at the pep rally....

Got5onIt · September 29, 2006

WE DID IT GUYS!!!
It took 4 weeks and the SMU game almost threw us off track, but we created enough negativity and repetitive idiocy in our posts to bring LoveMG back! I miss him....
I'd say I told you so, but they deleted the post where I called this 3 weeks ago....
Keep on wallowing in what is bad - its extra fun. See you at the pep rally....
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The local girly man has added his wit, yet again! Glad to see you back Quoner.

Love the Hasselhoff avatar!

Edited September 29, 2006 by Got5onIt

Quoner · September 29, 2006

The local girly man has added his wit, yet again! Glad to see you back Quoner.
Love the Hasselhoff avatar!

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Thanks - and FWIW (thanks PMG) - I never left. Its just that most of my posts have, lets say, a very limited shelf life.

If I promised that it would never encourage me to be extra offensive, could I talk anyone into giving me a deleted post counter on my profile? Please?

MTSU is going down.....

UNTFan23 · September 29, 2006

The league’s improvement will make it tough for UNT to bounce back from a down season, but Dickey maintains he doesn’t feel any external pressure to turn the program around.
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So other then this "personal pressure" on himself to perform, what would make him feel like he must turn the program around? This just feels like he has no accountibility to the fans/alumni.

That's fine he doesn't feel pressure from the fans/alumni, but you have to wonder about how the President and Rick V might feel about having pressure put on them.

Sometimes this is where having such a small fan base hurts us. So few people really care that it almost seems like they're willing to put up with us and continue on with the status quo.

Edited September 29, 2006 by UNTFan23