DRC Holman lifts NT in 1st hald of year

[OldTimer]

Vito: Holman lifts UNT in first half of year

11:42 PM CDT on Saturday, October 14, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

All was quiet at Fouts Field on Saturday, and it wasn’t because North Texas was on the road.

The Mean Green were on a bye during what amounted to the halftime of their season. Six games down, six games to go.

UNT’s coaches and players took the weekend off to rest up, heal and get mentally ready for a series that could make or break their season and maybe even head coach Darrell Dickey’s nine-year tenure with the Mean Green.

At this point, UNT’s season could go either way.

At 2-4 overall with a 1-1 record in Sun Belt Conference play and a win over rival SMU in the bag, UNT still has a chance to make 2006 a bounce-back year following a 2-9 campaign. The Mean Green could also suffer another down year that could be tough to recover from for the entire program.

There were a few highs, a few lows and a surprise or two along the way. With that in mind, here are UNT’s halftime awards:

Team MVP

There hasn’t been a player more important to the Mean Green’s few highlights this season, or a player who has been more consistent, than linebacker Maurice Holman.

The junior leads UNT in just about every major defensive category, including tackles (47), sacks (two) and quarterback hurries (two).

Holman also made a key stop at the goal line against Florida International last week to help UNT hold on for one of its two wins this season.

The Mean Green’s defense was stellar against FIU and SMU and Holman played a key role in each game. He finished with 11 tackles in both games

Highlight

There is no question a win over SMU in the second week of the season was huge for UNT.

The Mean Green hadn’t played the Mustangs since 1992 and only had three wins in 31 games against their rivals to the south in the history of the series.

Sophomore quarterback Woody Wilson made sure the Mean Green added to that total with a solid all-around performance that earned him the starting job after Matt Phillips opened the year in the Mean Green’s lineup.

The win looks even better now that SMU bounced back to even its record at 3-3 entering a game Saturday against Marshall.

Lowlight

UNT was looking to get back on track in Sun Belt Conference play in its league opener against Middle Tennessee in the fifth game of the season when the Mean Green inexplicably fell flat.

UNT didn’t just lose for the first time in six games against the Blue Raiders, the Mean Green were blown out 35-0, the worst conference home loss in school history.

Mean Green coach Darrell Dickey didn’t mince words after the game. He said UNT was outplayed in every phase of the game. It’s hard to disagree.

Oddest and most thrilling moment

Of all the games UNT has played in the Dickey era, there might not have been one that was as flat out weird as the Mean Green’s 25-22 win over Florida International last week.

UNT kicker Denis Hopovac and FIU kicker Dustin Rivest each missed four field goals before Hopovac kicked the game winner from 34 yards out to end the game after an NCAA record tying seven overtimes.

The game made headlines in unexpected outlets all over the country, including in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

The game isn’t exactly the way UNT hoped to make national headlines this season, but the Mean Green still have a chance to break out in the second half of the season. It just doesn’t seem likely after a tough start with road games against Arkansas State, Troy, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe remaining.

Just remember, Dickey has done some of his best work at UNT with his back to the wall. He turned the Mean Green around in 2001 and somehow found a way to escape against FIU in what would have been a tough game to lose at home.

Any UNT fan that has been around the program for longer than a few weeks has heard Dickey talk about getting into the fourth quarter with a chance to win. Even after a tough first half of the season, the Mean Green have a chance to do just that and leave the memories of a mediocre first half behind.

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