DRC Times have changed for NT, ASU

OldTimer · October 23, 2006

Times have changed for UNT, ASU

11:44 PM CDT on Sunday, October 22, 2006

Brett Vito/Staff Writer

When Arkansas State finally finished off North Texas on Saturday, it was almost like business as usual at Indian Stadium.

ASU had just won its homecoming game, picked up its fifth straight Sun Belt Conference win and moved one step closer to earning a second straight New Orleans Bowl bid.

The fact that win came in a 29-10 pounding of North Texas didn’t seem all that surprising. The Indians were supposed to win – and win big if you believe the odds that had ASU as double-digit favorites.

The crowd didn’t storm the field or seem overly excited.

It was just another Sun Belt game for the Indians. In the end, that might be the most discouraging aspect to yet another loss for UNT – its 14th in the last two seasons for those of you scoring at home.

It doesn’t mean all that much to beat the Mean Green any more to the rest of the teams in the Sun Belt. That’s a sign of how far UNT has fallen to so quickly.

Two years ago a win like the one ASU hung on the Mean Green would have had the Indians celebrating an upset.

ASU coach Steve Roberts was happy, no doubt.But it seemed almost like big deal. He even complimented UNT’s effort and intensity.

“You have to give North Texas a lot of credit,” Roberts said. “They came out, especially in the first half and played with a tremendous amount of emotion and played outstanding football.”

The only problem is that intensity and effort only got the Mean Green halfway home. UNT and ASU were tied at 10 at the break before the Indians broke the game open in the second half and pulled away for the win.

It was the second time this season UNT has been blown out in a Sun Belt game. Middle Tennessee drilled UNT 35-0 earlier in the year at Fouts Field, which might have made that loss even worse.

Those types of losses didn’t happen when Brandon Kennedy lurked in the middle of the Mean Green’s defense and UNT was rolling over the rest of the league.

Each loss in UNTs current slide saps just a little more of the momentum the Mean Green built in those seasons.

UNT went 2-9 last year, but it was the first time in a long time the Mean Green were not the best team in the Sun Belt.

That campaign was called everything from a blip to a bump in the road.

At this point, the side is looking more like a major pothole.

UNT lost for the fourth time in its last five games and sunk to 1-2 in league play. When the Mean Green were losing five Sun Belt games last season it was almost always a late touchdown or field goal that sunk UNT.

The Mean Green lost five games by 21 points combined in league play and still had some luster as the defending league champion.

UNT’s two losses in league play haven’t been nearly that close this season.

UNT’s players and coaches talked after the game about a host of mistakes that are still haunting them. A muffed punt here, an interception there, a missed blocking assignment or two that have prevented UNT from heading in the right direction.

Those mistakes came in a rapid wave Saturday and sunk UNT after it was even with ASU at halftime.

Those types of problems – especially with the season more than half gone – are ones the Mean Green didn’t used to have in the Sun Belt.

At this point in the year, the Mean Green were normally running like a fine-tuned machine.

The conference’s coaches picked UNT to finish fourth in the league, but several other publications predicted the Mean Green would be in the race for the conference title to the end of the season.

Those projections were based at least in part on the luster the program still had left after its run of success. Each loss and blowout since has tarnished UNT’s luster a little more.

At this point, UNT almost seems like just date on the calendar for teams in the Sun Belt.

That might be the toughest aspect of their slide to swallow for the Mean Green.

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