Dickey, UNT set for final home game

[NT80]

Mean Green looking for fourth win of season against Florida Atlantic

12:38 AM CST on Saturday, November 18, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas won a few big games, toppled records and set off multiple wild post-game celebrations at Fouts Field during nine seasons under head coach Darrell Dickey.

UNT stomped Baylor in 2003, Jamario Thomas rushed for a school-record 291 yards against Idaho in 2004 and fans tore down the goalposts after the Mean Green clinched the Sun Belt Conference title in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Memories from those good times will come flooding back for more than a few UNT coaches and players today, when the Mean Green face Florida Atlantic in their home finale that will also mark the end of an era. Dickey, the architect of UNT's four-year run as Sun Belt Conference champions from 2001-04, will make his final appearance at home with the Mean Green in the second-to-last game of the season.

Dickey was fired on Nov. 8 in the middle of his ninth season with the Mean Green. The longtime UNT coach has declined to reflect on what the game might be like for him personally and has focused instead on what his team has accomplished and still can achieve in the last two weeks of the season.

"Myself and my players are going to try to finish this season representing the University of North Texas the way we always have," Dickey said. "We are going to give the best effort we possibly can and focus all of our attention on putting together a wonderful performance on Saturdays. That's our goal."

UNT came as close as it has to that goal since a win over SMU in the second week of the season last week by beating Louisiana-Lafayette. The Mean Green didn't have their best offensive game of the year, but combined enough big plays with a solid defensive performance to pull out a 16-7 victory that came just days after Dickey was told he would not return next season.

The win broke a three-game slide that saw the Mean Green lose close games to Troy and Louisiana Tech.

"It's a compliment to the character of the players in this program and their maturity that we went down there and beat a team that was picked to win the conference and has veterans across the board," Dickey said. "It's as proud as I have been of a football team in a long time."

UNT's players are looking forward to trying to build on that win in what will be the last home game not only for Dickey, but for several seniors who helped create some of the memorable moments at Fouts in the Dickey era.

Johnny Quinn, UNT's all-time leader in receiving yards, linebacker Phillip Graves and offensive lineman Joel Foster are a few of several seniors who played during a 26-game conference winning streak that ranked among the nation's longest before coming to an end early last season.

"I am going to have a lot of family there," senior wide receiver Zach Muzzy said. "It will be emotional, but we will be focused and ready to play. We want to win not only for coach Dickey but also for ourselves. We want to go out on top."

Reaching that goal could be a challenge against an FAU team that always seems to find a way to beat the Mean Green.

The Owls stunned UNT in the second week of the 2004 season when Doug Parker scored on a 1-yard run with 29 seconds left to give FAU a 20-13 win. The Owls came back to beat the Mean Green last season when Nick Bazaldua's potential game-tying, 47-yard field goal bounced off the right upright with two seconds left in a 26-23 loss.

UNT's players attributed their struggles against FAU to the Owls' intensity.

"They play hard," Foster said. "Even if they make a mistake they come back and create opportunities for themselves. We are going to have to match their intensity."

Getting its offense on track wouldn't hurt the Mean Green's cause either.

UNT scored a season-high 31 points two weeks ago in a loss to Louisiana Tech and added 16 last week against UL-Lafayette, but still ranks No. 117 out of 119 teams nationally in total offense with an average of 231.1 yards a game.

The Mean Green's veterans are hoping they can improve on that total and rekindle some of the magic they created at Fouts Field earlier in their careers under Dickey.

"We are definitely looking forward to our last home game," Foster said. "It will be my last time at home and the last time for a lot of other guys. We want to leave with a good taste in our mouths."