DRC MG hope to end on high note at ULM

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Mean Green hopes to end on high note at ULM

12:28 AM CST on Saturday, November 25, 2006

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

Sky Pruitt knows from experience just how much is on the line for North Texas today, even though the circumstances seem to indicate otherwise.

UNT can’t win the Sun Belt Conference title like it did under head coach Darrell Dickey in each season from 2001-04. The Mean Green won't post a winning season or extend Dickey’s tenure at UNT, which fired its head coach on Nov. 8.

What UNT can do is send Dickey and 16 seniors out on a positive note. For Pruitt and the Mean Green, that is more than enough motivation.

“A win would leave us with a positive feeling,” Pruitt said. “Wins have been few and far between this season. The week after a win is always nice. Everything is easier and more fun if you are coming off a win. To finish the season and my career with a win would be great.”

Pruitt knows all too well what the alternative feels like.

“When I was in high school, we lost the state championship game, which is really easy to remember,” said Pruitt, a former standout at Lakeland High in Hayden Lake, Idaho. “That is the way I am looking at it. You always remember your last one. I want to make the most of it, and I know there are plenty of people out here who want to do the same.”

UNT appeared as if it might make 2006 a year to remember after upending rival SMU in the second week of the season, only to see the momentum from that victory dwindle during a slide that has the Mean Green sitting at 3-8 heading into its season finale.

UNT has endured a series of near misses during the slump, including a 17-16 loss last week against Florida Atlantic at Fouts Field.

Dickey said he has been proud of the way his team has handled a tough set of circumstances the last few weeks when the Mean Green’s losses have continued to mount after he was dismissed by the university.

Ending that slide could be a challenge today when UNT takes on a ULM team that has played perhaps its best two games of the season the last two weeks. The Warhawks hammered Florida International, 35-0, and nearly upset Kentucky last week, falling 42-40.

"Our guys played very well at times," ULM coach Charlie Weatherbie said of the Kentucky game. "When you have your running game going, you can do what you want to. That's the way it is in any offensive system. I am real excited about the way our offensive line played."

The Warhawks rushed for 351 yards against the Wildcats and had three players rush for at least 80 yards. Quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster rushed for 85 yards and Erroll Hogan added 82 yards.

"We will have our hands full with their offense," Dickey said. "They do a lot of things to try to confuse your defense."

UNT's defense has had little margin for error this season because of the way the Mean Green's offense has struggled throughout the year. UNT scored 31 points in a loss to Louisiana Tech three weeks ago, but finished with just 16 the last two weeks.

UNT had a chance to win its fourth game of the season against FAU last week, but committed four costly turnovers, including an interception returned 39 yards for a touchdown by Owls safety Kris Bartels.

Those turnovers spoiled a breakout performance from redshirt freshman running back Evan Robertson, who rushed for a career high 201 yards.

UNT is hoping to avoid a similar fate on a night when Dickey will complete his tenure with the Mean Green. Dickey led UNT on a 26-game conference winning streak and produced a pair of national rushing champions in Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas at UNT.

Wide receiver Zach Muzzy was one of several UNT players who said he wanted to send Dickey out on a positive note.

"It's about the kids more than anything else," Dickey said. "They get one chance to play for four years. It's been fun to coach the kids that will be the future of North Texas."

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

What’s at stake

UNT enters its game against Louisiana-Monroe looking to send head coach Darrell Dickey and 16 seniors out on a positive note. Dickey and the seniors were all a part of the Mean Green’s four-year run as Sun Belt Conference champions from 2001-04. UNT is already out of the Sun Belt race this season and Dickey was fired on Nov. 8. ULM is also out of the race for the conference title but can build on a late-season surge. The Warhawks beat Florida International and nearly knocked off Kentucky in the last two weeks.

Matching up

UNT offense vs. ULM defense

The Mean Green has floundered all season offensively and enters its game against the Warhawks today ranked seventh out of eight teams in the Sun Belt with an average of 240.8 yards a game. UNT scored just 16 points last week and committed four critical turnovers in a loss to Florida Atlantic. ULM ranks last in the Sun Belt in total defense with an average of 369.3 yards allowed a game The Warhawks gave up 42 points last week in a loss to Kentucky, but should have the edge on UNT.

Advantage: ULM

ULM offense vs. UNT defense

UNT has played some of its best games defensively toward the end of the season. The Mean Green gave up just seven points in a win over Louisiana-Lafayette two weeks ago and surrendered 10 in a loss to Florida Atlantic last week when the Owls scored on a 39-yard interception return. ULM scored 40 points in a loss to Kentucky last week and 35 the week before in a win over Florida International behind an option running attack it has adopted late in the season. UNT ranks fourth out of eight teams in the Sun Belt in rushing defense with an average of 143.3 yards allowed a game.

Advantage: ULM

Coaching

UNT head coach Darrell Dickey will make his final appearance as the Mean Green’s head coach today against ULM and Charlie Weatherbie. Dickey led UNT to four straight Sun Belt Conference titles but has seen his team struggle the last two seasons. Weatherbie had his best season at ULM last year when the Warhawks tied for the Sun Belt title. Dickey has a longer history of success in the Sun Belt and should have the emotional edge with his players heading into their last game.

Key position

Calvin Dawson, running back

Calvin Dawson has been at the heart of Louisiana-Monroe's surge the last two weeks that has seen the Warhawks pound Florida International and hang with Kentucky before falling in a tight game with the Wildcats.

Dawson was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after rushing for a career-high 179 yards and three touchdowns in ULM's 42-40 loss to Kentucky. That performance came on the heels of another big night in a win over FIU.

Dawson finished with what was then a career high129 rushing yards and another two touchdowns against the Golden Panthers.

Those two performances helped make Dawson the Sun Belt Conference's leading rusher with an average of 96.4 yards a game. He has 964 yards on the season and is on the verge of becoming the Warhawks first 1,000-yard rusher since 2002 when Bryant Jacobs finished with 1,043 yards.

Dawson's performance against Kentucky made an impression on UNT head coach Darrell Dickey.

"Any time you can get 100 yards against a Southeastern Conference team, it impresses me," Dickey said. "He is a very talented back. The system they are running reminds me a lot of what Louisiana-Lafayette is doing."

Dawson, 5-10, 207, is a familiar opponent for UNT, which struggled to keep him in check last season when he rushed for 95 yard in a win over the Mean Green that clinched a share of the Sun Belt title for the Warhawks.

UNT finished last in the Sun Belt against the run in 2005, but has improved dramatically this year. The Mean Green ranks fourth out of the eight teams in the conference with an average of 143.3 rushing yards allowed a game.

UNT has allowed just two running backs to clear the 100-yard mark this season, although Charles Pierre became the second player to accomplish the feat when he racked up 116 yards against the Mean Green last week.

Dawson is a threat to become the second straight back to reach the milestone against the Mean Green and continue his rapid development over the last two seasons. The junior led ULM with 656 yards last season and appears to be well on his way to earning All-Sun Belt Conference honors.

"Our offensive line and running backs are playing real well right now," ULM head coach Charlie Weatherbie said.

Key matchups

UNT DL SKY PRUITT VS. ULM OL KYLE CUNNINGHAM

ULM has seemingly found an identity offensively in the last few weeks with an option rushing attack behind an offensive line that has four starters who weigh at least 290 pounds. Cunningham is the best of the bunch. The 6-4, 295-pound senior was a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection. Last week, Cunningham helped clear the way for running back Calvin Dawson to rush for a career high 179 yards in a loss to Kentucky. The Warhawks rushed for 351 yards against the Wildcats.

ULM's success against Kentucky could be attributed in part to the experienced line the Warhawks feature. Cunningham and fellow offensive lineman Adam Hill are projected to make their 34th straight starts this weekend against UNT.

If the Mean Green is to slow down ULM's rushing attack, Pruitt will have to play a major role. The senior defensive lineman is the biggest player along UNT's defensive front at 295 pounds and has the size to hold up against ULM's offensive line.

Pruitt comes into the Mean Green's game against the Warhawks off one of his best performances of the season, an outing against Florida Atlantic in which he finished with seven tackles.

Pruitt has 34 tackles on the season, including 4.5 for losses.

UNT RB EVAN ROBERTSON VS. ULM DB KEVIN PAYNE

Robertson burst onto the scene last week when he rushed for 201 yards in a loss to Florida Atlantic and should get a chance to contribute again this week while rotating with starter Jamario Thomas.

Robertson's 200-yard outing was the first by a UNT running back since Thomas rushed for 291 yards in a win over Idaho in 2004.

The former Pflugerville standout is small for a college running back at 5-9, 164 pounds. What Robertson lacks in size, he makes up for with speed and elusiveness, attributes that were apparent against FAU when he broke free for the two longest runs of UNT's season. Robertson posted a 46-yard run and another that went for 42 yards.

The Mean Green will need another big day from Robertson or Thomas against a ULM defense that ranks seventh out of eight teams in the Sun Belt in rushing defense with an average of 159.2 yards allowed a game.

Payne could be the key to the key to the Warhawks' chances of slowing down UNT's running attack. The senior safety ranks second in the Sun Belt with an average of 8.7 tackles a game. The preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection does a little of everything for the Warhawks, including punting and returning kickoffs and punts.