Dodge Has Expectations From First Scrimmage Today

NT80 · March 30, 2007

Dodge has yet to establish a depth chart heading into the Mean Green’s first scrimmage.

“The coaches have learned that my favorite question is, ‘All right, we have a game on Saturday, who are our five offensive linemen? Who is our quarterback?’ It changes a lot. I don’t want to put out a depth chart because it throws a wet blanket on competition and that is one of the best things we have going for us right now.”

UNT’s players say they are adapting well to Dodge’s new staff. The Mean Green had several assistant coaches come and go over the last few years, but Dickey was a constant in the program.

“The young guys are adjusting,” UNT senior linebacker Maurice Holman said.

“The older guys are the ones I was worried about, but we are all in. This is our last year, so we have to get after it.”

UNT’s veterans and younger players will both get perhaps their best chance thus far in spring practice to make an impression on their new coaches today during a scrimmage that will feature 15-play drives.

“We want to see consistency and players start to separate,” Dodge said. “We will also get a chance to check conditioning and how they react to adversity.”

The most intriguing position battle during the scrimmage should be at quarterback, where UNT has three veterans in Daniel Meager, Woody Wilson and Matt Phillips and redshirt freshman Nathan Tune competing for the starting job.

UNT will also continue to sort out a deep corps of linebackers, where there will only be three starters in a 4-3 as compared to last season, when the Mean Green ran a 3-4 defense.

“We are really excited,” Holman said. “The coaches will be on the sideline and we will be able to cut it loose. … First impressions mean a lot. They have told us that no one has a spot so everyone will have to get after it.”