C S T V Sun Belt Preview

MeanGreen61 · August 1, 2007

SUN BELT CONFERENCE PREVIEW

http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/080107aat.html

North Texas Mean Green

Offense:

Once upon a time, Jamario Thomas led the nation in rushing when he was a true freshman (180.1 yards per game). That was three years and a Sun Belt title ago. Since then, Thomas has seen the Mean Green go from the penthouse to the outhouse in just two seasons. That led to the firing of Darrell Dickey and the hiring of Todd Dodge, who had great success as head coach at nearby Southlake-Carroll High School. His passing offense, known as "Dodge Ball," is sure to bring excitement back to Denton, but Dodge is adamant in saying Thomas will be a vital part of the offense. He'll need to be, as five quarterbacks will vie for the starting job, which Dodge will announce two weeks into fall camp. Daniel Meager, Matt Phillips and Woody Wilson all struggled last year, and Nathan Tune redshirted. Coaches are high on true freshman Giovanni Vizza, but Meager was the leader coming out of spring.

Starters Adam Venegas and Chad Rose return as starters, but the offensive line is a question mark other than that. The receiving corps lost All-Sun Belt honoree Johnny Quinn, so Brandon Jackson must step up there. In this offense, many receivers are needed so plenty of youngsters will get a chance.

Defense:

Dodge feels good about his defense, which could go a long way in setting up the offense. End Jeremiah Chapman is the top returner, while linebacker Maurice Holman and safety Aaron Weathers are stars in their own right. The defensive line returns three starters and the linebacking unit returns seven players who started at least one game last season. Roy Loren teams with Weathers to give the Mean Green a mean safety duo, and plenty of experience returns at the cornerback position with Antoine Bush, Dominique Green and Desmon Chatman.

The Skinny:

Say what you want about A.D. Rick Villarreal firing former head coach Darrell Dickey not long after he had a heart attack, but it was getting stagnant in Denton. That's why Dodge Ball was brought in to create some excitement. It will be interesting to see how the transition goes from successful high school coach to college head coach, but it should pay dividends, as recruiting for the 2008 class is already off to a great start. The headliner is quarterback Riley Dodge, son of the coach. This year will likely be a rough one again for the Mean Green, but one big early conference win -- just to get UNT over the hump -- can be enough to shock the Belt.