Unt Adjusts To Media Hype,...drc

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UNT adjusts to media hype

Dodge's arrival forces team to adjust to increased attention

07:33 PM CDT on Thursday, August 30, 2007

By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle

bvito@dentonrc.com

DENTON – Back when he was building a dynasty at Southlake Carroll, Todd Dodge was not only the Dragons' head coach, he also was the sports information director, director of football operations and team secretary.

Dodge has a small army of assistants to handle those chores now that he has taken over at North Texas. It has been a welcome change because of the avalanche of media attention the Mean Green has dealt with heading into its season opener Saturday at Oklahoma.

"It's surprising," said Dodge, who is making the jump to college after being one of the most successful high school coaches in the country. "But it's good for our university and our kids. It can only help us in recruiting because it makes us a little more visible."

UNT at OU

6 p.m. Sat. (FSNSW)

KWRD-FM 100.7, KNTU-FM 88.1, KKGM-AM 1630

National publications like Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine and USA Today, along with dozens of other newspapers and television stations, have traveled to Denton to speak with Dodge. That attention has forced Dodge and his players to adjust.

Practices and scrimmages that were open under former head coach Darrell Dickey have been closed to the public and the media. A crowd of 5,000 attended the UNT's spring game, and 600 fans packed the deck at the Mean Green Athletic Center for the team's annual Kickoff Cookout.

The UNT media relations department has juggled dozens of requests for Dodge's time, and UNT's players have had to learn to deal with more attention.

"It has been busier than in any time that I have been here," said UNT media relations director Eric Capper, who is in his seventh year at the school. "We have always gotten a lot of interest the week of the Oklahoma game, but the interest nationally has made it even more challenging. Coach Dodge has had five or six interviews with people from out of town a day, and it has been that way every day for two weeks."

Dodge is well-prepared to help his team deal with the media. He played quarterback for the University of Texas from 1981 to 1985.

The Longhorns finished a combined 15-8-1 in the final two seasons of Dodge's career, when he endured criticism from fans and the media. That experience helped shape his approach as a coach. Dodge limited access to freshman quarterback Giovanni Vizza at the beginning of fall practice.

"At high schools in Texas, and especially in college, players are hanging out there sometimes," Dodge said. "I try to make sure that we protect them as much as we can. They understand that there will be media scrutiny, but we don't want to throw each other under the bus in the media. I will never try to motivate my kids through the media."

For now, UNT is trying to use the extra attention as a way to promote the opening of the Dodge era. But it has remained focused.

"I don't worry about focus with this team, because the media is nothing for us to focus on," senior defensive end Blake Burruss said. "Coach Dodge has us focused on the prize and has set goals that we are trying to achieve. That is where our eyes are."

North Texas at Oklahoma, 6 p.m. Saturday (FSNSW; KWRD-FM 100.7, KNTU-FM 88.1, KKGM-AM 1630)

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