Dodge: Vizza Will Start The Rest Of The Season

[MeanGreen61]

North Texas

Saturday's result: Lost to Louisiana-Lafayette, 38-29

Up next: vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 6 p.m. Saturday

Any injuries? RB Jamario Thomas sprained his ankle in the second half and did not return. OL Tyler Bailey (stomach flu) did not play.

News and notes: Against La.-Lafayette, freshman Giovanni Vizza threw for 383 yards, the eighth-best total in school history. The former San Antonio Alamo Heights standout completed 35 of 57 passes in his first collegiate start. Coach Todd Dodge said Vizza will start the rest of the season. ... Wide receivers Casey Fitzgerald (14 catches for 131 yards) and Brandon Jackson (eight catches for 124 yards) surpassed the 100-yard mark in the same game for the second time this season. ... Junior defensive lineman Joseph Miller finished with a team-high nine tackles after posting 13 in the Mean Green's first four games. ... The Mean Green has allowed more than 30 points in all five of its games.

Brett Vito

[JayDub]

Coach Todd Dodge said Vizza will start the rest of the season.

Hallelujah!

[Eagle1855]

Junior defensive lineman Joseph Miller finished with a team-high nine tackles after posting 13 in the Mean Green's first four games.

He really looked good at times during this game. That was one highlight of the defensive play this past weekend.

[yyz28]

Hope he shakes off those first game jitters.

...though, you have to give the guy some room here... ...a wet football is tough to deal with as a QB.

Should be interesting to see him develop as the season goes on. Hope he gets some help on the other side of the ball.

[UNTflyer]

Vizza looked pretty good in the 2nd half. No interceptions in the second half, 383 total yds and 3 TDs. Plus, the kid has guts... he'll dive head first for a first down and he'll pump-fake in the pocket even when he knows he's about to get hit.

[GreenAlums]

Hope he shakes off those first game jitters.

...though, you have to give the guy some room here... ...a wet football is tough to deal with as a QB.

Should be interesting to see him develop as the season goes on. Hope he gets some help on the other side of the ball.

And I noticed once Vizza went ot the sidelines to get a towel to dry his hands and "they" couldn't find one. Hmmmm.

[adman]

And I noticed once Vizza went ot the sidelines to get a towel to dry his hands and "they" couldn't find one. Hmmmm.

Love the fact he can overthrow his WR's on deep routes.

[untbowler]

No interceptions in the second half

This IMO is what seperates him from DM, he played in tough conditions and started slow but he did not give the game away. For a first start I would give him a B+ from my amateur arm-chair coaching perspective.

[stebo]

Love the fact he can overthrow his WR's on deep routes.

That is actually a good thing. As soon as we can get some receivers fast enough to outrun the D-backs, we will have a deep ball threat for the first time - ever.

[NT80]

Coach Todd Dodge said Vizza will start the rest of the season. ...

I like that Vizza will be starting but I think TD made the same statement about Meager before our first game. Now about that defense.....

[GreenBat]

This IMO is what seperates him from DM, he played in tough conditions and started slow but he did not give the game away. For a first start I would give him a B+ from my amateur arm-chair coaching perspective.

3 TD's and 3 interceptions and you give him a B+? What does it take to make it an average performance ©? More interceptions than TD's.

Comp.%: 61.40350877192983

Yards/Att.: 6.719298245614035

TD%: 5.263157894736842

Int.% : 5.263157894736842

NCAA QB Rating: 124.68771929824561

[Monkeypox]

3 TD's and 3 interceptions and you give him a B+? What does it take to make it an average performance ©? More interceptions than TD's.

Comp.%: 61.40350877192983

Yards/Att.: 6.719298245614035

TD%: 5.263157894736842

Int.% : 5.263157894736842

NCAA QB Rating: 124.68771929824561

For a true freshman playing his first game as a starter behind an inconsistent O-Line on an 0-4 (now 0-5) team playing in wet conditions... I think a B+ is probably about right. I'm willing to bet that most true freshman, disregarding the other info, fair worse than that in their first start.

[untbowler]

3 TD's and 3 interceptions and you give him a B+? What does it take to make it an average performance ©? More interceptions than TD's.

Comp.%: 61.40350877192983

Yards/Att.: 6.719298245614035

TD%: 5.263157894736842

Int.% : 5.263157894736842

NCAA QB Rating: 124.68771929824561

Like I said I am a complete ignorant arm-chair Coach, but all of the errors were in the first half, which could be Fr. jitters and get used to the horrible field conditions, if he had made the errors late in the game then yes it would be lower, but he got better as the game wore on and provided the team a chance to win, but did not give the game away with late turnovers.

Edited October 8, 2007 by untbowler

[GreenBat]

Like I said I am a complete ignorant arm-chair Coach, but all of the errors were in the first half, which could be Fr. jitters and get used to the horrible field conditions, if he had made the errors late in the game then yes it would be lower, but he got better as the game wore on and provided the team a chance to win, but did not give the game away with late turnovers.

Thank You. That is a solid explanation. I was not at the game, nor did I watch the game on Ch. 21. All I did was go by the stats.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

That is actually a good thing. As soon as we can get some receivers fast enough to outrun the D-backs, we will have a deep ball threat for the first time - ever.

That will be so much fun when it happens.

[OldTimer]

Another thing I liked about Vizza...Nt ran a sweep to our right side...there was a trailing defensive player coming from our left side behind our line of scrimmage...this happened two times and Vizza laid out a block bringing the defensive player to the ground each time ....Can't remember seeing a NT QB doing that?

[untbowler]

Another thing I liked about Vizza...Nt ran a sweep to our right side...there was a trailing defensive player coming from our left side behind our line of scrimmage...this happened two times and Vizza laid out a block bringing the defensive player to the ground each time ....Can't remember seeing a NT QB doing that?

Damn that would have been sweet to see, rather than hear. This could be why we are excited about seeig him. Lets hope the body holds up, because he got hit pretty good.

[adman]

That is actually a good thing. As soon as we can get some receivers fast enough to outrun the D-backs, we will have a deep ball threat for the first time - ever.

Which is why I was saying it. No sarcasm in my post. (I did feel if Special K would have laid out he might have caught a deep one that Vizza overthrew.)

[MeanGreen61]

Another thing I liked about Vizza...Nt ran a sweep to our right side...there was a trailing defensive player coming from our left side behind our line of scrimmage...this happened two times and Vizza laid out a block bringing the defensive player to the ground each time ....Can't remember seeing a NT QB doing that?

Scott Hall was not at all bashful about laying the wood to someone on a block

Edited October 8, 2007 by MeanGreen61

[MeanMag]

Scott Hall was not at all bashful about laying the wood to someone on a block

He was also a little bigger than Vizza.

[Eagle1855]

He was also a little bigger than Vizza.

if at all, only slightly. If Vizza develops the intangibles Hall possessed (leadership, etc)- and I think he will- we'll be in great shape for years to come.

Edited October 8, 2007 by Eagle1855

[DeepGreen]

Good thing this is happening or people would be sleeping with the fish. If you know what I mean.

[yyz28]

Good thing this is happening or people would be sleeping with the fish. If you know what I mean.

Just when you thought the "Giovanni" italian thing was getting carried away...

[ADLER]

North Texas

News and notes: Against La.-Lafayette, freshman Giovanni Vizza threw for 383 yards, the eighth-best total in school history. The former San Antonio Alamo Heights standout completed 35 of 57 passes in his first collegiate start. Coach Todd Dodge said Vizza will start the rest of the season. ...

Brett Vito

Vizza played incredibly well during the game. The first two interceptions were timing routs to the right sideline. The ball was already in the air and both receivers slipped while making their cut. This can hardly be blamed on the quarterback.

The third interception was on fourth down in La La territory with less than a minute before halftime. Vizza didn't have an open receiver and floated the ball up for grabs around the 5 yard line instead of taking a sack hoping for a reception or an interception. La La got the pick, but lost about 30 yards by doing so; very smart play by Vizza.

[Buford_Julep]

Interception #1- The receiver fell down.

#2--The receiver turned left---and the ball went to the right. After the play, the camera caught Dodge talking to the receiver. There is a strong possibility the receiver turned the wrong way.

#3---This was a fourth and long with time running out in the first half. Vizza gambled, as he should in this situation, and threw into double coverage deep. The defense intercepted. As it turned out the DB could have saved yardage and clock time for his team if he had simply batted the ball down instead of intercepting.