Dodge Needs Support Now More Than Ever

mgsteve · October 8, 2007

It seems like forever, but in reality it was just a few months ago when the Mean Green Nation was casting a lonely eye toward Southlake Carroll.

North Texas was looking for a new coach and wanted Carroll's Todd Dodge.

The Mean Green needed the boost he would provide in terms of exposure, not to mention his contacts in Texas high schools.

Now the tables have turned. This weekend Todd Dodge needs the Mean Green Nation.

He needs all those fanatics with their faces painted green and white. He needs the old timers who desperately wanted a regime change at the end of Darrell Dickey's tenure with the Mean Green, and the newcomers to the program who make the trek north on Saturday nights from Southlake to support the hero who left town.

Most members of those groups got what they wanted when UNT hired Dodge, the former high school coach who turned the Dragons into a national high school powerhouse.

There were a few fans who questioned the wisdom of hiring a high school coach with minimal college experience to take over a major college program, but they were few and far between. Most fans were on board with Dodge from Day 1.

This is no time to hang Dodge out to dry in front of a half empty stadium for a game against Louisiana-Monroe this week because he lost the first five games of his tenure at UNT.

Dodge has said he is here for the long haul and he needs all the help he can get to get the program turned around. UNT is reeling right now. Dodge said as much late Saturday night after the Mean Green suffered its latest setback in a 38-29 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in a battle of winless Sun Belt Conference teams to fall to 0-5.

“It’s very disappointing,” Dodge said. “The kids keep laying it all out and we keep coming up short.”

At this point, UNT is all but out of the race for the Sun Belt Conference title. Only once in league's six previous seasons has a team with two league losses won a share of the conference title.

Baring a miracle, a two-loss team isn’t going to win the league title this season.

That doesn’t mean the Mean Green has nothing left to play for.

Dodge still has to sell this program as one on the rise, despite its slow start. There are still dozens of recruits out there deciding where they want to play college football for the next four years.

Dodge needs a few of them to commit their future to the Mean Green. A few of them will be at UNT's game against ULM. Even more will be taking a peak at the paper on Sunday to see what happens in Denton.

The worst thing that could happen to Dodge and the Mean Green, other than losing again, would be playing in front of mostly empty bleachers.

UNT attracted a crowd of 20,479 for its first home game of the season, which was also Dodge’s Fouts debut. The Mean Green has never attracted more fans for a Sun Belt home game.

UNT could use another big crowd for its date with ULM not only for recruiting purposes, but also to show Dodge and his players that the fans that supported the new coach a few months ago are not going to jump ship during a rebuilding season that now appears lost.

Dodge said he believed UNT could win right away when he arrived in Denton. Now it looks as if it required too many adjustments too soon. There was a new offense and new defense to install. Players would have to adapt to an offense and defense they were not recruited to play in. Coaches would have to make the adjustment to the college level.

If one believes what Dodge said when he arrived at UNT, this season is the first step in a journey, one that will bring the Mean Green to the top of the Sun Belt and beyond.

The Mean Green Nation believed that Dodge would take UNT to great heights when he rolled into Denton to thunderous cheers. After UNT lost its fifth straight game this season to previously winless ULL, it is obvious this won’t be the season Dodge reaches his goal.

That is why Dodge needs the support of the Mean Green Nation now more than ever.

Green Nightmare · October 8, 2007

see you saturday

with 4 of my peeps

Mean Green 93-98 · October 8, 2007

Truer words have never been spoken, and this is true of the UNT football program as a whole. Thanks, Brett.

untbowler · October 8, 2007

good article, I hope everyone will still show. I wish I was going to Denton this coming weekend and not the weekend after.

GreenAlums · October 8, 2007

see you saturday
with 4 of my peeps

I'm "all-in" and will see you there on Saturday too!

OldTimer · October 8, 2007

Great post....

DRC
It seems like forever, but in reality it was just a few months ago when the Mean Green Nation was casting a lonely eye toward Southlake Carroll.
North Texas was looking for a new coach and wanted Carroll's Todd Dodge.
The Mean Green needed the boost he would provide in terms of exposure, not to mention his contacts in Texas high schools.
Now the tables have turned. This weekend Todd Dodge needs the Mean Green Nation.
He needs all those fanatics with their faces painted green and white. He needs the old timers who desperately wanted a regime change at the end of Darrell Dickey's tenure with the Mean Green, and the newcomers to the program who make the trek north on Saturday nights from Southlake to support the hero who left town.
Most members of those groups got what they wanted when UNT hired Dodge, the former high school coach who turned the Dragons into a national high school powerhouse.
There were a few fans who questioned the wisdom of hiring a high school coach with minimal college experience to take over a major college program, but they were few and far between. Most fans were on board with Dodge from Day 1.
This is no time to hang Dodge out to dry in front of a half empty stadium for a game against Louisiana-Monroe this week because he lost the first five games of his tenure at UNT.
Dodge has said he is here for the long haul and he needs all the help he can get to get the program turned around. UNT is reeling right now. Dodge said as much late Saturday night after the Mean Green suffered its latest setback in a 38-29 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in a battle of winless Sun Belt Conference teams to fall to 0-5.
“It’s very disappointing,” Dodge said. “The kids keep laying it all out and we keep coming up short.”
At this point, UNT is all but out of the race for the Sun Belt Conference title. Only once in league's six previous seasons has a team with two league losses won a share of the conference title.
Baring a miracle, a two-loss team isn’t going to win the league title this season.
That doesn’t mean the Mean Green has nothing left to play for.
Dodge still has to sell this program as one on the rise, despite its slow start. There are still dozens of recruits out there deciding where they want to play college football for the next four years.
Dodge needs a few of them to commit their future to the Mean Green. A few of them will be at UNT's game against ULM. Even more will be taking a peak at the paper on Sunday to see what happens in Denton.
The worst thing that could happen to Dodge and the Mean Green, other than losing again, would be playing in front of mostly empty bleachers.
UNT attracted a crowd of 20,479 for its first home game of the season, which was also Dodge’s Fouts debut. The Mean Green has never attracted more fans for a Sun Belt home game.
UNT could use another big crowd for its date with ULM not only for recruiting purposes, but also to show Dodge and his players that the fans that supported the new coach a few months ago are not going to jump ship during a rebuilding season that now appears lost.
Dodge said he believed UNT could win right away when he arrived in Denton. Now it looks as if it required too many adjustments too soon. There was a new offense and new defense to install. Players would have to adapt to an offense and defense they were not recruited to play in. Coaches would have to make the adjustment to the college level.
If one believes what Dodge said when he arrived at UNT, this season is the first step in a journey, one that will bring the Mean Green to the top of the Sun Belt and beyond.
The Mean Green Nation believed that Dodge would take UNT to great heights when he rolled into Denton to thunderous cheers. After UNT lost its fifth straight game this season to previously winless ULL, it is obvious this won’t be the season Dodge reaches his goal.
That is why Dodge needs the support of the Mean Green Nation now more than ever.

UNTFan23 · October 8, 2007

It's pretty much preaching to the choir here, but I hope it's our newer fans and to an extent our students aren't deterred by the 0-5 season.

NT80 · October 8, 2007

I don't think it's Dodge or the offensive output that fans are complaining about, it's the defense and defensive coaches. I didn't see anyone begging UNT to bring in SLC's DC.

GoMeanGreen1999 · October 8, 2007

This is a very good article to run in the paper - Dodge will have the full support of the fans that have been here long term - it is the newer fans that he will struggle to keep as the season goes along at this pace. I think we will have a good sense of what to expect the rest of the season, from the support that turns out saturday.

MeanGreen61 · October 8, 2007

Coaches would have to make the adjustment to the college level.

There's not doubt that TD has excite the masses with his fast forward offense. Then there's the defense.

meangreendork · October 8, 2007

You know, the fact that Dodge is asking for support...maybe that will draw fans. He's telling them and admitting to them that a football team is only as strong as its fan support. And that's good.

Green Nightmare · October 8, 2007

I guess we can use the Dan-Wagon for firewood later in the year

October 8, 2007

It was a very good, timely article and pretty much on the money except for the quote that the players were not recruited for this defense. Most of them played a 4-3 in high school and. except for last year, in college as well. On the other hand, only the incoming freshmen were recruited for the no-huddle spread and they are adapting pretty well.

Nothing will be done about the defense, other than some adjustments, until season's end. If it's still as porous then as it is now then I think that Todd will have to make staff changes. Until then, we have no place to go but UP, and that starts against ULM.

I still trust Todd and I will be there Saturday. I hope that there's another 20 thousand there again but it will probably be our lowest turnout of the season.

Cooley · October 8, 2007

This would be a good full page article to run in the NT Daily for the rest of the week. Also, anyone still tailgating 15 minutes before kickoff should be arrested! (or thrown out of the university)

Monkeypox · October 8, 2007

It was a very good, timely article and pretty much on the money except for the quote that the players were not recruited for this defense. Most of them played a 4-3 in high school and. except for last year, in college as well.

Just because they were recruited for a 4-3 base defense doesn't mean it's the same. That's just the alignment, and doesn't necessarily define a player's responsibilities or techniques.

PerryG2480 · October 8, 2007

How would a HUGE sign similar to something below look flying in the heart of the alumni section...or even the student section?! It might encourage a few...never know. Let's print it!

good_ken · October 8, 2007

I can only guess that this article was written after a conversation between Vtio and someone employed in the athletic department (and good for them).

And with that beign said, the athletic department, Talons and any other group under the pervue of the university should be out in droves drumming up support for this game.

UNTflyer · October 8, 2007

Well it's only our second home game, so I don't think the dropoff will be very significant.

Then we still have Homecoming and the Navy game. I still think we are going to significantly improve our average attendance this season, even with that horrible WKU game on Thanksgiving weekend.

SLCoutsider · October 8, 2007

I wouldn't miss this next home game for the world. The stage is perfectly set for a big-time statement game in front of the home crowd!

GreenAlums · October 8, 2007

How would a HUGE sign similar to something below look flying in the heart of the alumni section...or even the student section?! It might encourage a few...never know. Let's print it!

Cool sign/flag! CLC license may be hard to get past, at least quickly, but maybe shopmeangreen can help us!

GMoney · October 8, 2007

don't think it's Dodge or the offensive output that fans are complaining about, it's the defense and defensive coaches. I didn't see anyone begging UNT to bring in SLC's DC.

This may be true but you and I both know that coaches are going to surround themselves with people they trust, know and feel comfortable with. I don't blame TD one bit for doing the same. Has the defense been a disappointment - absolutely. However, I'm going to give them the same latitude I gave DD to learn, adjust, and recruit their players to run their scheme. Then, if things aren't better I'm going to trust TD to make a change but in the big scheme of things 5 games is just too quick to be asking for someone's head.

NT80 · October 8, 2007

This may be true but you and I both know that coaches are going to surround themselves with people they trust, know and feel comfortable with. I don't blame TD one bit for doing the same. Has the defense been a disappointment - absolutely. However, I'm going to give them the same latitude I gave DD to learn, adjust, and recruit their players to run their scheme. Then, if things aren't better I'm going to trust TD to make a change but in the big scheme of things 5 games is just too quick to be asking for someone's head.

Oh, I agree he should be able to pick whomever he wants to be his assistants, but like a change of QB he must also make adjustments in other areas as needed. The context of Vito's plead was to support Dodge, and I was saying that it's not Dodge most fans are grousing about, it's the Defensive coaches and scheme.

stebo · October 8, 2007

We also have no idea what Dodge's budget was. I mean - we replaced an entire coaching staff. Contracts were bought out, including a cool half million for Dumbass Dickless. Maybe Mendoza was the very best that we could afford. I doubt that a HS DC makes that much and any type of raise for him would be jumped at.... but maybe we only had "x" for staff and Dodge went the HS route so that he could afford a whole staff. We don't know the ins and outs of it, we spent a lot of money to get rid of DD and to hire Dodge, I doubt that much was left.

THOR · October 8, 2007

i'll be there with a couple of first timers....well, a couple of first timers that are actually going to GO INTO THE GAME!!!! usually, they just tailgate!!!!

BRING THE MASSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Travis · October 9, 2007

How would a HUGE sign similar to something below look flying in the heart of the alumni section...or even the student section?! It might encourage a few...never know. Let's print it!

i think a sign that just says we believe does justice. Or you can write a novel on your sign... it is your choice.