Fw*telegram Dodge Surprised By Offensive Struggles

OldTimer · October 24, 2007

I would bet there will be some changes in offensive QB protection and offensive plays this Saturday.

Dodge surprised by offense's struggles

By TROY PHILLIPS

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DENTON -- It was surprising, given the history of overall effectiveness of the spread offense North Texas coach Todd Dodge installed this season.

Dodge knew there would be lean games. To the degree it happened Saturday in a 45-7 loss at Troy in the middle of Sun Belt Conference play was completely unexpected.

"It does make me want to cringe," Dodge said of his offense barely cracking 200 total yards (205) in a system that should gain 300 regularly, win or lose.

"The worst thing is we lost the game, but it was... it was embarrassing, to be honest with you. To myself, to our coaches and players, it was embarrassing."

Troy sacked quarterback Giovanni Vizza nine times and held UNT's offense to 2.7 yards per play. UNT's 247 yards to open the season at Oklahoma was its previous lowest output.

Dodge said Saturday's meltdown caught him off guard because of a "good week of work" the Mean Green had last week.

"I believe in these kids, and I think their pride's been scratched a bit," Dodge said.

Before the game, UNT offensive coaches had calculated Troy's defense as a unit that blitzed just 21 percent of the time. That figure rose to around 75 percent. Dodge said the next opponent, Middle Tennessee, is comfortable in man coverage and is expected to "bring the house" this week.

Seeking balance

Through seven games, 59.3 percent of UNT's plays have been passes, 40.7 percent runs. That 60-40 balance is considered ideal in many spread offenses.

Another measure of balance is where yards come from. UNT has picked up 75.6 percent of its yards from passing but just 24.4 from running. That imbalance, Dodge pointed out, is a little skewed because of 29 sacks against UNT and nearly 300 yards in losses in the running game.

Still, Dodge said he wants to bring play-selection and yards-from-plays ratios more in line as the offense grows. He cited a 30-20 loss to Florida Atlantic, in which the offense got 65 percent of its yards from passing and 35 from running.

Dodge wants to see about 120 rushing yards combined from UNT's running backs and 45-50 yards rushing at quarterback. UNT has had 165 or more yards rushing only twice this season.

Briefly

Freshman running back Micah Mosley had three kickoff returns against Troy and continues to rotate with Evyn Roman and Antoine Bush.

Saturday, UNT will honor its 1977 team that finished 10-1 (after a Mississippi State forfeit for an ineligible player) and ranked No. 16 in the final national poll as a Division I-A independent.

ONLINE: meangreensports.com

UNT FOOTBALL VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE, 6 P.M. SATURDAY

Troy Phillips, 817-390-7760

tphillips@star-telegram.com

island eagle · October 24, 2007

I would bet there will be some changes in offensive QB protection and offensive plays this Saturday.
Dodge surprised by offense's struggles
By TROY PHILLIPS
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
DENTON -- It was surprising, given the history of overall effectiveness of the spread offense North Texas coach Todd Dodge installed this season.
Dodge knew there would be lean games. To the degree it happened Saturday in a 45-7 loss at Troy in the middle of Sun Belt Conference play was completely unexpected.
"It does make me want to cringe," Dodge said of his offense barely cracking 200 total yards (205) in a system that should gain 300 regularly, win or lose.
"The worst thing is we lost the game, but it was... it was embarrassing, to be honest with you. To myself, to our coaches and players, it was embarrassing."
Troy sacked quarterback Giovanni Vizza nine times and held UNT's offense to 2.7 yards per play. UNT's 247 yards to open the season at Oklahoma was its previous lowest output.
Dodge said Saturday's meltdown caught him off guard because of a "good week of work" the Mean Green had last week.
"I believe in these kids, and I think their pride's been scratched a bit," Dodge said.
Before the game, UNT offensive coaches had calculated Troy's defense as a unit that blitzed just 21 percent of the time. That figure rose to around 75 percent. Dodge said the next opponent, Middle Tennessee, is comfortable in man coverage and is expected to "bring the house" this week.
Seeking balance
Through seven games, 59.3 percent of UNT's plays have been passes, 40.7 percent runs. That 60-40 balance is considered ideal in many spread offenses.
Another measure of balance is where yards come from. UNT has picked up 75.6 percent of its yards from passing but just 24.4 from running. That imbalance, Dodge pointed out, is a little skewed because of 29 sacks against UNT and nearly 300 yards in losses in the running game.
Still, Dodge said he wants to bring play-selection and yards-from-plays ratios more in line as the offense grows. He cited a 30-20 loss to Florida Atlantic, in which the offense got 65 percent of its yards from passing and 35 from running.
Dodge wants to see about 120 rushing yards combined from UNT's running backs and 45-50 yards rushing at quarterback. UNT has had 165 or more yards rushing only twice this season.
Briefly
Freshman running back Micah Mosley had three kickoff returns against Troy and continues to rotate with Evyn Roman and Antoine Bush.
Saturday, UNT will honor its 1977 team that finished 10-1 (after a Mississippi State forfeit for an ineligible player) and ranked No. 16 in the final national poll as a Division I-A independent.
ONLINE: meangreensports.com
UNT FOOTBALL VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE, 6 P.M. SATURDAY
Troy Phillips, 817-390-7760
tphillips@star-telegram.com

island eagle · October 24, 2007

One thing that appears certain is that Dodge is going to have to figure out how to keep us from being out-manned at the line in blitz situations, just like Dickey had to figure out how to cope with 8 in the box. Hopefully, Dodge will prove to be the more adaptive and creative coach.

UNT Mean Green · October 24, 2007

The offensive staff will figure out solutions to the blitzing. There are certainly ways to counter it. It is very tough when you go into a game expecting a team to do something and preparing your team all week for something, and then they come out and do something completely different. It's a 'shell-shock' feeling...trust me...been there and it's not fun.

You've got to think...ok Troy had been blitzing 21% of the time, so worst case scenario they bring someone 35% of the time. Nah....they brought someone almost every play and it really got us out of rhythm. Dodge said on Monday night that he'd worst-case scenario his team in practice every week from here on out and have them prepared for any wrinkles they may throw out there.

SilverEagle · October 24, 2007

One thing that appears certain is that Dodge is going to have to figure out how to keep us from being out-manned at the line in blitz situations, just like Dickey had to figure out how to cope with 8 in the box. Hopefully, Dodge will prove to be the more adaptive and creative coach.

Well, let's hope so. But this quote concerns me more than anything......Before the game, UNT offensive coaches had calculated Troy's defense as a unit that blitzed just 21 percent of the time. That figure rose to around 75 percent.

It seems to me that a crafty coach would spend some time scouting their own team, and try to anticipate what their opponent might be seeing as a weakness. And then try to anticipate what they might throw at them. You can't just totally rely on raw stats.

untbowler · October 24, 2007

not trying to beatdown the coach, but could part of this be blind ignorance, since dodge was used to being the smartest coach on the sidelines in HS, but now he is just a small fish in a big pond. Blakely took Dodge to school this past weekend. Lets hope Dodge learns and adapts to the speed and smarts of the college game. He no longer has a Cadillac going against a Ford Escort.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · October 24, 2007

You know what it sounds like from Dodge's interviews? It sounds like he's too obsessed with numbers. You know, we want this many three-and-outs on defense, we want this many rushing yards out of these guys, that many out of those guys, such and such a number passing, etc.

Look, the guy's got a good head for offense. But, maybe he just needs to forget about the numbers and coach. Throw out all of the charts and tell the guys to just go out, win their individual assignments, and win each play.

I mean, seriously. Would it make any difference if a team punted to us after five or six plays instead of three? Who cares? Our one win this year shows what can happen if the defense steps up, even if the "passing game" numbers goal isn't met.

Am I crazy here? I don't recall hearing any other coach mention numbers goals so often in interviews. In my twisted mind, the only number that counts should be the score. If we've got more on the scoreboard than them when the scoreboard reads 00:00, I could care less what the numbers are in three-and-outs, QB run yards vs. RB run yards, passing yards...just, please.

Maybe Dodge is collaring himself with this stuff. The game isn't played on paper. The game plan may be on paper, but you've got to be able to change and adapt with the flow of a particular game. Statistics be damned.

UNTLifer · October 24, 2007

Well, let's hope so. But this quote concerns me more than anything......Before the game, UNT offensive coaches had calculated Troy's defense as a unit that blitzed just 21 percent of the time. That figure rose to around 75 percent.
It seems to me that a crafty coach would spend some time scouting their own team, and try to anticipate what their opponent might be seeing as a weakness. And then try to anticipate what they might throw at them. You can't just totally rely on raw stats.

I am sure he was referring to scouting reports and film of Troy which all coaches rely on to build a gameplan. I am also sure TD is aware of his own tendencies and trys to alter his gameplan to throw the other team off, but a team jumping from blitzing 1/5 of the time to 3/4's is rare.

Eagle1855 · October 24, 2007

I am sure he was referring to scouting reports and film of Troy which all coaches rely on to build a gameplan. I am also sure TD is aware of his own tendencies and trys to alter his gameplan to throw the other team off, but a team jumping from blitzing 1/5 of the time to 3/4's is rare.

unless it's working! Making adjustments is a big part of the game. If you're getting into the backfield on every play, why not blitz? Do it til they (us) prove they can beat it or until THEY adjust. Which we did neither.

SLCoutsider · October 24, 2007

You know what it sounds like from Dodge's interviews? It sounds like he's too obsessed with numbers. You know, we want this many three-and-outs on defense, we want this many rushing yards out of these guys, that many out of those guys, such and such a number passing, etc.
Look, the guy's got a good head for offense. But, maybe he just needs to forget about the numbers and coach. Throw out all of the charts and tell the guys to just go out, win their individual assignments, and win each play.
I mean, seriously. Would it make any difference if a team punted to us after five or six plays instead of three? Who cares? Our one win this year shows what can happen if the defense steps up, even if the "passing game" numbers goal isn't met.
Am I crazy here? I don't recall hearing any other coach mention numbers goals so often in interviews. In my twisted mind, the only number that counts should be the score. If we've got more on the scoreboard than them when the scoreboard reads 00:00, I could care less what the numbers are in three-and-outs, QB run yards vs. RB run yards, passing yards...just, please.
Maybe Dodge is collaring himself with this stuff. The game isn't played on paper. The game plan may be on paper, but you've got to be able to change and adapt with the flow of a particular game. Statistics be damned.

The ultimate goal, and the only goal that matters in the end, is to win the game. But you have to break it down into smaller, tangible goals that individual players, units, and staff can focus on, be measured against, and be held accountable for. The measurement and accountability is really important. There's a saying in management that "what gets measured gets done". Sure, wins and losses can be measured, but if you don't break the big goal down into smaller goals, then nobody is truly accountable for their piece of the overall success or failure.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · October 24, 2007

ULa-La did it, too. Maybe that's the film Blakeney was referring to when he said his staff "saw something" they thought could exploit in the offensive line scheme.

Some people have discussed tight ends. I'm not so sure you have to have a true 100% tight end. The way Kragthorpe did it at Tulsa was he had an H-back, kind of a tight end hybird.

Sometimes the guy would line up where a traditional tight end lines up. Sometimes he'd line up in the back field. Sometimes he'd be split out as a receiver.

I don't remember who Kragthorpe's main H-back was, but I do recall that he got a ton of catches and then got drafted. Never made the league, but his utility on the field as both a blocker and receiver at least got him a shot.

Eagle1855 · October 24, 2007

I don't remember who Kragthorpe's main H-back was, but I do recall that he got a ton of catches and then got drafted. Never made the league, but his utility on the field as both a blocker and receiver at least got him a shot.

I think it was Garrett Mills

Censored by Laurie · October 24, 2007

ULa-La did it, too. Maybe that's the film Blakeney was referring to when he said his staff "saw something" they thought could exploit in the offensive line scheme.
Some people have discussed tight ends. I'm not so sure you have to have a true 100% tight end. The way Kragthorpe did it at Tulsa was he had an H-back, kind of a tight end hybird.
Sometimes the guy would line up where a traditional tight end lines up. Sometimes he'd line up in the back field. Sometimes he'd be split out as a receiver.
I don't remember who Kragthorpe's main H-back was, but I do recall that he got a ton of catches and then got drafted. Never made the league, but his utility on the field as both a blocker and receiver at least got him a shot.

I always liked the idea of a fullback/tight end hybrid...thought Ryan Davenport or Keronna Henderson would be adequate in such a role.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · October 24, 2007

The ultimate goal, and the only goal that matters in the end, is to win the game. But you have to break it down into smaller, tangible goals that individual players, units, and staff can focus on, be measured against, and be held accountable for. The measurement and accountability is really important. There's a saying in management that "what gets measured gets done". Sure, wins and losses can be measured, but if you don't break the big goal down into smaller goals, then nobody is truly accountable for their piece of the overall success or failure.

Except Dodge isn't managing a business, he's coaching a football team. At the end of the day, if your business is in the black, you're still in business. If Dodge has this "what gets measured gets done" mindset, he'll continue to be outmanuevered by coaches who are out there to win and will adapt on the fly to do it.

Warren Buffet buys businesses, but he never goes to see them. He doesn't dictate to them what to do. His pattern is this - he and his team find a business they think is a leader in their market, they buy it, they let the same guys continue to manage it. All Buffett asks is for an end of the year report. Guess what? It works for him. The man sits there in Omaha, buying businesses he'll never darken the doorway of, and he makes billions. Not millions, billions.

If we have a "bend, but don't break" defense like the Dallas Cowboys under Jimmy Johnson, who cares? They won. You think Jimmy and Dave Wannstadt were taking time out of their Super Bowl celebrations to count up three-and-outs? I doubt it. They just wanted guy to make plays. If it happened at one end of the field or the other, it didn't matter. As long as they kept their opponent out of the end zone and off the scoreboard enough.

Results are what counts. And, the result in football is showed on the scoreboard.

Everyone knows you can have individual goals. But, you can also get overly focused on them. I don't know if Dodge is doing that. I just know that I don't hear Notre Dame's coach or any other struggling coach saying, "we need this many yard here and there." What I hear them saying is, "We've got to find a way to win." Their focus appears to be on getting back on the winning track, not bogging down in the numbers game with their players.

That's all we're asking here. Win. Find a way to win. We don't care how. We could care less what the numbers are. Just do it...Nike.

Green Lantern · October 24, 2007

ULa-La did it, too. Maybe that's the film Blakeney was referring to when he said his staff "saw something" they thought could exploit in the offensive line scheme.
Some people have discussed tight ends. I'm not so sure you have to have a true 100% tight end. The way Kragthorpe did it at Tulsa was he had an H-back, kind of a tight end hybird.
Sometimes the guy would line up where a traditional tight end lines up. Sometimes he'd line up in the back field. Sometimes he'd be split out as a receiver.
I don't remember who Kragthorpe's main H-back was, but I do recall that he got a ton of catches and then got drafted. Never made the league, but his utility on the field as both a blocker and receiver at least got him a shot.

Using a hybrid H-Back type in our offense could prove to be really effective. I hope this is an option that we are considering. Could a guy like Charley Brown be a candidate to do something like this? He seems to have a pretty good combination of size, speed, and hands. Just a thought. Any other suggestions of guys on the current roster that could play in a hybrid position like this?

SLCoutsider · October 24, 2007

Warren Buffet buys businesses, but he never goes to see them. He doesn't dictate to them what to do. His pattern is this - he and his team find a business they think is a leader in their market, they buy it, they let the same guys continue to manage it. All Buffett asks is for an end of the year report. Guess what? It works for him. The man sits there in Omaha, buying businesses he'll never darken the doorway of, and he makes billions. Not millions, billions.

Not sure what point is being made here. It's all about one's role in the project. The management teams of the companies he buys certainly employ the practice of breaking things down into smaller sub-goals as you move down the employee hierarchy. It's a basic practice of any company with more than 5 employees. Same concept works in military, sports, engineering, or any other group effort.

If we have a "bend, but don't break" defense like the Dallas Cowboys under Jimmy Johnson, who cares? They won. You think Jimmy and Dave Wannstadt were taking time out of their Super Bowl celebrations to count up three-and-outs? I doubt it. They just wanted guy to make plays. If it happened at one end of the field or the other, it didn't matter. As long as they kept their opponent out of the end zone and off the scoreboard enough.

Of course not. By the time they were winning Super Bowls, those problems were already fixed. They were at a different stage of the journey. I bet they were examing those small details during that first season.

Everyone knows you can have individual goals. But, you can also get overly focused on them. I don't know if Dodge is doing that. I just know that I don't hear Notre Dame's coach or any other struggling coach saying, "we need this many yard here and there." What I hear them saying is, "We've got to find a way to win." Their focus appears to be on getting back on the winning track, not bogging down in the numbers game with their players.

So what? Would it really make you feel better if Dodge fell back on the meaningless, nebulous "we gotta find a way to win" instead of pointing out tangible, measureable areas for improvement? I like a coach that shares his analytic breakdown of a performance rather than some meaningless answer that just allows him to move on to the next question.

Green Nightmare · October 24, 2007

This just win mantra while great, I think is a too simplistic way of looking at things.

TD has a set bunch of goals he thinks are necessary to win these games

The stats in essence validate a win or loss

Like when they run stats out there, like team with the Time of Possession in their favor wins the majority of the time.

Well if you are up in the game you are running the ball controlling the clock etc so you should win Time of Possession

Dodge does have generic Just Win statements, like play hard for 7 seconds at a time etc

Also I think when you have 19-24 yr olds, you are trying to give them a goal to reach and be able to force and reinforce it on them

I appreciate Dodge's upfrontness with the media and fans. Much better than DD's shtick of " we just need to play better" etc etc.

Mean Green 93-98 · October 24, 2007

Ummm, TFLF, A coach doesn't just sit back in his office like Warren Buffett and watch his win count go up. It takes a plan to win games. A plan requires small goals to achieve the larger objective. And, as pointed out, those small goals for which individual players are responsible can pinpoint areas in need of improvement to achieve that larger objective--a win.

yyz28 · October 24, 2007

I don't think the stats are the issue here... ...I think he has an idea of what it takes to be successful with his schemes, and he was simply stating that. The fact that Troy rush's X normally and rushed Y against us IS relevant. The fact that ULALA did the same thing should be an indication.

...I expect the coach will make some chances to help pick up the blitz this week, and I expect to be better. ...burn a blitzing D a few times and they will lay off.

I am anxious to see what type of adjustments are made here.

I think the D-line is playing better - Here's hoping the Secondary had a banner week and that some of the stragegy this week is focused on the Defensive schemes.

My gut tells me this could be the surprise game of our season. ...the guys got a kick to the gut last week, unlike they have had all season. THIS coaching staff seems to have these kids trained to respond to that type of a kick positively, as opposed to the old regime.

With all the things that have gone wrong all year, you have to admit this - At NO POINT has this team or staff given up and stopped trying to win, even to the end of a hopeless game. That's the biggest change I've seen so far from the past few years.

GoMeanGreen1999 · October 24, 2007

Dodge better figure out how to stop the blitzing quick, or it will be another long evening saturday against MUTS. They sacked ASU this past weekend 9 times also, so we can probably bank on them blitzing most of the game.

NCMeanGreen · October 24, 2007

In my twisted mind...

Well...there you go...

Seriously, I think you make a really valid point. Was TD a math major at UT??? Who cares about the numbers (in this degree, at least)...LET"S PLAY SOME FOOTBALL, AND GET 'R DONE!!!

untbowler · October 24, 2007

Dodge better figure out how to stop the blitzing quick, or it will be another long evening saturday against MUTS. They sacked ASU this past weekend 9 times also, so we can probably bank on them blitzing most of the game.

Can we wrap Vizza and Meager up in Kevlar to save their ribs and brains from being scrambled b/c right now the O-Line is doing nothing to stop the onslaught.

GoMeanGreen1999 · October 24, 2007

Can we wrap Vizza and Meager up in Kevlar to save their ribs and brains from being scrambled b/c right now the O-Line is doing nothing to stop the onslaught.

It is somewhat fascinating to me that our offense was making these huge strides, only to be turned into the production that is similar to our defense.

TIgreen01 · October 24, 2007

Not sure what point is being made here. It's all about one's role in the project. The management teams of the companies he buys certainly employ the practice of breaking things down into smaller sub-goals as you move down the employee hierarchy. It's a basic practice of any company with more than 5 employees. Same concept works in military, sports, engineering, or any other group effort.
Of course not. By the time they were winning Super Bowls, those problems were already fixed. They were at a different stage of the journey. I bet they were examing those small details during that first season.
So what? Would it really make you feel better if Dodge fell back on the meaningless, nebulous "we gotta find a way to win" instead of pointing out tangible, measureable areas for improvement? I like a coach that shares his analytic breakdown of a performance rather than some meaningless answer that just allows him to move on to the next question.

I don't think breaking down the games into a variety of stats for player accountability is anything new. I'm sure Dodge is using most of these stats as confidence builders anyways. The thing is that most coaches don't believe that they ALSO need to rebuild the fanbase's and administrations' confidence. I think Dodge KNOWS that that is the case here at UNT. Why else would he share these numbers with us other than to show us that we are achieving some of our goals. Whether or not some people don't want to hear it and only care to look at wins and losses doesn't really matter. Some people will hear it and will be encouraged. Rome wasn't built in a day and it's nice to get progress reports. I appreciate Dodge sharing this kind of stuff with the fanbase and hope he continues to be this open.

Edited October 24, 2007 by TIgreen01

adman · October 24, 2007

Warren Buffet buys businesses, but he never goes to see them. He doesn't dictate to them what to do. His pattern is this - he and his team find a business they think is a leader in their market, they buy it, they let the same guys continue to manage it. All Buffett asks is for an end of the year report. Guess what? It works for him. The man sits there in Omaha, buying businesses he'll never darken the doorway of, and he makes billions. Not millions, billions.

Actually that's not entirely correct. Buffet buys businesses that 1. He understands. 2. He thinks are undervalued. Market leaders are rarely undervalued. Take for example Dairy Queen. Not the market leader in quick serve hamburgers by any stretch but Buffet understood the product, tasty burgers that a family can afford and a place he eats. The company in his eyes was undervalued so he bought it. Conversely Bill Gates met with Buffet for some venture cap years back when MS was just starting. Gates talked to Buffet explaining what Microsoft was. At the end of the meeting Buffet thanked Gates, applauded his enthusiasm and explained that he still didn't understand what Microsoft really was and therefore couldn't invest but that he would buy 100 shares just because of Gates moxie. Buffet laughes now at what could have been but stands by his decision due to the fact that following his blueprint is what has made him who he is.

So how does that relate to current situations? Perhaps RV is our Buffet. Perhaps he understands football on and off the field and believes that Dodge is the undervalued property which will reap NT billions - be they wins, fans or dollars.