Drc "tide Turner" Win Lays Foundation For Younger Players

[OldTimer]

Tide turner

Win could lay foundation for younger players

11:40 PM CST on Sunday, November 25, 2007

In a season in which so much has gone wrong, it seemed as if North Texas would have to enjoy a change in its fortunes at some point.

The Mean Green waited through a close loss to rival SMU, a heartbreaker against Navy and a last-second loss to Arkansas State.

And then it finally happened.

UNT caught a break Saturday against Western Kentucky.

The Hilltoppers appeared as if they would pull out a last-second win over UNT when they drove right down the field in the closing minutes, converted on third down and a fourth down, recovered a fumble and moved all the way to the Mean Green's 21-yard line.

All the Hilltoppers needed was a field goal from 38 yards out from a kicker who had already hit from 26 and 44 yards. It was just the type of situation that has haunted UNT throughout the season. Only this time a high snap threw off Chris James' timing and the kick fell short, giving UNT a 27-26 win.

It might not have been the prettiest game the Mean Green has ever played. The stands might have been all but empty on a cold and rainy day.

But UNT picked up a win, one that gave the Mean Green something to build on heading into its season finale at Florida International next week and the offseason.

At this point, that was all that mattered to the Mean Green.

"Most of the seniors came in when times were good," UNT senior defensive end Jeremiah Chapman said. "It hasn't been that way the last couple of years. We talked about getting these last two victories so the younger guys can go into the spring and try to get this thing rolling."

UNT would have loved to have put up 50 points and 500 yards of offense, posted a shutout or beaten WKU on a dramatic play.

The Mean Green depended on the grit and determination of a few veterans, including Chapman and running back Jamario Thomas, instead. That was just fine with UNT's coaches and players after they improved to 2-9 on the year.

"I am proud of our kids for showing some pride, bowing up and doing what we needed to do to get a win," UNT head coach Todd Dodge said.

It would have been just as easy for the Mean Green to fold and let a chance for a victory in its last home game get away.

WKU led 20-7 at halftime after Hilltoppers defensive lineman Terald Clark intercepted a pass from UNT quarterback Giovanni Vizza and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. A 44-yard field goal from James gave WKU a 26-21 lead with just 9:50 left in the game.

The Mean Green kept its poise when it had every reason to think, "Here we go again."

UNT lost to ASU on a last-second touchdown pass after leading by 21 and was stunned by Navy after leading by 18.

The Mean Green avoided a similar collapse by turning to Thomas.

The senior scored the last of his three second-half touchdowns on a 42-yard run to give UNT the lead and the Mean Green's defense made just enough plays in the closing seconds to give Dodge a win he desperately needed.

No matter what happens next week against FIU, UNT will end up with a horrendous record, but winning two or three games will look a whole lot better than winning one. Posting two wins at home will make it easier to convince the UNT faithful to come back to Fouts next season.

Explaining away this season as an adjustment year for a new coaching staff to recruits just became a more manageable task.

UNT has lost plenty of games when it's offense performed like a well-oiled machine.

Against WKU, there was nothing pretty about the way the Mean Green performed.

Not that it mattered.

UNT kept its poise when WKU fell apart and committed a pair of personal foul penalties that cost it a point at the end of the first half when James missed an extra point after kicking it from 15 yards deeper than usual. The Mean Green also made the key plays at the end of the game to force the Hilltoppers to try and kick a field goal for the win.

Like so many other times this season, UNT put its opponent in a tough spot. More often than not, teams like ASU and Navy have converted.

This time UNT made the key plays and produced a win that gave the Mean Green something to build on.

That made all the difference in the world to UNT's seniors, who wanted to leave their mark after a season in which nothing seemed to go the Mean Green's way.

"This was the last time for the seniors to play on this field," UNT defensive lineman Montey Stevenson. "It meant a lot to us knowing that if we could win it would set the tone for next season."

That was just what UNT did with a win over the Hilltoppers.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is