History Maker

[GreenBat]

Football: Bowled Over

Mean Green stumbles in finale against winless FIU

12:06 AM CST on Sunday, December 2, 2007

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas had visions of finishing its first season under head coach Todd Dodge on a high note while making history in the final college game at the Orange Bowl on Saturday night.

UNT did make history, only it wasn’t the type it was seeking in a 38-19 loss to the Golden Panthers.

The Mean Green (2-10, 1-6) will not only go down in history as the last college team to lose a game in the Orange Bowl, it will also be known as the team FIU beat to break a 23-game losing streak that dated all the way back to its 2005 finale. The Golden Panthers (1-11, 1-6) ended the night by dumping a cooler full of Gatorade on head coach Mario Cristobal while UNT was left to ponder a tough first season under Dodge.

“It’s disappointing from the standpoint that we had a lot higher expectations of ourselves,” Dodge said. “Tonight wasn’t one of them, but there were several games during the year that we let slip away that could have been victories. … My feeling as we end this thing is that I am proud of this team for staying together.”

UNT appeared to have one of its best shots of the season to pick up a win in a game that pitted a pair of teams that featured units ranked last among the NCAA’s Bowl Subdivision teams. FIU came into the night ranked last in the country in scoring offense with an average of 13.0 points a game, while UNT was last in scoring defense at 45.7 points allowed per game.

FIU got the better of that matchup, despite having to play without its leading offensive player in quarterback Wayne Younger, who broke his collarbone last week in a loss to Florida Atlantic.

Backup Paul McCall started in place of Younger and helped shred UNT’s defense.

“They got into a nice swing of things,” UNT linebacker Maurice Holman said. “We made too many mistakes and they got momentum and felt good about what they were doing. … We came out flat and paid for it.”

UNT’s offense had kept the Mean Green in several games this season, but had one of its worst performances of the year against FIU. The Mean Green caught a break when FIU deep snapper Michael Davies sent a ball sailing over the head of punter Chris Cook on the Golden Panthers’ first series of the game.

UNT took over at FIU’s 1-yard line and scored the first of two first-half touchdowns that put the Mean Green up 12-7 on a Jamario Thomas run. It was all downhill from there for the Mean Green.

FIU defensive back Lionell Singleton returned a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown to spark the Golden Panthers, who outscored UNT 31-7 the rest of the way. McCall threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns for FIU, which came up with one of its biggest offensive explosions of the last three years in the second quarter.

Singelton’s touchdown was the second of three in the period by FIU, a run that running back Trenard Turner capped by catching a 58-yard touchdown pass from McCall.

The 21 points FIU scored in the second quarter was the Golden Panthers’ high total for a period since scoring 21 in the second quarter of its season finale against Middle Tennessee in 2005.

The outburst was a good sign for FIU, which beat MTSU that night for its last win before taking on UNT.

Giovanni Vizza threw for 215 yards for UNT, which failed to post a touchdown pass for the third straight game.

“It was nothing that they did,” UNT wide receiver Brandon Jackson said. “We hurt ourselves the whole game.”

The loss was a tough way for the Mean Green to end its first season under Dodge, one that began with high expectations.

“It’s hard,” Jackson said. “We came into the season expecting a lot, to win conference and go to a bowl game. It’s hard when the expectations are so high and you let down in the end.”

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

UNT first-year coaches

The following is a look at the winning percentages of North Texas head coaches in their first season.

Coach;W-L;Winning pct.

Theron J. Fouts(1920);7-1; .875

Rod Rust (1967);7-1-1.875

J.W. St. Claire(1915);4-1;.800

Odus Mitchell (1946);7-3-1;.700

John B. Reid (1925);6-4;.600

Matt Simon (1994);7-4-1;.583

Hayden Fry (1973);5-5-1;.500

Jerry Moore (1979);5-6;.455

Jack Sisco (1929);.444

Loyd Russell (1942);3-8;.375

Dennis Parker (1991);3-7-1;.300

Darrell Dickey (1998);3-8;.273

Bob Tyler (1981);2-9;.182

Corky Nelson (1982);2-9;.182

Todd Dodge (2007);2-10;.167

J.W. Pender(1913);0-1;.000

[rcade]

J.W. Pender(1913);0-1;.000

Does anyone know who we played in 1913, the first season of UNT football? I've been doing research on early teams, and I can't find this game anywhere.

[KingDL1]

Does anyone know who we played in 1913, the first season of UNT football? I've been doing research on early teams, and I can't find this game anywhere.

L 1913 0 Texas Christian 13 Denton, TX

Link

[FirefightnRick]

Yes, we lost to TCU 13-0.

Rick

[FirefightnRick]

From a previous thread I researched.

Below is a rundown of results of the first year in every coaching change since 1913. I realize there were DC's under the head coaches, and at times those would change under the same head coaches, but I only have the head coaches and very few of the Defensive Coordinators names so please fill in any of the names you may remember as I would love to give credit where it is due for those who were able to overcome the obsticles while taking over with someone elses players.

1913

J.W. Pender

Played one game against TCU in a 0-13 loss.

1915

J.W. St. Clair

In 5 games with Penders' players his defense gave up 6 points total, or 1.2 points per game.

1920

Theron J. Fouts

In coach Fouts' first year with St. Clair's players his defenses gave up an average of 5.5 points per game.

1925

John B. Reid

With Fouts' players his defense gave up 12.1 points per game.

1929

Jack Sisco

With Reid's players his defense gave up 8.4 points per game.

1942

Loyd Russell

With Sisco's players, who won the Lone Star Conference a year before with a 7-1 record, his defense gave up 14.7 points per game.

1946

Odus Mitchell

Coach Mitchell had to start from scratch I assume due to WWII, maybe someone else can explain more on this but we didn't field a team for the '43, '44 and '45 seasons. But his first year defense gave up

9.2 yards per game, won the Lone Star Conference and beat Pacific in the '46 Optimist Bowl.

1967

Rod Rust

Taking over with Coach Mitchell's players who had won the Missouri Valley the year before, Coach Rust' defense gave up 13.8 points per game. This era was I believe when many of our passing records would be set for those of you who believe a quick strike, passing game stresses out the defense that much more, forcing them to give up more points than usual.

1973

Hayden Fry

Taking over Coach Rusts' players who finished 1-10 the year before, Coach Fry's defense gave up 22.1 points per game and won the MVC with a 5-5-1 record.

1979

Jerry Moore

Taking over a Fry coached 9-2 team Coach Moore's defense gave up 21.4 yards per game and finished the season 5-6.

1981

Bob Tyler

Taking over for a Moore coached 6-5 team Tyler's defense gave up 21.4 points per game.

1982

Corky Nelson

Taking over a Tyler coached 2-9 team, Coach Nelson, and I believe Coach Chuck Mills may have been his DC?(anyone remember?), Nelson's defense gave up 25.7 points per game.

1991

Dennis Parker

Taking over for a Nelson coached 6-5 team, coach Parker's defense gave up 29.7 points per game.

1994

Matt Simon

Taking over for a 4-7 Parker team, Simmon's defense gave up 21.8 points per game.

1998

Darrell Dickey

Taking over for a 4-7 Simmon team, Dickey's defense coached by Gary DeLoach gave up 27 points per game.

***********

2007

Todd Dodge

Taking over for a 3-9 Dickey team, whose defense would return 17 starters including 9 of the 11 who started the final 3 games of the '06 season and who ranked 64th nationally giving up 25.3 points per game, now coached by DC Ron Mendoza, after the 9th game this season his defense is giving up 49.6 points per game.

***********

After the '04 season which saw a significant drop off in production by the defense, Dickey's LB coach Kenny Evans took over as Defensive Coordinator for that season only. Even though the '05 defense would become statistically one of the worst of the Dickey era they would start that year as the 3rd youngest defense in the nation, yet would only surrender 31.5 points per game that season. If there was ever an excuse of "Level of Talent" as to why they did so poorly I would have to say this is one of them because of the youth on that squad, even though I will never forget the great effort they gave to get that first win in Murfreesboro to start the season.

Rick

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---I agree.... considering how many starters were back on defense... this year was worse than awful.... and often against some some really weak teams...

Something drastic needs to change on defense... Those players should have done as well as last year or maybe better since so many returned.... This is what points to the coaching staff.. the morale of the defense may have gone south but even the defensive coaching staff is largely responsible for that also well...

Edited December 2, 2007 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[hickoryhouse]

Reading that history lesson provided by FFr, I learned one thing, our defense sucked this year. If that is not the most obvious thing that anyone could say, I dont' know what is. Something really does have to be done.

[MeanGreen61]

---I agree.... considering how many starters were back on defense... this year was worse than awful.... and often against some some really weak teams...

Something drastic needs to change on defense... Those players should have done as well as last year or maybe better since so many returned.... This is what points to the coaching staff.. the morale of the defense may have gone south but even the defensive coaching staff is largely responsible for that also well...

You're absolutely correct. No matter how many excuses are made and how hard some try to sugarcoat the disaster on defense, SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE. Saying the defense just had first year transition problems or blaming so called internal defensive problems is pathetic.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

You're absolutely correct. No matter how many excuses are made and how hard some try to sugarcoat the disaster on defense, SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE. Saying the defense just had first year transition problems or blaming so called internal defensive problems is pathetic.

It is pretty clear from reading the papers about Dodge and his staff, there will NOT be any staff changes for next season.

[GreenBat]

Unless somebody quits!