Thoughs On Unt's Spring Workouts

MeanGreen61 · April 13, 2008

April 12, 2008

Thoughts on UNT's spring workouts

There will be a story in tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle on UNT's spring game. Until then, here is a rundown of the good, the bad and the continuing concerns after spring for the Mean Green.

The good:

Heading into spring practice, there was no bigger priority than finding a way to fix the Mean Green defense, which was terrible last season. So far, so good. UNT's first-team defense progressed nicely and ended spring workouts by holding the first-team offense to 10 points in five drives and got after quarterback Giovanni Vizza all day. Defensive end Eddrick Gilmore looks like he could a playmaker.

UNT's kicking game was another big problem last season, one the Mean Green appears to have addressed with the addition of kicker Jeremy Knott.

UNT should also have a much more dangerous receiving corps. Redshirt freshman Sam Roberson looks like he could be a star for an offense that should be very productive again next season.

Giovanni Vizza got a whole lot of work in spring practice. He produced after being thrown to the wolves with very little experience as a freshman last season and should benefit from the experience.

The bad:

There never seems to be much in the way of bad news in spring practice outside of injuries. That happens when the only team you are playing is your scout team, but the Mean Green's offensive line could have had a better spring. Starting center Kelvin Drake missed all of spring with an ankle injury, starting tackle Matt Menard barely got any work in after surgery, backup Chad Rose never got on the field due to injury and backup Matt Tomlinson injured his knee and had surgery on Thursday. A lot of offensive line play is about chemistry, and UNT didn’t get a chance to develop much in that regard. UNT gave up six sacks in the spring game. Teams like Kansas State and LSU are going to throw much better pass rushers at UNT than what it faced in spring practice. The hope is a host of newcomers will help in the fall. They had better help, or UNT could be in trouble.

UNT’s cup is not exactly running over when it comes to impact defensive linemen, either. Joseph Miller is a solid Sun Belt Conference player and could threaten for all-league honors and Gilmore could be great. Outside of those two, UNT does not have much in the way of proven players. Tackles Isaac Thomas and Jonathan Stewart missed spring practice, Charlie Brown was once a wide receiver and is listed at 255 pounds and fellow backup Kail Krider checks in at 245. Marquis Sykes could be a solid defensive end, but is unproven. UNT signed a potential impact player in junior college end Alonzo Horton. The Mean Green could be in trouble if it suffers and injury or two. Losing Miller or Gilmore would be devastating.

The jury is still out:

UNT knows what it has in linebacker Craig Robertson, but most of the Mean Green’s other players on its two-deep are unproven. Tobe Nwigwe was a backup last season and started two years ago. He could be a standout, but has had issues off the field. UNT’s coaches believe AJ Penson has star potential, but he has yet to prove his value in the regular season. Colt Mahan is undersized as UNT’s backup middle linebacker at 220 pounds. It was tough to tell just how good the group could be with UNT’s offensive line in flux for most of spring. Could these guys be great? Maybe. Could they be a liability? That is also a possibility.

UNT’s defensive backs are also a question mark. Head coach Todd Dodge has made no secret of the fact he thought the group was a liability last season. UNT signed a host of junior college players and will likely start nearly from scratch. Adryan Adams and Kylee Hill showed flashes after transferring at the semester break, but no one will know how good the group can be until the fall when the rest of those key transfers arrive.

Running back Micah Mosley provided a nice complement to former national rushing champion Jamario Thomas last season and Cam Montgomery has looked good since taking last year off to recover from a hamstring injury. Can they carry the load together? That has yet to be determined. Thomas carried UNT to its second win last season over Western Kentucky. Dodge doesn’t exactly use the running game a whole lot anyway, but it would be nice to have an impact running back. UNT will find out if it has one or a good combination of a few in the fall.

trud1966 · April 13, 2008

North Texas builds confidence at spring game

08:15 AM CDT on Sunday, April 13, 2008

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas head coach Todd Dodge found himself in a position he rarely enjoyed last season following the Mean Green’s spring game on Saturday.

Dodge was actually pleased with the way his team’s defense played.

UNT's first-team defense gave up 10 points in five series and scored a defensive touchdown in front of a crowd of 3,169 at Fouts Field in a controlled workout won by the South 28-17.

“Defensively, you are looking for production and our first-team defense was productive all day long,” Dodge said. “Every time the offense got something going, our defense would make a stop. Overall they played very well.”

UNT didn’t make many key stops last season when it finished last nationally in scoring defense with an average of 45.1 points allowed per game. Dodge brought in Gary DeLoach as his defensive coordinator in the offseason and put him in charge of fixing the Mean Green's problems.

That switch appeared as if it will pay off next season during the scrimmage when UNT's defense came up with several big plays.

Defensive end Eddrick Gilmore broke up two passes and posted two of the Mean Green's six sacks. Safety Germaine Dawson also recorded a sack that resulted in the biggest play of the day for UNT's defense. Dawson leveled first-team quarterback Giovanni Vizza and caused a fumble that linebacker Marquis Sykes returned two yards for a touchdown.

"This was a confidence builder for us," UNT linebacker Craig Robertson said. "This was the best workout we had in spring."

The only touchdown UNT's first-team offense scored came after the Mean Green's defense appeared to put its counterparts in an unworkable situation. Gilmore and defensive end Ryan Davenport posted a pair of sacks that pushed the Mean Green into a fourth-and-19 situation. UNT converted when Vizza threw a 36-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Brock Stickler.

"Our defense is doing a great job," Vizza said. "They are giving us so many looks. That's great because we have to be ready for anything. Coach DeLoach is doing a great job with them."

Vizza led the Mean Green with 154 passing yards. The first-team's offense only other score came on a Jeremy Knott 32-yard field goal after a drive that began at the defense's 48-yard line.

One of the reasons UNT's first-team offense wasn't more productive was the pressure the Mean Green put on Vizza, who spent much of the day on the run.

I was really pleased with the pressure we were able to put on with our defensive line," Dodge said. "Gilmore, Davenport and [Joseph] Miller all played well."

Roberson continues to make impression

Redshirt freshman Sam Roberson came into UNT's spring game atop the depth chart at one wide receiver spot and continued to solidify his position by catching five passes for 33 yards.

Only sophomore Sam Dibrell had more catches on the day with seven for 63 yards.

"I really like the combination of Sam [Roberson] and Breece Johnson," Dodge said of the pair that is splitting time at one receiver position. "Sam has certain strengths because of his size, while Breece is a real savvy route runner. One of our goals was to get the ball into Roberson's hands. He is going to be a nice weapon."

Roberson, one of the Mean Green's biggest receivers at 6-4, 210, had several opportunities because UNT's leading wide receiver last season Casey Fitzgerald sat out with a sprained ankle.

Menard makes impression after return

Matt Menard reached another milestone in his return from a knee injury in the spring game when he returned to his customary left tackle spot with the third-team offense.

Menard started all but one game last season.

"We got more out of Matt than we expected," Dodge said. "I never expected to get him into that many snaps in the spring game. He has really reacted well to the minor surgery he had."

Dodge said he worked Menard with the third-team offense to allow him to be comfortable in his return, but expects the sophomore to compete for a starting job in the fall.

Baine among top backups

Former Lake Dallas quarterback Chase Baine was among several backups that Dodge singled out for solid performances.

Baine, who moved to wide receiver when he walked on at UNT, caught three passes for 34 yards, including a 20-yard strike from Matt Phillips while working with the third team.

"Chase has done some really nice things," Dodge said.

Baine will have to sit out next season after transferring from Sam Houston State, where he was a member of the baseball team.

Backup quarterback Nathan Tune also fared well, completing 8-of-12 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

Briefly …

Senior Truman Spencer boomed a 75-yard punt. … Jamel Jackson and Chris Neal returned kickoffs. Neal had a 41-yard return. … Cornerback Adryan Adams, a transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, blocked a punt. … Redshirt freshman Jordan Scoggins had a good day with the third-team team defense, posting a sack and two tackles.

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

Edited April 13, 2008 by trud1966

Censored by Laurie · April 13, 2008

Sam has certain strengths because of his size, while Breece is a real savvy route runner.

UNT 92...this is for you.

I love you

eulessismore · April 13, 2008

North Texas builds confidence at spring game
08:15 AM CDT on Sunday, April 13, 2008
By Brett Vito / Staff Writer
North Texas head coach Todd Dodge found himself in a position he rarely enjoyed last season following the Mean Green’s spring game on Saturday.
Dodge was actually pleased with the way his team’s defense played.
UNT's first-team defense gave up 10 points in five series and scored a defensive touchdown in front of a crowd of 3,169 at Fouts Field in a controlled workout won by the South 28-17.
“Defensively, you are looking for production and our first-team defense was productive all day long,” Dodge said. “Every time the offense got something going, our defense would make a stop. Overall they played very well.”
UNT didn’t make many key stops last season when it finished last nationally in scoring defense with an average of 45.1 points allowed per game. Dodge brought in Gary DeLoach as his defensive coordinator in the offseason and put him in charge of fixing the Mean Green's problems.
That switch appeared as if it will pay off next season during the scrimmage when UNT's defense came up with several big plays.
Defensive end Eddrick Gilmore broke up two passes and posted two of the Mean Green's six sacks. Safety Germaine Dawson also recorded a sack that resulted in the biggest play of the day for UNT's defense. Dawson leveled first-team quarterback Giovanni Vizza and caused a fumble that linebacker Marquis Sykes returned two yards for a touchdown.
"This was a confidence builder for us," UNT linebacker Craig Robertson said. "This was the best workout we had in spring."
The only touchdown UNT's first-team offense scored came after the Mean Green's defense appeared to put its counterparts in an unworkable situation. Gilmore and defensive end Ryan Davenport posted a pair of sacks that pushed the Mean Green into a fourth-and-19 situation. UNT converted when Vizza threw a 36-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Brock Stickler.
"Our defense is doing a great job," Vizza said. "They are giving us so many looks. That's great because we have to be ready for anything. Coach DeLoach is doing a great job with them."
Vizza led the Mean Green with 154 passing yards. The first-team's offense only other score came on a Jeremy Knott 32-yard field goal after a drive that began at the defense's 48-yard line.
One of the reasons UNT's first-team offense wasn't more productive was the pressure the Mean Green put on Vizza, who spent much of the day on the run.
I was really pleased with the pressure we were able to put on with our defensive line," Dodge said. "Gilmore, Davenport and [Joseph] Miller all played well."
Roberson continues to make impression
Redshirt freshman Sam Roberson came into UNT's spring game atop the depth chart at one wide receiver spot and continued to solidify his position by catching five passes for 33 yards.
Only sophomore Sam Dibrell had more catches on the day with seven for 63 yards.
"I really like the combination of Sam [Roberson] and Breece Johnson," Dodge said of the pair that is splitting time at one receiver position. "Sam has certain strengths because of his size, while Breece is a real savvy route runner. One of our goals was to get the ball into Roberson's hands. He is going to be a nice weapon."
Roberson, one of the Mean Green's biggest receivers at 6-4, 210, had several opportunities because UNT's leading wide receiver last season Casey Fitzgerald sat out with a sprained ankle.
Menard makes impression after return
Matt Menard reached another milestone in his return from a knee injury in the spring game when he returned to his customary left tackle spot with the third-team offense.
Menard started all but one game last season.
"We got more out of Matt than we expected," Dodge said. "I never expected to get him into that many snaps in the spring game. He has really reacted well to the minor surgery he had."
Dodge said he worked Menard with the third-team offense to allow him to be comfortable in his return, but expects the sophomore to compete for a starting job in the fall.
Baine among top backups
Former Lake Dallas quarterback Chase Baine was among several backups that Dodge singled out for solid performances.
Baine, who moved to wide receiver when he walked on at UNT, caught three passes for 34 yards, including a 20-yard strike from Matt Phillips while working with the third team.
"Chase has done some really nice things," Dodge said.
Baine will have to sit out next season after transferring from Sam Houston State, where he was a member of the baseball team.
Backup quarterback Nathan Tune also fared well, completing 8-of-12 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Briefly …
Senior Truman Spencer boomed a 75-yard punt. … Jamel Jackson and Chris Neal returned kickoffs. Neal had a 41-yard return. … Cornerback Adryan Adams, a transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, blocked a punt. … Redshirt freshman Jordan Scoggins had a good day with the third-team team defense, posting a sack and two tackles.
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

It's great to see Scoggins making an impression. I think he has the potential to be a real impact player for UNT.

MeanGreenBuzz · April 15, 2008

Of all of that the item that stood out to me was Spencer booting a 75 yard punt. Was that with wind and roll or did he finally hit one right? He has always had good power but seemed to shank even his best punts to some degree.

jimmyjames_99 · April 15, 2008

Of all of that the item that stood out to me was Spencer booting a 75 yard punt. Was that with wind and roll or did he finally hit one right? He has always had good power but seemed to shank even his best punts to some degree.

It was with the wind, it rolled a little but most was in the air. I mentioned to my dad before the kick that Jamel needed to back up. He backed up about 5 yards right before the kick, then had to take off running and still didn't get to it.