Thoughts On The Rice Game

UNTLifer · September 29, 2008

1. Worst game by a North Texas team I can ever recall.

2. Dwaylon Cook should be our return man from here on out.

3. O-Line played well, gave Vizza time and running backs holes to run through.

4. D-line got first sacks of the season but struggled to put consistent pressure on Clement.

5. LBer's play in pass coverage was bad. On Clements TD run, the LB's turned their backs to the line of scrimmage and ran back in to their drops. As soon as they turned their backs Clements took off untouched.

6. Knott is not the answer as our kicker. The blocks are his fault for not elivating his kicks.

7. NT is terribly young with over 2/3rds of the roster freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophmores. We need to grow up in a hurry.

8. Special Teams, especially coverage units, are horrible.

9. The team appeared to give up halfway through the second quarter, which is concerning.

10. They need a leader on defense. They need a player to step up, be vocal and lead by example. Someone who will fight through this and find a way to succeed.

11. Vizza will be fine and could potentially be the best QB in North Texas history. I would like to see his "gunslinger" mentality reappear. IMHO, the short passing game is being utilized to help the O-Line, but at some point we have to take shots down field to keep the DB's honest.

12. Fitzgerald should not be returning punts. This is not because of the drops, but because we can't afford to lose him. I would like to see Cook get a chance based on his results with KO returns.

13. There is a lot of young talent on this team. Dunbar, Cook, Royce Hill, Vizza, Dibrell, Moseley, Penson, Williams, Hamilton, Akpunku (sp?), etc...

14. I have never seen a North Texas defense play this poorly. I have faith that DeLoach will turn this around, but it is tough to watch this year. I would love to see Coach Bugar return.

15. The defense appears to be thinking too much and not turning it loose and just playing. The corners on Rice's TD passes never looked back to find the ball. The coverage was not bad, they just look to be reacting to the receiver and not playing the ball. Clement/Dillard are class individuals that have done that to many DB's, but we can play this better.

15. The white helmets must go. The current situation is all related to the arrival of the white helmets.

16. Dodge deserves more time to turn this around, as his recruits are either sophmores, redshirt freshmen or true freshmen, and it is tough to succeed when ovefr 2/3rd's of you roster is this young. I also must take into account that his first recruiting class was thrown together in a very short amount of time, but appears to be extremely talented. The 2008 class was rated as one of our best ever, yet they need time to mature. Because of this, TD must be given time at least to see his first class through to graduation.

This is one of those tough times to be a fan, but the "young" talent on this team is incredible. I also think it is too early to call for TD's head, but some changes must be made with the coaching staff, DL and ST, immediately. It does concern me that Dodge chose not to answer questions from the media. He needs to swallow his pride and face the music. It's not easy after a game like the Rice game, but it is part of the job. Not showing reveals a lack of professionalism that concerns me.

TheTastyGreek · September 29, 2008

This is one of those tough times to be a fan, but the "young" talent on this team is incredible. I also think it is too early to call for TD's head, but some changes must be made with the coaching staff, DL and ST, immediately.

Agree 100%. Todd Dodge deserves all the criticism he's getting and more. But nobody should be calling for his job, and I don't think many if any people are.

GreenAlums · September 29, 2008

1. Worst game by a North Texas team I can ever recall.
2. Dwaylon Cook should be our return man from here on out.
3. O-Line played well, gave Vizza time and running backs holes to run through.
4. D-line got first sacks of the season but struggled to put consistent pressure on Clement.
5. LBer's play in pass coverage was bad. On Clements TD run, the LB's turned their backs to the line of scrimmage and ran back in to their drops. As soon as they turned their backs Clements took off untouched.
6. Knott is not the answer as our kicker. The blocks are his fault for not elivating his kicks.
7. NT is terribly young with over 2/3rds of the roster freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophmores. We need to grow up in a hurry.
8. Special Teams, especially coverage units, are horrible.
9. The team appeared to give up halfway through the second quarter, which is concerning.
10. They need a leader on defense. They need a player to step up, be vocal and lead by example. Someone who will fight through this and find a way to succeed.
11. Vizza will be fine and could potentially be the best QB in North Texas history. I would like to see his "gunslinger" mentality reappear. IMHO, the short passing game is being utilized to help the O-Line, but at some point we have to take shots down field to keep the DB's honest.
12. Fitzgerald should not be returning punts. This is not because of the drops, but because we can't afford to lose him. I would like to see Cook get a chance based on his results with KO returns.
13. There is a lot of young talent on this team. Dunbar, Cook, Royce Hill, Vizza, Dibrell, Moseley, Penson, Williams, Hamilton, Akpunku (sp?), etc...
14. I have never seen a North Texas defense play this poorly. I have faith that DeLoach will turn this around, but it is tough to watch this year. I would love to see Coach Bugar return.
15. The defense appears to be thinking too much and not turning it loose and just playing. The corners on Rice's TD passes never looked back to find the ball. The coverage was not bad, they just look to be reacting to the receiver and not playing the ball. Clement/Dillard are class individuals that have done that to many DB's, but we can play this better.
15. The white helmets must go. The current situation is all related to the arrival of the white helmets.
16. Dodge deserves more time to turn this around, as his recruits are either sophmores, redshirt freshmen or true freshmen, and it is tough to succeed when ovefr 2/3rd's of you roster is this young. I also must take into account that his first recruiting class was thrown together in a very short amount of time, but appears to be extremely talented. The 2008 class was rated as one of our best ever, yet they need time to mature. Because of this, TD must be given time at least to see his first class through to graduation.
This is one of those tough times to be a fan, but the "young" talent on this team is incredible. I also think it is too early to call for TD's head, but some changes must be made with the coaching staff, DL and ST, immediately. It does concern me that Dodge chose not to answer questions from the media. He needs to swallow his pride and face the music. It's not easy after a game like the Rice game, but it is part of the job. Not showing reveals a lack of professionalism that concerns me.

17. Niwigwe did a great job on defense but couldn't do it all himself. I had the binocs on him on the sideline and he was also doing a lot to torment Cole or fire him up, I couldn't tell.

18. We actually broke up at least two long bombs that earlier had burned us for scores.

19. The weather was nice

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 29, 2008

17. Niwigwe did a great job on defense but couldn't do it all himself. I had the binocs on him on the sideline and he was also doing a lot to torment Cole or fire him up, I couldn't tell.
18. We actually broke up at least two long bombs that earlier had burned us for scores.
19. The weather was nice

20. Considering the 0-3 start and on the road, we had a great crowd.

Eagle1855 · September 29, 2008

20. Considering the 0-3 start and on the road, we had a great crowd.

Very true. I really enjoyed seeing that many Mean Green fans out at an away game.

Can't disagree with any of your points, Lifer.

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 29, 2008

Very true. I really enjoyed seeing that many Mean Green fans out at an away game.
Can't disagree with any of your points, Lifer.

My wife and I watched the game with my parents on the TV and my mom said "WOW, I can't believe how many UNT fans there are at the game, they look like there is more of us than Rice."

jimmyjames_99 · September 29, 2008

My wife and I watched the game with my parents on the TV and my mom said "WOW, I can't believe how many UNT fans there are at the game, they look like there is more of us than Rice."

Not close, definately more Rice fans than UNT. Sitting in section 304, it looked pretty full. But then watching it on TV there were a lot of gaps. While we were tailgating, Dr. B dropped by and said they expected between 1000 or 1500. I think that was a good estimate. Official attendance was 16885.

I wonder how many of you GMG'ers we met for the first time? We were setup at the corner of Lot 3 near the "Tailgate Owley" and north enterance (Tan tent and Mean Green flag). We got to meet a lot of Mean Green fans as they walked by.

All-in-all the weekend was a lot of fun, just wish the score would have been better.

greenjoe · September 29, 2008

I had a great time this weekend. I really, really like Rice Stadium. It's a classic-old, but still very much up to date.

We drove down Friday and were pleased to see so many North Texas fans on the way. Lots of "Talon signs."

The Green Brigade was present and professional. I'm sure some think the MOB is fun. I thought they were an embarassment to a fine university.

Dr. B. was at the Tailgate Owley and at the game wearing Green. She's a great asset to our University. And by the way, she sat in the heat facing the sun with the rest of us.

My wife and I had a friendly disagreement as to which game weekend was the more fun--I liked LSU, while she liked Rice.

GO MEAN GREEN--The first LEED GREEN stadium in the nation.

yyz28 · September 29, 2008

Great post, Lifer!

Travis · September 29, 2008

21. I have been impressed with Cam Montgomery. I think he is a great runner that is effective at getting some decent yards.

edcollopy · September 29, 2008

worst bathrooms ever....make fouts field look special.

jimmyjames_99 · September 29, 2008

worst bathrooms ever....make fouts field look special.

When I went in there I thought "Ha, a bathroom worse than Fouts, what's the possibility. Now, do you stand on the step or piss from behind it? "

Smitty · September 29, 2008

16. Dodge deserves more time to turn this around, as his recruits are either sophmores, redshirt freshmen or true freshmen, and it is tough to succeed when ovefr 2/3rd's of you roster is this young. I also must take into account that his first recruiting class was thrown together in a very short amount of time, but appears to be extremely talented. The 2008 class was rated as one of our best ever, yet they need time to mature. Because of this, TD must be given time at least to see his first class through to graduation.
This is one of those tough times to be a fan, but the "young" talent on this team is incredible. I also think it is too early to call for TD's head, but some changes must be made with the coaching staff, DL and ST, immediately. It does concern me that Dodge chose not to answer questions from the media. He needs to swallow his pride and face the music. It's not easy after a game like the Rice game, but it is part of the job. Not showing reveals a lack of professionalism that concerns me.

Whether you thought it was a good idea or not to hire a high school coach, he's the head coach. You have to give a coach, especially in a rebuilding situation, a chance to prove himself.

I do not, however, think that staff changes are needed now. The assistants also have to be given a chance. Because if you have to fire three coaches within a year and a half, if the staff that he assembled is that bad, then that has to bring Dodge's overall judgment into serious question. And in that case, how long before Dodge's head is on the chopping block? Unless the team remains so utterly uncompetitive this year and next, I don't have a problem with giving Dodge and his staff four or five years to prove themselves.

GoMeanGreen1999 · September 29, 2008

Whether you thought it was a good idea or not to hire a high school coach, he's the head coach. You have to give a coach, especially in a rebuilding situation, a chance to prove himself.
I do not, however, think that staff changes are needed now. The assistants also have to be given a chance. Because if you have to fire three coaches within a year and a half, if the staff that he assembled is that bad, then that has to bring Dodge's overall judgment into serious question. And in that case, how long before Dodge's head is on the chopping block? Unless the team remains so utterly uncompetitive this year and next, I don't have a problem with giving Dodge and his staff four or five years to prove themselves.

I don't think you can give our special teams coach anymore time than the rest of this year. The special teams were bad last year, and Dodge said that was one of the areas we would be better at this year. Well, we aren't better, we are worse. You have to make a move at least in terms of this guy.

Russell anyone?

UNTLifer · September 29, 2008

worst bathrooms ever....make fouts field look special.

It was good to piss on the wall again. Ah, the good old days!

GMoney · September 29, 2008

15. The white helmets must go. The current situation is all related to the arrival of the white helmets.

Your best point!

Seriously, a good post and pretty much my thoughts as well.

greendog · September 29, 2008

I, like most of you am really let down on what has happened to our team so farthis season. I recall also, that Hayden Fry's second year was a 2-9 record (Imight be wrong on this). I also remember a game in Stillwater in Fry's 1st or2nd year that we lost something like 67-7. That score could have been evenhigher but OSU put the girls in the 4th quarter.I still feel that Dodge will do well. Football is not nuclear science. All the coaches do the same thing and it gets down to internal organization amongthe coaches and recruiting. I have heard that we have approx. 65 kids onscholarship as of this time. Some of them are holdovers from DD and of thosea number are marginal D-1 player at best.I will still be at the games and support the green. It has got to get better andlike our legislatures in Washington, with some changes, it will.