2010: We were close

[Harry]

I had been meaning to post on this for awhile and finally got a chance to. Dodge/Chico won 3 games in 2010 and when you look back at it, wow that record could have been so very different...

2010 UNT Football Season

Sept. 4 Tigers at Clemson Tigers Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC Lost 35-10 --- A pretty good showing against a superior opponent as I recall.
Sept. 11 Owls Rice Owls Fouts Stadium, Denton, TX Lost 32-31 --- You lose to Rice by 1! point at home for goodness sakes. Should have been a W.
Sept. 18 Black Knights at Army Black Knights Michie Stadium, West Point, NY Lost 24-0 ---
Sept. 25 Owls at Florida Atlantic Owls FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL Won 21-17 ---
Oct. 2 Ragin' Cajuns Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns Fouts Stadium, Denton, TX Lost 28-27 --- Are you freaking kidding me? Another 1-point loss?
Oct. 9 Indians Arkansas State Red Wolves Fouts Stadium, Denton, TX Lost 24-19 --- This time a 5-point loss at home. Ugh.
Oct. 16 Golden Panthers Florida International Golden Panthers Fouts Stadium, Denton, TX Lost 34-10 ---
Oct. 23 --- Open Date --- ---
Oct. 30 Hilltoppers at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers H. Ind. - L.T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY Won 33-6 ---
Nov. 6 Trojans Troy Trojans Fouts Stadium, Denton, TX Lost 41-35 --- A SIX point loss at home.
Nov. 13 Blue Raiders at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro, TN Won 23-17 ---
Nov. 20 Warhawks at ULM Warhawks Malone Stadium, Monroe, LA Lost 49-37 --- a 12 point loss at home...
Nov. 27 Wildcats Kansas State Wildcats Fouts Stadium, Denton, TX Lost 49-41 --- an 8 point loss against a Big 12 opponent...

I guess my point is, 2010 could have been an 8 win season had the ball rolled UNT's way... or at the very least a 6-win season...

I think we all know that our chances in C-USA are good, but we likely won't steamroll anyone. We are like #1 in the country in forced turnovers and that is earned but the odds are against us keeping that pace up.

My point is, we should temper our enthusiasm with the cold hard reality that a few mistakes or letdowns at key times will lose games that you should have won.

Had Todd Dodge beaten Rice, ULL, Arkansas State and Troy games 4 games lost by a combined 13 POINTS he very well may still be the coach at North Texas now because we would have won 7 games and possibly gone bowling especially with a huge performance to end the season against K-State.

[Dr. Seuss]

I've said it before, the 2010 roster was solid. We hat didn't have te coaching staff. We started our 3 string QB by week 4, and Riley wasn't even on the QB depth chart till week 3

[LongJim]

Late defensive collapses, horrible run defense, and poor special teams play doomed that team.

[bstnsportsfan3]

Ya but would the last 5 games go the same under dodge as they did chico? That we will never know.

[Mean_Green09]

This type of topic rings in my ear way to often. You see I'm a Browns fan too, please no need for a pity party. I cant recall how many times we talk about what could have been. Any number of things can derail a teams season. There are a couple of things that separate you from winning the close games and losing the close games. I don't like the statement "The ball didn't bounce our way" well hell go get the ball then. Don't sit around waiting and hoping for an opportunity. You make them happen

1. Leadership from the top down. If your coach is not a leader of men you can just mark down a bunch of loses. I don't care how close the games are, your never going to get over the top. Players want someone they can trust and someone who believes in them. I cant tell you how much better we are in this aspect today then years past.

2. Winning the turnover battle. Go back and look at how many teams have winning records with a negative turnover ratio. Its not going to be many. Also look at teams making a jump in wins from the previous year, I bet they increased their TO production. If you got that knack for forcing TO's it just become contagious. I look back to the Saints of 2010, not a great shutdown defense but they made up for it with turnovers.

These are just two that I picked out. I cant stress number one enough. Every coach is convinced that his system will work. It will works if it has worked before. If your system is successful all you need is complete buy in from the players. Once the players have bought in it shows their trust in the coach and that is going to lead to success on the field. How many coaches do you know that have been proven winners who are not considered good leaders?

[oldguystudent]

Currently 6-8 at one high school town Marble Falls, and not yet into the hard part of the 2013 schedule. The man enjoyed recruited, housed, professionally conditioned NFL talent at Southlake, a school that won state championships before he got there and has won a state championship since he left. His high school record exclusive of Southlake is 30-43. Mediocre at the high school level, apocalyptic at the college level. It's been three years. He's gone, the stadium is gone, the Dragons uniforms are gone. We never even had sushi in the concessions like Southlake does.

Three years after the fact, and we still woulda shoulda coulda? For the love of all things, let's not do that.

[Dr. Seuss]

The only game that was a blowout after the dodge firing was FIU. That's because Chase Baine was our QB and they put 8 guys in the box the whole game.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Dr. Seuss

[PlummMeanGreen]

Water under the bridge now, but if TDodge's teams would have won all those 4'th quarter and last minute heartbreak losses he would probably still be at UNT as the HFC. Todd Dodge was a class act for those who recognize such and can admit it and he also left North Texas the way any "fired" employee should leave their job no matter what profession. Riley Dodge? What more can we say about him especially the way he layed it all on the field---our field.

Like many of you, I'm content with who we have at the helm now to the extent that I expect this group to take us all places none of us have seen in MG Country no matter what era we attended North Texas. Yes, I said "no matter what era we attended North Texas."

GMG!

[untjim1995]

If we had won even 1 more game at the end of that schedule, Chico would've been the head coach here. You can argue the merits of if he deserved it or not then, but it would've happened if we had won one of those games against Troy, ULM, or KSU. I actually am glad that it worked out the wway it did. I was on record as wanting an experience FBS coach that people had heard of to come here. Hiring Chico as the OC was even better because it gave the fans someone to feel connected to, but also told the fanbase that we were willing to try and pay a coach with experience--something we hadn't done since Hayden Fry. In the end, I think it all worked out the way it should have once Dodge was fired.

Edited September 26, 2013 by untjim1995

[Mean Green 93-98]

If we had won even 1 more game at the end of that schedule, Chico would've been the head coach here.

Not a chance. He was never in the running.

[oldguystudent]

It was and remains one of the most divisive eras of UNT football history. Wasn't it just a couple months ago that I resurrected a thread from 2010 that made people go all batshit, and Harry eventually had to lock it? Judging by how much we love to beat them, we must really, really hate dead horses around here.

So this is what the bye week is like, eh?

[Censored by Laurie]

I was at the Army game. We weren't close.

[Mean Green 93-98]

It was and remains one of the most divisive eras of UNT football history.

How many eras do you remember? In any era that has Internet message boards, you're going to have division.

[Mean Green 93-98]

I was at the Army game. We weren't close.

That was the game where it just looked like the team had given up on the coaching staff and their season. That was awful.

[greenminer]

Late defensive collapses, horrible run defense, and poor special teams play doomed that team.

I remember some of those games. You and I have different definitions of "late".

[Mean Green 93-98]

One thing that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned in this thread is injuries. To me, that defined the 2010 season. We lost our starting QB for the season the first game of the season, and our 2nd string QB for the season the 3rd game of the season. We were on our 4th string QB more than once during the season (seriously, how many times does that happen?). Guys were dropping like flies from miniscus tear injuries. It was unreal.

[meangreen2018]

If I remember, by the Army game, what seemed like half of the starting lineup was out for the season.

[Got5onIt]

Todd Dodge drove the program into the ground. Arrogance and naiveness bit him in the ass "from jump street". Good riddance, so long, buh-bye, sayonara Robocop.

[CMJ]

If we had had some winning teams prior to '10 then I would say things just didn't bounce our way. Crap happens and all that. Plenty of good squads inexplicably have lousy years. However, we were in a avalanche of losing for years by that point. We shouldn't have won any of the games we lost - because from the top down we didn't believe we would win.

[casual fan]

Ah, the bad old days.

There's been so much traffic under the pedestrian bridge since then.

About injuries:

If two cars get into a wreck, the smaller car usually ends up with the most damage.

Mac understands this.

When someone tells you that size doesn't matter, she's just trying to be polite.

[DeepGreen]

Ah, the bad old days.There's been so much traffic under the pedestrian bridge since then.About injuries:If two cars get into a wreck, the smaller car usually ends up with the most damage.Mac understands this.When someone tells you that size doesn't matter, she's just trying to be polite.

Well said. UNT teams from the past have been smallish in size compared to other FBS programs.

Edited September 27, 2013 by DeepGreen

[GreenFlag]

I never thought that team was close. It is one thing to be in a game and quite another to win a game. If the injury bug had stayed away we might have won 5 tops.

[shaft]

Let's stop the revisionist history. Todd Dodge was the worst coach in school history. The record speaks for its self.

The fact that things never bounced our way showed it had nothing to do with bouncing. It proved Dodge and Co. weren't up to the job.

Dodge doomed himself when he choose to bring all the different HS assistants with him. The team was outcoached at every turn, we had guys who were excited not to have bus duty going up against professionals that coach college football 60+ hours per week.

Dodge and Co. tried to run too complicated of an offense that required too many moving parts, and he didn't have the recruits to make it work.

Dodge's high school myth was shattered in that first game against OU. He looked so lost at the end of the game, he tried to talk to Stoops at the end of the game and got the blow off pat on the back.

But why rehash the worst time in school history.

MAC has this team on the brink of a bowl run.

[meanrob]

With this thread Harry has proven he will do anything to drive traffic during a bye week. And that's okay.

But no, we were not close.

[Dr. Seuss]

That was the game where it just looked like the team had given up on the coaching staff and their season. That was awful.

DT broke his leg( or some type if injury) on the first drive. Then went to Dodge and they also put 8 guys in the box, daring us to pass.

If any of y'all remember we lead the NCAA with season ending injuries by week 3 with 12 or so

Edited September 27, 2013 by Dr. Seuss