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No more important position than quarterback in today's Sun Belt
Posted by
meanrob
,
29 August 2011
·
259 views
You want to build a program find the right coach
But if you want to win every year, groom the right quarterback.
With the season opener only a few days away, the anticipation of an upcoming season is reaching a peak not seen around here in quite a long time. A brand new stadium we can all be proud of, a new coach who is installing a new attitude, the return of Mike Canales, record setting donations and naming-rights deals, and most of all the brand new uniforms. It’s all green and all good this time of year and rightfully so, we are currently undefeated.
Almost lost in the off the field news are the on-field stories to follow this year. None bigger than Lance Dunbar’s quest to become UNT’s all-time leading rusher. With only a pedestrian season, compared to the lofty standard he has set the past couple of years, Dunbar should pass Patrick Cobbs as the all time leading rusher at North Texas. Let’s face it, Lance could have 1000 yards by mid-season and set an all-time record that would be very hard to pass.
It doesn’t end there. What can new defensive coordinator Clint Bowen get out of defense that has been on its heels for years? What will returning offensive coordinator Mike Canales bring to the table now that he has sole control of the offense? If last year’s five game end of the season run showed us anything, it’s that Canales isn’t afraid to use the kitchen sink. How will the team respond to an almost entirely new coaching staff?
All of those will play an integral part on whether North Texas is successful this season but if recent Sun Belt history shows us anything, they won’t be the most important part. Dunbar could have his best season, Bowen could extract a defensive effort not seen in these parts in years, and Canales could reproduce his year ending success and we could still fall short of winning half our games. In the Sun Belt, you better have a quarterback if you want to win, and you better have a good one.
Quarterback U?
When I strolled onto the North Texas campus in the fall of 1994 and enjoyed my first full season of North Texas football, you didn’t have to look far to find the man. Mitch Maher was coming off a successful junior season and hopes were high going into his senior season. Maher didn’t disappoint. In a year that still rules the North Texas record books, Maher threw for over 3000 yards, had 26 passing touchdowns, a few more on his feet, and an efficiency rating off the chart. He led North Texas to a Southland Conference championship and to the I-AA playoffs before a one-armed bandit from Boise stole our hearts and maybe our best chance for a national championship.
Best ever at North Texas? Not even close if you talked to people who had been around the program. The would regale you with the tales of the great Steve Ramsey, the will, toughness and all-around talent of Scott Davis, the leadership and guts of Jordan Case, and the athleticism and efficiency of Ken Washington. No we weren’t Quarterback U, but we weren’t lacking for signal callers and each one brought something to the table that also brought North Texas success.
Today’s newcomers aren’t so lucky. We’ve had our share of tough, enthusiastic, and talented young men playing quarterback come through the halls of North Texas football since Maher used up the last of his eligibility. They’ve provided us with some great moments and great victories and most importantly great leadership. But be it system, talent, turnover, small window of time at UNT, or in one case tragedy, the position has lacked the consistent production needed to win at the FBS level today. Don’t kid yourself, it is the time of the quarterback and you need to look no further than the Sun Belt to find that out.
Three yards and dusty thinking
If you wanted to make a list of the most successful quarterbacks at North Texas since 1994 the list starts (and stops?) with Scott Hall. Tough, efficient, fearless, and able to make the play when we needed it, Hall held the reigns for most of the 26 game conference winning streak. The late Andrew Smith quarterbacked us for the most successful season of that stretch while Hall was out with injury but his time here was tragically cut short. Both benefitted from what was in my opinion the best defense ever at North Texas and an offensive line and running game that brutalized Sun Belt competition. But since those days the game and how to be successful has changed. And North Texas got left behind.
The run came to an end in 2004 and it’s no coincidence that since then we have not won more than 3 games. During that time the QB position has been a revolving door for many a reason and even with the institution of a passing-based offense and an otherworldly running back, North Texas has not been successful. If you look at the Sun Belt all-conference honors it is easy to see why. All conference quarterbacks win games. All conference running backs win…..honors.
If you look at the All Sun Belt first and second team running backs of the past four years, NONE have been on teams with winning records. A few have managed to bring their teams to (6-6) records but none have had winning records or more importantly led their teams to a conference championship or bowl game. Last year’s all Sun Belt RBs won a woeful 5 games between them.
Year 1st team All Sun Belt RB (Team Record) 2nd Team All Sun Belt RB
2007 Fenroy ULL (3-9) Dawson ULM (6-6)
2008 Arnold ASU (6-6) Fenroy ULL (6-6)
2009 Morris FAU (5-7) Dunbar UNT (2-10)
2010 Rainey WKU (2-10) Dunbar UNT (3-9)
Meanwhile all conference quarterbacks have all had a minimum of a .500 record with one exception. They have led their teams to two conference championships, tied for another, and five bowl appearances. Only one has had a losing record.
Year 1st team All Sun Belt QB (Team Record) 2nd team All Sun Belt QB
2007 Smith FAU (8-5) Haugabook (8-4)
2008 Desorneaux ULL (6-6) Leonard ASU (6-6)
2009 Brown Troy (9-4) Dasher MTSU (10-3)
2010 Aplin ASU (4-8) Robinson Troy (8-5)
Derek Thompson, a Mean Green Nation turns its lonely eyes to you
If recent history tells us anything, it’s that Derek Thompson needs to have at minimum an above average year for North Texas to reach the .500 mark. To contend for the conference championship he’ll have to get near the 2700 yard mark and have near 20 touchdowns and no more than 12 interceptions. Are those concrete numbers? No, but that’s the minimum it’s going to take to win first or second team honors and in turn, that’s probably what it’s going to take to win more than we lose this year.
Does Derek have it in him? That’s the toughest question to answer. He has 27 pass attempts in his time at North Texas. His resume includes one hell of a drive at the end of a game two years ago and a season ending injury after less than one half of play last year. With the “distractions” of a new stadium, new coach, a Doak Walker candidate to share the backfield, and a closed practice policy, no recent quarterback has been under less scrutiny. But if North Texas is to return to its winning ways, no player needs to produce more. North Texas is ready for the new “man”.
But if you want to win every year, groom the right quarterback.
With the season opener only a few days away, the anticipation of an upcoming season is reaching a peak not seen around here in quite a long time. A brand new stadium we can all be proud of, a new coach who is installing a new attitude, the return of Mike Canales, record setting donations and naming-rights deals, and most of all the brand new uniforms. It’s all green and all good this time of year and rightfully so, we are currently undefeated.
Almost lost in the off the field news are the on-field stories to follow this year. None bigger than Lance Dunbar’s quest to become UNT’s all-time leading rusher. With only a pedestrian season, compared to the lofty standard he has set the past couple of years, Dunbar should pass Patrick Cobbs as the all time leading rusher at North Texas. Let’s face it, Lance could have 1000 yards by mid-season and set an all-time record that would be very hard to pass.
It doesn’t end there. What can new defensive coordinator Clint Bowen get out of defense that has been on its heels for years? What will returning offensive coordinator Mike Canales bring to the table now that he has sole control of the offense? If last year’s five game end of the season run showed us anything, it’s that Canales isn’t afraid to use the kitchen sink. How will the team respond to an almost entirely new coaching staff?
All of those will play an integral part on whether North Texas is successful this season but if recent Sun Belt history shows us anything, they won’t be the most important part. Dunbar could have his best season, Bowen could extract a defensive effort not seen in these parts in years, and Canales could reproduce his year ending success and we could still fall short of winning half our games. In the Sun Belt, you better have a quarterback if you want to win, and you better have a good one.
Quarterback U?
When I strolled onto the North Texas campus in the fall of 1994 and enjoyed my first full season of North Texas football, you didn’t have to look far to find the man. Mitch Maher was coming off a successful junior season and hopes were high going into his senior season. Maher didn’t disappoint. In a year that still rules the North Texas record books, Maher threw for over 3000 yards, had 26 passing touchdowns, a few more on his feet, and an efficiency rating off the chart. He led North Texas to a Southland Conference championship and to the I-AA playoffs before a one-armed bandit from Boise stole our hearts and maybe our best chance for a national championship.
Best ever at North Texas? Not even close if you talked to people who had been around the program. The would regale you with the tales of the great Steve Ramsey, the will, toughness and all-around talent of Scott Davis, the leadership and guts of Jordan Case, and the athleticism and efficiency of Ken Washington. No we weren’t Quarterback U, but we weren’t lacking for signal callers and each one brought something to the table that also brought North Texas success.
Today’s newcomers aren’t so lucky. We’ve had our share of tough, enthusiastic, and talented young men playing quarterback come through the halls of North Texas football since Maher used up the last of his eligibility. They’ve provided us with some great moments and great victories and most importantly great leadership. But be it system, talent, turnover, small window of time at UNT, or in one case tragedy, the position has lacked the consistent production needed to win at the FBS level today. Don’t kid yourself, it is the time of the quarterback and you need to look no further than the Sun Belt to find that out.
Three yards and dusty thinking
If you wanted to make a list of the most successful quarterbacks at North Texas since 1994 the list starts (and stops?) with Scott Hall. Tough, efficient, fearless, and able to make the play when we needed it, Hall held the reigns for most of the 26 game conference winning streak. The late Andrew Smith quarterbacked us for the most successful season of that stretch while Hall was out with injury but his time here was tragically cut short. Both benefitted from what was in my opinion the best defense ever at North Texas and an offensive line and running game that brutalized Sun Belt competition. But since those days the game and how to be successful has changed. And North Texas got left behind.
The run came to an end in 2004 and it’s no coincidence that since then we have not won more than 3 games. During that time the QB position has been a revolving door for many a reason and even with the institution of a passing-based offense and an otherworldly running back, North Texas has not been successful. If you look at the Sun Belt all-conference honors it is easy to see why. All conference quarterbacks win games. All conference running backs win…..honors.
If you look at the All Sun Belt first and second team running backs of the past four years, NONE have been on teams with winning records. A few have managed to bring their teams to (6-6) records but none have had winning records or more importantly led their teams to a conference championship or bowl game. Last year’s all Sun Belt RBs won a woeful 5 games between them.
Year 1st team All Sun Belt RB (Team Record) 2nd Team All Sun Belt RB
2007 Fenroy ULL (3-9) Dawson ULM (6-6)
2008 Arnold ASU (6-6) Fenroy ULL (6-6)
2009 Morris FAU (5-7) Dunbar UNT (2-10)
2010 Rainey WKU (2-10) Dunbar UNT (3-9)
Meanwhile all conference quarterbacks have all had a minimum of a .500 record with one exception. They have led their teams to two conference championships, tied for another, and five bowl appearances. Only one has had a losing record.
Year 1st team All Sun Belt QB (Team Record) 2nd team All Sun Belt QB
2007 Smith FAU (8-5) Haugabook (8-4)
2008 Desorneaux ULL (6-6) Leonard ASU (6-6)
2009 Brown Troy (9-4) Dasher MTSU (10-3)
2010 Aplin ASU (4-8) Robinson Troy (8-5)
Derek Thompson, a Mean Green Nation turns its lonely eyes to you
If recent history tells us anything, it’s that Derek Thompson needs to have at minimum an above average year for North Texas to reach the .500 mark. To contend for the conference championship he’ll have to get near the 2700 yard mark and have near 20 touchdowns and no more than 12 interceptions. Are those concrete numbers? No, but that’s the minimum it’s going to take to win first or second team honors and in turn, that’s probably what it’s going to take to win more than we lose this year.
Does Derek have it in him? That’s the toughest question to answer. He has 27 pass attempts in his time at North Texas. His resume includes one hell of a drive at the end of a game two years ago and a season ending injury after less than one half of play last year. With the “distractions” of a new stadium, new coach, a Doak Walker candidate to share the backfield, and a closed practice policy, no recent quarterback has been under less scrutiny. But if North Texas is to return to its winning ways, no player needs to produce more. North Texas is ready for the new “man”.
And again, I almost missed reading this post. Unless you intentionally check the blog for content (which almost nobody does, because new content is rare), you will probably never knew it's here.