Tulsa at North Texas writeup

Harry · September 17, 2005

http://tulsa.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=456027

Pre-Game Notes: Tulsa at North Texas

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Scott Bennett

TheHurricaneAlert.com Staff Writer

Date: September 17, 2005

Kickoff: 6:00 p.m.

Location: Fouts Field [30,000] • Denton, Texas

Radio: KRMG 740 AM -- Bruce Howard, Rick Couri and Chris Kaiser call the action. The network broadcast may be accessed at KRMG.com.

Television: None

UNT Athletics

Jamario Thomas led the nation in rushing last season

The Series: Tulsa and The Mean Green have played twenty games total throughout their respective histories. The Golden Hurricane owns a 14-6 series edge, with all games played between 1944 and 1982. Tulsa won the inaugural game, 47-6. The second game was not until 1957, won by North Texas, 41-12. The two teams played yearly, except for three seasons, until 1974 as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. Tulsa won the most recent game, 38-20, in 1982, John Cooper's fourth season. The teams are tied at 4-4 in games played at North Texas. The game will be played at 30,000-seat Fouts Field in Denton. Fouts Field was named in honor of Theron J. Fouts, who came to Denton in 1920 as coach of all sports at the university. Fouts initiated track and field as a varsity sport at UNT, and it was that program that gained the first national recognition for the university in athletics. Under his guidance, teams won national honors in football, basketball, golf and track and field. Fouts compiled a 23-14-2 record as football coach and later served as the athletic director.

Coaches: TU coach Steve Kragthorpe is entering his third season in the driver's seat of the Golden Hurricane program. With a two-year record of 12-13, the Pocatello, Idaho native is loaded for big game in 2005. Entering his third year as a head coach, Kragthorpe has already been a finalist or nominee for five national "Coach of the Year" awards, and was the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2003. That in addition to glowing testimonials from Drew Bledsoe, whom he tutored for two years with the Buffalo Bills, Greg Williams (Bills Head Coach), Kevin Gilbride (Bills Offensive Coordinator), and Dan Henning (Boston College Head Coach).

During Kragthorpe's three years as Offensive Coordinator at Northern Arizona, the team posted an 11-11 record. During three years as Texas A&M's offensive coordinator, those teams went a combined 26-12 and played in the Sugar, Alamo and Independence bowls.

The Mean Green is coached by the ultra successful Darrell Dickey. Dickey was named head coach at the University of North Texas on February 25, 1998. He became the only coach in North Texas history to win four straight league titles, leading North Texas to Sun Belt Conference crowns in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Dickey is the only current Div. I-A coach in the nation to lead his team to four straight league titles in the same conference. The foundation of Dickey's success at the Denton school comes from his successful mining of the talent pool of Texas and Oklahoma high school football. Less than six percent of the 2004 roster was made up of players outside the two-state area. All but two of the 22 regular starters during the 2004 season were from either Oklahoma or Texas.

Beginning in 1999, North Texas has made steady progress on the field, registering wins over such teams as Texas Tech and Boise State. In 2001, UNT won its first conference title (Big West) since 1973, followed by three more through last season.

Dickey, a 41-year-old Texas native was an outstanding quarterback at Kansas State, leading the Wildcats to their first bowl appearance in school history, the 1982 Independence Bowl. While at Kansas State, Dickey started all four seasons at quarterback (1979-82), throwing for 4,098 yards and 23 touchdowns and finishing with 4,526 yards of total offense. He is the only player to lead Kansas State in total offense and passing offense all four years.

Dickey was an offensive coordinator at UTEP and SMU from 1994 to 1997.

Scene Setter

The Hurricane is coming off an excellent performance against Oklahoma, in front of the largest crowd ever to see a Tulsa football game (83,877). It is hard to see much of a home field advantage for The Mean Green after the Norman experience.

Tulsa opened the 2005 season facing Minnesota's Laurence Maroney, who went for 203 yards on 22 carries. Two of those caries, both in the first quarter, netted 140 yards. The subsequent 63 yards on 20 carries were more like the real Tulsa defense. The next week, came a huge dose of Adrian Peterson, 32 carries for 220 yards. This week, the defense has to swallow the same rushing pill in two halves. Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas combined for 168 yards on 38 carries against Middle Tennessee. Neither player fumbled the ball.

Cobbs was the nation's leading rusher in 2003, Thomas the same in 2004.

Game Notes:

UNT Athletics

Patrick Cobbs

• The defensive unit was North Texas' dominant question mark coming into fall practice. The team lost seven starters to graduation - 10 who accounted for all-conference honors last season. The Mean Green returns all of its linebackers, which will be a key to the success of the young defense.

• The 2005 UNT offensive line is highlighted by Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year Dylan Lineberry. Lineberry was a second team all-conference selection in 2004, but did not participate in spring drills in order to work on his academic progress. The senior is expected to be the leader of the line.

• For the first time in four years, The Mean Green secondary is without perennial all-conference safeties Jonas Buckles and Markeith Knowlton. Up to the challenge of replacing the duo is Cliff Higgs and Roderick Cotton. Higgs is a redshirt freshman.

• College football has never seen a team with the luxury of two national rushing champions in the same backfield. Jamario Thomas and Patrick Cobbs wiped that circumstance off the record books when they stepped on the field against Middle Tennessee. Cobbs churned for 1,771 total yards in 2003, while Thomas went for 1,801 in 2004. There is only one solution bringing harmony to this duo for the 2005 season. Play all games on a three hundred yard field.

Inside the numbers:

• In 2003, North Texas average 177 rushing yards per game, 153 by Cobbs. In 2004, North Texas averaged 186 rushing yards per game, 180 by Thomas. Cobbs and Thomas playing at the same time would seem unlikely. Do they alternate plays or does Tulsa see the one with the hot feet and shoulder pads for most of the game? Or, does Cobbs get the most carries because Thomas has two more years of eligibility left, and Cobbs none?

• North Texas must replace a graduated quarterback. That quarterback must replace 158 yards per game of passing yardage. Daniel Meager hit 10-of-15 passes for 122 yards with no interceptions against Middle Tennessee. The yardage is not overwhelming, but the accuracy is. A ball control supplement to the rushing capabilities of these two backs could wear out any defense.

• North Texas started off 2004 with four straight losses to Texas, Florida Atlantic, Colorado and Baylor. They started off 2003 with one win (Baylor) and three losses (Oklahoma, Air Force and Arkansas). All this to say the Mean Green is a team conditioned to the same BCS loaded schedule Tulsa is. The two opponents will look at each other similarly -- meaning not only not intimidated, but anxious to play. Southland Conference vs. Conference USA. Both better bring their 'A' game.

The Fourth Quarter:

It would be tempting to identify this game as a breather. Minnesota/Oklahoma compared to Middle Tennessee. C-USA vs. Southland. Tulsa versus a team it hasn't seen in 23 years.

In spite of the comparisons, both teams are after the same things. First, one win at a time. Second, national recognition. At this point, North Texas has more of the latter than Tulsa, given two straight national rushing champions. They appear to have found a quarterback who has one successful and efficient game under his belt. And they are at home.

Tulsa enters the game on an upswing after a near miss against Oklahoma. This is a good game as schedules go because it will be a fist fight between two talented teams. A road win here can be a significant boost to TU's season.

NDT · September 17, 2005

So he thinks we are in the Southland Conference? I hope the team is as confused as he is.

NT80 · September 17, 2005

DMN/DRC Preview.....

Preview: Tulsa (0-2) at North Texas (1-0)

08:46 PM CDT on Friday, September 16, 2005

6 p.m., Fouts Field (KWRD-FM 100.7, KNTU-FM 88.1)

Line: North Texas by 4

WHAT'S ON THE LINE

UNT – The Mean Green can pick up a key nonconference win in its home opener and go 2-0.

TULSA – The Golden Hurricane is looking for its first win after a season-opening loss to Minnesota and a tough 31-15 defeat against Oklahoma.

WHO'S HOT

UNT – Running back Patrick Cobbs rushed for 103 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown against Middle Tennessee State last week in his return after sitting out the last 10 games of the 2004 season.

TULSA – Tight end Garrett Mills established career highs for a game with 13 receptions for 152 yards against Oklahoma last week.

WHO'S NOT

UNT – Running back Jamario Thomas is still working his way back from a hamstring injury and carried the ball only 10 times against Middle Tennessee State, rushing for 58 yards.

TULSA – Defensive back Jeff Thibodeaux posted six tackles against Minnesota but didn't have a tackle against Oklahoma last week.

STAT THAT TELLS THE STORY

North Texas is 1-5 against teams that were members of Conference USA at the time of the game.

KEY MATCHUP: UNT LINEBACKER PHILLIP GRAVES VS. TULSA TE GARRETT MILLS

In some of UNT's defensive sets, Graves will have the challenge of covering Mills, one of the top tight ends in college football.

NORTH TEXAS WINS IF: The Mean Green can slow Tulsa quarterback Paul Smith, who threw for 246 yards against Oklahoma. UNT gave up 195 passing yards to Middle Tennessee State quarterback Clint Marks last week.

TULSA WINS IF: The Golden Hurricane can shut down UNT running backs Jamario Thomas and Patrick Cobbs. UNT wants to use its running game to keep Tulsa's offense off the field.

PREDICTED SCORE: North Texas 28, Tulsa 24

Brett Vito