2007 North Texas
Mean Green
Recap:
The debut of “Dodge Ball” in Denton was a rocky one, but considering
the dramatic changes on offense, the results surprised few
observers. There were growing pains everywhere in Todd Dodge’s
first season, none more so than on defense, where the Mean Green
allowed more points than any team in the country. Recognizing that
it wasn’t going to vie for a conference title, North Texas played
for the future, handing the ball to true freshman QB Giovanni Vizza,
who threw for a ton of yards to go along with an equal amount of
rookie mistakes.
Offensive Player of the Year: WR Casey Fitzgerald
Defensive Player of the Year: DE Jeremiah Chapman
Biggest Surprise: The Mean Green broke into the win column on
Oct. 13, beating a UL-Monroe team that wound up in third place in
the league. Getting its best defensive effort of the year,
including two picks for touchdowns, North Texas scored the first 21
points, holding on for a 31-21 victory.
Biggest Disappointment: The offense. No, this is not going
to be an overnight transformation, but considering how often the
Mean Green put the ball up and how many prevent defenses it faced,
24 points a game comes off as underwhelming. Take out the 62-point
explosion in a loss to Navy, and North Texas managed just 21 points
per game.
Looking Ahead: There’s a justified feeling around Denton that
it’s just a matter of time before North Texas is once again a
dangerous Sun Belt opponent. Dodge had to break old habits and
basically start over before moving forward with his vision for the
program. He’s recruiting well, and destined to be more competitive
in 2008.
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2007 UNT Preview
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2006 UNT
Season
2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
2-10
2007 Record:
2-10
Sept. 1 at
Oklahoma L 79-10
Sept. 8 at
SMU L 45-31
Sept. 22
Florida Atlantic
L 30-20
Sept. 29 at
Arkansas L 66-7
Oct.
6 at
UL Laf. L 38-29
Oct.
13 UL
Monroe W 31-21
Oct.
20 at
Troy L 45-7
Oct.
27
Middle Tenn L 48-28
Nov.
10 Navy
L 74-62
Nov.
15 at
Ark. State L 31-27
Nov.
24
W. Kentucky
W 27-26
Dec.
1 at
FIU L 38-19 |
Dec. 1
Florida International 38 ... North Texas 19
Audric Adger came up with four sacks and Paul McCall threw a
58-yard touchdown pass to Trenard Turner and a 23-yarder to Jeremy
Dickens as FIU broke the nation's longest losing streak. North Texas
got one-yard touchdown runs from Jamario Thomas and Micah Mosley in
the first half, but FIU responded with a Lionell Singleton kickoff
return for a score as part of a 31-7 run to close things out. North
Texas outgained FIU 345 yards to 344, but turned it over three
times.
Player of the
game:
Florida
International DE Audric Adger made eight tackles and four sacks
Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 31-54,
253 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Micah Mosley, 9-65, 1 TD. Receiving: Sam Dibrell, 7-60
Florida International - Passing: Paul McCall, 11-19, 228
yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Amod Ned, 17-74. Receiving: Jeremy Dickens, 4-45, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Just when it looks like the program is
about to turn a corner, it clunks in a season ending loss to FIU to
go into the offseason on a painful low note. However, the pieces are
there to come out roaring in 2008, at least on offense. The focus
going into spring ball will be defense, needing to slow someone down
on the days when the offense isn't at peak efficiency. Offensively,
getting a more consistent running game would be nice, but getting a
strong year from Giovanni Vizza throwing it around would be better.
Nov. 24
North Texas 27 ... Western Kentucky
26
WKU's Chris James hit field goals from 26 and 44 yards away in
the second half, but he missed a 38-yarder with just over a minute
to play to seal UNT's second win of the year. Jamario Thomas ran for
147 yards with three second half touchdowns from eight, 30 and 42
yards out. Down 14-0 early, the Mean Green got on the board with a
Chris Neal blocked punt return for a score, but the Hilltoppers took
the momentum going into halftime with a 44-yard Terald Clark
interception return for a touchdown. And then Thomas took over even
though WKU controlled the ball for most of the second half. The two
teams combined for 19 penalties for 198 yards.
Player of the game:
North Texas RB Jamario Thomas ran 16 times for 147 yards and three
touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Western Kentucky - Passing: David
Wolke, 14-20, 129 yds
Rushing: Tyrell Hayden, 19-97, 1 TD. Receiving: Curtis
Hamilton, 7-73
North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 20-42,
202 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Jamario Thomas, 16-147, 3 TD. Receiving: Casey
Fitzgerald, 8-80
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Oh
yeah, Jamario Thomas. It only took 10.5 games, but the UNT runner
came up with a brilliant second half in his final home game to take
control in the win over Western Kentucky. There were three
interceptions from Giovanni Vizza and eight penalties, but there
was, shock of shocks, some clutch defense in the second half. After
a lousy year, UNT has a chance to close out with a two-game winning
streak that could mean everything to the young Todd Dodge era, but a
loss at FIU would mean there's a lot more rebuilding to be done.
Nov. 15
Arkansas State 31 ... North Texas 27
Arkansas State QB Corey Leonard connected with Brandon
Thompkins on a 27-yard touchdown pass with two seconds to play for
the win. North Texas held a 27-17 lead late into the fourth helped
by two Jamario Thomas touchdown runs and a two-yard Micah Mosley
score, but ASU came back with touchdown runs from Preston Brown and
Reggie Arnold, and started the fourth quarter comeback with a
six-yard T.J. Jordan touchdown catch. The vaunted UNT passing game
was held to 160 yards.
Player of the game:
Arkansas State QB
Corey Leonard completed 25 of 50 passes for 305 yards and two
touchdowns with two interceptions and ran 11 times for 52 yards.
Stat Leaders: Arkansas State - Passing: Corey
Leonard, 25-50, 305 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 11-75, 1 TD. Receiving: Levi
Dejohnette, 9-108
North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 22-30,
160 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Giovanni Vizza, 17-79. Receiving: Casey
Fitzgerald, 11-58
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Can North Texas ever get a break? It
lost to Navy in an epic shootout last week, and now it can't hold on
to a ten-point lead against Arkansas State. The run defense did a
terrific job a week after getting steamrolled over by Navy, while
the running game provided as much balance as it's had all year. As
ugly as things have gotten, the team has had its moments where it
looks terrific. If the Mean Green can ever put it all together and
get everything working at once, this will be a tough team to stop.
That might not happen until next year.
Nov. 10
Navy 74 ... North Texas 62
In one of the wildest games in college football history, the two
teams set a D-I record with 136 points with 1,315 yards of total
offense. North Texas QB Giovanni Vizza threw eight touchdown
passes including five to Casey Fitzgerald from nine, nine, 24,
29 and 17 yards out and a 75-yarder to Sam Dibrell, but Navy was
able to roll up 572 yards of rushing offense to keep up. Down
49-31, Navy scored 27 straight points to take control of the
game helped by a 21-yard Reggie Campbell touchdown run and a
66-yard Zerbin Singleton dash, but it wasn't until Reggie
Campbell took a kickoff 73 yards for a touchdown did the
Midshipmen finally take control. Navy averaged ten yards per
carry.
Player of the game:
In a losing cause, North Texas QB Giovanni Vizza
completed 40 of 50 passes for 478 yards and eight touchdowns
with two interceptions, and ran 13 times for 93 yards.
Stat Leaders: Navy - Passing: Kaipo-Noa
Kaheaku-Enhada, 4-5, 108 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Shun White, 8-131, 1 TD. Receiving: Tyree
Barns, 3-61, 1 TD
North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza,
40-50, 478 yds, 8 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Giovanni Vizza, 13-93. Receiving: Casey
Fitzgerald, 13-134, 5 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
UNT has gotten involved in two major
shootouts this year, once with SMU and now with Navy, and lost
them both because the defense wasn't remotely close to coming
through with a clutch stop. Even so, cranking out eight
touchdown passes from Gionvanni Vizza shows that the offense is
certainly headed in the right direction, and eventually, the
defense will catch up enough to start winning. Vizza is
definitely one to build around.
Oct. 27
Middle Tennessee 48 ... North Texas 28
Middle Tennessee forced five turnovers and over came a 77-yard
Jamario Thomas touchdown run on UNT's second play of the game to get
the win. MT went on a 23-point first half run helped by a one-yard
DeMarco McNair touchdown run and two Dwight Dasher touchdown passes
with Taron Henry catching a 51-yard pass. North Texas stormed back
at the end of the first half with two Giovanni Vizza touchdown
passes, but the Blue Raiders got a four-yard McNair scoring run with
:40 to play. UNT still wouldn't go away as Vizza ran for a two-yard
score to pull within two, and then MT scored the final 18 points
helped by a third McNair scoring run.
Player of the
game:
Middle Tennessee
RB DeMarco McNair ran 11 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns, and
caught two passes for 14 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee - Passing:
Dwight Dasher, 16-21, 159 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: DeMarco McNair, 11-62, 2 TD. Receiving: Taron
Henry, 6-103, 1 TD
North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 25-45,
296 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Jamario Thomas, 10-89, 1 TD. Receiving: Sam
Dibrell, 8-121, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
The North Texas offense moved well on
Middle Tennessee, but 13 penalties and five turnovers were way too
much to overcome. The running game has to be established over the
last month. Jamario Thomas is a good back who isn't getting nearly
enough work. He ripped off a 77-yard touchdown dash right away, and
finished with 89 yards. That's inexcusable. The defense, for the
most part, didn't do a bad job considering MT put 48 points on the
board.
Oct. 20
Troy 45 ... North Texas 7
Troy turned it over seven times, but it didn't mater as Omar
Haugabook threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Gary Banks, and caught a
22-yard score from Banks, as part of a 21-point first quarter.
Haugabook kept bombing with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jerrel
Jernigan and an eight-yard pass to Kenny Cattouse in the route.
North Texas wasn't able to take advantage of all the opportunities,
only getting a 30-yard Micah Mosley score late in the third.
Player of the
game:
Troy DE Kenny
Mainor made nine tackles and 3.5 sacks
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook,
25-37, 287 yds, 3 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Omar Haugabook, 12-42. Receiving: Gary Banks,
6-95, 1 TD
North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 22-37,
172 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jamario Thomas, 8-19. Receiving: Brandon
Jackson, 9-77
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... How is
it even possible to forced seven turnovers and only score seven
points? The running game against Troy was abysmal. There's such a
reliance on Giovanni Vizza to run the ball that no one else is
getting involved. Jamario Thomas only got eight carries. There were
only 172 passing yards on 37 completions, and there were nine sacks
of Vizza to screw things up. Now it's on to Middle Tennessee who
also came up with nine sacks this week in a win over Arkansas State.
Uh oh.
Oct. 13
North Texas 31 ...UL Monroe 21
North Texas got two defensive touchdowns and a 99-yard
touchdown catch from Casey Fitzgerald on the way to a stunningly
easy win. Defensive tackle Montey Stevenson took an interception 20
yards for a score, Fitzgerald came up with his big play, and
Dominique Green took an interception 75 yards for a touchdown as
part of a 21-0 second quarter. The Mean Green was up 31-7 on a
one-yard Micah Mosley run, while the D only allowed a 46-yard Zeek
Zacharie touchdown catch before the final 1:23.
Player of the
game:
North Texas LB
Maurice Stevenson made ten tackles, an interception, two tackles for
loss, a broken up pass, and 1.5 sacks, with a
Stat Leaders: UL Monroe - Passing: Trey Revell,
14-29, 196 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 18-65. Receiving: Frank Goodin,
6-79, 1 TD
North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 16-30,
202 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Micah Mosley, 11-73, 1 TD. Receiving: Casey
Fitzgerald, 6-118, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Defense? For the first time all year, the Mean Green defense showed
up, coming up with big plays early, and holding UL Monroe to 130
rushing yards with three pickoffs. The offense didn't get its normal
passing numbers, even with a 99-yard touchdown, but it didn't need
it. The running game and the defense were enough to win with this
week. Eventually it'll all come together, and the passing game will
blow up and the defense will be a rock, but for now, just getting
wins any way possible is important.
Oct. 6
UL Lafayette 38 ... North Texas 29
Michael Desormeaux tore of a 73-yard touchdown run, and ran
for a four yard score, as UL Lafayette ran past North Texas. The
Mean Green passing game took a while to get going, but eventually,
Giovanni Vizza got hot and hit Casey Fitzgerald with touchdown
passes from 39 and 27 yards out. Brock Stickler recovered a fumble
for a Mean Green touchdown in the second quarter, and caught an
eight-yard scoring pass in the third to help the Mean Green keep
pace, but the defense couldn't get the ULL running game off the
field.
Player of the
game:
UL Lafayette QB
Michael Desormeaux completed ten of 20 passes for 114 yards and two
touchdowns, and ran 18 times for 150 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Giovanni
Vizza, 35-57, 383 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jamario Thomas, 13-60. Receiving: Casey
Fitzgerald, 14-121, 2 TD
UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux,
10-20, 114 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Michael Desormeaux, 18-150, 2 TD. Receiving:
Derrick Smith, 4-80,
1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The
defense has to do more when it's given a rest. UNT held the ball for
40:36 against UL Lafayette, and did a great job of keeping the
chains moving, but the Ragin' Cajuns hit home run after home run.
Offensively, Giovanni Vizza is going to fight through growing pains
all year, but as much as he's going to wing it around, he has to do
a better job of not turning the ball over. Right now, the Mean Green
has to be almost perfect to win.
Sept. 29
Arkansas 66 ... North Texas 7
Arkansas ripped off 416 rushing yards and scored the first 45
points of the game before North Texas put an end to the run with a
one-yard Giovanni Vizza touchdown run late in the first half. Darren
McFadden scored from two and four yards out, while Felix Jones
ripped off scoring dashes from 35 and 71 yards away. Casey Dick
threw thee touchdown passes, including a 61-yarder to London
Crawford and a 37-yarder to Robert Johnson.
Player of the
game:
Arkansas RBs
Darren McFadden and Felix Jones combined for 270 yards and four
touchdowns on 26 carries.
Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Giovanni
Vizza, 8-16, 118 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Micah Mosley, 11-68. Receiving: Brandon
Jackson, 6-84
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 12-21, 210 yds,
3 TD
Rushing: Darren McFadden, 19-138, 2 TD. Receiving: Robert
Johnson, 4-71, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It's
not fair to judge the Mean Green run defense against Arkansas, but
at least the offense should've been able to get something going.
It's not like the Hogs kept up the intensity in the second half
after getting up 45-7, but UNT still going get anything from anyone
to move the chains. The passing game doesn't have to be explosive,
but it has to be efficient. It has to complete the short to midrange
passes on a regular basis, and both Giovanni Vizza and Daniel Meager
weren't' even close, combining to completed 15 of 41 passes with two
interceptions.
Sept. 22
Florida Atlantic 30 ... North Texas 20
North Texas took a 20-10 lead late into the third quarter
helped by a 37-yard Jamario Thomas touchdown run and two 37-yard
Thomas Moreland field goals, and then FAU's defense took over and
the offense exploded for 20 unanswered points on two of Warley
Leroy's three field goals, a 74-yard Cortez Gent touchdown pass, and
a seven-yard DiIvory Edgecomb scoring run after an interception.
Player of the game:
Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 21 of
45 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty
Smith, 21-45, 322 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 8-25, 1 TD. Receiving: Cortez
Gent, 4-96, 1 TD
North Texas
- Passing: Daniel Meager, 38-61, 301 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jamario Thomas, 14-117, 1 TD. Receiving: Casey
Fitzgerald, 10-89
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now that
the new offense is in place, UNT can't lose the passing battle.
Florida Atlantic was able to outpass the Mean Green 322 yards to
301, while the running game didn't work outside of a big run from
Jamario Thomas. A positive overall sign was the play of the run
defense that did a decent job throughout, but to start winning,
there can't be three interceptions in critical times, and Daniel
Meager has to get more yards after the catch from his receivers. 301
yards on 61 pass attempts isn't going to get it done in this
offense.
Sept.
8
SMU 45 ... North Texas 31
In a wild game with the two teams combining for 954 passing
yards and 1,147 yards of total offense, North Texas QB Daniel Meager
threw for 601 yards and three touchdowns, with Casey Fitzgerald
catching 18 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns and Brandon
Jackson catching ten passes for 133 yards and a touchdown ... in a
loss. SMU's Justin Willis was unstoppable with two touchdown passes
and 82 rushing yards, with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Zack Sledge
breaking a 31-31 tie late in the fourth quarter. North Texas had one
last shot and was driving, but Bryce Hudman picked off a Meager pass
and took it 49 yards for a score. The two teams traded long, quick
scoring drives all game long, with UNT getting touchdown grabs from
25 and 26 yards out from Fitzgerald, and SMU getting help from two
James Mapps touchdown runs along with a one-yard DeMyron Martin
dash.
Player of
the game ... SMU QB Justin Willis completed 30 of 42 passes
for 353 yards and two touchdowns with an interception and ran ten
times for 82 yards
Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Daniel
Meager, 46-64, 601 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Micah Mosley, 12-39, 1 TD Receiving:
Casey Fitzgerald, 18-327, 2 TD
SMU - Passing: Justin Willis, 30-42, 353
yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Justin Willis, 10-82 Receiving:
Emmanuel Sanders, 10-72, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Big picture time. Yeah, the loss to SMU
stinks, and it would've been nice to get some winning momentum, but
it doesn't really matter. All that matters right now is that Todd
Dodge's offense ripped off 601 passing yards and appears to be ready
to take the Sun Belt by storm. There were too many penalties, some
huge turnovers, and no real running game, but if the offense can
really keep putting up ridiculous passing numbers, no one in the Sun
Belt has a prayer of keeping pace.
Sept. 1
Oklahoma 79 ... North Texas 10
Sam Bradford was nearly perfect, completing 21 of 23 passes
for 363 yards and three touchdowns, but he was slightly overshadowed
by a five touchdown performance from DeMarco Murray, who scored from
44, one, three, one and three yards out. Malcolm Kelly caught
touchdown passes from 65 and 24 yards out, and Nic Harris returned
an interception 35 yard for a score as OU was up 63-3 before Casey
Fitzgerald scored on a 69-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth
quarter.
Player of the
game ... Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford completed 21 of 23 passes for
363 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Giovanni
Vizza, 4-11, 124 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Micah Mosley, 5-15 Receiving: Casey
Fitzgerald, 7-126, 1 TD
Oklahoma - Passing: Sam Bradford, 21-23, 363
yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Mossis Madu, 9-87, 1 TD Receiving: Juaquin
Iglesias, 7-128
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
There will be better days for Todd Dodge. Playing a fired up Oklahoma
team isn't the way to start and era, and for a team that needs time to
get an offense in place, several warm-up games are needed before things
start to get better. The defense didn't have a prayer against the Sooner
offense with a line that allowed the skill players to do whatever they
wanted to. The one positive was punter Truman Spencer, who had a nice
day pushing the Sooners deep. He'll be used a lot this year.
Sept. 1 – at Oklahoma
Offense: If a quarterback comes through and shines, this could be
the nation's most effective offense. If the offensive line isn't the
best in college football, it's number two, the running backs are very
fast and very talented, and the receiving corps, led by top pro prospect
Malcolm Kelly, is very big and very fast. It all comes down to redshirt
freshman Sam Bradford, who won a tight quarterback battle and needs to
be efficient from the opening snap.
Defense: It'll be an interesting defense that has the potential
to be a killer, but has some major concerns. The secondary should be
among the best in America with enough size, speed, and talent to keep
the NFL scouts buzzing. DeMarcus Granger is a rising superstar tackle
who should combine with Gerald McCoy, Cory Bennett and Steven Coleman to
stuff up everything on the inside. If the unknown ends come though with
a halfway decent season, and the untested linebacking corps is nearly as
good as last year's, look out.
Sept. 8 – at SMU
Offense: In sophomore Justin Willis, SMU has a legitimate
franchise quarterback with the physical tools to move an offense and the
intangibles to lead a program to victories and eventually bowl games.
He’ll be growing alongside classmate Emmanuel Sanders, who ignited a
mediocre receiving corps last year with 46 catches and nine touchdown
receptions. Junior back DeMyron Martin is eyeing the kind of rebound
year that’ll refocus his career while giving more balance to the
offense. He’ll have the luxury of running behind a seasoned line that
returns four starters. If, as expected, the Mustangs are playing in
shootouts this year, they’ve now got the offensive weapons to keep pace.
Defense: The Mustangs will spend the better part of the year
trying to replace three starters from the 2006 defensive line, including
standouts Justin Rogers and Adrian Haywood. If they can solve that
complex riddle, look out. The back seven, led by Butkus Award candidate
Reggie Carrington, is very fast and very capable of spurring an
improvement from last year’s middling results. The more likely scenario
has the line struggling to create a consistent push and the secondary
getting burned by opposing hurlers with way too much time to find their
targets.
Sept. 22 - Florida Atlantic
Offense: Things should be more consistent now that the
quarterback situation is settled (at least to start the year) with Rusty
Smith the full-time starter and Sean Clayton the backup. The running
backs are experienced and quick, and Frantz Simeon leads a decent
receiving corps, but it's all up to the line which was decent in pass
protection last season but awful in the running game. It's a small front
five by design, and that's a major issue for a ground game that averaged
just 110 yards per game and an offense that struggled to amass 300 yards
and 15 points per outing.
Defense: The defense should be tremendous is all the starters
play as expected. The back seven will be among the best in the Sun Belt
with all three starters returning to the linebacking corps, two All-Sun
Belt caliber safeties in Kris Bartels and Taheem Acevedo, and a
shut-down corner in Corey Small. The defensive front gets three starters
back led by top pass rusher Josh Pinnick and star tackle Jervonte
Jackson. Even so, the run defense will be average, while the pass
defense will be great.
Sept. 29 – at Arkansas
Offense: The Gus Malzahn experience quickly got pushed aside,
forgetting about his spread offense to better utilize the devastating
running attack. Now it'll be up to new offensive coordinator David Lee,
who'll try to run a pro style passing attack, but will spend most of his
time figuring out how to get the ball into the hands of the magnificent
running duo of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. The line, despite the
loss of three starters, will be fantastic for the running game, but
suspect in pass protection. Marcus Monk is an elite receiver, but a
number two option has to emerge and Casey Dick has to throw the ball
effectively and consistently.
Defense: It'll be a good defense, but there are some big-time
talent losses in linemen Jamaal Anderson and Keith Jackson, corner Chris
Houston, and linebacker Sam Olajubutu. There's plenty of speed and
athleticism to go around in what should be a solid back seven, but
everyone has to stay healthy. The line needs tackle depth with Marcus
Harrison questionable after tearing his knee this spring. Overall,
coordinator Reggie Herring will keep things aggressive with tons of
plays in the backfield, along with lots of pressure applied by the
defensive backs.
Oct. 6 – at UL Lafayette
Offense: The nation's seventh best rushing team two years ago,
and 11th best last year, ULL will run more than ever with the return of
two-time 1,000-yard back Tyrell Fenroy, speedy Deon Wallace, and running
quarterback Michael Desormeaux. The receivers aren't used much, but
they're experienced enough to make plays when they get the chance. The
offensive line isn't deep, but the starting five will end up fine. The
team will hope for around 2,500 rushing yards, and around 60% completion
percentage throwing it.
Defense: New defensive coordinator Kevin Fouqueir won't change
too much from one of the Sun Belt's better defenses. Five starters
return, along with a few others with starting experience, to form a
solid run defense that needs to be tighter against the pass. The
secondary will give up completions, but it's not going to get beaten too
often. The front seven should be great with a nice blend of talents and
depth to form a good rotation almost everywhere. If ULL doesn't lead the
league in run defense, it'll finish second.
Oct. 13 - UL Monroe
Offense: The best offense in the Sun Belt gets 11 starters back
led by RB Calvin Dawson working behind a terrific line with several
all-star candidates. QB Kinsmon Lancaster has a year of starting
experience under his belt, and he has all his top targets to get the
ball to including LaGregory Sapp and tight end Zeek Zacharie. While the
attack will spread it out and allow Lancaster to use his mobility and
big-time arm to find the right receiver, it'll be Dawson who carries the
workload when things get tight.
Defense: The same problems ULM had last year appear to be the
same issues going into this year with a questionable run defense and no
proven pass rush, but the strength, the secondary, will be the same even
without Kevin Payne and Chaz Williams. The 4-2-5 did its job against
mediocre offenses, but got ripped apart by any offense with a pulse.
Unless the line is better, the Warhawks will be pounded on by everyone
in the Sun Belt.
Oct. 20 – at Troy
Offense: Spread it out with four wide receivers, let Sun Belt
Player of the Year Omar Haugabook throw to the open guy, hope it all
works. This isn't an explosive attack, and it won't be for a while with
a mixed bag of talents on the front line trying to fit the puzzle. The
running backs are fine with the return of Sean Dawkins helping out Kenny
Cattouse, and Gary Banks and Mykeal Terry lead an inexperienced
receiving corps that'll be fine. But it's all up to Haugabook. He's the
difference between a second straight Sun Belt title and a losing season.
Defense: Troy won the Sun Belt title despite a mediocre year from
the defense. Now the D will be positively dominant with the best
secondary and a defensive line that's either the best, or a close second
behind Middle Tennessee's. Generating pressure won't be a problem with
phenomenal pass rushers from every spot, while the secondary will use
five and six defensive backs at times just to get all its talent on the
field. The linebacking corps is the weakness of the defense by default
considering how good the line and secondary will be, but it'll still be
fantastic with Boris Lee and Marcus Richardson each deserving all-star
consideration.
Oct. 27 - Middle Tennessee
Offense: The offense was strange last year finishing sixth in the
league in total yards but first in scoring. In other words, the O took
advantage of almost every opportunity despite not being all that good
scoring on 33 of 36 chances in the red zone. Even without long-time
starting quarterback Clint Marks, the passing game can't help but better
whether it's Joe Craddock, or one of three other options under center.
The receiving corps is experienced, but unless Bobby Williams plays up
to his talent, it won't be much better. The running game will be the
strength with DeMarco McNair and speedsters Desmond Gee and Phillip
Tanner running behind a massive line.
Defense: This should be one of the Sun Belt's best defenses in
time, but only if the back seven can fill all the holes. The front four
will be regulars in the backfield with three all-conference caliber ends
in Erik Walden, Sean Mosley and Tavares Jones along with nose tackle
Trevor Jenkins. The linebackers are a big problem needing to replace all
three starters, but they aren't the problem the cornerbacks are. Bradley
Robinson is an all-star, but there's no depth and a concern at the
second spot. Damon Nickson will carry things for a while at safety.
Nov. 10 - Navy
Offense: Navy led the nation in rushing in 2005, led the nation
in rushing in 2006, and will lead the nation in rushing in 2007. What's
the difference? The ground game will be terrific as always, but now
it'll be truly special with the best combination of backfield talent and
experience head coach Paul Johnson has ever had. There won't be any
passing game, but it won't matter with a ground attack that can crank
out a big run from anywhere on the field. The big concern will be the
line with no experience among the backups whatsoever and a shaky
starting five if left tackle Josh Meek's injured knee isn't healthy.
Defense: Uh oh. Wholesale changes need to be made with only three
starters and seven lettermen returning. The best defense will be a good
offense needing the ground game to crank out long drives to keep this
inexperienced, woefully undersized, untested group off the field. Pass
rushers need to emerge with the hope for Chris Kuhar-Pitters and Casey
Hebert to turn into playmakers around rising star tackle Nate Frazier.
Clint Sovie and Irv Spencer will turn into reliable inside linebackers,
but outside linebacker will be a question. The secondary will be a work
in progress around solid corner Rashawn King.
Nov. 15 – at Arkansas State
Offense: Run, run and run some more. At least that's what ASU has
done over the last several years, and it has the talent in the backfield
to do it again with speedy quarterback Corey Leonard leading a loaded
group of runners with several great backs to hand off to. Reggie Arnold
is the best of the bunch, but he's one of just four good options to
carry the load. Two problems with what ASU likes to do. 1. The line
needs major revamping losing three key players and 2) the receiving
corps might be the team's second biggest strength behind the running
backs. The underutilized corps has speed to burn, but Leonard couldn't
get them the ball on a consistent basis last season. That has to quickly
change.
Defense: It's all up to the defensive line. The linebacking
corps, despite some huge losses, will be surprisingly solid with Koby
McKinnon returning with plenty of help around him. The safeties are
tremendous with Tyrell Johnson and Khayyam Burns each on the fast track
to All-Sun Belt honors. The corners are deep and potentially a major
strength of the defense. And then there's the line, which has to figure
out how to get to the quarterback at some point. The return of Brian
Flagg and Brandon Rollins from injuries will be a huge boost. The 4-3
alignment works, and it should produce the league's best statistical
pass defense.
Nov. 24 – Western Kentucky
Dec. 1 –
at FIU
Offense New offensive coordinator James Coley has a lot of work to do
with an offense that finished dead last in America in scoring averaging fewer
than ten points per game and 116th in the nation in yards averaging 233 per
outing. Eight starters return, including the entire offensive line, and there's
good potential in the backfield with the 1-2 rushing punch of Julian Reams and
A'mod Ned, but the passing game needs work with Paul McCall likely to take over
at quarterback and no experience at receiver to rely on.
Defense: The defense did what it could with no help from the offense, and
now seven starters return with a shot to be among the league's best. The
secondary gets all four starters back, led by Lionell Singleton at corner. The
line is big and good with a pair of strong 300-pounders (Roland Clarke and Jonas
Murrell) inside. Now for the problem: the great linebacking corps loses all
three starters. The top four tacklers are gone, along with the top pass rushers.
Keyonvis Bouie, Alexander Bostic, and Antwan Barnes were stars who won't be
easily replaced.
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