University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: The Lighter Side Of The Fall Camp
8/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
By Steven Bartolotta, August 29, 2009, 7:28 a.m.
With the fall camp over and done with and the countdown to Ball State underway, we have already taken a serious look back at the accomplishments of the two-a-day season. Now it's time to hand out some awards to the best moments and plays of the fall camp. Let's begin.
Best Hit- Jeremy Phillips on Alex Lott. Phillips was at this outside linebacker spot and Lott caught a little screen pass on the edge. Without batting an eye Phillips leveled Lott with a text-book play, one that Lott won't soon forget.
Runner Up- DaWaylon Cook. This was actually fighting through a block. The play had Cam Montgomery running on the outside and B.J. Lewis setting up for a block. It wasn't much of a block because Cook ran right over Lewis to get to Montgomery.
Best Catch- A tie between Alex Lott and Desmond Brigham. There were a lot of grabs that could have won this but those two had the one's that really stood out. Brigham made his grab the first week of the fall camp. He was running a curl route, stopped and came back. The ball was a bit wide and he went full extension to bring it in, which he did and stayed in bounds.
Lott's grab was made more impressive because he did it from his backside. Lott was going over the middle, lost his footing and went down to the ground but kept his left paw up. The ball just stuck to his hand and somehow he hauled it on.
Biggest Blowup- Sure it's Mt. D-Lo right? No. This might surprise you it actually goes the guy at the top, Todd Dodge. The play had Riley going up the middle on a run and ended with Darien Williams giving him a big pop, maybe a count or two after the whistle. Riley got up a little slow and tossed his helmet. Dad didn't like that one bit and pounced on his son to get his lid back on, immediately, and to cut it out. Message received.
Best Coaching Moment- This one came late in the camp but it's D-Lo. On the last day of the fall camp the defense wasn't looking very crisp and before 11-on-11 drills began Gary DeLoach brought in his entire defense for a quick talk. He didn't yell, he didn't scream, and he wasn't angry, I think. He basically put his arm around the entire defense, gave them a stern, but honest assessment of what they were doing and how to fix it. Quite a sight from a guy with a tough exterior and a side most people don't see.
Best Coaching Moment Part II- Not from a coach but from linebacker Tobe Nwigwe. At the close of the camp on Wednesday Nwigwe followed up on what DeLoach did earlier and brought the defense in for a talk. The message was simple, no excuses. Nice display of leadership from a man who had to teach himself how to be a leader.
Best Move- This one really should be two categories because it should have gone down as best hit but wasn't. James Hamilton went up the middle on a running play and was just rocked in the hole by Darien Williams. But Hamilton didn't go down, he kept his balance and somehow popped it to the outside and was gone for 70 yards. I still don't know how he escaped.
Best Quote- Anything from Mike Nelson. Actually his funniest one came when he was leading his troops across the field from the defense to the offensive side and his guys ran under the tent to get across. Nelson quipped "Come on men; let's go through the North Texas indoor facility." Funny stuff from a guy who's seen it all.
