University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: Offensive Evaluation Heading Into The Bye Week
9/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
By Steven Bartolotta, September 29, 2009, 2:46 p.m.
We aren't halfway home but we are a third of the way through the 2009 football season and what better time than the bye week to evaluate the offense and defense. We start with the offense today and switch sides tomorrow and breakdown the defense.
Offense
Quarterbacks - C+....As a whole this position has been just okay. The mistakes are something you just can't overlook. Riley has made too many mistakes and a couple of them have been at the worst times. He got away with the pick at Ball State in the endzone but the fumble against MTSU inside the five was very costly. The last two picks against MTSU are write-off's if you ask me because of the situation but the first pick against the Blue Raiders was a case of a young QB trying to force a ball and try and make something happen. As he matures, he won't make those types of throws. Dodge has added a new dimension of running to position as evidence he is 10th in the conference in rushing at 46.7 yards a game. If you look at the total offense leaders in the SBC, Dodge is third, sandwiched between two seniors and a junior. Not bad for a redshirt freshman.
His passing efficiency is way down though, seventh in the league and only 92nd in the nation. Not good for a redshirt freshman. That's the biggest area of improvement Dodge must work on these next four games. Tune has been effective in his time, but he suffers from the same problem as Riley. One mistake killed Tune against Ohio; regardless of what the receiver did or didn't do the QB get's the blame when it comes to picks. Against Alabama, he was mistake free but didn't really have much of an opportunity to do anything, credit one of the nation's best defense's for that. The last thing the QB's must do in the next four games is stretch the field. North Texas has only three receptions of over 30 yards, not going to cut it unless you're playing QB for the Oakland Raiders.
Running Backs - B.....Pretty much what we expected here with Cam Montgomery shouldering the load and lots of help coming from Lance Dunbar and Riley. The last two games though Cam has been shut down with just seven yards on 17 carries, which makes you wonder a little bit. Dunbar stepped in and provided a much needed shot in the arm against MTSU and going forward is another guy you want the ball in the hands of. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Cam and Dunbar in the backfield together either.
James Hamilton to this point has shown flashes, but nothing tangible yet to get excited about. At this point North Texas is averaging over 30 yards more on the ground than last season at this point but sans the Dunbar TD run; the explosive play hasn't been there. Just a 25 yard run by Cam and a 21 yard run by Riley are the only plays that have gone for over 20 yards on the ground this season. Notice a theme yet?
Wide Receivers - C+....Jamaal Jackson has been as good as advertised while freshman Darius Carey could be a star for a longtime in these parts. Jackson it seems takes an army to bring him to the ground at time. Carey is the sizzle this offense has been lacking at WR this year. He is flashy and to my surprise has great hands.
Michael Outlaw was good against Ball State and had the game-winning TD, but since then he has been a little shaky. If he can stay healthy, B.J. Lewis should why we raved about him in two-a-days against MTSU. He's a possession guy that makes the tough catch. The biggest strike against the WR's so far? Yep you guessed it, the big play. Short of Jackson's catch at Ball State, can you name another big play that the WR's have turned in? I can't. Forrest Rucker saw his first action against MTSU and he is slowly working his way back into the mix and into shape. At 6-6 he is a great weapon to have on the edge.
Offensive Line- B+....The first stat that jumps off of the page is the Mean Green is tops in the nation in fewest sacks allowed with only two. That doesn't mean there hasn't been pressure on Dodge and Tune, but they have protected the QB's well. As far as the running game goes, the O-Line has opened up some holes, but running the ball against Ohio and MTSU didn't go that smoothly. Take out the Dunbar 66-yard run and North Texas averaged just 3.7 yards a carry. Against Ohio that number was just 2.9. That's not going to work. As Coach Dodge likes to say, North Texas can't "play behind the chains." Instead of second or third and short like at Ball State, the Mean Green has been in too many 2nd and 9 or 3rd and 8 situations lately. Short of few nagging injuries, the O-line has been as good across the board but still has room for improvement.
Bottom Line - This offense is good enough to be averaging 27-30 points a game but at 19.5 points a game that's a disappointment through four games. Take Alabama out of the mix and that number is 23.6 points a game, which still isn't good enough. Total offense is not the problem, its mistakes. North Texas is 102nd in the nation in turnover margin and the offense has left way to many points on the field this year. There are young players at key position so it's logical to think there will be improvement the next four games. The field must be stretched out though or it could be along four weeks.
I, like everyone else, can't wait till Fouts Field is brought to its knees with a stack of dynamite. Until that day, the North Texas offense needs to supplement itself with said dynamite and add some explosiveness to the offense.
