University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: Sometimes Stat Sheets Lie
9/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
By Steven Bartolotta, September 5, 2010, 3:06 p.m.
Sometimes the stat sheet does lie. How else do you explain North Texas running up 463 yards against Clemson, running 49 rushing plays to Clemson's 46 plays overall, holding nearly a 22 minute edge in time of possession, but losing 35-10.
If you dig further inside the numbers, here's why. Nine seconds, 16 seconds, and 29 seconds is why Clemson came out on top the way they did. That's how long it took the Tigers to score on three of their five scoring drives. The big play is still something the Mean Green defense has to stop gobing forward or else the end results won't change.
For all the grief Gary DeLoach's defense has received over the years, taking away the big play seems all that's left for this unit to return to prominence. Easier said than done. Losing Steven Ford for the year won't help, but D'Leon McCord does have the advantage of playing in the system starting in the spring. He's going to have to step up, but he will need help.
It's hard to measure progress when you lose by 25 points, but the Mean Green made some huge strides in just one game.
On the plane ride back, Coach Canales happened to sit next to me for a while. We talked and two things really stuck out to me. He talked a lot about "flipping the field" on Clemson. After a huge Clemson punt that put the Mean Green at the four-yard line, North Texas dug out of the hole, moved the ball, and reversed the field possession.
How many of you thought it was going to be another 3-and-out? That's what has happened to the Mean Green so often in situations like that in the past, often resulting in a quick score for the opponent.
By my unofficial count, North Texas had only two 3-and-outs against Clemson. The Mean Green's offense was always able to move the ball with some results, not always points, but in the game within the game these are the little things that make a difference and "flip the field".
The second item was confidence. Canales wanted to build up some confidence for his offensive unit and he did. To virtually control the flow of the game on offense has to do wonders for Nathan Tune, Lance Dunbar, and everyone else on the offense. They moved the ball nearly at will against one of the top defense's in the ACC.
Now Canales and the North Texas offense have to turn the confidence it gained into results.
This three-game stretch starting Saturday with Rice is going to dictate a lot about what direction the season will go. There are no BCS big boys, no Top 25 teams, no 350 pound offensive lines awaiting North Texas.
They are equally matched teams that North Texas, if they are as good as they think, has to compete with and beat.
It's that simple, and you don't need the stat sheet to tell you.
