2007 North Texas Mean Green football team
Encyclopedia
The 2007 North Texas Mean Green football team represented the University of North Texas
in the 2007
college football
season. The team was led by its new head Coach Todd Dodge
, replacing former coach Darrell Dickey
, who was fired after going 3–9 in 2006. Dodge is regarded as one of the nation’s most successful high school football coaches amassing a 98–11 record overall at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas
. He was named National Coach of the Year by Schutt Sports in 2004 and by USA Today
in 2005. His Southlake program produced 5 consecutive offensive players of the year in Texas. Dodge is also regarded by many FBS coaches as one of the nation's premiere offensive minds in developing a unique and effective scheme in his variation of the spread offense, in the much the same vein as Steve Spurrier
and Mouse Davis
. While at Southlake, Dodge help the University of Missouri to implement his scheme. The recent resurgence at Missouri
can in part be credited to Dodge's schemes and to one of Dodge's former Southlake players, Heisman Finalist Chase Daniels
.
The Mean Green played their home games on campus at Fouts Field
in Denton, Texas
.
announced in early January the hiring of nine new assistant coaches. The new staff's combined resumes include 26 bowl appearances, 14 bowl victories, 18 high school state titles, a Super Bowl title and a BCS national title. New defensive coordinator Ron Mendoza, new offensive coordinator Todd Ford
and new special teams Robert Drake all come with Dodge from Carroll High School where they coached the Dragons to 5 state titles. After a tenure in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers
, and University of Houston
Cougars
, Butch LaCroix, former North Texas assistant from 1987–1993, rejoins the Mean Green staff for a second duration as cornerback’s coach. For the past four seasons at the University of Tulsa
, new offensive line coach Spencer Leftwich returns to North Texas at the same position he previously held. Former North Texas leading receiver, new receivers coach Clayton George, also served under Dodge until becoming head coach at Hillcrest High School. 2003 Division I assistant coach of the year, new safeties coach Chuck Petersen, after spending 17 years with United States Air Force Academy
Falcons
. Former Texas Longhorns and St. Louis Rams
player and later Texas Longhorns graduate assistant, Derek Lewis, will coach defensive ends. After spending the last two seasons at Louisiana Tech, new running backs coach Shelton Gandy, also was running backs coach for his alma mater Southern Mississippi.
received several improvements. With paint donated by local Pittsburgh Paints
, the student spirit organization, Talons, repainted the entire stadium. Other changes included renovated bathrooms, signage, asphalt in and around the entry gates. This is the largest improvement to Fouts since replacement of the field's Astroturf
prior to the 2005 season.
played for North Texas in the late 1960s.
for the season opener against the Oklahoma Sooners. Within :32 seconds of the first quarter, the Sooners scored on their opening drive. The Sooners put up 49 unanswered points until North Texas kicker, Thomas Moreland, completed the first field goal of the season late in the third quarter. After the Sooners racked up 2 more touchdowns, freshman (QB)
Giovanni Vizza threw the Mean Green's only touchdown of the game to (WR)
Casey Fitzgerald early in the fourth quarter.
The game ended with a final score of 79-10. The Mean Green finished with 15 yards rushing and 232 yards passing. Both starting quarterback junior Daniel Meager and freshman Giovanni Vizza saw game time with Meager being replaced by Vizza during the third quarter. (RB)
Micah Mosley led the Mean Green in rushing 5 carries and 15 yards. Contradicting the final score, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops
admitted being worried about running up the score criticizing the Mean Green's no huddle offense. Coach Dodge handled the loss well and was quoted he held no ill-feelings towards to Sooners for the lopsided win.
North Texas set a new record of most points given up in a single game. It also marked the second largest margin of lost in a single game for the Mean Green.
Navy came into the game with the best rushing offense, statistically, of any team in the nation. They set a school record by running for 572 yards with eight rushing touchdowns in the game. The Midshipmen tied another school record by scoring at least 30 points for the eighth consecutive game.
Todd Dodge said, "I have never been a part of a game quite like this. I knew that we would have to score on nearly every possession and maybe steal a possession or two with turnovers."
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
in the 2007
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season. The team was led by its new head Coach Todd Dodge
Todd Dodge
Todd Dodge is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the quarterbacks coach at the University of Pittsburgh, a position he has held since January 2011. Dodge was the head football coach at the University of North Texas from 2007 to 2010...
, replacing former coach Darrell Dickey
Darrell Dickey
Darrell Dickey is an assistant American football coach at . Before joining the Texas State staff he was the offensive coordinator at the University of New Mexico for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He was head coach of the University of North Texas from 1998 to 2006...
, who was fired after going 3–9 in 2006. Dodge is regarded as one of the nation’s most successful high school football coaches amassing a 98–11 record overall at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas
Southlake, Texas
Southlake is a city in northeast Tarrant and southeast Denton counties, Texas. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 26,575. A suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas, Southlake is known for exemplary public schools, Southlake Town Square, and Carroll High School's 7-time state champion football...
. He was named National Coach of the Year by Schutt Sports in 2004 and by USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
in 2005. His Southlake program produced 5 consecutive offensive players of the year in Texas. Dodge is also regarded by many FBS coaches as one of the nation's premiere offensive minds in developing a unique and effective scheme in his variation of the spread offense, in the much the same vein as Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
and Mouse Davis
Mouse Davis
Darrel "Mouse" Davis is an American football coach and former player. A veteran coach at the high school, college, and professional levels, he is currently the wide receivers coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Davis served as the head football coach at Portland State University from...
. While at Southlake, Dodge help the University of Missouri to implement his scheme. The recent resurgence at Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
can in part be credited to Dodge's schemes and to one of Dodge's former Southlake players, Heisman Finalist Chase Daniels
Chase Daniels
Chase Daniels is an on-air personality for WSTR Star 94 Atlanta.Chase was born on Long Island, New York where he began listening to Kid Kelly on Z100 and decided radio is what he wanted to do. His career started at a radio station in Jacksonville, Florida where he was quickly promoted within the...
.
The Mean Green played their home games on campus at Fouts Field
Fouts Field
Fouts Field is the former stadium of the University of North Texas, located in Denton, Texas, United States. It was primarily used for football, and was the home field of the University of North Texas Eagles, also known as the Mean Green from 1952-2010...
in Denton, Texas
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
.
Coaching
After being named as head coach, Todd DodgeTodd Dodge
Todd Dodge is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the quarterbacks coach at the University of Pittsburgh, a position he has held since January 2011. Dodge was the head football coach at the University of North Texas from 2007 to 2010...
announced in early January the hiring of nine new assistant coaches. The new staff's combined resumes include 26 bowl appearances, 14 bowl victories, 18 high school state titles, a Super Bowl title and a BCS national title. New defensive coordinator Ron Mendoza, new offensive coordinator Todd Ford
Todd Ford
Todd Ford is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing for the Heilbronner Falken of Germany's 2nd Eishockey Bundesliga...
and new special teams Robert Drake all come with Dodge from Carroll High School where they coached the Dragons to 5 state titles. After a tenure in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, and University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
Cougars
Houston Cougars
Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was created by early physical education instructor of the university and former head football...
, Butch LaCroix, former North Texas assistant from 1987–1993, rejoins the Mean Green staff for a second duration as cornerback’s coach. For the past four seasons at the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
, new offensive line coach Spencer Leftwich returns to North Texas at the same position he previously held. Former North Texas leading receiver, new receivers coach Clayton George, also served under Dodge until becoming head coach at Hillcrest High School. 2003 Division I assistant coach of the year, new safeties coach Chuck Petersen, after spending 17 years with United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
Falcons
Air Force Falcons football
The Air Force Falcons are a college football team from the United States Air Force Academy, located just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA Division I and the Mountain West Conference.-Style:...
. Former Texas Longhorns and St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
player and later Texas Longhorns graduate assistant, Derek Lewis, will coach defensive ends. After spending the last two seasons at Louisiana Tech, new running backs coach Shelton Gandy, also was running backs coach for his alma mater Southern Mississippi.
Stadium Improvements
Prior to the first home game, Fouts FieldFouts Field
Fouts Field is the former stadium of the University of North Texas, located in Denton, Texas, United States. It was primarily used for football, and was the home field of the University of North Texas Eagles, also known as the Mean Green from 1952-2010...
received several improvements. With paint donated by local Pittsburgh Paints
PPG Industries
PPG Industries is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2010 were $13.4 billion...
, the student spirit organization, Talons, repainted the entire stadium. Other changes included renovated bathrooms, signage, asphalt in and around the entry gates. This is the largest improvement to Fouts since replacement of the field's Astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
prior to the 2005 season.
Uniform changes
On August 4, 2007, North Texas unveiled changes to their uniforms during the Kickoff Cookout at the Mean Green Athletic Center. For away games, instead of all green jerseys, the team will have white shirts with white pants. Home games will feature the university's new kelly green on top and have the same white pants. The numbers and letters will be green for away games and white for home with a black outline. The most notable change is the reintroduction of a white helmet not worn since alumni "Mean" Joe GreeneJoe Greene (American football)
Charles Edward Greene, known as “Mean Joe” Greene, is a former all-pro American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. Throughout the early 1970s he was the one of most dominant defensive players in the National Football League...
played for North Texas in the late 1960s.
Schedule
Oklahoma
The Mean Green traveled to Norman, OklahomaNorman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
for the season opener against the Oklahoma Sooners. Within :32 seconds of the first quarter, the Sooners scored on their opening drive. The Sooners put up 49 unanswered points until North Texas kicker, Thomas Moreland, completed the first field goal of the season late in the third quarter. After the Sooners racked up 2 more touchdowns, freshman (QB)
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Giovanni Vizza threw the Mean Green's only touchdown of the game to (WR)
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Casey Fitzgerald early in the fourth quarter.
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Micah Mosley led the Mean Green in rushing 5 carries and 15 yards. Contradicting the final score, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops
Bob Stoops
Robert Anthony "Bob" Stoops is the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. During the 2000 season, Stoops led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl victory and a national championship....
admitted being worried about running up the score criticizing the Mean Green's no huddle offense. Coach Dodge handled the loss well and was quoted he held no ill-feelings towards to Sooners for the lopsided win.
North Texas set a new record of most points given up in a single game. It also marked the second largest margin of lost in a single game for the Mean Green.
SMU
Florida Atlantic
Arkansas
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
Troy
In the Troy University Trojans homecoming game on October 20, 2007, the Troy Trojans showed reason why they are number one in the Sun Belt Conference. The North Texas Mean Green, who had an abyssmal 0-for-4 on fourth downs, were held to just seven points, which came with 2:55 left in the third quarter.Middle Tennessee
Navy
With 136 total points, the game set the NCAA Division I-FBS record for most total points scored in a regulation-length game. The previous record for college football's top division (previously called Division I-A) was 133 points during San Jose State's 70 63 win over Rice in 2004. In addition to the Division I-FBS total points record set by Navy vs. North Texas, the 94 first-half points and the 63 combined points in the second quarter, both set college records.Todd Dodge said, "I have never been a part of a game quite like this. I knew that we would have to score on nearly every possession and maybe steal a possession or two with turnovers."