Head Football Coach Dan McCarney stated the week before the Middle Tennessee game he felt the team was ready to go however “we would not have envisioned that score.”  North Texas defeated the Blue Raiders 59-7 in the final game of the season.

 There was something different about the team before and during the game. Even though the team was up 30-0 at halftime the team was not celebrating in the locker room. The players were talking about “this is what we have to work on, this is what we have to do” in the second half. The players were talking among themselves about what they had to work on even before the coaches got into the locker room. 

The beleaguered offensive line got together for this game and pushed the defensive line back to allow North Texas to rush for 464 yards. McCarney said he knew before the game “we were going to be able to run the ball” because the offensive line were doing a great job on the inside drills during practices. 

The coach pointed out when he got to North Texas the offensive line did not know the inside drills which shows an offensive lineman how to stay on their feet, play at pad level, bend their knees correctly and how to “play division one football.”  During the first inside drills eight or nine players were on the ground because they had poor techniques and he did not know if he should be mad at the players or the coaches. Over the season, as the coaches taught the players the correct techniques, they progressed and it really showed up during the Middle Tennessee game.

The 464 yards rushing tied a school record which dates back to the first game played at Fouts Field. McCarney said if he knew that 464 yards tied the record, he would have gotten one more yard to set the record. 

McCarney saluted North Texas President Lane Rawlins for being with the team in the pouring rain before the game when the 27 seniors were honored.  The coach stated Rawlins being there was not phony but real. When Rawlins and Athletic Director Rick Villerreal talked with him about accepting the job in Florida, McCarney knew Rawlins “really cared and was going to be involved.” He is in the locker room with the wins and losses and experiences the same heartbreak as the players. McCarney said for a president to be with the team at home and on the road is unusual.

Dunbar ran for 313 yards which made him the all-time rushing leader in North Texas history in addition it was the greatest rushing game at North Texas as well as the Sun Belt Conference.  He is only the sixth player in NCAA history to rush for 4,000 yards and have 1,000 yards receiving.

Patrick Cobb was at the stadium to watch Dunbar supplant his record and he encouraged Dunbar not to break the record but to shatter it. McCarney said it was exciting to be in the same room with both history making players in Dunbar and Cobb.

When Dunbar had his final carry he was not hurt but had a cramp which happens when someone carries the ball 40 times.    

McCarney said staying at home and watching bowl games is not fun, “I’ve been in twenty of them and liked to have been in twenty-one.”

North Texas won five games and although it shows improvement it is not where the team and the coaches want to be.  However, along the way he felt the team made major strides in building a foundation for future success. That foundation is built on accountability, going to class, going to the weight room, behavior, ability, good attitude and not getting upset with the coaches and the graduate assistants for pushing a player to be better.

 North Texas is plus nine in turnovers and 15th in the nation which is a great foundation for future teams. Add that to improvement in the win/loss record, new stadium and a new all-time attendance record it gives the coaches something to hang their helmets on to recruits.

The seniors were told that they were going to be part of a new tradition this year which he called the “Senior Bowl Trophy.”  McCarney told the team he was going to take a picture of the seniors with the Eagle along with a donated trophy and the score with all being put on display for everyone that went to the football facility to see. It would be there for future players and fans to view. It was going to be nice with the win because it “would be a good score to put up there 59-7.” If they lost the game he was going to take the trophy, put it in the closet and throw the picture away. So the coach wanted the team to accentuate the positive which they did by winning.

Looking forward to next year with 27 seniors gone the team will be thin in spots. A couple of scholarships will be given to players already on the team and he is looking forward to signing about 23 players in this year’s recruiting class.

Lairamie Lee blocked a Middle Tennessee punt which was picked up by Julian Herron for a touchdown. McCarney said the coaches taught Lee and the other players how to beat a blocker to get to the punt. Lee executed the move to perfection and was able to get the block.

McCarney is upset about the conference call where the coaches are supposed to talk about the Sun Belt All-Conference team. Four coaches did not make the call and some coaches felt they should either do it or not do it. McCarney felt a lock for their position for the Sun Belt All-Conference Team should be Lance Dunbar and Will Atterberry.  

Some of the players the coach pointed out for their performance this year included Zachary Orr who is in the top ten in tackles in the conference even though he missed the last three games with injuries. Brandon Akpunku had a great season even though the coach said he was the smallest defensive end he ever coached. Royce Hill had a good year with several pass break-ups and interceptions. Cyril Lemon and Matt Tomlinson did a really good job on the offensive line. While most of the times “The Freshman of the Year” winner goes to the skilled players, McCarney stated he nominated Lemon for that honor.

Lemon had over 800 snaps against seven teams that were bowl eligible, including Alabama which is playing for the national championship and he did not have one penalty against him. The coach went on to add Tomlinson played even though he will have to have surgery. He played with injuries because he loves North Texas so much and wanted to show the younger players how to play as a senior.

McCarney compared North Texas to Iowa State stating there were a lot of similarities. State was winless, while North Texas had three wins. He had a running back he had to beg to stay at Iowa State and had to convince him they were going to run the ball.  He had to change perception with both programs. He had to work hard instilling confidence and pride in the program to “know we are not going to accept losing.”

In the locker room they had a huge sign that stated “109” to remind the players that is where they were ranked in the NCAA. “We didn’t get where we wanted to but we are not 109^th in the country.” So the sign is coming down.

During the offseason the team was going to figure out what worked and what didn’t. They then could work on the things that didn’t work and improve on the things that did. They now need to go out and get better student-athletes to help the program. The coaches are going to have to get the better players by evaluating and recruiting the ones that fit the program.

With the loss of Lance Dunbar and James Hamilton at the running back position some are concerned. McCarney stated he felt very confident in Jeremy Brown who could be the fastest player on the team. He played during the Middle Tennessee game and showed the fans his talents and speed. Brandin Byrd is a big back that likes to run over people and slam the ball into the line. Two other running backs he liked were redshirt freshman Zac Whitfield and Antoinne Jimmerson. Since the running back position was not a position North Texas needed help from the incoming freshmen both players sat out. Both have different sets of skills but both have toughness and character.  He was going to sign two running backs in this recruiting class. Because of Dunbar, North Texas, no matter how far in the future, no matter what coach, should never have a problem at running back. When recruiting running backs the question is asked “who wants to be the next Lance Dunbar?”

McCarney believes he will have the same coaching staff next year so there will be cohesion. While there is always a chance he might lose a coach it is something he doesn’t worry about because it would be a compliment if someone else wanted one of his coaches.

The next two weeks are extremely important for recruiting. North Texas will have a lot of recruits in for Friday’s Football Banquet. Next week the coaches will be on the road for the big push before the dead period over the holidays.