Back At It

Right now everything is in front of the program. There is still fall camp, an early bye (no game on Labor Day weekend) and a close away game to start the season. Things are looking good.

Greg has been a one-man preview machine the last few weeks and his enthusiasm reminds me that I am not nearly excited as I used to be. I mentioned on the Deranged Pengwin show the other night that my fandom has matured as I’ve gotten older ¹. After a couple of decades watching football — pro and college — you know how things go and you lose a little bit of hope for the miracle thing — that UNT somehow makes it to the Championship Game — and instead hope for the small things — A nearby bowl game.

I used to call these kinds of thoughts ‘cynical’ and so I don’t disagree with you if you call me that now. I do have a greater appreciation for the olds who were spouting these thoughts back when I was an undergrad. After years of fighting the good fight with your time and money, you just want a little return on your outlay.

This next foray into the college football history books — bolded or no — is filled with question marks, as they all are. This year, as last, we don’t know what we’ll get from the QB position. I still maintain that I hate having to denigrate Derek Thompson’s contributions just to make the point that we haven’t had great QB play here in as far back as I can read in the record books. Scott Hall was tough, and gritty, and other unquantifiable things that don’t really show up in the Stat Book.

And that’s a thing you need. For all the intangible adjectives you assign a player, they need some numbers beside their name in the box score. After all, you win with point differentials, not only sticktoitiveness after getting sacked three times.

And so when I read Greg’s excellent post on the QB battle, I can’t help but realize the parallels to the Dickey-era. Then, we were looking for a QB. Now, we are looking for a QB. Carlos Harris and the other weapons are going to struggle and the fans will be divided on assigning blame. The Denton paper will say there are no weapons, the younger fans will say the QB is the problem, the older fans will say the QB deserves a chance because he put in a lot of time in the program.

That we are based in Texas is most disheartening. Seemingly every good-to-great college QB comes from this state and yet we aren’t really picking them out. Last year’s debacle — yes it was a debacle — nearly undid everything positive in 2013. The offense was historically bad in an historically good offensive era in the sport.

Sure the old-timers loved seeing 6-13 games but we all know we are enjoying a little bit of the offensive revolution. Great defense is fun to watch but a good defense getting worn down because the offense can’t muster more than 13 yards passing isn’t.

I have full confidence that Andrew McNulty will drive this bus to it’s destination. I still feel so very bad for Carlos Harris. He is Johnny Quinn and he is Casey Fitzgerald and would that he could be Brelan Chancellor.²

I’m hoping Carlos recreates one of the greatest football performances I’ve seen live — the Casey Fitzgerald Game against SMU. A Loss, sure, but a ridiculous offensive display that was an incredible drink of cold water after the offensive drought that was the previous season. I really began to believe in Dodge Ball briefly.

That game’s QB was Daniel Meager — another guy lost in a shuffle of QBs, none of whom quite impressed as signal caller. So why can’t it be Andy Mac out here tossing up hopeful balls to a streaking Carlos Harris for TDs in Gerald Ford Stadium like Casey did in 2007?

I mean, I’m just hoping for the small things.