SMU and North Texas rivalry heating up?

Rick Yeatts Photography

After announcing that the two local universities will be renewing their on-field rivalry beginning in 2014, it seems that the off-field competition is growing as well. With the arrival of head coach June Jones on the hilltop, the spread offense that coach Todd Dodge brought to North Texas is no longer the only one in town. Obviously, Dodge has close ties to the program at Southlake Carroll, but Jones now has his foot in the door after receiving a verbal committment from 2008 quarterback Kyle Padron (brother of North Texas’ Justin Padron). The battle for local talent will undoubtedly be key for both squads.

Plans for Riley

Todd and Riley Dodge

During his interview on TXA 21 last night, Gina Miller asked Mean Green head coach Todd Dodge the question he’s heard from every possible angle this offseason… “are you going to allow Riley to redshirt?” Dodge answered in typical coach speak saying that his son will enter two-a-days as #5 on the depth chart. He then added, however, that when he enters any recruit’s home (although, in this case that would be daily), he never entertains the idea that a player would red-shirt their first season. As Dodge continues his effort to rebuild the program that once owned the Sunbelt conference but was picked by the league’s coaches to finish seventh in 2008, he realizes that the luxury of sitting a talented but raw athlete doesn’t exist at North Texas just yet. In Riley’s case, however, he’s competing with soph QB Giovanni Vizza who started 8 games for the Mean Green in 2007 and was the 2006 4a Texas High School player of the year.

New Stadium?

One of several proposed designs

There has been a buzz around North Texas fans about the potential for a new stadium in the near future. Unfortunately, that statement could’ve been made five years ago as well. Many die hard North Texas supporters believe in the Field of Dreams adage that “if you build it, they will come” since the fan base hasn’t exactly outgrown current home stadium Fouts Field. Where does coach Dodge stand on the issue? Based on recent appearances in front of potential donors and other media outlets, Dodge seems to be sticking to the agreement that was made to him when he signed on to coach in Denton…a new stadium to open the 2010 season. At this point, nothing’s been announced publically, but North Texas fans continue to remain confident that their athletic department will come through. One of the holdups is the need for approval to add a student fee to help fund the new facility. That’s easier said than done at a university that still fights an athletically apathetic student body. Here’s the question: when your ticket price is $0, how can you argue about a stadium fee?