Football Head Coach Phil Bennett described the University of North Texas as a “regional rival,” and would like to see a recurring match up between the Mustangs and the Mean Green that had a fan significance rivaling that of SMU and TCU.
“When I first came here, I talked to Jim Copeland; we’re all Metroplex team [SMU, TCU, UNT], were all Division I, and we talked about having a three-way Round Robin for a Metroplex championship,” Bennett said. “I think in today’s environment, its financially very good for all of us, the cost of travel, but I think there’s some enthusiasm about the Metroplex schools playing each other. This is a good rivalry for all of us.”
Bennett said the appeal of the games is not only the low cost of playing a road game across town, but also because fans don’t have far to travel either.
“Those are the games, us, TCU, Baylor, UNT, those are the games fans can get to,” Bennett said.
The Mustangs are coming off a 35-3 loss to Texas Tech, but Bennett said he was happy with new quarterback Justin Willis’ ability to stay focused and keep his composure in Lubbock’s hostile environment. Bennett said Willis will have more opportunities to call audibles and SMU plans on opening up their playbook more than they did against the Red Raiders.
Bennett said UNT’s loss to the reigning national champions the University of Texas “wasn’t real beneficial to us,” in regards to learning anything about this year’s Mean Green squad, but said his coaching staff has tapes from eight games from the 2005 season the players will use to learn the UNT playbook.
Both team’s head coaches are very familiar with one another. Bennett and UNT Head Coach Darrell Dickey were assistants together at LSU. Dickey also coached at SMU during the 1997 season, SMU’s only winning season since the Death Penalty.
“Darrell Dickey is one of my lifelong closest friends,” Bennett said.
“The thing I respect the most about him is that he’s a very good football coach. He’s done what I think we’ve done here, he’s put his heart and soul in that program at North Texas, and it ain’t easy.”
But all that friendship won’t get in the way of Bennett leading his Mustangs to their first victory of the year.
“I don’t know a whole lot about North Texas. I’m not going spend a whole lotta time thinking about what their fans think. What I do know is this: We’re a program that’s fighting, scratching, clawing to get better. It wouldn’t matter this week whether we’re playing Slippery Rock or them [UNT], it makes no difference. We’re going out, we’re fighting for respect. It just so happens to be North Texas.”
