TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy and North Texas coach Todd Dodge share a collection of Texas state football titles and offensive savvy and even a favorite restaurant – Copeland’s.
It’s no surprise that when McElroy and his old high school coach ran into each other a couple of years ago, it was at Copeland’s of New Orleans. Dodge had a nice surprise for his former quarterback: They’d be seeing each other again, on the field.
“He’s always up there,” McElroy said of the Copeland’s in Southlake, Texas. “You can always bet on him being there watching football or things like that. He actually said he’s going to be playing us in a couple of years. When the schedule was released this year, that’s a game I circled. It’s not that I wanted to beat him real bad or anything like that. It’s just going to be fun catching up with him.”
McElroy and Dodge get that chance on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, when the Tide faces Dodge’s Mean Green. It’s an important season for both pupil and coach.
g to turn a corner in a program that went 3-21 in his first two seasons.
“It’s a pretty unique situation,” Dodge said. “It’s unique in a good way. I’m just proud of Greg and what he has accomplished and what he accomplished in high school.
“He’s waited his turn and is now reaping the rewards, playing quarterback for one of the most storied programs in America.”
Dodge arrived at North Texas after leading Southlake Carroll High School to four state titles and a 79-1 record in a five-season span. McElroy guided the team to one of those championships – and the mythical national title – after spending three years as a backup to Chase Daniel.
Now, they meet.
“It means a lot to me. Coach Dodge was obviously a special part of my football career,” McElroy said. “Playing for him was very special. It’s not a time that I want to ever forget. I’ve talked to a lot of my high school friends over the last couple of days and they give me a hard time, saying am I going to be reading the signals for the defense and things like that.
“All in all, it’s going to be a great experience, seeing those guys and competing against them, just remembering the times we had when we were out there on Saturday.”
mitment, received a medical redshirt last season because of a concussion.
“Riley’s had kind of a run of bad luck in the time I’ve known him,” McElroy said. “He’s had some tick-tack injuries. It’s disappointing and I wish I could be playing against him.”
Todd Dodge has endured tough times, too. His first two teams at North Texas have ranked last nationally in scoring defense. The Mean Green’s struggles aren’t among the subjects McElroy brings up during occasional text messages and conversations with the coach.
“I imagine that’s a pretty sore subject,” McElroy said.
He figures a challenge for Dodge was getting his college players to fully buy into his system that most prep players didn’t question.
“In college as you mature and start to think for yourself a little bit more, I think it’s probably more difficult to establish that tough mindset,” McElroy said. “Coach Dodge is a fantastic coach. I’m sure he’s been frustrated at times, but I think they’re a much better team this year. They’re doing things defensively that they weren’t doing last year.”
McElroy and Dodge both said their familiarity with each other wouldn’t be much help in preparing for the game. McElroy runs a much different offense with Alabama.
“We’re not going to ask Greg to help us coach defense this week,” Tide coach Nick Saban quipped. “We’re just going to let him be quarterback. We’re still trying to figure it out on our own. The way I like to do it is see if I can figure it out, then ask him if it’s right or wrong.”
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