One would think after four years, more than 12,000 passing yards and a couple of bowl appearances that Mason Fine had run out of ways to stun and delight North Texas fans.
Turns out that even with just a couple of games left in Fine’s career, he still had something up his sleeve.
And we’re not just talking about the seven touchdown passes Fine threw in the Mean Green’s 52-26 win over UTEP on Saturday at Apogee Stadium.
UNT’s players wandered in after coach Seth Littrell had had his say in the team’s postgame press conference.
There was wide receiver Jaelon Darden, defensive lineman Dion Novil and a mystery guest shrouded in a blow-up T. rex Halloween costume.
Yeah, that was Fine.
The quarterback wasn’t kidding when he talked over the last few weeks about enjoying every moment left in his remarkable career with the Mean Green.
Fine had everyone laughing in UNT’s team meeting room when he made his entrance.
“I can’t see very well,” Fine said. “I’ll try my best.”
And with that he launched right into talking about UNT’s preparation and how it paid off with a win over the Miners.
The whole episode was Fine in a nutshell and illustrates why he is so beloved at UNT. He’s a great player. That’s No. 1, but he’s also a great representative of the university.
UNT president Neal Smatresk has had Fine appear with him at events to build enthusiasm in the school.
In a lot of ways, Fine has become the face of UNT’s entire athletic program, not just the Mean Green’s football team.
Fine’s production speaks for itself.
He’s thrown for 12,026 yards in his career, and on Saturday he surpassed a pair of college legends who went on to play in the NFL — Drew Brees and Russell Wilson.
“I told guys long before he ever took a snap that he was going to be a special player,” Littrell said. “A lot of it is just who he is, the amount of work he puts in and the dedication he has for his teammates.”
Littrell went on the say that Fine just has “it,” the elusive mix of talent and leadership ability that can make a good player legendary.
The whole T. rex costume stunt illustrates how that intangible characteristic carries over when Fine isn’t on the field.
There are a lot of guys who are great players who couldn’t pull off a Halloween costume stunt while guiding a team that is struggling to meet expectations. UNT was supposed to challenge for the Conference USA title this season.
The dream isn’t dead, but the prospects aren’t looking great with UNT sitting at 4-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Mean Green still have to play at Louisiana Tech, travel to Rice and host UAB.
Louisiana Tech has won seven straight since losing its season opener to Texas and is 4-0 in conference play. UAB is 6-2. Winning at Rice won’t be easy either. UNT hasn’t won a road game all season.
There might be a few curmudgeonly old fans out there who will question Fine’s costume stunt.
For those who fall into that camp, just remember what Fine has said throughout the season, and his career for that matter.
Football is hard work, especially for the players who toil for hours and hours to prepare for games each week. Those players and coaches deserve a chance to have a little fun once in a while, especially after a win.
The joy that Fine shows while playing the game is a reminder of that. He’s been plastered in the pocket all season and seen some of his key players go down due to injury.
UNT has been forced to lean on Fine more than expected.
There have been times when the pressure and mounting losses have seemed to get to Fine.
They haven’t gotten him down completely, though.
That was obvious on Saturday night.
Fine had that Tyrannosaurus rex costume stashed away and brought it out when UNT picked up a win that bolstered its bowl hopes.
The stunt made everyone laugh and reminded UNT fans that there is more to Fine than just the stats he’s put up through the years.
He’s also a heck of a lot of fun.
UNT fans don’t have much longer to enjoy Fine. He’s got three more games in a Mean Green jersey, maybe more depending on the way the season plays out.
Enjoy Fine while he’s still around. There’s no telling what he’ll come up with next to thrill UNT fans or make them laugh.
"fine" - Google News
November 04, 2019 at 04:00AM
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Brett Vito: Fine's T. rex costume stunt illustrates everything there is to love about the UNT senior - Denton Record Chronicle
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