<a href='http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2004/Players/NorthTexas_PatrickCobbs.htm' target='_blank'>North Texas RB Patrick Cobbs </a>

Writeup by Pete Fiutak

Who is Patrick Cobbs? ... North Texas has been known by those who have paid attention as a great defensive team. With three straight Sun Belt titles and the league's fiercest defense, the Mean Green has been a hard-nosed team that always comes through when a big win is needed. It continues to be among the best of the mid-major teams and is growing into even more of a power.

Things are going to change somewhat this year as the defense needs to fill several holes, while the offense will be among the most explosive in the league. The passing game will be good and the offensive line is strong, but the star of the show who'll make the whole thing go is senior RB Patrick Cobbs.

How dominant was Cobbs last year? He not only led the nation in rushing yards per game ahead of more heralded performers like Darren Sproles, Chris Perry and Kevin Jones, but he led by a whopping 15.4 yards per game over the number two back, Michael Turner of Northern Illinois. With all the pieces in place, expect him to do it all again and be one of the nation's most electrifying performers.
Cobbs' best game so far was ... in last year's 58-14 win over Arkansas State. He did it all carrying the ball 30 times for 228 yards and three touchdowns while catching a pass for 24 yards and a score. His scoring runs came from 28, 35 and 24 yards out.

Why you should care about Patrick Cobbs ... He's the best player on the best team in the Sun Belt conference. The Mean Green has so much Sun Belt talent that there's no reason Cobbs can't lead the nation in rushing again and be the Sun Belt Player of the Year. For all runners looking to win the rushing crown, they'll have to watch the box scores for Cobbs as he'll set the bar extremely high.

Positives about Cobbs ... He's a good-sized back with decent power and tremendous speed and quickness. When he gets a sliver of daylight, he's gone. He's a consistent back rushing for over 106 yards in the last ten games he played in last season. While not used much as a receiver, he can catch.

Negatives about Cobbs ... It's one thing to light up Sun Belt teams like a Christmas tree, but it's another to do it against quality BCS-league teams. He hasn't had much of a chance to go up against the big boys, and it's hardly fair to dog him for only rushing for 38 yards against Oklahoma, but there's a school of thought that any number of other good backs might put up the same numbers running behind the good North Texas line against Sun Belt teams.

A cool thing about Cobbs that you probably didn't know ... Cobbs wasn't just an All-State running back in high school, he was also a star defensive back rated as one of the best recruits to come out of Oklahoma. If you added up his career marks, he has rushed for 7,592 yards and scored 80 touchdowns over his last five years of playing football.

Career statistics
2003: 307 carries for 1,680 yards and 19 touchdowns, four catches for 43 yards and a score
2002: 159 carries for 761 yards and eight touchdowns, seven catches for 34 yards
2001: 93 catches for 422 yards and three touchdowns, eight catches for 165 yards