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Harry
BLOOMINGTON -- Forget the Indiana football depth chart. It’s as relevant as New England’s unbeaten season hopes.

Oh, yes. Defensive co-coordinator Mike Ekeler is ticked.

“There is no depth chart at this point,” he said. “We’re not gonna watch that. That’s not gonna be representative of who we are. We’re gonna fix it. That’s why we were brought here. That’s not the standard we’re gonna set.”

The Hoosiers are 1-3 and enter Saturday’s Big Ten opener against Penn State (3-1) with zero momentum. They got manhandled by a previously winless North Texas team on Saturday three weeks after being manhandled by Ball State and a week after setting a school record for most penalties.

“We had 28 loafs (not hustling plays) and I think it was 18 missed tackles,” Ekeler said about the 24-21 loss to North Texas. “That was an embarrassment.

“We didn’t come to play. That’s on me. I take it very personal. I’m embarrassed that that tape is out there on how we looked on defense. We had guys playing like they were scared. Scared to put their face on somebody.”

Could that be right? Was a Big Ten team really scared against a Sun Belt Conference squad?

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110926/SPORTS/110929683/1002
Harry
Very Happy with the win but long way to go.

Very pleased with the students, alumni, fans, families that came out for the IU game. Felt like the noise at Apogee made a difference.

Excited about practice on Tuesday after a win. Said the players and coaches were very upbeat.

Said nice things about Kevin Wilson and Indiana.

Complimentary of Tulsa, mentioned their victory in South Bend last year, the fact they have won 30-games in the span in which we won 6 or something to that effect.

Said Tulsa is what we should aspire to be, in that they took a program at rock bottom when Kragthorpe took over and through good recruiting and development of those recruits have been a 10-win team and can play with just about anybody.

Pleased with Lance's performance against IU but was disappointed in the early fumble; said that they trusted him and knew he would redeem himself and he did.

Said Tulsa hasn't changed much with Blankenship. Still a very solid team that has faced three very difficult opponents, more difficult than we have faced.

Said Kinne is back, not as mobile but still very, very dangerous.

Said on Monday's after a win he buys Dairy Queen Ice Cream for his coaches as a reward.

Likes Motown music. Doesn't like Classical...too slow.

Eats everything in front of him. Needs to keep his energy levels up to lead this program.

Spoke a lot about the importance of coaches wives and family and the role they play in team chemistry and recruiting. He felt very good about the coaching family he has at North Texas. Said when we land top recruits and others say "why'd he go to North Texas?" one reason will be that the families of prospects will be very enamored with the quality atmosphere his staff offers them. Margy and all of the coaches wives play a very important role.

The 11 orange circles you see on the sidelines are for his special teams to be lined up and ready for instruction from Coach Riddle prior to a special teams play. Coach Wentrich is responsible for making sure all 11 are in place. A pretty neat idea I thought.

Evidently, on the IU touchdown pass - Deleon McCord was without a shoe. He asked the ref to give him a chance to put it on but because he wasn't on the ground they let the play start and he had to try and cover the IU receiver with one barefoot. McCarney said this was something they would learn from but he also thought the ref was just about to blow the whistle and the IU QB snapped it quickly to take advantage. Lesson learned.

Spoke of how great it would be to come back from Tulsa with a win.

Said the Sun Belt was wide open right now.

Told all players and specifically the receivers that they needed to just make plays prior to IU. Spoke of the fact that the Bynes and Outlaw touchdowns were examples of guys making plays.

Said Hamilton and the wildcat was a success. Said that the reason they were redshirting the freshmen running backs was due to the abilities of Dunbar, Hamilton and Byrd.

Said gameballs were given to Dr. Rawlins and RV for all the support they have given him and the entire program.
GrandGreen
1. Haven't seen NT's defense hit that hard since the championship days
2. Big coaching error not to anticipate the first IU on-side kickoff
3. Great kick off coverage
4. Who cares if fans "rush" the field
5. Anyone note that Arkansas got 17 yards rushing against Alabama
6. NT was doing a much better job of estimating the crowd at Fouts, honesty is not always the best policy
7. Lay off Thompson, he like the team has gotten better every week
8. Enough complaining about the fabulous stadium; parking, walk, prices- At least act like you have been to a big time game
9. The Belt is wide open, FIU's loss guarantees that NT can still win the conference
10. The Band was great, unless you can donate enough for summer uniforms, give it a rest
stebo
UTSA is doing much better (in terms of support) than I thought they would. They have leveled out at about 30K for attendance with the city supplying a good portion of those fans. My girlfriend is from San Antonio and when I first told her about the start up football program down there, she dismissed it. Yesterday some of her old friends went to the game and they were won over. It looks like the city will support it - as opposed to the UTSA basketball team - because they are playing in the Alamo Dome, so the city is treating it like a pro team. And if they start winning and playing name teams, that attendance will go up....

So I can't believe that I am going to say this but the Belt should really consider UTSA for membership. If we don't, they will find a home somewhere. The WAC is not going to make it through this mess so UTSA will need a home when they transition. Let them make the move up with the WAC and when they start to move up the rankings, invite them to the Belt. They would jump all over that invite (just like La Tech will) - the WAC will be dessimated with no tv, no BCS membership, and no bowl opportunities after this year.

That would give us the 12 teams:

East:

FIU
FAU
Troy
MT
WKU
USA

(divisional play would open up opportunities to increase rivalries)

West:

ASU
La Tech
ULM
Louisiana
North Texas
UTSA

(three Louisiana schools, two in Texas, and one Arkansas school that is an easy drive up the Interstate)


This is an old map - from when UNO and Denver were still in the league - but you can see how both La Tech and UTSA would fall nicely into our footprint. Any money that we would lose be splitting the pie into more pieces will be more than saved by the geography of this regional play. Of course, La Tech might demand to be in the West or East specifically to stay away from ULM - but I would take a hard stance against any concessions to them. They will need us much more than we will need them. If they won't play ball, we bring in Texas State-San Marcos instead. NMSU is just too freaking far away (but I would love to schedule them for an OOC series).


Harry
This was not the type of momentum Indiana was looking for heading into Big Ten play.

Derek Thomas passed for 201 yards and three touchdowns as North Texas defeated Indiana 24-21 Saturday at Apogee Stadium in Denton, Texas.

Lance Dunbar rushed for 127 yards for the Mean Green (1-3). The Hoosiers (1-3) suffered their first loss to a school from the Sun Belt Conference (IU is 2-1 against the conference).

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110925/SPORTS0301/309259937/1008/SPORTS
Harry
North Texas came into its game against Indiana ranked as the worst defensive team in the country — at least when it came to the number of yards the Mean Green allowed per game in its first three outings of the season.

That time seemed like a distant memory by the time UNT finished off a 24-21 win over the Hoosiers on Saturday at Apogee Stadium.

The Mean Green shut Indiana out through three quarters and then hung on at the end to close out its best defensive performance of the season with a win.

Indiana mustered just 194 yards of total offense through three quarters before making a late charge.

UNT gave up 404 yards on the night.

“It was a big challenge for us going up against a Big Ten team,” UNT linebacker Zach Orr said. “We challenged ourselves to rise to the occasion. I thought we did a nice job of flying to the ball and played with more intensity than we have in any game this year.”

Orr finished with a team-high eight tackles and recovered a fumble. The sophomore was just one of several UNT players who contributed to a solid performance for the Mean Green’s defense.

Read More At:

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/sports/stories/DRC_untnotes_0925.19a185fb2.html
Harry
Dan McCarney has a treasure trove of memories of big moments and big wins over Big Ten schools from his days as a player, assistant and head coach from various stops during his career.

Now he’s got one from the early stages of his tenure as the head coach at North Texas as well.

McCarney picked up his first win with the Mean Green on Saturday night, and it was a doozy — a 24-21 victory over Indiana in front of a crowd of 21,181 at Apogee Stadium.

The win in the Mean Green’s first game against a Big Ten team in its history was also the Mean Green’s first at its new venue and its first over a team from a Bowl Championship Series automatic qualifying conference since 2003, when UNT knocked off Baylor.

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/sports/stories/DRC_untfoot_0925.19a1947c8.html
ColoradoEagle

Green Brigade

By ColoradoEagle, in GoMeanGreen.com,

I thought they had an amazing sound this week for the halftime show.

I wish they would play a wider variety of music in the stands (Seven Nation Army, Star Wars, Rocky, etc).

What they did play sounded really good in Apogee.

That's called a compliment sandwich.
UNTP1

Open letter from D-Mac

By UNTP1, in GoMeanGreen.com,

An Open Letter to University of North Texas Students from Head Football Coach Dan McCarney

First and foremost I have to say THANK YOU to all the students for the support that you showed this football team in the Houston game! Every player on this team said that it was the best atmosphere that they have ever played in. I said in my postgame press conference and would like to reiterate here that I was emotional when I came out from the locker room and saw the student turnout. It was a special night and I just wish our performance on the field could have matched the enthusiasm and passion that the students and the whole crowd brought to the game.

We are building this football program one piece at a time. Primarily, we have to develop a level of character that will transcend the field of competition. As a coaching staff, we are demanding that our players are accountable for everything they do, from going to class, to the way they present themselves in the community and as contributors to this team. It is not going to happen overnight, but we feel that if we create an environment of responsibility it will pay off in the long run. There is nothing that I want more than success for this program, and I am probably more impatient than anyone, but I also understand you cant change the culture overnight.

In our first three games we have played one of the toughest schedules ever at North Texas. We are the only team in America that has faced three undefeated opponents and it looks like there is a good chance all three of those teams could finish the season undefeated. We have made improvement and I am confident that we will continue to improve and we will win some games this year.

I am again asking for your support this weekend when we play Indiana. It is the first time ever that a team from the Big 10 Conference has traveled to Denton. They are used to playing in front of crowds that exceed 75,000, but based upon what I saw against Houston, I know that Apogee Stadium can be every bit as intimidating. Like I said before, it begins and ends with the students. You are the energy that this team fuels from. The student body is what this team plays for.

I implore you to be patient as we build this program into one that you can be proud of. The transition is tough, but the end result will be worth waiting for. It takes a collaborative effort to succeed at the highest level in anything you do and we know that we cant do it without your support.

Go Mean Green,

Dan McCarney
Head Football Coach
University of North Texas
Harry
Maybe RV has - by coincidence - a meeting with a company looking at purchasing suites/ club seats for their top employees. And at that meeting he just happens to walk into the Mountain West meeting room on accident.

Here's what he should say.

- TCU has reconfirmed their commitment to the Big East. They don't like having to go back and admit to their fan base they made a mistake joining in the first place. So you won't get them back.

- SMU has actively been politicking for the Big 12. They don't want to be seen as following TCU's footsteps and arguably have a better place in CUSA from a rivalry and travel perspective.

- It appears that Air Force is at the top of the list of expansion candidates for the Big East for football only. So you may lose one.

- Houston could also be a Big East candidate and may be wary of leaving a conference where they have three Texas schools Rice, SMU, UTEP to play and can dominate year in year out.

- You need a Texas presence for both recruiting and tv. TCU is leaving after this season. Do you really want to say goodbye to the Lone Star State? You need to be able to tell recruits parents from the DFW area that they will get to see their kids play in brand new Apogee stadium. Your travel arrangements to DFW and hotels etc could be easily fixed by adding UNT.

- UNT would be a plus for basketball right away.

I know, the Wyoming's will bitch because they are primarily interested in their own self preservation and fear what a school with the size and location, facilities of North Texas would do in a more competitive conference. If you are truly looking at the betterment of your conference as a whole you have to give consideration to a school that would allow you to reenter the Texas market AND be willing to commit to you for the future. If anything, TCU proved to you that a Texas based team is a good fit for both the Mountain West as a whole and their respective institutions. This is very similar to the Big East adding USF. USF didn't have a great long history and tradition but they had a great location, enrollment and the potential to become a powerhouse program because of the talent in their own backyard.

WE BELIEVE IN THE MEAN GREEN!

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