Another (ugly) Loss?

[chrisfisher]

I enrolled for my graduate degree in 2005. I was very excited about attending a school with legit D-1 sports, especially football, which was something I felt I missed out when getting my bachelors at UTSA. We were dominate in football in prior seasons with 24 straight home wins, so I felt there would be some great football to watch at Fouts. I had no idea what would follow. The football team since then has gone 7-33 in 4 seasons... an average of 2 wins per season.....ouch! I have never known a winning season or anything that remotely resembles a winning team. Yet, I remain through and true, a Mean Green fan.

The only difference for me between Dodge and Dickey games is that the losses have become even uglier (recall that Dickey losses were painful too - running the ball on 3rd and 25). Yes, it is hard to watch. Yes, it is embarrassing. However, Todd Dodge is starting over... from scratch. The one thing Dickey had was a defense. Many of those players have graduated or left the team. It is obvious now that Dickey had few, if any, players on offense or defense ready to replace them. Dickey was in real trouble.

Forward a few seasons later. Dodge takes over to rebuild. Nearly HALF of the players on the field are freshman or have never played for us. Folks, our football looks high schoolish because, frankly, many of our players just came out of high school. This is what happens when the cupboard is bare and you cannot properly mentor (whether coaches or senior players) a player over the course of several years into the system. We have so few senior starters that freshman have no role models of expected performance behaviors.

I am not asking anyone to accept the losses. Something has to change, and I am not sure what just yet. What I am asking is that everyone settle down and take your medicine through this rebuild project. I know I have over the past 4 years. Do not abandon this team or its players. This will only make matters worse. Remember, FIU was 0-42 or something like that and the coaches were still able to recruit, build a new stadium, and, more recently, start winning some games. Hang in there Mean Green Nation!!!! We have important work ahead! Support the Mean Green! And take heed that Men's Basketball starts in a month!

Edited October 5, 2008 by chrisfisher

[Mad Hatter]

Good post.

[Green Dozer]

I enrolled for my graduate degree in 2005. I was very excited about attending a school with legit D-1 sports, especially football, which was something I felt I missed out when getting my bachelors at UTSA. We were dominate in football in prior seasons with 24 straight home wins, so I felt there would be some great football to watch at Fouts. I had no idea what would follow. The football team since then has gone 7-33 in 4 seasons... an average of 2 wins per season.....ouch! I have never known a winning season or anything that remotely resembles a winning team. Yet, I remain through and true, a Mean Green fan.

The only difference for me between Dodge and Dickey games is that the losses have become even uglier (recall that Dickey losses were painful too - running the ball on 3rd and 25). Yes, it is hard to watch. Yes, it is embarrassing. However, Todd Dodge is starting over... from scratch. The one thing Dickey had was a defense. Many of those players have graduated or left the team. It is obvious now that Dickey had few, if any, players on offense or defense ready to replace them. Dickey was in real trouble.

Forward a few seasons later. Dodge takes over to rebuild. Nearly HALF of the players on the field are freshman or have never played for us. Folks, our football looks high schoolish because, frankly, many of our players just came out of high school. This is what happens when the cupboard is bare and you cannot properly mentor (whether coaches or senior players) a player over the course of several years into the system. We have so few senior starters that freshman have no role models of expected performance behaviors.

I am not asking anyone to accept the losses. Something has to change, and I am not sure what just yet. What I am asking is that everyone settle down and take your medicine through this rebuild project. I know I have over the past 4 years. Do not abandon this team or its players. This will only make matters worse. Remember, FIU was 0-42 or something like that and the coaches were still able to recruit, build a new stadium, and, more recently, start winning some games. Hang in there Mean Green Nation!!!! We have important work ahead! Support the Mean Green! And take head that Men's Basketball starts in a month!

Good points. The reality is nobody expected the rebuilding to be this painful, even Dodge or RV. What is scary is that this is going to cost us big time in recruiting, we have lost the momentum from Dodge's hire, I believe. And if a recruit does not know how painful this rebuilding process will be, other recruiters will tell them. As for FIU's stadium, isn't it erected? If we have to go that route, I think we would be better with a face lift of Fouts. Blowouts don't show signs of progress to the casual fan. This board is not made up of casual fans, but those are the ones we need to excite, and get them to donate. They will get there football fix on Saturday in front of the tv, and call themselves Sooners, Longhorns, or whatever. Dodge did not invent the spread, and though he may have used it early on at Carroll, most kids playing on this team came from some form of it as most 5A and 4A schools use it. I hear what you are saying, but this sure is bitter medicine.

[Green P1]

And take head that Men's Basketball starts in a month!

Who are we taking it from? Where do I sign up?

[Huff]

The saddest thing for me was watching us lose to Rice (on TV) and to Florida International (in person) and realizing that it no longer made me mad. I did not foam at the mouth, or curse, or throw things as I would have done previously. I just sat and watched us lose yet another game to yet another team. In the years since Hayden Fry left for Iowa we have had seven head coaches. Not a single one of them left Denton with a winning record. In the last sixteen years (including this year) we will have had four winning seasons. Only the last Southland Conference team coached by Matt Simon and Darrell Dickey's Sun Belt Champion teams of 2002, 2003 and 2004 had winning years. That is really sad. Even sadder is that I do not see any change in the immediate future. We might be a little better next year - but that is what I thought about this year and we are seeing how that is working out. The 2010 season might be better but don't count on it if we have the current coaching staff. At this point I no longer look forward to attending North Texas football games and Fouts Field has nothing to do with it. The stadiums at Austin, College Station, and Ft. Worth were all built long before Fouts Field. The problem seems to be that the university and its fans at North Texas have not been willing - or able - to properly finance an athletic program. Let's hope that a change in the right direction starts with the students approving an increase in the fees for athletics later this month. I will be there again next Saturday with my family - as we have been since 1972 - but I cannot say that I am looking forward to it.

[NT03]

Who are we taking it from? Where do I sign up?

at this point it doesn't matter who it is from

[NT80]

The saddest thing for me was watching us lose to Rice (on TV) and to Florida International (in person) and realizing that it no longer made me mad. I did not foam at the mouth, or curse, or throw things as I would have done previously. I just sat and watched us lose yet another game to yet another team. In the years since Hayden Fry left for Iowa we have had seven head coaches. Not a single one of them left Denton with a winning record. In the last sixteen years (including this year) we will have had four winning seasons. Only the last Southland Conference team coached by Matt Simon and Darrell Dickey's Sun Belt Champion teams of 2002, 2003 and 2004 had winning years. That is really sad. Even sadder is that I do not see any change in the immediate future. We might be a little better next year - but that is what I thought about this year and we are seeing how that is working out. The 2010 season might be better but don't count on it if we have the current coaching staff. At this point I no longer look forward to attending North Texas football games and Fouts Field has nothing to do with it. The stadiums at Austin, College Station, and Ft. Worth were all built long before Fouts Field. The problem seems to be that the university and its fans at North Texas have not been willing - or able - to properly finance an athletic program. Let's hope that a change in the right direction starts with the students approving an increase in the fees for athletics later this month. I will be there again next Saturday with my family - as we have been since 1972 - but I cannot say that I am looking forward to it.

Good post. The emotion that NT has a chance at victory in every game is gone. We go now only with hope to see something new and different, like when Scott Hall, Jamario Thomas, or Scott Davis first entered the game and the magic appeared.

Edited October 5, 2008 by NT80

[EagleMBA]

Thought I would never say this, but I'm actually looking forward to missing the game next weekend. Family wedding attendance demands have mercifully superseded ULaLa. I'll be back for the last two, and I'll sit through the entire coming disasters. I'm also considering going to LaMo; plan to lay up in Shreveport Friday and Saturday nights, go to the game Saturday, get a little casino action, and come back Sunday.

IMHO, we just saw our last chance for victory this season go away last night. For the record, the only UNT game I have ever left before the final gun was the WKy game last year, and that was to avert hypothermia. Mental discomfort is one thing, but avoiding physical harm is another. I never leave because I have seen a lot of crazy things and miracles happen over the years in football. I will admit that this team seems to be the most impotent of any I can recall and the chances of any such event appear remote.

I'm a loyal and dedicated supporter and have been for many years, but I'm getting old and tired. I will have to evaluate my commitment at the end of this season after weighing the final results, recruiting, and stadium vote. We're a legitimate D-I school physically and should be there; for a multitude of reasons which have been discussed here for years, there is insufficient support. If the support will not be forthcoming, we need to consider dropping the sport and be a basketball school. That seems to me to be the cold, hard reality.

Edited October 5, 2008 by EagleMBA

[chrisfisher]

Who are we taking it from? Where do I sign up?

Hehe. Took me a second to figure out what you meant. Your a sic bastard Corrected in original post.