Leaderboard

Okay... I do have to question the logic of dumping McNulty cold - AT Alabama - in the 4th quarter on the 2 yard line. A fumble, a penalty, and two TERRIBLE throws later..... why flip flop so much? Osborn got us down there, right?

Gang, I have said this for years....and let me point this out. TCU has had a helleva team the past many years. They open their season tonight with 32,000 fans. This is the team that won the Rose Bowl! Meanwhile, SMU, coming off their best season in forever, drew 20,000 (tainted) fans in Dallas. I grew up a Pony Fan! Dallas will never care about SMU. June Jones has brought wins, a bowl victory....and it is taking Alums buying tickets to distribute. That is why I continue to say....when we begin winning.....which we will.....we will average 25,000 per game. No question. We have been the worst team in College Football for 4 years...in one of the worst stadiums in College football and still drew crowds that we shouldn't have! It is THERE for the taking! When was the Rose Bowl champion (and so many of you are stat czars) that drew only 32,000 in their home opener the next year? Sure it wasn't modern day. Now, DFW will always be U.T. and A&M dominated. However, the only college team that has the chance of capturing the heart of the Metroplex are the boys in Green that now play in a stunning new home in Apogee Stadium. And, with Coaches will great backgrounds (in college football). No question. Dallas will never care about SMU. TCU had its grand years.... Next Up: The Mean Green. Just give the Staff some time...and bring this topic back again! ParksAndRecRick

I listened to George and Hank while watching the broadcast. It was in sync with DirecTV. That's the best when you can hear our radio announcers while watching a TV game. 1) I'm guessing this was the biggest crowd we've ever played before? I don't think we'd ever broken the 100,000 barrier. 2) I think our young O line is jelling. Their pass blocking is pretty good. Thrilled about the future of the O line. 3) Mike Stockjavic (sp?) had a great game. 4) Glad to see Kyle White in the game. I'm pretty sure he started...in place of Cantly. He recovered two fumbles. 5) Walk-on DB Mike Marshall (freshman from South Grand Prairie) has the makings of being a special teams stud. #15.... 6) Two guys who I never saw in the game---Stradford and Richard Abbe. I might have missed it....did either of them play? 7) We need to develop some more WRs. 8) Hank and George mentioned that IU alum Babe Laufenberg will be at the game next Saturday. They wondered if Mark Cuban, another IU alum....might also be there. Go Mean Green!

Tackling better and (on both sides) everyone showing up with their "I didn't come here to lose" t-shirts on under their unis. That's all I've hoped for this season.

Yes, we were out manned on both sides of the ball. But, compared to 2009, the mindset of the team/defense was night and day different (give credit to Mac & Canales for playing to win)! It was obvious that the defense was playing much more aggressive, showing Bama different looks, disguising coverages and moving guys around. We had at least 3 three and outs against their first team O. McCarron was knocked down, hurried and hit numerous times. We had success late in the game also which showed we never quit. That is very encouraging!! Yes they hit some quick strike/big running plays on us but there were numerous times that I felt we were playing with them step for step and I could tell Saban was some kind of pissed. Pretty sure Saban gave his guys an earful at halftime and they will be punished early this week. The veins in his neck were bulging on the sidelines. Overall, a great character, confidence building game that we hopefully did not sustain any serious injuries!!

There were a few minor complaints at the first game regarding fans not caring for the no re-entry rule, and their inability to grab a beer during halftime. I had pitched out the idea of having a huge Alumni Association Beer Garden by reconfiguring the fencing around the alumni pavilion from pre-game activities to halftime festivities. Here's the idea, roughly based on what another college with the no reentry rule currently does. The North Texas Alumni Association Pavilion would have a very large fenced area with lots of tables only open to the outside during pregame, and with access only to and from the stadium during halftime. During halftime Alumni Association members are admitted for free and receive one complimentary beer ticket, all others (21 and over) pay $5.00 for entry and receive one complimentary beer ticket. Additional beer tickets are sold at a very reasonable price to entice people to want to keep coming back and to hopefully join the alumni association. We need to grow our alumni association for the university's efforts to attain Tier 1 status, and this is just one idea on how to attain that goal.

Tulsa lost G.J. Kinne with a knee injury in the first quarter of their trashing by Oklahoma State. They have nothing, really, without him and Damaris Johnson. They were down 45-6 before they began to score againt some of Okie State's second/third teamers. Indiana struggled to put South Carolina State away. SC State twice pulled to within 10 in the second half, and rolled up 19 first downs and had a 100 yard receiver, rushed for 161 at a 4.2 per carry clip. ---- Both the Tulsa and Indiana defenses can be gashed. Neither are stellar versus the run or pass. Tulsa will be devastated if Kinne is out for any extended time. As it is, they will be thrashed again next weekend at Boise State; so, they may be even more damaged when they face us. The toughest part of our slate is now behind us. If we aren't at least within 10 points of either of these next two opponents, the season is going to be tougher sledding than we most pessimistic among us could have believed. Indiana and Tulsa aren't good football teams right now. Tulsa has had a hell of a schedule to face. But, Indiana? Ball State, Virginia, and South Carolina State ain't murderers row. They limp away from those three dogs 1-2. If we can get some blocking for Dunbar, we can control these games. It sound crazy right now at 4:32 a.m. on a Sunday after losing another game. But, we've lost to possibly our league champ, possibly C-USA's league champ, and possibly the SEC national champ. Indiana and Tulsa will struggle to make bowl games this year. These are the opportunity games. This is where we see whether what we're paying for is having an impact early in the season.

I really hope we get out of the LSU game next year and add a 6th home game. We really don't need to be playing top 5 competition right now. We will still have Houston and K St. on the schedule to provide a measuring stick.

I am very pleased. I never would have believed it if you would have told me we would have 4 sacks at the end of 3 quarters against Alabama.

I know it's been a rough three weeks, but here are two reason why I'm hopeful. 1. Our team has improved every week. You can see it and with so many young players playing that is encouraging. 2. Our coaches clearly know what they are doing. So many adjustments and formations we aren't easy to gameplan for now. Now it's up to the players. Based on their effort so far I think we'll get there. It may not be a lot of wins this year, but it's looking like there is hope again. It is clear that the team is lacking playmakers more than any team since before 2001, but I like their effort and coaching to still be respectable in conference. After that it's all about recruiting.

Defensive starters, yep. Didn't put in the second/third string until the 4th quarter. Same went for the offense but Saban wasn't trying to RUTS, he was just trying to get some wrinkles worked out before we start the SEC schedule. You guys have a few great players and if Dan can add a few more, you should be up there competing for SBC titles. FIU was where you are today, just last year. If any of you made the trip, I hope you enjoyed it.

Osborn & McNulty didn't get into the game until late. The game & outcome was clearly established. Like Alabama, we had to put in reserves to get game experience. What better stage is there to evaluate the QB position? You have to see how they handle the offense under exactly the situations they were thrown into. The only way you handle those situations as a QB with poise is to have real time, game speed experience. I'm sure Osborn & McNulty would tell you they're better off going thru that on the field than standing on the sideline wearing a red ball cap. I'm not a fan of shuttling QBs but I'm sure the staff knows what it has at that position.

Personally, I think McCarney is simply gearing up for next season. He's trying to see who he can lead this team, who can make the plays, and who can get the job done on defense. The players are doing nothing more than interviewing for not only conference games but for next season under real game conditions. And I'm fine with that.

Good summary. I also like the future of the O-Line. I thought I saw Abbe in but could be mistaken. Stojokovic played well, as did Akunne late, and Orr was all over the place. We need to recruit speed, speed and more speed. Alabama had a gear we didn't, and that large running back ran away from us. Atterberry also had a strong game as did our coverage units. Outside of Johnson and Phillips, we are relatively healthy going forward. I agree we need more and faster WR's. Stradford is the only one with the speed to extend the defense, but he's got hands of stone. Hate to say this, but his transfer as been a bust.

Again, we have what we have: Our starting QB had offers from us and Eastern New Mexico. I and you - we - have to accept what is on this roster right now. It's very difficult to do. This thing was low when Dickey left. But, I can see now that it was gutted the past four years. I count Dunbar and Chancellor as two of the very, very few hits Dodge & Co. had in recruiting. If you watch other schools around the country, you have to realize it. At this point, I feel that if McCarney & Co. pulls out four or five wins, they're miracle workers.

We are also dreadfully slow. We have got to recruit speed!

We've played three teams who are 3-0, all of which are likely to be ranked at some point this season (obv Alabama already is). Coach Canales has two top 10 ranked offenses under his belt. Coach Mac has won Big 12 coach of the year. I'm not saying everything they do is flawless, but these aren't high school coaches, and we're not fielding more than a handful of FBS level athletes against possibly the best team in the country. Sorry if you felt singled out by a joke, but it's just starting to get ridiculous when people are reacting like we should be competitive with this team. Two or three years from now? Yeah, I'd like to see us give Alabama a run for its money.

Shaft, first of all, I do drink the green stuff. No reason to deny that! However, my point is, with all our graduates in the DFW Metroplex, I firmly believe they will return when we start winning....I just don't see that at SMU, and I think the TCU crowd tonight, speaks for itself. So, my point, right or wrong (yes I am a UNT homer) was that we have been drawing 17,000 or so with one of the worst teams and worst stadiums in the Country. I believe when we turn it around, we will see many people dust off the Green shirts (whatever shade) and come home to Denton. Thanks!

We may have lost 41-0 but I saw some positive things in this game. This team is going to fight. We forced turnovers and had a few sacks. On offense we were able to move the ball a little. I'm not going to say we have turned the corner and are ready for Troy or a rematch with FIU, but this undersized team, with a lack of depth is improving. I seen more heart and fight in our team this season then I did in any of the Dodge years. I'm proud of our guys. They are giving everything they have on the field. I give us a shot at beating Indiana next Saturday. I'll give us a better chance if we can fill Apogee and make noise like we did for the Houston game.

I understand wanting to get the other QBs some playing time, but not the way they did it tonight. I think Thompson did a good job for what he had to deal with. It looked like he got better at reading the defenses and making adjustments. Alabama is the #2 team in the country. Against Indiana and the other Sun Belt teams Thompson, and the offense should look much better.

Putting McNulty in was crazy. I thought Thompson played very well and really didn't like McCarney putting Osborne in, McNulty I don't understand all. Finally get a great chance to score on a drive by Osborne and you put a player who has not been in the game thinking I guess that he was going to run it in against Alabama.

whose call was it to put mcnulty in the game? mccarney or chico? i just don't understand the logic of inserting the freshman ice cold. on a side note, has chico ever heard of a go route?

Each week this team is getting better...i look forward the Indiana game and conference! I am 100% completely sold on McCarney! Zero doubt he brings us back!

Thompson needs to quit throwing off his back foot. I understand when you have someone in your face, but he does it all the time

I'm pretty sure I've stated this before, but all 11 of Alabama's defensive player's will get drafted. I'm not at all concerned as to whether or not we score against Bama. Our defense is performing well past my expectations.

Anybody still thinks we 'Gotta Get Rid of Romo' needs to watch today's game.

Agree KingDL1, just posted as much on a new thread, before I saw your post. I'm not even concerned with records this year though because of that, except for the fact I know it would help with recruiting.

It appears McNulty is our goal line QB. Never heard of that before.

When you look to the future I would paint the new Metroplex landscape Mean Green because I am a forward looking person. However, it will take a lot of moving parts geling together nicely - Coach Mac, Recruiting, Alums, Athletic Department, Orientation speeches...It is not the job of one person but rather a village of energy and hard work to get this Green Machine off the ground. Buildings alone do not do it. So grab your friends and then grab another. Do your part and slowly we will take our natural place. SMU will never be greatly supported by Dallas due to their attitude. I see June Jones back in Hawaii in due time. TCU has been on top for so long that their natural slide has already begun. Work hard and work harder Mean Green Nation and we will succeed. I watched Indiana and SC State on TV last night and then Tulsa and Okie State. Both of those teams are going to be a battle to stay with and we really need to win at least 1. Come out and strong Mean Green! I will say that I find it awesome walking into Sam Boyd last night and sitting in a Mountain West stadium that can't touch our new home. The realization that we have a more beautiful stadium than most of the MWC and CUSA programs is fantastic indeed - get the people out! I want that same energy we had last week and we won't have 4k Indiana fans to pump it up like we did with H-town. So I am on the fan recruiting trail now. Lets Go Mean Green!!!!!

Fact, NT has played three good teams including maybe the best in the country. Making wholesale comparisons based on the first three games versus prior years is a bit foolish at this point. I don't know anyone who thought NT would win any of those games. Although I believed that the Houston and FIU games would have been closer, the record is exactly what most predicted. The most important factor to me is the team is getting better and they have shown a lot of fight in the last two games. I thought the offensive line play against Alabama was promising. No sacks and I didn't expect many holes against that defense. Dunbar hasn't excelled but I don't detect any changes in his running style, that hesitation and direction change that looked so futile against Alabama worked well against lesser opponents. I really can't point out any units that are good based on their play in the first three games. QB, offensive line, receivers and running back have all looked bad. I am not sure how you would rate them. The same is true for the defense. There have been some individual players that have had their moments such as Atterberry, Orr and Chancellor but overall the team is just not there yet. The team is not going to face any team this year that is remotely close to Alabama. Right now I am not sure the Green can beat any team in the Belt but if they keep improving I think they can compete with all of them. I still marvel how everyone is so quick to criticize Dodge's recruits and expect some substantial upgrade from McCarney which there is currently little evidence of that occurring. McCarney and staff are huge improvements and I think that will be illustrated on the field this year, but that is going to come from coaching not talent upgrades.

SIDE NOTE RE: Praising our defense- I was happy to see the three and outs versus the Bama first team. That's one of the things I was looking for. What I want to bring up is the final play of the OU-Florida State game. OU's linebacker pressured FSU's QB into making a bad throw that ultimately was the real last play of the game (OU took over on downs and took a knee three times). As that LB was coming off the field, OU's DC/LB coach Brent Venables stopped him and started yelling at him, pointing to the field, and gesturing to the kid what he could have done better on the play. It looked like he wasn't happy with the angle the kid took on the play despite the fact that his pressure forced a bad throw anyway. Why do I bring this up? Some mentioned Saban not being happy at points despite his team thrashing us. This all leads to a point I've made in the past: Great coaches are not satisfied with just getting by. Saban, Venables, any of the great head coaches or assistants, they never seem to be happy. They are always looking for teaching points. They understand that if they do not demand technically sound play, their players will develop bad habits. Venables' point to the kid was probably that a more experienced QB (FSU was playing a freshman at that point because the starter had been injured in the third quarter) could have beaten his angle. The bottom line is, we can be happy our defense did some nice things against Alabama. But, let's hope our coaches are staying in their ears and not just writing the game off as "we were going to lose anyway, so thanks for fighting for four quarters." Again, fighting is for boxers. Technically sound football is for football players and teams. Let's hope our coaches are instilling the discipline that other great coaches around the country demand of their squads.

This conference would fail. It is only about money and outreach and having a bunch of SWC and B12 spare rejects is not a good conference and wouldn't generate any money.

It's about money, not geography. This won't happen.

This SHOULD happen. Throw in SMU, NT, Tulsa, Houson, and a couple of others, not a bad conference.

To me, if the game is pretty much lost anyway, it would appear that the coaching staff is getting a "real world" look at how their various QB's respond to pressure situations. I didn't watch any of this game, but when I observed McNulty in the Houston game, he seemed very confident. Osburn looked more confident too, than when I observed him in spring practice. Folks, you can work on mechanics, but you can't coach confidence/leadership ability. You either have it (Jordan Case, Joe Stevenson, Greg Carter, Scott Davis, Mitch Maher, Scott Hall) or you don't (I'll refrain from providing a don't list).

Agree. It seems Tyler Stratford has been absent all season? We had no turnovers and gave up no sacks, and had 4 sacks. I thought that was really positive. The team seemed to make adjustments in the second half. We have sorely missed that the last few years. No major injuries. Despite the big loss, the team CAN get a little confidence out of this game. That is something they desperately need after the past 3 years. Ok, I know that's not ideal but this team DOES need some moral victories at this point. I think we're going to see a focused, confident team next week at home. Taking the opponents and scores out of it, I feel the team has improved every week which means they're buying in and starting to come together. Mac said last night he didn't want to hear about their youth anymore. They're 3 weeks in and not young anymore. I love the attitude and I think the team will start to take that attitude on as well. When young teams start to gain confidence....you really start to see their potential. I'm excited about the Indiana game. What a gauntlet this team has had to go through the first 3 weeks. Combined 9-0 record and may be a combined 36-0 when the season's over. I'm glad it's behind us.

RV needs to be on the phones yesterday with Baylor, TTU, ISU, Kstate, and anyone else who may get left out, and start forming a conference covering the Central Time Zone. Maybe get Ark St, one of the New Mexico schools, Tulsa, Houston, SMU, Rice and TCU if the Big East gets raided. That has the makings of a decent md major.

I doubt SMU will sniff the Top 25. Even coming off their best season, they still schedule the likes of Northwestern State. While they are busying whooping a nobody, I see their "fans" sporting SMUt gear walking into Buffalo Wild Wings on Lemmon while they have a home game less than 5 miles away. Meanwhile, I'm watching the NT/Bama game on one of the bigscreens in front of a bunch of OU and FSU fans who can't help but watch an improving NT squad square off against the number 2 team in the nation and hold their own, with Bama not pulling away until mid 3rd quarter. I'm talking with the guy behind me who is a 2010 grad and is excited to see his first game at Apogee, and his girlfriend is applying for grad school at NT. Bth are eager to see Apogee and I'm telling him about how affordable season tickets are and watching him get interested in purchasing season tickets. The interest is there, and it is growing. As long as we start winning (which we will), and schedule mid majors and beatable Bc$ teams, instead of bodybag games and FCS schools, we can very easily overtake SMUt.

I know this - I've bought in. ULM punched TCU in the mouth today, but couldn't keep the pace. TCU isn't a traditional power, and could have blown its load already. Off the field, they may be really deflated in the Big East evaporating before they officially begin play there. If we draw 75% of what TCU does this season, it bodes well for the future. We talk about not taking advantage of the New Orleans Bowl years. TCU can't seem to capitalize on their Rose Bowl run - and, they are adding onto a stadium they've never been able to fill. Get your butts out in the seats Saturday for the Indiana game. Let's stay behind this thing. It can be better than what SMU and TCU have. The only variable now is time. Oh, and...do you believe in the Mean Green?

Is it too early to ask is FIU can go to a BCS bowl?

Was it a problem when they put him into the game against Houston deep in Houston's territory? He only ran for the first score in Apogee history. I don't have an issue at all with McNulty being put in there.

I thought this was a great response to all the UCF smack that was going around before the game.

My God. What did mcnulty do that made him deserve this thread? Not a knock on mcnulty, but it's game 3and you think a guy that has made 1 or 2 plays should take over?

Pretty sure this thread is about the D.

Our QB could help the passing game out by actually stepping into a throw and quit throwing every damned pass off his back foot...and it isnt just when he has pressure so I don't want to hear that excuse

Ends are still getting dominated against the run. No running threat at QB when running zone. WR's can't get open. Alabama is a very very good team. UNT has made a lot of improvements in discipline and coaching. Now, to get a few recruiting classes in here.

As far as the front four, we re not where we need to be, but I think they have played much better this season than last...and like very other unit on this team, getting better each week

I was thinking the exact same thing. I don't think I've ever seen him step into a throw. EVERY THROW is off his back foot falling away.

But, but, but...they're a SUN BELT team!

I'm loving these commercials on FSN+. How come I've never seen these commercials before? Hats w/LED lights built in the brim? Spray to clean my dog's teeth/breath? I'm thinking these are the types of things that sell on TV down in Alabama?