Leaderboard

Twas the night we’d been waiting for all across Mean Green land. Not a dissension was stirring; the flames of hope had been fanned. His finals all taken, he’d received the appropriate score. It was time for Tony Mitchell to hit the hardwood floor. The Pit Crew was standing; the Alums took a seat, it was time to see if the Mean Green would truly compete With Villarreal in his sport coat and Dr. Rawlins across the court, the crowd was there to see if he was as good as the report When out from the tunnel came two cheerleaders with banners. The crowd noise was excessive, like kids with no manners. The team followed closely with a certain new poise. The fans were predicting some tournament noise. Sitting at court side, glare hardened like stones and dressed in his finest was coach Johnny Jones. More rapid than eagles his players they came, and he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name? There was Jones and Williams and Franklin and Hall, Hogans and Edwards but that wasn’t all. The team was well rounded and if Mitchell did fit, he hoped that this year would finally be it. The crowd was a twitter with anticipatory glee, they had come to see the Mean Green, including Tony. For the end of the story and to come and take stock, December 18th at the Super Pit, tip off - seven o’clock. This post has been promoted to an article

Glad for A-S-U, Still happy with our hire, too His wife's a nutter.

I thought we got to count the Rangers as our baseball team? If there not ours why else would we reschedule football games around them?

His only head coaching experience is at the high school level...

Several reports are out that Auburn OC Gus Malzhan has taken the head coaching job at Arkansas St. Bowen is probably having nightmares tonight

Yep. And people need to remember that Ark. St's last head coach (Freeze) also had no head coaching experience above the high school level, and all he did was go undefeated in the Belt and land an SEC job.. IN ONE YEAR while UNT has a legacy of underhiring and then firing coaches for poor performance (got to go back 30 years to find a coach that left for a better job.... that tells you all you need to know). People need to understand that we were the only university foolish enough to hire a high school coach STRAIGHT FROM HIGH SCHOOL THAT HAD NEVER BUILT A WINNER ON HIS OWN. Stop comparing proven college assistants to Todd Dodge. It's an insult to the proven college assistant.

Tony Mitchell will be playing Jesus one-on-one after the game. My money is on Tony.

we've been saying the same thing about football as well...

You play to win the game(s) this year

Tony will log 45 minutes. The MG will be leading by 31 at the end of regulation, but the Refs will make the teams play overtime so they can watch Mitchell play for 5 more minutes.

Mods please move this to the SMU board.

I'll grant that it is a hire that looks very good. I'm still not putting Arkie State down as a sure loss next year, mainly because of (1.) the difference between being a coordinator vs a head coach at the FBS level, and (2.) the letdown at Auburn after Cam Newton left. If you look at some of the games Auburn did win while putting a 7-5 overall record, a couple of them don't look that impressive; a close win over an admittedly improved but still middling Utah State, beating FAU by a couple more points than we did, plus a late season win over FCS Samford. I will give them respect for getting into the end zone twice against Alabama but I still think a little better coaching would have gotten us there once. Will he hire defensive assistants who will do better than Auburn did this year? They gave up 42 against Bama compared to our 41. I think our key to playing Arkansas State competitively next year and the year after that is keeping our starting quarterback (hopefully still DT) vertical, and getting some holes for our running backs. That's something we haven't done well against them recently, but I really think we'll have a better offensive line in 2012, with the game experience acquired by this year's freshmen, and those who are new recruits or becoming eligible next year. I'm sure Canales is disappointed, but I hope he's motivated to show them they hired the wrong guy when we play them next year. Still, I hope it works out for ASU, except for one game a year, but wonder how this is going to work as far as assistant salaries in what had been the most underpaid program in the Sun Belt. I guess they showed this year you don't have to have the highest paid head coach in the Conference. Time for us to prove it next year. And yes, go Mean Green Defense.

Malzhan is very popular in ARkansas from his HS Coaching Days and then his days at UA before Nutt ran him off, he did very well at Tulsa as well prior to Auburn, so this is a big time hire, especially in Arkansas

Was that an article or a resume? RV has done some good things, but if Hattiesburg comes calling, good luck to you Rick.

Grades also are obviously a gamble. If he is eligible, get him on the court while you can.

I think the halftime promotion for the game will be Tony Mitchell making a crippled person walk again....

Who wrote that last article.....RV?

Who's the quitter?

Bobby Petrino likes this.

This is not what I was expecting... but it is not shocking. I wonder if Graham approached them, or vice-versa. Not sure why he would want to leave Pitt in a weak big east to go Pac 12. Honestly, I'd be happier with Jones if I were an ASU fan. What an odd choice.

wow so Graham jumps ship again, he is quite the Coaching Prostitute.

I really think a lot of yall dont know who Gus Malzahn is. This guy wrote the book on the hurry up offense Heres the book. The man is an offensive genius, he uses the refs as screens in his plays... He was a HS coach back in 2001, its not like he came right out of HS like Dodge This is an absolute great hire for stAte, but I dont know how long he'll be there... I dont know if hes committed to the program like Mac or if hes using this as a stepping stone.. Interesting to see who had a better first year with all there Sr. leaving, Mac or Malzahn

We're in a talent hotbed for baseball talent. There is no reason why UNT shouldn't have a baseball program sooner or later. That said we also need to get men's soccer at some point as well because we have the ability to have a good program there as well. And finally my last wish list and I know it will never happen but that is for UNT to add mens ice hockey. I think a sport like that would be a hit here and I think we'd get a ton of support from the Stars and all the former players etc that have settled in this area even after their playing days. Wishful thinking I know.

I would rather be successful and disrespected rather than fail at both.....

It's a technicality. It was hidden under our noses all the time, cleverly disguised as the Men's Gym, err...Ken Bahnsen Arena. RV just added basketball practice to its usage.

Having been working on this since the first leaks, I can give you some of the background. There are only three names in coaching the average non-fan in Arkansas knows. Petrino, Houston Nutt, and Gus Malzahn. Malzahn utterly dominanted in high school. At Shiloh Christian he won two state titles for the classification and they ended up playing up a class because schools in their assigned conference refused to play them after several years of repeated beatings. He then moved to Springdale in the highest classification. His last year they outscored opponents 664–118 and won the state title game 54–20. He was named offensive coordinator at Arkansas for the next season. Nutt didn't like his offense and as the season wore on Nutt began over-riding more and more of his play calls. The Hogs dropped their final three games to finish 10-4. Malzahn quit and took a cut in pay to be offensive coordinator at Tulsa. Terrible time for ArkSt as Tulsa began killing us in recruiting in west and central Arkansas. Tulsa became the first team in NCAA history to have a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and three 1,000-yard receivers in a single season. They finished 1st in offense his first year and his second year they were second in the nation in scoring... ALL-TIME, not that season but in the history of I-A football. First year at Auburn broke the Auburn single season total offense record previously set by the undefeated 2004 team. 2010 Auburn gained Newton and a national title. From what I was told Chizik has been insisting on a stronger running game and over-riding play calls leading to a strained relationship (38th in rushing near the bottom in passing this year). The relationship broke last week. Malzahn called Freeze and Freeze encouraged him to apply giving him full details on support, committment, recruiting, facilities, and roster. Malzahn called Arkansas State, expressed interest and named his price. ASU raised the money in short-order.

I think if North Texas could present a three year plan to MWC or CUSA to add baseball, it would certainly help us to possible get into either of those conferences. We have to make ourselves as attractive as possible.

She's a lot of fun! She may have a reality TV show in her future. I think this is a great hire ... for the Sun Belt. Raising the standards of coaches will only help the Belt succeed.

Never, in any universe, under any circumstance...ever should a game against a sun belt team be considered a sure loss. They can come to Apogee next year and go home bruised up with a big fat "L". I like the $$$ committment they have shown, but this is far from a sure thing slam dunk hire.

X's and O's are not problem for the guy.

Working on the SMU sidelines for the past 3 years I have come away very impressed with Adrian Klemm. The guy joined June's staff a few years back as an unpaid assistant and very quickly turned into an outstanding OL coach and his recruiting ability has been award winning. His in game adjustments and ability to get through to his linemen was very noticeable from drive to drive. He turned a not that great OL into a solid one in very short order. After winning a few SB's withe Pats, getting great D1 assistant experience under a seasoned and well respected head coach, and showing the ability to land recruits out of state - AK will be a head coach down the road if he wants it. Great dude and easily the most impressive coach on June's staff. Wish him all the best at UCLA. Go Mean Green!

Hell of a hire no matter how you slice it. Impressive!

It's feasible that Tony Michell comes in as a one-man team, giving the other four starters a rest, with no dropoff in productivity.

If this isn't promoted to an article immediately then Tasty should be strung up with Harrys dirty socks.

I'm no longer oldguystudent. Rather, I'm now middle-aged alum. Finished it today. Feels pretty good. GMG!

If LSU doesn't want to open their season with a 40-point loss, they shouldn't schedule North Texas.

Feels liks Miss State is trying to play a full sun belt schedule this year...

Exactly! If Mitchell doesn't go for 35/15 and we don't beat Jackson St. by 50 or more, T-Mitch's scholarship should be pulled, JJ should be fired on the spot and the Super Pit burned to the ground.

34-39 412 yds, 5 TDS 138 yds rushing 3.5 sacks 1 int 2 FF, 1 recovered for a TD 4-4 on FG's And also a new record for most hot dogs sold before halftime

I was thinking somewhere around 75-95 points, 20 boards... He obviously plays all the minutes! I'm reminded of the SNL skit where 'Da Bears Superfans' pit Coach Ditka against a hurricane... Named Ditka!

Well, drug addicted street person with mental illness is > Bleacher Report guy!

I predict that this board will explode with negativity from those that rarely post on the basketball board if T-Mitch doesn't get a double double.

Go back , the real world sucks balls!

Does going to the annual banquet really count as a social function? Let's quit pretending there is inside information. Of course we are lobbying (and so are others). The first thing that has to happen is they have to decide is the merger will be for all sports, then they have to decide if they will let Hawaii in for Olympic sports. These two issues have to be resolved before they can figure out what program(s) to add.

Here is the other thread discussing the Houston game possibly being dropped...Turns out it was in fact here on GMG.com. No Longer @ Houston in 2012? Since South Alabama counts as an FBS win next year, I don't care about playing both them, and Texas Southern...it also gets us out of a game against FIU...All I know is the game TBD better be at home...Anything short of 6 home games at Apogee is absurd.

Just when I thought this thread couldn't get more depressing...if its true that we are not playing a game at Houston because we have been replaced by Texas State, then there is no more clear statement on how the more established Texas schools look at us than this scenario. We have played Houston exactly twice since we moved back up to FBS in 1995, both in Denton. We have never been given a return game in Houston. It is not hard to recognize that UH absolutely wants nothing to do with playing us if we have a shot at being good. If we win, its a shocker, but if they win, its no big deal. Now that they (UH) are about to take a step back with their program, their AD replaces us with Texas freaking State. This is exactly what Tech did when Leach got there and they stopped playing us after his first two years and started playing SMU every year, just perfectly timed to when we went to NO Bowls and SMU was doing good to win 3 games. Speaking of SMU, this is exactly what I expect them to do, too, if we get our act together again on the football field. Oh we'll play them a couple of times or more, but I doubt that series of 8 games ever gets fully played out if we are better than them. They'll buy us out early and then schedule UTSA. The more this crap occurs to us, the more it makes me hate college football. And, yes, I totally agree that most of this is due to our own mismanagement of athletics are just accepting the status quo for decades. But it doesn't make it right that we consistently get the shaft with these other Texas schools. I will say this, though. There is another Texas school that is going to feel a huge backlash in future scheduling from the other Texas schools and that is A&M. The other Big XII schools are never going to play them again, and I doubt UH or SMU are going to jump up and down about scheduling them, either in OOC games. Basically, that leaves Texas State, UTSA, UTEP, and Rice for them to play along with us. Maybe that's who we should talk to about scheduling some OOC games with again, maybe those Aggies will appreciate someone from the state actually wanting to play them in a lot of sports. It has to better to try something like this than to just constantly get reminded that all of the other schools in the old SWC are adamantly opposed to playing you in a series or being affiliated with you in a conference. I mean, seriously, what else can we do? Just ignore them back and never schedule them in anything either? Maybe its just a deal where La Tech, Tulsa, NMSU, UTEP, UTSA, and Texas State are the regional teams that we will look forward to playing in OOC games in the future.

40 points? I like your optimism.

But we won't fill Apogee if we get drilled 50 - 3 the week before we have our 1st home game of the year. The casual fan , who may have interest in coming to a game , sees in the paper/tv/internet that UNT gets drilled & says " same ol unt " and decides not to attend On the flip side , if we beat one of these body bag games the casual fan and many others will fill up Apogee

Joy we get to go to the National Champions Home Field for Opening Weekend, oh joy.