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If my job duties consist of not bringing in top Dallas area talent, nodding approvingly while Benford subs players in and out and jumping to the first available life raft while this thing sinks then sign me up.

First of all, as my high school and college friends used to say "you can kiss my rusty ass". We did not get blocked from the SWC because of no drive. Because we hired Hayden Fry, found the money to pay him, and he almost immediately started knocking on the SWC's door. AND as I recall, this was the era where TCU was pretty much resting on their laurels and living off (as the British would say) "the dole" that the SWC provided them. This is TCU's record during that era when Hayden Fry was hired by NT.... 1978 2-9 1977 2-9 1976 0-11 1975 1-10 1974 1-10 1973 3-8 AND I seem to recall that one of those losses during that era was to UTA. TCU's response to that loss.....they cancelled the rest of the series. Meanwhile, one of our wins during that era was a 28-0 butt kicking of Houston in 1975, who went on to win the SWC in 76. Meanwhile TCU avoided playing North Texas during that era. If there was a lack of drive, it was from our previous administration(s) that only wanted us to be the "best little teachers' college in the southwest". Which we were BTW. The same administration didn't believe in having a mean green club or even an endowment for that matter. We were blocked by some of the SWC members from entering during that era, and I suspect that at least one of them was a certain school resting on their laurels. Did I mention that you can kiss my rusty ass?

1. You can never predict a rivalry game, though in the case of the Bayou Bucket Classic, we have won 27 out of the 38 official years of the series. (Been archenemies much longer than that obviously) 2. We were 0-3 with a loss to Texas State and still blew out Rice. We then preceded to do the same thing to UNT the following week. 3. We return almost as many starters as Rice does, judging by that and prior history, we will stomp them again and the Bayou Bucket will remain on Cullen. (nickname for UH because of the street it's located on and because of the Cullen family donating millions into UH and it's athletic programs for those who are unfamiliar with the city of Houston) Don't forget that Case threw 9 tds on them the year before and we dropped 73 on them in 09. 2010. Both Case Keenum and backup qb Cotton Turner were out for the season. Leaving former Southlake Carroll standout David Piland, who was a true freshman at the time, lose a 34-31 shootout to those damn owls. People in Denton and especially on GMG, are way too sensitive to handle the MOB.

I just saw that the NBA summer league game will be on NBA TV at 4pm Sunday. The Detroit Pistons will play, so you might be able to see Tony in action.

That's funny coming from a fan of a team that got their tails kicked in a weak Big 12. Congrats on that by the way. It's too bad the mainstream media doesn't even care about TCU now that y'all are in a Power 5 conference. hah

If North Texas had had a Terry Bradshaw type of talent (not saying we do now) who (in a stroke of major luck and a most rare smile from Lady Luck) would have transferred to UNT would we have analyzed, de-analyzed, and di-sected him completely all but pronouncing him unfit to play for us before he even took one varsity snap of the ball? I can't wait till August 31'st so we can start getting some answers to all our questions and themes of much speculation over here. GMG!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nrvpZxMfKaU

Disagree with the signature win. We just need to go 7-5 to pull 25K people in the gates. A signature win gets us close to 30K average.

It may come down to which team plays best is Halloween costumes.

Tony is expected to start

Proud to have fielded one of his punts (in three attempts) during the last GoMeanGreen Bowl. Just let me say this from the experience: it looks a lot easier on TV. These guys that know how to punt kick it really, really, really high, man. And, when the ball is kicked that high, and properly, it comes down faster than you expect. Son of a motherloving duck.

I have seen several offer the argument for Thompson over Berglund due to the fact that Thompson will make less mistakes because he has more experience at this level. Yes, I can't argue the fact he has more experience, but can one really say his ability to not make mistakes wins him the job??? I have never understood this argument. It's almost as shaky as the "great leader" argument, or the "poor receiver" argument. I have seen countless overthrows (mistake), under throws (mistake), and when he was allowed to throw the ball...he threw picks (mistake)! In matter of fact, as many as he did TDs. While I'm at it...so they are all on one post...lets dispel the other two Thompson apologist excuses...a team must have great leaders to be successful, but if the QB is a great leader but can't deliver the ball ROUTINELY he isn't going to win games. I don't care if he is getting paid to deliver leadership seminars, the QB has to be able to throw the damn football!!! As far as having "poor receivers" I'm calling BS on this too. One can't argue that we had the greatest receiving weapons in the land, but they got open enough to get the job done. I can't remember how many times they had to leave their feet to catch the ball, or simply had the ball delivered in the dirt or the bleachers. I'm not bagging on Thompson as a person, team leader, or anything of that nature, but I am tired of people trying to make me feel comfortable about him playing QB for my team. On a strictly performance based evaluation, all other crap aside, he is not a good, or even average college QB. We don't know exactly what we have with Berglund, but I know what we have in Thompson, and it isn't good. I will go out on a limb and say Berglund can't be worse.

One of my nephews told me last night that Jeremie Brown, formerly of L.D. Bell has enrolled at North Texas. He started out his career playing for Fordham. Here is his profile. http://www.fordhamsports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/jeramie_brown_755528.html

Off the CUSA board The NEW C-USA's wins vs. Power-Five Conference USA 2013. From ESPN's site, going back to the '02 season: USM: Illinois ('02), Nebraska ('04), NC State ('06), Virginia ('09), Kansas ('10), Virginia ('11) UAB: Baylor ('03), Baylor ('04), Mississippi State ('04) ECU: Duke ('05), Virginia ('06), NC State ('06), North Carolina ('07), Virginia Tech ('08), WVU ('08), NC State ('10) FAU: Minnesota ('07) FIU: Louisville ('11) Marshall: Kansas State ('03), Louisville ('11) MTSU: Vandy ('02), Vandy ('05), Maryland ('08), Maryland ('09), Ga Tech ('12) La Tech: Oklahoma State ('02), Michigan State ('03), Mississippi State ('08), Ole Miss ('11), Illinois ('12), Virginia ('12) North Texas: Baylor ('03), Indiana ('11) Rice: Purdue ('11), Kansas ('12) UTEP: NONE UTSA: none....but you're cool. Tulane: Mississippi State ('03), Mississippi State ('06), Rutgers ('10) Tulsa: Notre Dame ('10)<---does that count??, Iowa State ('12)

There are options other than the Royale Inn?

Absolutely. Leadership by example is crucial in sports, especially at a position like QB.

Leadership is borne of accomplishment. If you do not deliver, you will never really be the leader...even if you at the 'leader' position of quarterback.

Lose a Jeremy Brown at RB and gain a Jeremie Brown at RB!

But would he make anymore than Thompson does now? That's my point. It's not like Thompson is an all-conference senior. Hell, I would argue he hardly plays like you would expect given his experience. What additional mistakes do people expect Berglund to make that Thompson doesn't already make?

It's my nephews belief that he will try and walk-on at North Texas this fall. As to the eligibility issue......I'm as baffled about the rules as I am the tax code.

Any idea if he plans on trying to walk on? Since they are D-1AA - Patriot Conference - could he walk-on in the fall and, if he has the mettle and the might, play this season?

RICE beat the mighty Mustangs of SMU. That is the mark of a potential national champion. If you don't think so just read the Dallas News!! Fear RICE because they beat SMU same goes for Tulane!

If there was ever a doubt, UTA has officially passed us by.... http://zagsblog.com/recruiting/myles-turner-trims-list-to-25-another-cut-coming/

Me too. The fact that its a home game, on national TV, and the short week, I give UNT the edge. With 3 days to prepare/recover, home team has the advantage.

And we beat them by 3 TDs last season.

How about a build-a-bear with little suits that match Benny's?

They picked them 6th of 12 1A football programs in state,ahead of SMU and Houston.We were picked 9th, ahead of UTEP,UTSA, and Texas St.

Have a safe and happy 4th everybody!

Happy Birthday, America!

FIFY I try to stay at Homewood Suites almost everywhere I go, but the rate in Denton is more than I'm willing to pay. If it wasn't so popular, I'm sure it would be cheaper. I either stay at the good old La Quinta on Ft. Worth Dr., the Lewisville Homewood Suites, or sometimes the Lewisville Hampton Inn at Fox Ave, which has a Cracker Barrel next door and Braums on the other side of 35E.

That's not how it went down. Go back and read what ArkStFan and I posted. BVDV would have accepted the Indy Bowl invite against ULM if it was our last option. The problem was that after the Liberty/Heart of Dallas deal didn't work out, the Indy Bowl had already invited ULM and Ohio. And it's not just the bowl fiasco that's tainting his legacy. He announced a football facility project over 3 years ago that still hasn't broken ground.

Plumm, point well taken. Let me propose this. Instead of a signature win, we had a signature season in 1978 when we finished 9-2 and ranked 15 in the nation. Has any other current CUSA team finished so high?

Cooley

Just responding to the Tennessee game comments but after what ULM did to a Top 10 ranked Arkansas last Fall, I will rarely bring up our Vols win on my own anymore but.............I think we'd all take a lack-luster 7 & 5 season any time at North Texas. The link below shows Tennessee's 1975 W/L record. The Vols would have been a bowl elgible SEC team back then had there been as many bowls as today. It disappoints many of us how we just never built on such positives as we've had in eras even besides Fry's. We must change that.....yesterday. letsgiveacheer, try not to buy into some of the revisionaries we get at North Texas from time to time. 'Fore long, they will having the 1975 Tennessee Vols with "no" wins to fit some kind of on the far side of the moon agenda. When a progam is not winning, there are all kinds of creative and fictional reasons as to why I suppose and at North Texas, we've seen someone's elses past success gets diminished in order to make someone elses failures not seem so bad. I think that that approach falls on its face everytime, though. http://mcubed.net/ncaaf/1975/tn.shtml

Who? Arkansas wasn't good last year, and Alabama was 6-6 in the regular season and unranked the year they beat them. I'm not saying I wouldn't love to have those wins, but they weren't against elite teams either. EDIT: Actually, Alabama had to vacate 5 of their wins from 2007. . . . So in the books, they only had one win that year.

I would go as far as saying we have never had a big win. If I recall, the only ranked team we ever beat in 99 years was San Diego State in 74 (or somewhere close) and the rumors behind that was Hayden Fry voted them strong the week prior, bringing them up in the standings. We keep talking about the Tennessee win which was very nice but they had a lackluster season that year. Look at who Monroe has beaten in their short time in IA.

I refuse to say anybody is good at this point because no one has played a game yet. Is Rice good? I dont know, but they can be. Are we better than Rice? Won't find out till we play them. Was Rice a better team then us last year? Yes that is a fact. No matter how weak the schedule you still have to go out and excute during the games. I don't think we were very good at excuting when it mattered last year. We let some opportunites slip away. Oh well!. Its time to move on. I think UNT can beat Rice this year, but it sets its self up on PAPER to be a tough match-up for us. We still don't have a proven QB they do.

Emmitt.

Van De Velde would make a grear AD here...or, just about anywhere.

No. We tried like hell the last couple of years to get into LA with not much luck. DFW is one of the best hotbeds for talent you will find. I would say look for a gem or two from OK, then focus on DFW, Houston, Golden Triangle and the Piney Woods.

Yeh, but those sight lines really suck!

"What does the joining of CUSA mean to you?" It means the end of the excuses. "We can't expect to recruit, win, have attendance because...." We play in Fouts...gone We don't fund our program...gone We don't have a quality coaching staff...gone We play in the Sun Belt...gone We don't play Texas teams...gone If we continue to struggle we simply HAVE TO start taking a hard look in the mirror (and on Bonnie Brae). -1 me all you want, but know in your heart it's true.

I see folks, and gee I wonder who they are...no real suspense I am sure...have zero sense of humor...even this got a negative vote! Ha! I guess one I would have named is not amused.....

I've always believed that we're a sleeping giant, but since I've been hearing that quote since the late 70's, somebody has just got to finally ban sleeping pills campus wide.

You doubt me...guess I just imagined the double "T" sitting amongst the North Texas hitches. Strangely diet coke boy imagined the exact same thing while he stood beside me.

That and messages of endorsement from people like Coach Popovich.

If only he wasn't a North Texas grad he would be a strong candidate for our job here at North Texas. Being a North Texas grad is the kiss of death at this athletic department.

Oh, the temptation...oh, the temptation to post.....

You could saved yourself a lot of typing (and us a lot of time) by saying "we THINK we were better than ULM last season, tried to put on our big girl panties, and it bit us in the ass".

Obviously Van De Velde could have done a better job managing the bowl situation, but I never really blamed him for it. What really happened is that the Indy Bowl tried to play social engineers by matching up La Tech and ULM, then got their feelings hurt, and then decided to screw over Tech. We already played a home game in Shreveport against Texas A&M a couple months before in addition to 4 Indy Bowls in the past. In 2008 we actually turned down an invitation to the Texas Bowl to play in the local Indy Bowl. After thumping ULM 8 consecutive games, we left the juco back in the 20th century. We have always been and will always be superior to the juco in every way. We don't need to prove anything. The Independence Bowl in Shreveport against ULM would not have been a reward for Tech. We wanted something better. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day bowls were realistic probabilities. The Indy Bowl tried to force us into accepting an early invitation to play ULM when there were much better options potentially available to us in the Liberty Bowl or a trade to the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Van De Velde supposedly had assurances from the Liberty Bowl that they would select or trade Tech. Van De Velde asked the Indy Bowl to wait to see how everything unfolds after the final Saturday's games were played. He told the Indy Bowl there was no need to rush because they would essentially have their pick of whatever teams were left over. The Indy Bowl director got her feelings hurt so they invited Ohio early out of spite for Tech. Sun Belt leftover vs. MAC leftover was their worst case scenario, and it would have been no worse had they waited like the majority of the other bowls. Then after everything played out on Saturday and the BCS rankings were revealed on Sunday, NIU leap frogged into the BCS bumping Oklahoma out of the BCS. That sent a chain reaction that left Iowa State available for an at-large bid, and then the Liberty Bowl selected ISU. The only other at-large spot was in the Military Bowl which had already selected #21 San Jose State from the WAC. It ended up backfiring on the Indy Bowl as they hosted the worst Indy Bowl in history. The Indy Bowl is now on life support as a hotel tax bill to save the bowl never made it out of committee in the state legislature. La Tech will be just fine. Van De Velde took the brunt of the criticism, but he was pretty much in a lose-lose situation. I'm not sure what I would have done differently if I were in Van De Velde's shoes at the time. Hindsight is 20/20. But people believe whatever they want to believe even if it's not true.