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While at DFW Airport this morning waiting to board a flight to Salt Lake City with my wife, a guy walks by me, sees the UNT on my shirt, and says "you guys had a great game last week". I said yes...thanks as as he passed I noticed a TCU emblem on the back of his shirt collar. Three other random folks made mention of the shirt and UNT as well...one with a thumbs up, one with a point to the UNT and a nod and another with a "go Mean Green". This is really great...wasn't that long ago when I would be at DFW wearing Mean Green gear and not a word would be said about it! Really great feeling to have folks be positive about UNT in public these days. Yep, good things are happening these days.

Georgia Bulldogs vs North Texas Mean Green http://tmgbr.com/2013/09/20/the-break-down-3/ Date: September 21, 2013 Time: 11:21 pm CT Location: Athens, GA Line: Georgia -33 Game Notes: North Texas – http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ntex/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/release/release_20130918aaa.pdf Georgia – http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/geo/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/release/release.pdf What They’re Saying: ESPN Pick Center: TEAMRANKINGS - Georgia 50 - North Texas 15 numberFire - Georgia 48 - North Texas 17 http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/pickcenter/ncf/game?gameid=332640061 Rant Sports - North Texas 13, Georgia 42 http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-football/2013/09/17/north-texas-vs-georgia-game-preview-with-tv-schedule/ Bleacher Report - Georgia 41 - North Texas 7 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1777617-georgia-bulldogs-vs-north-texas-mean-green-complete-game-preview/page/7 isports web - North Texas Mean Green 17, Georgia Bulldogs 51 http://isportsweb.com/2013/09/19/dawgs-versus-mean-green-preview/ College Football News.com, -North Texas is playing well compared to the Conference USA measuring stick, but even an unfocused Georgia will have few problems pulling away in this one. The Bulldogs will push on the gas pedal as much as is necessary, strafing the Mean Green with Murray’s throws and the running of Gurley if at any point the game becomes interesting. Prediction: Georgia 49 … North Texas 14 http://cfn.scout.com/2/1327896.html AccuScore.com Game Forecast Preview: Georgia is a heavy favorite winning 96% of simulations over North Texas. Aaron Murray is averaging 280 passing yards and 3.4 TDs per simulation and Todd Gurley is projected for 116 rushing yards and a 86% chance of having at least 1 rushing TD. In the 4% of simulations where North Texas wins, Derek Thompson averages 1.37 TD passes vs 0.57 interceptions, while in losses he has a ratio of 0.57 TDs to 0.94 interceptions. Brandin Byrd averages 93 rushing yards and 0.68 rushing TDs when North Texas wins and 80 yards and 0.25 TDs in losses. Georgia has a 36% chance of forcing more turnovers than they commit. Positive turnover margin helps them win 99% of the time. SPREADS / TOTALS: Current Point Spread is GA -32.5 --- Over/Under line is 67 https://accuscore.com/game-forecast-previews/college-football/9-21-2013/north-texas-eagles-georgia-bulldogs-128 What to Expect When_______________. UNT has the Ball: Let me start out by saying that UNT should not be considered an explosive offense. That being said it's not an offense that you want to under-estimate. They can challenge your defense in multiple ways. First off they can use their punishing run game. This is a run game that features two backs who really challenge a defender to wrap up. Rarely do you see the UNT running backs Brandin Byrd and Reggie Pegram landing on their back. Both of these guys run with good vision, which is key because they are not speed guys. Helping clear holes for these two bruisers is an offensive line that loves to mash. They are at their best when they are run blocking and grinding on you. Secondly UNT can be an efficient and effective passing team. They don't rely on big plays down the field, rather they hit you with quick passes to the flats and intermediate crossing routes. The receivers have shown tremendous improvement from last years group. Head lined by Brelan Chancellor this group has been deceptively good. Finally, quarterback Derek Thompson has proved that you need to honor his feet. Thompson is no Vince Young, but he does enough with his feet to move the pocket and scramble for first downs. All those things add up to a UNT offense that is balanced and effective when playing efficiently. This week facing an SEC defense they will need to be at the top-level of their efficiency if they want to make it a game. Georgia is not what I would call a traditional SEC defense. They are good, but not scary good. They give up yards and points. Georgia is a 3-4 defense that plays with pretty much the same alignment every time, but they like to switch it up the personnel. For example here Georgia comes out with two OLB, a Nose tackle, and a DE on the line. South Carolina attacked this scheme with a zone read to the left. Why? Because of the bubble or separation in the defensive line to the left. Look at the separation between the DE and OLB. The result of the play was a TD. Later in the game you see the same alignment. This time the OLBs have their hands in the dirt, which is a good indication that they are rushing the QB. South Carolina uses a variation of the zone read again to the left attack the bubble and ends up with a 75 yard run. In Georgia 3-4 scheme expect to always see two inside linebackers 5 yards off the ball unless its 3 down and very long, over 10 yards. In that case they drop everybody to the first down line and only rush 3. Okay so getting back to it the alignment, expect to see the OLB's always on the line of scrimmage. The OLB's will either be standing up or have a hand in the dirt. If you pay close attention to their stance when standing up you can almost tell when they are rushing the passer or attacking. On the defensive line they will either play two DE's and one Nosetackle or one DE and one Nose. Their DE's are pretty big so it's almost like they are DT's. So where does UNT attack them? UNT can take advantage of young secondary by doing what it does best in the passing game, attacking with short to intermediate passes. In watching Georgia in two games it became apparent that they have trouble defending those passes. They often rely on a zone defense which has holes. If the offensive line for UNT can keep Thompson upright he is going to have options to throw to I'm sure of it. The Georgia secondary is very young and it showed against Clemson and South Carolina. Specifically Brendan Langley, UNT should attack him early and often. I think it's going to be rare to see Langley and Chancellor matched-up, but a veteran guy like Darnell Smith could end up having a really big day. One thing Thompson has to be careful with it throwing into a dropping LB on the zoneblitz. UGA likes the blitz with the zone coverage behind it and a lot of times you see those OLB's dropping back into coverage with a safety or corner coming off the edge and a ILB up the middle. Running the ball I feel UNT can take advantage of the bubbles or gaps in the defense which often occur between the guard and tackle. Running right up the middle is not really a good option against Georgia because they do a really good job at clogging the holes. Georgia has the Ball: Georgia's offense is good, it's not a high-flying act like a Oregon or Texas A&M, but still they generate a lot of yards and points. How do they do it? Well its an old school approach with some new school infused in. They love to ram it down your throat with possibly the best running back in the country, Todd Gurley. I don't believe anybody is running at his level, and to be honest if he doesn't go out against Clemson I think they would have won that game. Georgia is not a team who uses speed to beat you. They much rather prefer to get the big uglies on your guys and run down hill at you. They love to run to the short side of the field and get you in a shoe box or phone booth as some guys put it. It was a very effective strategy against South Carolina. The Gamecocks could literally not come close to stopping them from running the ball. When Gurley is not in there, backup running back Keith Marshall carries the load. He is just as explosive and possibly quicker, but UNT can't take him lightly. He has every ability to break tackles and take it to the house. One thing UGA likes to do with Marshall is to throw flare passes to him out of the backfield and he is quite capable of taking those to the house as well. This offense is not all Gurley & Marshall, they have a pretty darn good QB slinging the ball around. Aaron Murray is a really good QB. He one of the most accurate passers in college football. He does a good job a getting rid of the ball in a hurry to his wide-outs. The Georgia wide-outs are OK in my book. They are nothing to lose sleep over. Michael Bennett and Justin Scott-Wesley are the best out of the group. Bennett is a good route runner and does a good job of getting open on 3rd down, look for him to line up in the slot. Also, UNT can't sleep on their TE Arthur Lynch he a good-looking prospect at TE. In order to stop the Georgia offense UNT is going to need to stop the run. They have to do everything in their power to clog up the running lanes and tackle. If you go back and look at the Clemson game Clemson did a good job of slowing down the running game in the second half. Besides slowing down the running game, UNT will need to do a good job of collapsing the pocket. They don't always have to get home against Murray, but forcing him to make quicker throws and closing down his throwing lanes is essential to disrupting the UGA offense. Clemson also did a good job of pressuring Murray with blitzes off the edges. So we could certainly see the corner blitz that UNT likes to dial-up. Still though its going to be a tall task to slow down this offense. Good news is that it might rain. That might slow down the Georgia passing game, but the run game is still going to be a beast to slow down. Impact Players: Georgia: QB Aaron Murray Todd Gurley is going to be the main focus of the North Texas defense. It's no disrespect to Murray, but UNT is going to force him to beat them. That's going to lead Murray to having a pretty big day, he is going to take advantage of an aggressive UNT defense who wants to fly down hill and stop the run. There will be plenty of eyes in the backfield on Saturday and most will be on Gurley not Murray. His accuracy and quick decisions are really going to put UNT in a bind. He won't throw a lot because of the weather impacts, but when he does its going to be efficient and go for big yards. STAT PREDICTION: 21-30 310 yards 4 TD's 1 int North Texas: RB Reggie Pegram Reggie has been getting better and better each week. This week I think he will play a big part in UNT staying in the game. His tough running will help UNT move the chains. He isn't going to go off for some ridiculous number like a 100 yards, but he is going to put up solid totals. STAT PREDICTION: 17 carries 67 yards 2 TD's Game Prediction: It's time to talk upset! Okay maybe not so much. Anyway you break this game down its hard to come away thinking that UNT can win this game. A lot has to go right for UNT to have a chance to win this game. They are facing a really good Georgia team, maybe not national championship good, but non the less its the best team the Mean Green has faced this year. I think UNT has enough in its tank to make this a game for 3 quarters. What gives me reason to believe that UNT can hang with Georgia is how well the defense is playing. If they can force a few mistakes early on from Georgia they might hang around. Georgia may run out to an early lead and then take their foot off the pedal giving UNT the chance to do what it has done best this year, battle back. I think Georgia will own the first half pulling out to a sizeable double digit lead. UNT will make adjustments and show some fight and heart making it a game late in the 3rd quarter. In the end Georgia will pull away down the stretch in the 4th. Too much offense for UNT to stop. The boys in Green will put forth a great effort and put C-USA on notice that they are for real and ready to challenge for the conference tittle. Georgia 40 - North Texas 26 Go Mean Green! Read More: http://tmgbr.com/2013/09/20/the-break-down-3/ "Inside the Film Room" segment returns this week with formation looks as well as season trends. We also have the Projected Starters Listed, Positional Advantages, & Game Play Advantages added. Check it out. I appreciate the feedback

Yo, I promised I'd come back. Here's an interview I did with the sports editor of Georgia's student newspaper. Hopefully this is as interesting as I thought it was.

Hey guys! I confirmed that the Irish Boozer here in Denton, a new-ish bar, will be showing the game. Come hang out with me and Audra! 508 S. Elm Street, Denton, Texas 76201 https://www.facebook.com/The-Irish-Boozer#!/pages/The-Irish-Boozer/1405860452960128

That grade is intentional. It evens out the leaning after a few 8% IPAs.

Nah, you severely overestimate me. Really, I meant that as a self deprecating remark mocking the crippling loneliness I've lived over the past several years, rendering me without any filters or standards whatsoever. If it breathes, has a pulse, and fewer than two dozen prison tattoos, I'll date it.

My top five list. 1. 2002 New Orleans Bowl UNT 24 Cincinnati 19 2. 1946 Optimist Bowl UNT 14 Pacific 13 3. 1948 Salad Bowl UNT 6 Nevada 13 4. 2003 New Orleans Bowl UNT 17 Memphis 27 5.a 2001 New Orleans Bowl UNT 20 Colorado St 45 b 1959 Sun Bowl UNT 8 New Mex St 28 c 2004 New Orleans Bowl UNT 10 S. Miss 31

New member here btw, been lurking here forever and finally decided to make a profile. Just graduated from NT last May. Gonna be making it out to my first away game in NO with my gf, can't wait to see all the other Mean Green fans in attendance! GMG

I respect this attitude, but personally I just see things a little differently. First, I don't understand how sucking at some of the most visible endeavors a university undertakes (often in front of a regional or national audience) would make North Texas one step closer to being Oxford, MIT, or Harvard. As for UT, they would probably maintain a sterling academic reputation even if they were terrible at every major sport, but I hardly think they're in the same boat as North Texas when it comes to national, regional, state, or even local perception. And that's what brings me to my next point--our peer group. I have ranted about this before, but I suppose it bears repeating. Our peer group is large (30,000+ student enrollment) state universities. When you place us in the context of that group, suddenly our stated athletic goals seem pedestrian at best. There are a few large state universities with such historically entrenched academic reputations that any athletic lull would hardly undermine their national standing (Texas, Michigan, Virginia, California, etc.). But the truth is that none of those schools ever DO suck at athletics. Sure, Virginia may not be a football powerhouse most seasons, but I remember how giddy all of us were at the thought of potentially upsetting them at basketball. Ok, so we may never become UT or Berkeley any more than we will become a stuffy 900 year old English university. But, what about the other large state universities? I posted a list awhile back, and I'll repost it if necessary, but I challenge anyone on here to name five 35,000+ enrollment state universities that are clearly athletically inferior to the University of North Texas. How many of the schools in that group have not been ranked in any major sport in decades? Of course, we don't want to further distance ourselves from the Oxfords, MITs, and Harvards of the world, but how many of the aforementioned large state universities sacrificed their academics so much in order to achieve athletic success that they are now embarrassingly beneath us? Are there even two or three examples that fit that profile? In actuality, there seems to be a positive correlation between academic prestige and athletic success when considering large state universities. Now, I know the immediate (and understandable) response here is to say that we aren't really peers with other large state universities because we have a smaller endowment and much less donor support than nearly all the others. That's true. But if we stratify our category that way, isn't that kind of like gerrymandering our peer group just to make us seem a little more impressive? That would be like someone saying, "Hey, everyone in my neighborhood has a nicer car than me, but that's ok. I have a pretty decent car for someone without much money in the bank, little income, and a shaky work history. So, even though girls in this neighborhood only like guys with awesome cars, I'm . . . um . . . doing ok, right?" As for RV, I appreciate his willingness to engage with even your average boosters. Seriously, I'm amazed at how the man regularly responds to emails from absolutely everyone. But, if he no longer has time to shake my hand, answer my emails, and memorize my name because he's so busy schmoozing with a lineup of millionaire donors, well, then, that to me is an acceptable tradeoff.

So you're sayin'.........

Lol, it never hurts to pick your team, especially with nothing to lose.

So last summer I got food poisoning, violently. I was dry heaving for hours and from previous experience knew there was a shot I could get to make this stop. I go into Baylor Uptown and tell them I need this shot. They say I was most likely dehydrated, which was likely, so I agreed to have one bag of IV fluids dumped into me. I come out an hour later and go home. A month later I get a bill for $1,800. ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS. I'm a healthy, active 27 year old so naturally I have a HDHP. I got to eat all of that. Guess what? I had this EXACT same shot while at UNT, that's how I knew it existed. At UNT I did not buy the supplemental insurance and I actually did not have private insurance either - I was rolling the dice. I was billed $20. One bag of IV was the only difference, that does not cost $1,780.

All joking aside... Which I normally hate to do... This is the most ridiculously small time post from someone working inside a collegiate athletic department ever.

Quit hiding behind the interweb and answer the question. I'm assuming he #brings6, but don't expect answers from this AD.

On short flights like these does Benford get his own ticket or is he checked with the rest of Ernie's luggage?

I came to the party late and I'm not sure what the bone of contention is... Is it compromising on the athletic fee? Is it mediocre goals? Is it the Board of Regents? Is it the Athletic Department? Look, I've got damn few years left on this earth and I like to see all athletics leap forward. But, there's been a lot of progress in the past few years and much of that was done sensibly. Have there been mistakes made by RV and the Athletic Department? You bet. Does the good outweigh the bad? It's no contest. So, why not put down the gun and let's enjoy orderly progress (as long as we continue to progress). You can still voice displeasure with hirings, attendance, lack of promotion, scheduling, etc. without constantly nagging. I don't know that the athletics fee would fall in this category but sometimes there are tradeoffs to get other things accomplished. Reducing one request in order to get another unrelated approval happens all of the time. As long as the athletics budget has increased so that we are competitive with our conference mates...I'm happy. That certainly appears to be the case. I also believe in setting realistic, achievable goals. When that goal is achieved then you set a higher obtainable mark. I believe that unobtainable goals defeat their purpose. However, making goals too easy accomplishes nothing. Every goal should be greater than, or at least equal to past accomplishments. I don't know what is expected of each sport but it seems that basketball got off easy. Contract consideration or not, give us a decent home non-conference schedule. Three NAIA teams is way beyond unacceptable. Why the disdain for the BOR? They only act on administration proposals and from what I've seen all have been favorable. They don't propose legislation, They don't say, "I'm sorry, but you didn't request enough". I have, and will continue to be a strong supporter of our Board of Regents. C. Dan Smith has done an outstanding job of getting approvals for athletics. Let's not piss off the group that has done nothing but help us. Lastly, I saw a post that gave me hope. UNT90 referred to attendance at the last game as the stadium being half-full rather than half-empty. He may be coming around.

Well, it is a "hit" with us and hopefully some Texas HS blue chip recruits who are as impressed. http://www.meangreensports.com/beyondthegreen/

Good Work. Keep it up man!!

So that pretty much eliminates the female population of Oklahoma

Works for Andy Reid. http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/09/andy-reid-beat-the-eagles-using-the-same-ways-that-got-him-fired-in-philly/ Glad McCarney is of this mindset as well.

Money talks. And, Saban's been known to hit the trail for higher pay. I think it's more realistic for Texas to hire Bama's defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, though.

You're welcome, good luck tomorrow

This brings up an interesting similar point...maybe the expectations were set low for THIS level of funding, so if they are met or exceeded, they have an excuse to increase funding..."Hey, they exceeded our goals with the $30M budget so that's good enough reason to increase it." May or may not be the case, but interesting to consider.

Hospitals are black holes for your money. Stay away if you can help it.

How is Georgia projected to finish in the new AAC?

I was very sick last week during my trip to PIT. I wound up going to the Minute Clinic at CVS, in and out in 20 minutes (false advertising?). I was diagnosed with an ear infection, sinusitis, and an upper respiratory infection. In the end my co-pay was $20 and my prescriptions were $2.73 Stay out of the Emergency Room unless you are Mostly Dead.

Whats up Mean Green. Dawg fan here. I think your good passing attack will put up a few points. Our offense is much better than Lsu last year. Mark Richt is really classy, so if it gets outta hand, he takes his foot off the gas. Im going with 59-17. Mostly scored on the third stringers. Otherwise, stay healthy, get the near $1 million pay out, and have a safe trip back to Texas

TheTastyGreek, that was brilliant! :bow: :bow:

While at UNT I also came down with a relapse of mono (I swear I'm healthy) but this time I had private insurance. I became very ill, to the point I thought Dr. House would have to cure me. After days of high fever and fainting I go into the ER. I spend 3 days in Denton Regional. All that's given to me is bags of IV fluid. The insurance company was billed over $14,000 for this.

In fairness, I don't think he works inside the athletic department, just gives a large amount of money which gets him access to those who do (as it should be). And I absolutely appreciate his and others giving. But, ya, speaking FOR those people is pretty small time, if that is what's happening.

She's a punter.

UNT90 personally carried me through the Dodge years with unwavering optimism. I'll give him that. He does care.

No, it's not rude. It's a freaking internet board. Go take a look at some others. You will find this one tame, especially after last basketball season when EVERY OTHER FBS SCHOOL would have fired Benford and RV. And perhaps you misread my post. I'll gladly talk to anyone that wants to talk to me. If all these people "know who I am", as you say/warn, all they have to do is come up and ask. IF THEY WANT, I'll gladly talk with them and ask them why they gave RV a 5 year extension (or was it longer??, we don't know all the details, do we) after a disaster of a basketball season. Why they adopted standards that strive for middle of the pack is another good question. Or why do we refuse to raise the student fee. But you know what the best question of all would be? Why they feel the need to talk to a fan posting his opinions on a freaking fan board. As far as what I want? I want to win. I'm sick and tired of losing. I don't want to see a basketball program dismantled. I want consequences when a team that is picked to win conference with a NBA draft pick on the roster quits on a coach who can't, not excuses and a promise that "he must win soon", whatever the hell soon means around here. Historically, it has meant by the end of year 4 of a 5 year contract.

If you're going to write a piece solely designed to drive mouse clicks and revenue, at least have the decency to not do it by essentially crapping on an innocent party or parties. Otherwise, you're just a sorry sack.

Made the loop 285 by 4:45.... Total driving time 11 hours.... 45 minutes. And got here just in time to see the last 30 minutes of my nephew 's practice. It'll be the only time ill see him play this year since our game is scheduled at the same time as his. Rick

Upon further review...

Or they may need to be better analysts. If your job is to know about FBS college football, then maybe you should know these things.

Is that enough to buy out Benford's contract?

Now back to funny potshots at Benny.

Well done

I still would

depends on how many suits benford packs...

So it's not rude to call them out on an Internet board? Over and over again? They know who you are. I know you. You are supposed to be one of us, one of the best fans we have. Yet you spew sometimes about things that are just not true. Is it not an attempt at some type of weird intimidation to rant that the chancellor and the board of regents don't care about winning? This could not be further from the truth. Are you saying you will not look these people in the eye and say these things to them in person? Tell ernie to his face that 2 million plus is not a commitment to winning? I cannot figure out what your agenda is. Firing rv? Having the governor appoint a whole new board? Why are you torturing yourself? You cannot move a boulder alone. It takes an army. We have slowly assembled that army and you need to be a part of it. The boulder is slowly moving, as it picks up pace the momentum will be awesome. I just thought that maybe talking to some people would calm your rant down a little. We all want the same thing.

This will be my 7th UNT road football game. I'm 0-6 so far

I would love love love an upset this Saturday.

Some notes They list C-USA as 1 of the 13 Power Conferences , not under Mid Majors. That's a plus Predictions : 1-La Tech 2-So Miss 3-UTEP 4- MTSU 5- Charlotte 6-Tulsa 7-UAB 8-ECU 9-UNT 10-Marshall 11-FAU 12-UTSA 13-FIU 14-ODU 15-Tulane 16-Rice Top 5 players Speedy Smith - La Tech Julian Washburn- UTEP Raheem Appleby- La Tech John Bohannon - UTEP Elijah Pittman- Marshall Top Coaches Tim Floyd- UTEP Kermit Davis - MTSU Michael White- La Tech Donnie Tyndall - So Miss Jeff Lebo - ECU Top Newcomers * Kelvin Gaines - UNT Vince Hunter - UTEP Ryan Taylor - Marshall CJ Washington - UAB Keon Lewis - UTSA * Isaac Hamilton was #1 , but he's since enrolled at UCLA Rice & Tulane lost a ton of players thru transfer or graduation A lot of CUSA teams will be relying on JUCO's this year I found a handful of mistakes , but overall a nice magazine

Glad to here you are going to be in New Orleans. I will have Ernie K. with me and we might try to look you up so you can personally tell him that as a regent who has written 2+ million in checks over the last few years that he doesn't give a rats rear end about athletics or winning. Or maybe you can tell that to former Chair C. Dan Smith, he will be there also and is a seven figure donor..... Just sayin.

True story: I have no idea what conference Idaho is in. Someone asked me and I said "the WAC.. err... actually I don't know anymore." And I consider myself a pretty avid fan of college football.