Harry

- A couple of thoughts. The Sun Belt is where we are. That is by no fault of DD's. It is the fault of prior administrations. I sense that people want to lay the blame on Dickey because we are in the Sun Belt - it isn't his fault it is ours. - Dickey has won four straight conference championships. Some like UNT Lifer and others will downplay this and say that it is a sorry conference etc. Again, I restate, it is our conference, it is the conference that we play in and recruit against. Regardless of what your opinion is of the Sun Belt winning 4 bowls is a major accomplishment - one that Fry and many others who are revered around here couldn't accomplish in their time here. 4 straight Bowl games and national television appearances have done wonders for the image of this program. - Some have short memories. We were - at best - an average I-AA program. Sure we had the big upsets of downtrodden SWC team now and again, and beat a post death penalty SMU but all in all we did not win more than we lost. Some state that Fry would have accomplished more if given the situation Dickey faced. I have a lot of respect for Fry but it is in the very least debatable as to whether or not he would have fared any better than Dickey. When Fry was coach, NTSU was getting the leftovers of the SWC in recruiting. Now we have a couple dozen other BCS caliber programs recruiting in our region, not to mention CUSA/Mountain West and others. It's a different world, it's not fair to compare them. - I would love to see how the 2002 team would have fared against this years schedule. Unfortunately most of the players on that team aren't here anymore. We suffered some key losses to graduation and academics. We are young at many positions including quarterback and the defensive line. - The Troy loss hurt (13-10) but I thought our defense fought hard and gave us a chance to win that game. I am not yet ready to give up on this team and I hope that they will continue to improve as the season goes on. I am watching the La. Tech game and the remainder of the SBC slate closely. - It is very clear that we need help in several areas, namely the offensive and defensive lines. This is not necessarily a Dickey phenomenon, as many mid-majors struggle to get the better linemen. I think they landed a quality one in TJ Raymond but ended up losing him to grades. Is this Dickey's fault? I think it is TJ's fault primarily, but I also think that you need to have an academic support structure in place to assist the student athletes that need extra help. - To not think that we would hit a bump in the road along the way from where we have been was probably naive and count me among the guilty here. The first major problem is starting a quarterback that had no college experience. That is probably the hardest deficiency to overcome. - I think it would be wise® to question the coaching after the season is over. There is still a lot of football left to be played and we should assess the season in aggregate. I believe to start down the road of whether Dickey deserves to be here is premature. - I share the pain of losing like we did to Tulsa at home and then Troy in front of good crowds. Those losses sting. I'm sure Dickey feels the same way. As bad as those losses hurt, let's see how he and the team respond in the remainder of the season and not be too quick to judge.

Some new names and updates on others. Here's the Link: http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr/recruit.php

NDT - Thanks for the kind words. You are correct, Harriet is my aunt, and we are very close. As you can probably imagine my entire family is very excited and proud. We know her to be a special person and believe - if confirmed - she will make a terrific Supreme Court Justice. GMG!

The problem for MTSU is that they will need us to lose twice to get to the bowl. Now I'm not saying we won't lose twice, but the Troy game should give us a better idea of where we stand. Note on Troy - Dija watch their game against South Carolina last week? Can I tell you that they gave SC all they could handle and basically turned the ball over so much that they didn't give themself a chance. Troy has a big athletic o-line, their defense is salty and their QB while not great is capable at times. Get ready for smash mouth city, these guys love to run the ball up your gut. They have a big RB named Dawkins that is rather large and really hard to bring down. If we try to arm tackle this guy we are doomed. Troy had 5 turnovers against SCarolina which made this game appear to be a lot more of a blowout than it was (45-20). They have a very physical defense that will - like everyone in the galaxy- line 8-10 in the box and dare us to beat them with the pass. This will be a very tough game for us. Blakeney will not allow them to turn the ball over like they did last week so we can't expect "gifts". We will have to earn this one.

- I watched the entire MTSU Vandy game and it was awesome. Great win for MTSU and I was really happy for Andy Mac. I think Vandy was 4-0, undefeated and playing MTSU at home in front of a capacity crowd. Great announcers who were fair and even despite probably being payrolled by Vandy. Game went to the wire, Vandy got a field goal blocked with seconds remaining. That game tells you that anything can happen and that MTSU has some talent. - Houston beat Tulsa and the pure athleticicm of Houston was impressive. They have so much speed. As good as the Tulsa QB Johnson was against us, he is not in the class of UH's Kevin Kolb. I still think Tulsa is a decent team. One thing, Tulsa's home crowd was pretty disappointing from the TV perspective. The other thing I took from this game was that you HAVE to have a good quarterback to win (ie Kolb). We may have one on the roster now, only time will tell, but we MUST do everything we can to get more talent at this position for the future. If our running game philosophy is part of why we haven't been able to land the better QB prospects we ought to consider changing it. I personally don't buy that having a running team absolutely precludes you from landing a good QB prospect. The QB is the most important position on the field and the teams that win have good ones. - Watched a lot of the Memphis game against UTEP. The amazing thing is Memphis has lost like their top 2 quarterbacks this year and yet they have hung tough with UTEP. The Memphis QB is a freshman and hardly knows all of the plays yet he is getting the job done and making plays. DeAngelo Williams and the Memphis running game is lighting up the UTEP defense. You also have to give Mike Price credit as he has built a very good team in a short amount of time. Talk about a good investment, Price has literally turned UTEP's entire athletic program around into a CUSA contender. Hat's off to Memphis Coach Tommy West, as he threw the playbook at Price with receivers throwing touchdown passes and lots of misdirection and reverses. Great ballgame which appears to be heading to overtime as I post this 20-20... another point, a strong passing attack will ALWAYS give you a chance to come back in games. UTEP looked dead to the wind but a couple of long balls connect and they are back in it. A passing game can also draw interference call late in the game which stops the clock and moves the chains. Another point, defensive backs fall down and miss time their jumps to the ball. Defensive back is probably the most vulnerable position for an offense to capitalize on. True outstanding defensive backs are hard to come by. - Watched the Baylor A$M game. Just another example of how a program with far lesser talent can hang with the big boys on a given day. Baylor lost in overtime, but I would hazard a guess that there may be 1 or 2 Baylor players that could start for A&M. Hat's off to the Baylor Administration who have basically ressurected their program from the brink of death through scheduling winnable I-A and I-AA games early in the season. Reggie McNeil is a nice running QB but his passing was horrible today. - SMU Marshall...wow, tough tough loss for the Ponies as they led for the entire game and then faltered to Marshall in overtime. Fellas that loss may be the end for Bennett. I hope it isn't because he is a class guy and the win over TCU showed that he can succeed. - Man how things can change. Watched some of the Wyoming/UNLV game. UNLV seemed to be a program on the rise just a couple of years back. Wyoming was horrible. Now Wyoming trounced UNLV today like a stepchild today. Things can change in this game so quickly. Good recruiting helps for sure, but I am convinced that there is such a mental aspect to the turnarounds, ie getting a coach that can convince the team that they can succeed and implementing a system that works. - Did I mention that Gameplan and CSTV are beautiful things?

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr

You do not have to be a member - just stop by.

The Denton Chapter of the NT Exes is hosting a networking social tonight, September 29, at El Guapos at 419 S. Elm in Denton from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Along with providing munchies, door prizes will be given and there will be some cool NT Exes apparel for purchase. Come and enjoy!

Losing Coach Bell is a big, big loss for the Mean Green.

http://media.unt.edu:8080/ramgen/cmp/Athle...?DB_OEM_ID=1800

No apology necessary EagleD - hope you are doing well!

Moot you are right. This is a huge addition and key recruiting tool.

Wow Mick - solid post. I agree 100%.

We lost a game, we got whipped. It happens. Hat's off to Tulsa, they had their offense working on all cylinders and we were sputtering. It's a long season and we still have a lot of football left to be played.

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr

http://www.statesman.com/horns/content/spo...17TEXWHERE.html LONGHORNS FOOTBALL Catching up with Van Malone, 1989-1993 Advertisement UT ATHLETICS (enlarge photo) Texas' Van Malone played with the Longhorns from 1989 to 1993. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Cedric Golden AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Saturday, September 17, 2005 One of the nation's hardest-hitting defensive backs, Malone was part of a Texas secondary that led the nation in pass efficiency in 1990 and 1991 before the Detroit Lions selected the All-American in the second round of the 1994 draft (57th overall). He played four seasons there before signing with Arizona, but a preseason hip injury ended his playing days. Malone is in his second season as the defensive backs coach at the University of North Texas. Malone says he's 35 "going on 70." He has been married to Nedra for 10 years. The parents of two sons are expecting a third child in December. Q: How different is being the teacher as opposed to being a player? Which is harder? A: I have wanted to coach since I was in the seventh grade. I found a little notebook from that time in my life. I had drawn up offensive plays that I would use as a coach. Funny. As a player, I worked hard to study the opponent. As a coach the time commitment is doubled. Coaching is surely more difficult than playing. Q: Your greatest memory at Texas? A: When we lost the Colorado game (29-22) in 1990 and our seniors stood up in the locker room and proclaimed that we would not lose another game that season. Of course, the games against A&M when I had 14 and 17 tackle games were big for me as well. I would have liked the wins more than all those tackles. Q: The best athlete you ever played with? A: Barry Sanders, hands down. When I was leaving the practice field everyday, the greatest runner ever to play the game was still there doing wind sprints. He did 20 everyday after practice. Players would come to me before the game and ask for tips on how to tackle him. Q: And the best you ever played against? A: Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, and Brett Favre because these guys understand the game inside and out. They study the opponent and know how to take advantage of defensive weaknesses Q: How has the game changed since you played? A: Like any old schooler, I would say that these young whipper snappers are not as tough as I would like them to be. XBox and PlayStation2, which I have both, has made our kids TV athletes.

http://tulsa.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=456027 Pre-Game Notes: Tulsa at North Texas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scott Bennett TheHurricaneAlert.com Staff Writer Date: September 17, 2005 Kickoff: 6:00 p.m. Location: Fouts Field [30,000] • Denton, Texas Radio: KRMG 740 AM -- Bruce Howard, Rick Couri and Chris Kaiser call the action. The network broadcast may be accessed at KRMG.com. Television: None UNT Athletics Jamario Thomas led the nation in rushing last season The Series: Tulsa and The Mean Green have played twenty games total throughout their respective histories. The Golden Hurricane owns a 14-6 series edge, with all games played between 1944 and 1982. Tulsa won the inaugural game, 47-6. The second game was not until 1957, won by North Texas, 41-12. The two teams played yearly, except for three seasons, until 1974 as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. Tulsa won the most recent game, 38-20, in 1982, John Cooper's fourth season. The teams are tied at 4-4 in games played at North Texas. The game will be played at 30,000-seat Fouts Field in Denton. Fouts Field was named in honor of Theron J. Fouts, who came to Denton in 1920 as coach of all sports at the university. Fouts initiated track and field as a varsity sport at UNT, and it was that program that gained the first national recognition for the university in athletics. Under his guidance, teams won national honors in football, basketball, golf and track and field. Fouts compiled a 23-14-2 record as football coach and later served as the athletic director. Coaches: TU coach Steve Kragthorpe is entering his third season in the driver's seat of the Golden Hurricane program. With a two-year record of 12-13, the Pocatello, Idaho native is loaded for big game in 2005. Entering his third year as a head coach, Kragthorpe has already been a finalist or nominee for five national "Coach of the Year" awards, and was the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2003. That in addition to glowing testimonials from Drew Bledsoe, whom he tutored for two years with the Buffalo Bills, Greg Williams (Bills Head Coach), Kevin Gilbride (Bills Offensive Coordinator), and Dan Henning (Boston College Head Coach). During Kragthorpe's three years as Offensive Coordinator at Northern Arizona, the team posted an 11-11 record. During three years as Texas A&M's offensive coordinator, those teams went a combined 26-12 and played in the Sugar, Alamo and Independence bowls. The Mean Green is coached by the ultra successful Darrell Dickey. Dickey was named head coach at the University of North Texas on February 25, 1998. He became the only coach in North Texas history to win four straight league titles, leading North Texas to Sun Belt Conference crowns in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Dickey is the only current Div. I-A coach in the nation to lead his team to four straight league titles in the same conference. The foundation of Dickey's success at the Denton school comes from his successful mining of the talent pool of Texas and Oklahoma high school football. Less than six percent of the 2004 roster was made up of players outside the two-state area. All but two of the 22 regular starters during the 2004 season were from either Oklahoma or Texas. Beginning in 1999, North Texas has made steady progress on the field, registering wins over such teams as Texas Tech and Boise State. In 2001, UNT won its first conference title (Big West) since 1973, followed by three more through last season. Dickey, a 41-year-old Texas native was an outstanding quarterback at Kansas State, leading the Wildcats to their first bowl appearance in school history, the 1982 Independence Bowl. While at Kansas State, Dickey started all four seasons at quarterback (1979-82), throwing for 4,098 yards and 23 touchdowns and finishing with 4,526 yards of total offense. He is the only player to lead Kansas State in total offense and passing offense all four years. Dickey was an offensive coordinator at UTEP and SMU from 1994 to 1997. Scene Setter The Hurricane is coming off an excellent performance against Oklahoma, in front of the largest crowd ever to see a Tulsa football game (83,877). It is hard to see much of a home field advantage for The Mean Green after the Norman experience. Tulsa opened the 2005 season facing Minnesota's Laurence Maroney, who went for 203 yards on 22 carries. Two of those caries, both in the first quarter, netted 140 yards. The subsequent 63 yards on 20 carries were more like the real Tulsa defense. The next week, came a huge dose of Adrian Peterson, 32 carries for 220 yards. This week, the defense has to swallow the same rushing pill in two halves. Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas combined for 168 yards on 38 carries against Middle Tennessee. Neither player fumbled the ball. Cobbs was the nation's leading rusher in 2003, Thomas the same in 2004. Game Notes: UNT Athletics Patrick Cobbs • The defensive unit was North Texas' dominant question mark coming into fall practice. The team lost seven starters to graduation - 10 who accounted for all-conference honors last season. The Mean Green returns all of its linebackers, which will be a key to the success of the young defense. • The 2005 UNT offensive line is highlighted by Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year Dylan Lineberry. Lineberry was a second team all-conference selection in 2004, but did not participate in spring drills in order to work on his academic progress. The senior is expected to be the leader of the line. • For the first time in four years, The Mean Green secondary is without perennial all-conference safeties Jonas Buckles and Markeith Knowlton. Up to the challenge of replacing the duo is Cliff Higgs and Roderick Cotton. Higgs is a redshirt freshman. • College football has never seen a team with the luxury of two national rushing champions in the same backfield. Jamario Thomas and Patrick Cobbs wiped that circumstance off the record books when they stepped on the field against Middle Tennessee. Cobbs churned for 1,771 total yards in 2003, while Thomas went for 1,801 in 2004. There is only one solution bringing harmony to this duo for the 2005 season. Play all games on a three hundred yard field. Inside the numbers: • In 2003, North Texas average 177 rushing yards per game, 153 by Cobbs. In 2004, North Texas averaged 186 rushing yards per game, 180 by Thomas. Cobbs and Thomas playing at the same time would seem unlikely. Do they alternate plays or does Tulsa see the one with the hot feet and shoulder pads for most of the game? Or, does Cobbs get the most carries because Thomas has two more years of eligibility left, and Cobbs none? • North Texas must replace a graduated quarterback. That quarterback must replace 158 yards per game of passing yardage. Daniel Meager hit 10-of-15 passes for 122 yards with no interceptions against Middle Tennessee. The yardage is not overwhelming, but the accuracy is. A ball control supplement to the rushing capabilities of these two backs could wear out any defense. • North Texas started off 2004 with four straight losses to Texas, Florida Atlantic, Colorado and Baylor. They started off 2003 with one win (Baylor) and three losses (Oklahoma, Air Force and Arkansas). All this to say the Mean Green is a team conditioned to the same BCS loaded schedule Tulsa is. The two opponents will look at each other similarly -- meaning not only not intimidated, but anxious to play. Southland Conference vs. Conference USA. Both better bring their 'A' game. The Fourth Quarter: It would be tempting to identify this game as a breather. Minnesota/Oklahoma compared to Middle Tennessee. C-USA vs. Southland. Tulsa versus a team it hasn't seen in 23 years. In spite of the comparisons, both teams are after the same things. First, one win at a time. Second, national recognition. At this point, North Texas has more of the latter than Tulsa, given two straight national rushing champions. They appear to have found a quarterback who has one successful and efficient game under his belt. And they are at home. Tulsa enters the game on an upswing after a near miss against Oklahoma. This is a good game as schedules go because it will be a fist fight between two talented teams. A road win here can be a significant boost to TU's season.

I didn't get to join but I understand there was a good group in there for the MTSU game.

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/school...pdf/tls0910.pdf

Question is how really good is MTSU? I think they are pretty good - we will see. Tulsa is going to give us all they can handle - this game probably makes or breaks their season. I like that we have them at home though. We usually (damn FAU game) play pretty tough at home.

Coming from Big D. I'm in for 8! 4 are potential season ticket holders!

Hey Everyone, At the Letterman's Golf Tournament last year, a raffle was held, and one of the prizes was a trip for two with the team to any away game. I, Scott Davis, won the trip and asked my seven year old son Kevin to go with me. We decided to attend the UNT Middle Tennessee game. I want to share this incredibly fun experience with the Lettermen. First, we flew a charter out of Love Field that landed in Nashville, where we loaded on buses and drove to the hotel, arriving about 6:00 P.M.. At this point we were invited by Coach Dickey to attend practice and ride on the bus with the team. Needless to say, my son and I were very excited about this opportunity. The field that the team practiced on was in very poor condition, so Coach Dickey had them stretch. Afterwards, they hung around for a few minutes, and the players were polite and friendly to us. My son was extremely wide-eyed about being around them. Coach Dickey must have noticed, and he was kind enough to allow us to participate in many of the things the players had scheduled. We got to go to a team meal, team snack time, practice, and Coach Dickey even gave us sideline passes, as well as tickets in the Athletic Director's press box! We went back and forth throughout the game, with most of it spent on the sideline around the team. The game was exciting, and North Texas fought very hard to beat a good team. Kevin and I got to throw the ball around on the field both before and after the game. Then we loaded back on buses, drove straight to the airport, and arrived back in Dallas about 1:45 am. It was one of those rare experiences that could not have gone any better. Every aspect of the experience was first class; the coaches, players, and administration were nothing short of fantastic! This experience has helped me realize what a great job everyone is doing in our university's athletic program. We should all be proud to be part of the University of North Texas Athletic Department. Just wanted to let everyone know! Hope to see you all at a game this year! Scott Davis (North Texas Football 1986-1990)

Double the headache By MIKE BROWN World Sports Writer 9/15/2005 View in Print (PDF) Format Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas join list of master rushers that TU has already faced. The University of Tulsa has one of its own to blame for Tecumseh tailback Patrick Cobbs going to the University of North Texas in 2001. That's slightly ironic, because the Golden Hurricane may have to stop Cobbs on Saturday night in Denton if it wants to break into the 2005 win column, after two opening losses. TU offensive line coach Spencer Leftwich was a North Texas assistant during Cobbs' senior year of high school. "I looked at a couple of plays and took the tape back to (North Texas) and it was all over," Leftwich said. "It became obvious he was the player we needed to sign." Now a senior, Cobbs is on the verge of becoming the school's all-time rushing leader. He's also part of the Mean Green's tandem of national rushing leaders, the first in college football history. Cobbs led the nation in rushing as a junior in 2003. Jamario Thomas did the same thing as a freshman last year, getting his chance when Cobbs sprained his knee and missed all but two games. Now, they're healthy at the same time. That means double trouble for the Hurricane, which faced top backs in Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson and Minnesota's Laurence Maroney in the first two games. "We have certainly played some good tailbacks, but (North Texas has) more depth in their offensive backfield than any team we've played," said TU head coach Steve Kragthorpe. "It is going to be a real challenge for us because they have a great one-two punch. "When either of them is in the game, they are able to take the ball and do significant things with it. You cannot relax when one of them is out of the game, because they have another guy (who) is effective." Cobbs, showing no ill effects of last year's injury, rushed for 103 yards and Thomas added 58 in a 14-7 win at Middle Tennessee State last Saturday. "Those two backs are just what they're advertised to be," said MTSU head coach Andy McCollum. "You have to stop the run when you play against them. They do a tremendous job." North Texas head coach Darrell Dickey has built a winning tradition on power running and defense. The Mean Green have been ranked progressively higher in team rushing each of the past four years while winning the first four Sun Belt Conference titles. As part of the equation, Dickey has consistently developed capable blockers. Only two starters return from last year's unit that ranked 23rd nationally in rushing. But the Mean Green has promising newcomers, including Tecumseh redshirt freshman tackle Jeremy Brown. "We're kind of inconsistent right now," Dickey said. "A lot of these guys haven't played together during the course of a game or a whole season. They have to learn each other and come together." Cobbs rushed for 1,680 yards and 19 TDs in 2003 when he led the nation with 152.7 yards per game. He has 2,999 career yards and needs only 122 to become North Texas' all-time leader. Cobbs started both ways in high school for Bristow head coach Chris McMullen, rushing for 2,354 yards and 32 TDs as a senior. McMullen couldn't understand why his star tailback wasn't receiving Division I-A offers and phoned a friend at North Texas, defensive coordinator Kenny Evans. Leftwich was recruiting in Norman, and Evans phoned to tell him to check out the running back in nearby Tecumseh. "(Leftwich) took one look at the tape and said. 'This kid can play,' " McMullen said. Notebook: Counting down to North Texas By ERIC BAILEY World Sports Writer 9/15/2005 View in Print (PDF) Format Coach Steve Kragthorpe ended Wednesday's practice with a fiery speech about looking toward the future and not getting complacent with last weekend's close game at Oklahoma. Saturday's opponent at North Texas is dangerous. The Mean Green has four straight Sun Belt Conference championships and already have something that TU doesn't this season -- a victory. "We lost an opportunity to win a football game last week and we have an opportunity to win one this week," Kragthorpe said. "Like I've said before, there are no moral victories. We're playing to win every time we walk on the field and we need to get it done." North Texas beat host Middle Tennessee 14-7 in its opener. A big bulls-eye: Tight end Garrett Mills had 13 catches against Oklahoma last weekend. As a team, the Sooners threw a total of 13 passes. Don't think that North Texas coach Darrell Dickey didn't notice Mills and his 152 receiving yards. "We hope our linebackers can match up with their tight end," Dickey said during his weekly luncheon. "He is one of those players that has a feel of how to get open. "The biggest thing we have to do is when we are playing zone is to be good getting to our drops, realize he is going to catch some passes and be there to make the tackle." Mills' 13 catches set an Oklahoma Memorial Stadium record for receptions. Tackling youth: Tulsa will face another freshman quarterback at North Texas. Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Meager started his first game for the Mean Green and completed 10-of-15 passes for 122 yards. His offensive unit had only two three-and-out situations. Last week, the Hurricane faced OU's Rhett Bomar in his first start. In the Sept. 24 Conference USA opener against Memphis, either freshmen Will Hudgens or Billy Barefield will get the call for the Tigers. Life on the road: There will be about 50,000 less people attending the TU-UNT football game in Denton. After playing in front of 83,000 fans in Norman, only a crowd of 30,500 can fit inside Fouts Stadium. It will be UNT's first home game this season, but TU is battle tested. "Playing at OU if you can play there, you can play anywhere," tight end Conner Long said. An early forecast expects temperatures to be in the low 90s in Denton, a Dallas suburb. Quick snaps: TU and the 11 other C-USA schools will display Hurricane Flag decals on their helmets this season This is the 20th meeting between the schools, but the first since 1982. Tulsa leads the series 13-6 and has won six straight contests. My Take: I agree w/ many post on this board, this game w/ N. Tex is critical if TU wants 2 post a winning season & perhaps go bowling. Somehow, someway I feel TU will do it this week. Go TU

Silver that would be awesome.... I'll call you today to coordinate for Saturday.

I have a pretty large group of potential season ticket holders coming to the game. A couple of them have asked me about getting a North Texas jersey to wear for the game. Problem is one of these guys is big like XXL or XXXL...anyway anyone who knows of the best place to get some cool UNT gear at the last minute please share - thanks! Is the bookstore or Voertmans the best? Any other place? GMG!