TheTastyGreek

I sure hope so... But I'm skeptical. I think we're going to be down more than 3,000 people from Navy. First off, I don't think anyone will argue that the fan enthusiasm is anywhere near where we were two years ago. I think we'll be down more than just 3,000 North Texas fans. And I don't think Army is enough of a factor to bring out a giant crowd. They played Temple in Philadelphia, and the crowd was 14,200. The week before, Temple pulled 13,400 for a home game against Ball State. In 2008, Tulane hosted SMU on September 25th, and drew a crowd of 25,600. They host Army on October 4th, and they draw 23,800. October 25th, they host Rice and draw just under 18k. I don't care if everyone in the stadium shows up in black and gold, if it means we sell out our tickets. But I think teams like Army, Navy... They may pull as many as 5-6k fans who'd never show up otherwise... But the main value they bring to a schedule is their ability to get apathetic or casual fans to show up, and as a lure for die-hards to bring people who are usually disinterested along with them. I remember hearing from people about how they were bringing their boss or their neighbor or their co-worker or someone who'd never shown any interest in a North Texas game, based on the double bill of Dodgeball and a recognizable opponent. Haven't been hearing that same talk this year. I hope I'm wrong and I hope this game draws a big crowd. I'd be satisfied to hear we pulled 20,000 people.

Maybe if you were a juggler or did face painting, that would be enough to push football back over the top. I'm certainly going to miss the company, I just won't miss the game experience.

I'm not arguing with DL1 or anyone about how an afternoon game might make people less likely to turn out. But... We usually have 12-15 regulars at our tailgate, and another half dozen folks who usually stop by for a little while when they arrive just in time for the game. Yesterday, 5 people from our usual group made it out to Fouts. The reason wasn't kickoff time; if we'd started at 7:00, it would have been the same 5 people. Everybody had a legitimate reason for not coming (funeral, work responsibilities, out-of-town trip, feeling unwell, family issues)... But many of them were the sort of things people would have gone out of their way to work around or get out of back when there was more enthusiasm and optimism about the football program. The reason I'm so curious to see the Army attendance is to get a benchmark we can compare to Navy two years ago. Back then, my brother and I had to rush like hell to make it to that 3:00 game. We were at an awards ceremony in Mesquite to celebrate a big day for our father. We drove insanely fast all the way from Mesquite through Flower Mound/Highland Village (to take the back route to Denton... I-35 was packed). We had to listen to the first two NT touchdowns (and that exciting onside kick) over the radio. We parked as fast as we could, ran up to the gate, and I bought a t-shirt at the merchandise stand because I had forgotten to bring one, and I didn't want to be in the stands in a black collared shirt. I don't remember whether that game was televised or not. It didn't matter; we were going to be there. We watched the whole game, t-shirts, dress slacks, and wingtips. Contrast that with this year, when I'm not even going to the Army game. I'm taking my North Texas love on the road to Stillwater to watch the mens basketball team play Oklahoma State. I'm not abandoning support of the team... If these games weren't on the same day, I'd still come out and watch football. But given the choice between a local football game against a winnable, respectable, nationally recognized opponent, coupled with tailgating and groundbreaking ceremonies... And an 8 hour round trip drive to see a basketball game in Oklahoma... I'm picking the basketball game. Not to be too clever, but at this point, the decision is a slam dunk. And I'm not the only one making that choice, either. I'll be listening to FIU and Arkansas State on the radio. I'll be there at the spring game, even though spring games generally make me sleepy. I'll be there next year for every home game (unless there's another conflict like this Army/OSU situation). And I'll be in West Point with my father and brother, and in Clemson and/or another Sun Belt town with my brother. But this year, I've seen my last snap of North Texas football. And even though I'm skipping our best home game, I don't feel like I'm going to be missing out on anything. I'm excited about the basketball game, and I'm not disappointed to be missing the football game. That can't be a good sign for general fan interest.

You're not a jerk. Like I said, you're one guy I know wouldn't post something like this inappropriately. I don't think anyone is going to think less of you... I didn't even know the guy had been hurt until I saw this thread.

Where did you hear this? If this was anyone other than you and maybe a half dozen other people, I wouldn't give it much credence, but I'm sure you heard it somewhere. I switched to the Cal/OSU game, their people just said he was being transported... Nothing on ESPN or Google News. Was this a report from another broadcast? I'm sure you heard it or read it somewhere... Just curious where.

I know you're just screwing around... But, honestly? The guy spent six years at Georgia Tech, and they never fell below 7 wins. He never finished below .500 in conference. He spent two years as a head coach in the NFL, and he never posted a losing record. He spent two years as a head coach in the World League, and he never posted a losing record. He spent two years as the head coach at Troy when they were a D-II school... Both of them were winning seasons. In 13 years as a head coach at D-II, 1-AA, 1-A, and the NFL... The only time the guy finished with a record below .500 was his one year with 1-AA Samford, when he went 5-6. One of those losses was a paycheck game against Auburn, and another was a road loss to eventual 1-AA National Champions Youngstown State. He doesn't exactly inspire me, but at every level the guy NEVER LOSES MORE THAN HE WINS. If he was interested in any future opening here, I'd sure as hell love to see him interviewed. Because at the moment, getting to Mars seems easier than getting to 7 wins at North Texas.

This is true, something ADLER and I talked about before kickoff today. But I'm going to be very interested to see the attendance for Army. Two years ago, we played a service academy in mid-November with a 3:00 p.m. kickoff, and we went into the game with a 1-7 record. We drew more than 26,000 people. This year, we'll play a service academy in mid-November with a 3:00 p.m. kickoff, and our worst-case record going into the game will be 2-8. If there's a significant difference between the two attendances, I think that's a very, very bad sign.

No, not really. He's said he wants to coach again, but only at a contender school focused on winning championships. Plus, we're outside his preferred region of the country.

Again... Glad to have you back. I was pretty sad about how Charlie's career here played out, and reading your comments about it here just reinforces that regret and disappointment. Send him our regards, and thanks for continuing to be a presence in our community. To summarize, tongue gently in cheek... You're saying Dodge is capable of succeeding, eventually, but only if he radically changes his entire approach to offense and recruiting? Not the most encouraging assessment.

Fatties need love, too.

Glad to see you here again, Mr. Brown.

They've ended our basketball season two years in a row, and that's been a much bigger deal than football wins for both schools. If I had to trade, I'd give up all three Dodge wins vs. WKU if we could just have held on to that one tournament semifinal game against WKU last year. Because we would have beaten USA.

Yeah... Agree with KRAM, that's a strange one. Last year, I remember specifically that the exhibition game (at least for the men) was free and there was no ticketing. Pretty sure it was the same the year before, too.

Exhibition, so it's free.

She was an angel, not a saint. Also... Too soon?

Cancer makes the most vile, exploitative moral degenerate into a saint.

The 11th. But... Peters is still taking visits, Ross-Miller has said he's not going to sign early, and Mitchell isn't going to make a decision until Thanksgiving at the earliest, after early signing period is over. So, anybody we sign means that we won't be getting at least one of those guys. Honestly, considering the kind of season we might be in for... The recruits who'll be interested in April are likely to be a notch above anyone who's ready to sign with us next week.

I think that was Kenny Evans, at least until Evans got promoted to DC and confused the hell out of every broadcast camera team that got him mixed up with Dickey.

To answer your questions- DeLoach came on board with Dickey back in 1998 as the DB coach, promoted to DC in 2000. Not sure whether he picked his own staff. As I recall, he was a sideline guy and had someone else working in the box to handle the spotting and observation that has been pointed out in this thread as being so critical to defensive planning and reaction. He wasn't up there, he had someone else up there communicating any relevant information to him.

To be fair... If I were the AD at a 1-AA school and Dodge was my QB/RB coach, I'd be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt based on his two years of experience and positive results.

Ehh... I'm generally overrated in every other respect in every aspect of life and comedy. It's only fair. Plus, I think that one came up in the Simpsons thread last week, too.

Despite my dad's exhortations, I never applied. The sexual tension with Vito would have been unbearable.

They were actually hiring a new sportswriter position (which is almost unheard of lately) a little less than a year ago.

At this time of year? In this part of the country? Contained entirely above Fouts Field?

It's unfortunate that we're on opposite sides of the stadium.