gangrene

When I read this thread topic (during halftime of the game), I assumed it was sarcastic post, poking fun at Vittatoe's two end zone INTs.

Looks like you're right. I found some photos of their old logo (which was identical to ours), but the 2009 Prosper Football website has a slightly altered version of the eagle logo. Again, I'm just a bit confused as to why allowing high schools to use our logo is a bad thing. I failed in trying to prove my point by finding use of the longhorn logo at the high school level, but I know W.T. White used to use that logo...I guess universities are taking their trademarks more seriously now. And I am almost positive that FW Trimble Tech used the Texas Tech double-Ts, but not anymore. I wonder if Garland's days of using the Georgia/Green Bay "G" are numbered too? It looks like several high schools use NFL logos and the SMU mustang appears to still be widely used in Texas. Texas High School Helmets It's really not a big deal I guess, but it just seems sort of silly to ban the use of our logo at the HS level because, as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I guess we all have our breaking points. Given the situation, suicide by exhaust fumes, might seem appropriate, but it just doesn't seem valiant enough for me...now, if you see me sharpening my ninja sword and drinking sake, while donning a Mean Green bandana with my #11 gameday jersery...you might want to call the authorities. Falling on my sword seems to be the more noble way to go.

DCTF's 50th anniversary edition was just published and the Dodge's are mentioned many times throughout the issue, albeit, mostly pertaining to the SLC glory days. In the "Top 50 Things We Love About Texas Football" list, Todd and Riley make their first appearance at #9 for "High School Dynasties," where a mention and photo of Celina is also featured. Riley is again mentioned in #20, "Monumental Upsets." At #26, we learn that the #1 most common high school mascot is the Eagle. Can someone remind why we don't allow any high schools to use our logos? At #42, both Todd and Riley are again mentioned for the "Families of Football" entry. And, at #48 is "Todd Dodge," earning his very own entry in DCTF's Top 50 all-time list. For the "All-50 Year High School Football Team," Riley earned #4 Honorable Mention status at QB. There are a few other references to former North Texas players and/or coaches but I'll save that for those of you who want to pick up a copy.

Wow, that's quite a perspective you have there. Maybe we should use it as our advertising slogan next year? I can envision it now...a billboard on the west side of I-35 N (with the construction cranes of the new stadium in the background) with this caption - UNT Football - It's just a game! and, in a smaller font, but directly under that....(Who cares about the outcome?) Or maybe we can use it in our recruiting efforts? When prospects ask coaches about our W-L record for the last three seasons, "Hell son, it's just a game...who really cares if we win or lose..." However, I do understand what you mean and I am not giving up nor will I refuse to support the program. But I absolutely hate this feeling of hopelessness that has overcome me. Yes, the games are more competitive this year and I still hope above all hopes that we'll win a few more games. It just hit me like a ton of bricks on Saturday when we, once again had a lead in the 4th quarter, and I knew we'd somehow find a way to lose it. I honestly don't know where this program is headed, but I know I don't want to suffer through another one-win season and more speculation about the stability of this coaching staff. And, I fear that any change in leadership will just lead to more "give it five years" and "he doesn't have his players yet" talk. I just don't know if I can take another 3-5 years of that.

How many were excited after the first two games and have now found things other than UNT football to occupy your sports mind? I hate to admit it but I'm one of those. What used to be strong opinions (right or wrong) have been reduced to nothing more than occasional thoughts. Enthusiasm has turned to frustration and now to something resembling a sense of hopelessness. Fortunately, I didn't have high expectations for this season but I'm at a point right now where I find myself questioning why I am spending/wasting so much time on a losing cause. What good does it do to argue about who should be starting QB or whether or not Dodge should keep his job. I am a proud UNT alumnus and I will continue to attend the games, it just seems to be more of a chore now than anything else. I guess I'm trying to say it's just not that much fun being a Mean Green fan right now. I find myself watching our leads dissipate and knowing/expecting that we're going to find a way to lose. And, I HATE that feeling. Honestly, the only aspect I've REALLY enjoyed the last couple of years has been recruiting. I fear even that joy is slowly slipping away from me as the recruiting front has been a bit quiet lately. I don't imagine our record is going to sway many 3-star prospects to sign LOIs. I still like what we've got on paper for next year but...damnit....next year seems so far away. And, what if next year is a repeat of this year? I know...we could still win out and end up with a winning record in '09 but, somehow, I feel much more confident I'll win the lottery this week. Anyway, attack me and call me a bad fan if you must. I just wanted to get that off my chest.

So is FAU!!! Oh wait...they just beat us.

I'd also add that those schools learned the lesson about directly hiring high school coaches when Gerry Faust failed at Notre Dame.

Every time I do that, I am pounded into submission by reminders that we don't have enough money to afford better coaches, we don't need more seats in our stadium because we can't even sell out Fouts, etc. etc...that whole "we're just little ole North Texas routine." So, I'm left with only three options: 1. Recognize progress in small doses and try to envision better days ahead. 2. Join the "negative crowd" and be constantly pissed off and complain. (I've tried this in the past and I wasn't a very pleasant person to be around!) 3. Stop following/supporting the program altogether.

Well, that's basically the measuring stick RV had before the season began - RV Chat transcript: 11:54 [Comment From Brett ] In your opinion, what will constitute a successful 2009 football season? Do you have a certain number of wins in mind? Will there be significant changes if the team repeats the one-win season of 2008? 12:00 Rick V: The expectations of myself and of Coach Dodge is that we have to see progress in the number of wins and the competitiveness of our teams. Especially in SBC games, we should be nearning that point where everyone of those games is winnable and when its over we had a chance to walk away with a W. We must elminate those games where the margin of loss is substantial. That being said there are a number of factors that effect the football season, injuries, etc, and is something we will evaluate when we get to December. I'd say the 2009 season is living up to RV's expectations thus far. One more win and we double 2008's total and we've already "nearned" that point where the SBC games are all winnable. Looks like we've already "'elminated' those games where the margin of loss is substantial" too.

You're assuming that Kragthorpe would take the HC job at UNT? While I do support TD, I also expect more than 2 wins this season. I find consolation in knowing we could very easily be 3-2 or 4-1 right now (of course I would MUCH rather have the wins). That's the kind of competitive improvement I was hoping for prior to the season. However, this team needs to continue to improve for the remainder of the season and, after two close losses, wins will be the only signs of further improvement from my perspective...anything less will translate to a step backwards. And, anything less than three wins and I'm out for Dodge Ball - Part IV. While a 3-9 record is definitely nothing to get excited about, it is a sign of progress, provided we remain competitive in every game for the remainder of the season. This team will not lose many players to graduation and we have some really exciting players available next season. I think the experience and talent could result in winning record in 2010. Honestly, I think that is the least of our concerns right now. Let's worry about that when it happens. However, if the scenario plays out, hopefully, the program will have plenty of talent in the cupboard, a new stadium and enough fan support to be an attractive job for a good coach to step in and not miss a beat. OK, now this thread is waaaaay off topic and getting too creepy for me too....I'm out.

100% correct on that one...even voicing the least bit of concern about hiring a HS coach back then brought out the lynch mob...Todd Dodge for OC/Asst. Head Coach? This experiment has gone far worse than I could have ever imagined, but I stand by Todd Dodge. Had the first five games of this season been blowout losses, I'd be ready to cut him loose. However, I have (finally) seen marked improvement. I think this improvement is partly due to this year's relatively soft schedule but I attribute most of it to more experience - for both the players and coaching staff. I know it's been said a thousand times but I'll say it again....this team is still young and learning how to play together. Now, if they can just learn how to play with a lead and finish strong, we'll start seeing some wins. If we can somehow manage to end the season on a five-game winning streak, I think this board will be a much happier place.

I think it's good that the Cotton Bowl will have a bowl game again but I also think it's going to be waaay too confusing. Now we'll have the "Cotton Bowl" at Dallas Cowboys Stadium and the "Dallas Football Classic" at the Cotton Bowl. I think the Cotton Bowl committee should be forced to abandon the "Cotton Bowl" name. Maybe they could call it the Jerry Bowl instead?

So, at what point in time do the former high school coaches become college coaches? If another school chooses to hire one of our "high school coaches" are they hiring a high school coach or a "college guy"? Art Briles coached high school football for 21 years...is he a high school guy or a college guy? Same question regarding Todd Graham, who coached HS ball for 6 seasons. I'm just curious as to when one officially loses the high school association.

The comparison between Scott Hall and Riley Dodge is not valid....two totally different offenses and two totally different sets of expectations. Scott Hall's #1 job was to hand off and manage the game whereas Riley is expected to be the play maker. It's a "playing not to lose" mentality versus a "playing to win" (or lose, depending on your viewpoint) mentality. Scott Hall was very good at managing the game and that offense was built to get ahead and control the clock, while the defense shut down opposing offenses. Hall wasn't asked to make key game-changing plays like Dodge is. Unfortunately, the spread isn't typically a ball/clock control offense and our defense isn't good enough to completely shut down and/or demoralize the opposing offenses yet. Continuing to keep our offensive foot on the gas pedal and trying to outscore our opponents will be our best opportunity to win until we learn how to play while we're ahead.

I'd love to know the answer to that one too.

Question - were those turnover rankings pre or post-UNT games? I'm staying very quiet on my opinion of this season but I'm not nearly as disappointed as most seem to be. I see a young team that is improving as the season progresses. Should we be 3-2 right now?? Probably, but, so far, this team is giving me what I asked for...marked improvement and competitive football. Of course, I want wins just like everyone else does but anyone who thought we'd win the Belt in 2009 probably still believes in Santa Claus too. I think we still have an excellent chance to win 4-5 games this year. I also believe that we have enough talent on this year's team, coupled with the redshirt/incoming class to win the SBC in 2010...and I don't like to rely on "paper talent." We're two key plays away from having a winning record in 2009 (thus far) and we were just a few more plays away from beating one of the SBC favorites, MTSU. If we can finish strong, by winning 4 of our last 5 games, we could really see a lift in recruiting.

Emmitt, I know Riley is no where near the QB that Woody Wilson was, but I'm just not convinced we have a better alternative right now. As the old adage goes, the backup QB is always the most popular player on a team.

North Texas' lineman looking out for Mom

If you have Directv you no longer get Versus. Their contract expired on August 31, 2009 and the two sides couldn't agree on costs...so Directv pulled Vs off the air. However, I've read that UFL games will air on HDNet also and that's channel 79***edit - looks like it's on channel 306 now*** on Directv.

Actually, I agree...we need to go after as many of these kids as we can possibly get. Some will pan out and many will not but, as Brett Vito mentioned, we stand little chance of signing these guys out of high school. Our best chance to get legitimate BCS talent (at least until we start winning) is to give some of these guys a second chance. Marshall wasn't Randy Moss' first team, but he sure put the Thundering Herd on the map for a few seasons, even though they were still D-II at the time. And, speaking of second chances, here are a few other recently dismissed players the coaching staff may want to contact: Brandon Warren, Tennessee Shiloah Te'o, BYU Quentin Castille, Nebraska Justin Feagin, Michigan Blaine Dalton, Missouri

Hey, the guy that was stabbed (Anthony Hines) isn't listed on Tech's current roster...maybe we should go after him too?? I mean, he was just playing "peacemaker" after all. And he's got to be tough right? He didn't even know he was stabbed until he saw the blood ten seconds later.

Heart says 24-10 UNT. Mind says 31-20 Waterboys.

Was DD on the Raiders staff too? Reports: Raiders coach punched assistant in face

Let's hope you don't get called a douche on the TCU forum because you chose to wear UNT gear!