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National Notes: Coker back on recruiting trail Coker is building the program from scratch and just recently hired his first three assistants. He's also going to hold the school's first football camp June 18-20. Later, the school is going to break ground on its stadium. UTSA will sign its first recruiting class in February and is scheduled to compete as a Football Championship Subdivision (i.e., Division I-AA) member beginning in 2011. From there, UTSA's goal is to eventually become part of Conference USA. Johnson's commitment was a nice recruiting victory for Coker. The 5-foot-9, 182-pound Johnson – who has rushed for more than 3,200 yards and 34 touchdowns the past two seasons – also had scholarship offers from Colorado and Iowa State. Ok, I'm going to be honest. This does make me a little nervous if for no other reason than the fact it creates more direct competition for UNT for FBS talent in the state of Texas. Don't they also already have a higher, per hour, dedicated athletic fee than we do?

This story got some interesting comments on the UT board.

Hey, we're not forgotten. The answer to the following question is: Which of the following teams is not a member of the Mountain West Conference? Please answer this question. * North Texas * Air Force * TCU * Utah

There have been a number of former Pitt Panthers Canton-ized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Which of the following isn't one? Please answer this question. * Mike Ditka * Tony Dorsett * Fran Tarkenton * Dan Marino Fran Tarkenton played college at Georgia but, when I picked him, I got the answer wrong. huh?

I agree. These choices are generic and way too limited. Furthermore, they have no deeper meaning or story to tell. So, I was thinking of what we could do that might add a little mystique, or at least a little interest regarding our chosen team name. THE EAGLE In stories and legends the eagle was referred to as the Thunderbird. The eagle had great powers of vision, soared to great heights and had great strength and courage. Black-tipped eagle feathers were prized possessions. Eagle feathers were used for ceremonies and given as rewards for acts of bravery. The bones of the wings were made into whistles. Eagle talons were believed to be good luck charms. A bunch of eagle eyes all over a helmet would be creepy and the Eagle Talon is a car. So, the thing I came up with was an eagle feather, maybe similar to this, but hung/pasted upside down.

I would make a poll...but I think there's only one gmg poster with that super hero power. Which one of these popular award decals do you think would best motivate our players?

Sorry I didn't clarify. I still think the WAC is a bad idea. It's the helmet stickers I think I could live with now. BYU uses the stickers. I'd like to see a list of which FBS schools currently use the sticker system. I know of BYU, Ohio State, Florida State, Michigan? who else?

You know...I was totally opposed to the idea two years ago, but I think I've since done a 180. I saw a BYU vs. Utah game on the MTN channel the other day and it made me change my mind. Besides, maybe it will motivate our guys. Lord knows we've needed some extra motivation these last two years.

I seem to recall Evan Fentriss getting a good amount of reps in the spring game a few years ago too...and there was no question he was going to have to sit out in the fall. I sincerely hope you're right but, like others, I'd be hesitant to declare him eligible without some sort of "official" announcement from the UNT athletic dept or the NCAA.

Offensive linemen are often overlooked. They’re the only players who neither touch nor tackle the ball after the snap. Preseason rankings and expectations tend to revolve around returning skill-position players and star defenders, whose names the poll voters know. While offensive line experience is hardly the only factor in a team’s performance, it foretold some of last season’s biggest sleepers, including Ole Miss (101 starts heading into 2008) and Oregon State (78). That said, no amount of experience may help over-matched teams like Indiana and Washington State. Unfortunately, I think that last comment applies to us too.

FYI to all those complaining that Georgia isn't paying us enough for this game - The Sporting News reports Posted: June 2, 2009 Sporting News staff reports Georgia will pay North Texas $975,000 to come to Athens to play the Bulldogs in their 2013 home opener, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The contract between the schools represents the most money Georgia has ever paid to play a team, exceeding the $925,000 the Bulldogs agreed to pay New Mexico State to play them at Sanford Stadium on Nov. 5, 2011. The game between Georgia and North Texas, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, is set for Aug. 31, 2013. After reading a few of the comments to the story, it appears some of the Georgia faithful are just as disappointed with this game as some of the posters on this thread.

Now this is just plain sad. TSN usually ranks ALL FBS teams but I guess they've decided to narrow that down to the top 100 this year. It's really no surprise that we're not include in that list. However, teams 91-100 should look familiar to those of us who know this year's schedule. #96 is a bit surprising to me. And another bad, or should I say envious, story I saw on TSN is #2 on the Teams Poised for Improvement list.

We are definitely a tough crowd to please. I certainly understand the concerns from both viewpoints. Is getting embarrassed worth $1,000,000? The optimist in me sees 2013 as a long time away and I have hopes that we can be competitive by then and, possibly, catch Georgia in a rebuilding season. A respectable loss (17 points or less) to a good BCS program is better than a two touchdown win over the likes of FIU or Western Kentucky in the minds of many, particularly potential recruits. Other SBC schools have had good outings against BCS programs the last few years, why shouldn't we expect the same? On the other side, the pessimist in me fears another 79-10 shellacking in front of 90K fans while looking like a joke of an FBS football program on the national scale. However, as many on here have preached...we have to start thinking like a big time program if we EVER expect to resemble one. To be the best, you have to beat the best. Perennial top 25 teams like Georgia, Texas and OU have earned the right to open their season at home against a lesser opponent and, unlike the SBC, their conference games will almost always be tougher than their non-conference ones. Until we start winning...scratch that...start being competitive, these games are always, always, always going to get a negative response from our fan base. Would everyone feel the same way if we wound the clock back to the 04-05 season, where we were coming off of 9-3 regular season with high hopes of earning a top 25 ranking? How about if we got a 2 for 1 from Georgia? Instead of whining about trading losses for money, we need to focus on the positives and get this program turned around so that we no longer EXPECT to go to a BCS school and get drubbed. I think, given the choice, every school would like to open the season at home. Unfortunately, that's just not possible unless every FBS school schedules an FCS opponent on opening weekend. How boring would that be for the college football fan? Playing an FCS school to open the season is a viable option but IMHO, it has much less upside for a struggling FBS program than it does for a well established BCS school. Sure it should be an easy win, but it likely won't be a big attendance draw (for us - most BCS schools sell out opening w/e for any opponent) and would be a complete DISASTER if we happened to lose. For a young team, I buy the argument that it's a potential confidence builder vs. the morale killer a BCS slaughter would be. From the monetary aspect, we'd need to sell 30,000 tickets at an average cost of $32.50 (average would be less if you factor in concessions) to equal $975K. I do like the idea opening the season at home with a victory over a regional FCS school (although I'd greatly prefer a win over a mid-major) and keeping our "money game" limit at one. However, I'm not sure our athletic budget could handle that strain. I see a few of our SBC mates are either opening at home or playing against FCS schools: Southern University at Louisiana-Lafayette but Kansas State at Louisiana-Lafayette, then @ LSU and @ Nebraska Mississippi Valley State at Arkansas State but @ Nebraska @ Iowa and @ Louisville Texas Southern at Louisiana-Monroe but @ Texas @ Arizona State and @ Kentucky Central Arkansas at Western Kentucky (3rd game of season) @ Tennessee, home against South Florida and @ Navy - this is a nice schedule It looks to me like the consensus is to play one FCS school at home, the trade off is three "money games." FIU hosts Toledo and plays @ Alabama @ Rutgers and @ Florida Troy hosts UAB and plays @ Bowling Green, @ Florida and @ Arkansas FAU hosts Wyoming and plays @ Nebraska @ South Carolina and @ UAB The only SBC schools with two non-conference home games against FBS teams this season are: UNT hosts Ohio and Army and plays @ Alabama and @ Ball State - aside from Alabama and the crappy state of our program, this looks like a manageable OOC schedule MTSU hosts Memphis and Mississippi State and plays @ Clemson and @ Maryland - nothing really scary about this schedule and two nice home games I'd much happier with a win over Ohio or Army than I would be with a win over SFA, Texas State Armadillos or Sam Houston.

I thought it was going to be an announcement that we were playing Arkansas.

I'm not a privileged ESPN insider, so I can't read the entire article, but the teaser for the story was regarding Houston and the entire paragraph on Houston is available for FREE!! Top 10 potential BCS busters

If you are so inclined, please donate to the Rich Vito Recovery Fund. While I do not know Brett personally, I do know what it's like to lose your father suddenly. Some of you may have differing opinions, but I view Brett as part of the Mean Green family and we need to help each other in times of need.

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I'm in the same boat with you in regards to learning my lesson after being burned last year. While it would be nice to have the great defense we had with Booger again (weren't we top 5 in a couple of defensive categories), I don't think that's necessarily the key to this team's success. A more consistent, reliable offense and an average to good defense should get this team back to where it needs to be in the win column. NT80, I think you must be my long lost brother. I can't remember reading a post from you that I didn't agree with wholeheartedly. After watching the train-wreck of the last two seasons and seeing my hopes washed down the drain, I can't let myself fall for that again this year. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than deeply disappointed, so I'm going into this season with very low expectations. Heart says 5-7 Mind says 2-10

Follow Mattress Mack on Twitter: twitter.com/MattressMack

Yes, it's a stretch for sure...but I follow your logic. I was just expecting to read something about how the SBC, as a whole, was improving and becoming a more competitive FBS conference, which isn't far-fetched considering how our conference-mates have tested, and beaten, some high profile teams the last few years.

I agree with both you and illuvius. We HAVE to be competitive in all of our games except maybe Alabama to give me any hope that the current staff is even remotely capable of repairing and righting this canon ball-shredded, piece of crap ship we're all sailing on. The four wins must be accompanied by another sign of progress on the football field in order for me to be happy and look forward to bigger and better things in 2010. After last season, I'm forced to look upon this upcoming fall with a great deal of uncomfortable hesitation and uber-cautious expectations of not being embarrassed week in and week out, while sitting atop the ESPN bottom ten rankings for 12 consecutive weeks.

I remember this story from last year. Here's the gmg thread about it. You should find all your answer there.

Thanks for the link, but the thread title is a little misleading IMO. The comment clearly disses the SBC while praising Troy, so I fail to see how the author is showing any respect for the SBC. Still, nice to see a conference-mate receiving some positive attention...I can only dream that we'll get to that point some day.

I just read this the other day and have been looking for an appropriate place to post it. This seems as good as any. From texasfootball.com: Texas A&M unexpectedly won the sweepstakes for former UNT starting QB Giovanni Vizza, who decided to transfer after the end of the '08-'09 season. Though he won't be able to play until 2010, his presence at least gives A&M the quarterback it has long been looking for in its 2009 class. I don't want to bash him, but I wasn't aware there was any "sweepstakes" for Giovanni and I'll be a bit surprised if he ever gets to start for the Aggies. As far as our QB situation goes. Yes, they are VERY young and inexperienced, but I think they have a lot of potential. I like the addition of Derek Thompson this year. Although I think he is a good possibility to redshirt, I also wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't. Riley's durability is big question mark right now and I'm not sure how capable the backups are...we can no longer turn to the old, faithful - DM. I still remember that knucklehead (since we can't curse on this site, I'm resorting to using my grandfather's vocabulary), dodge2007, declaring that no QB would dare commit to UNT for the next 4 years, after Riley committed to a team that already had Giovanni on its roster. Aside from that being just an ignorant statement, hindsight shows that we need to recruit at least one QB each and every year. The position is just too important to not always be on the lookout for a QB. Look how many QBs are transferring out of or getting injured at the major colleges. Regarding Hall's freshman season...well, I'd really rather not speculate until he's at least signed his LOI. However, like OT mentioned, I'm quite certain he was recruited to play QB and, based on his comments in the DRC, he doesn't seem open to the possibility of playing another position. I'd hate to lose him because he read a bunch of crap on gmg.com about how he was going to be forced to change positions or get redshirted when the coaching staff most likely told him something else.

Ah, but I don't want to UNT to be like Texas. I'd prefer us to be like Baylor (see other thread)!!!