gangrene

Welcome to the board SLCoutsider, I think we're all looking forward to hearing some of your insider information on SLC the last few years. I understand what you're saying but I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with our back-up QB playing WR at a D-1A college level. And I don't subscribe to this theory about Todge not wanting to change QBs because "he knows what it feels like to be benched". If that is the case, then am I to believe that once a starting QB is named to begin the season we won't see another QB start all season unless there's an injury?? Don't get me wrong, I don't want a revolving door at QB but...if the starter is not performing or if the back-up is kicking arse in practice, I want to see the best QB on the field at all times. The best QB (or any position for that matter) in week 1 may not always be the best QB in week 6...just ask Drew Bledsoe or Tony Romo.

Ed, Edd and Eddy??

Why do you think some of us are so eager to see Vizza now??!! Actually that thought has definitely crossed my mind a few times. Common sense tells us that Riley should know this offense as well as Todd. The question then becomes; does he have the physical size and skills to execute the offense on the collegiate level?? Assuming he has that knowledge and Meager and Vizza are still learning/gaining confidence this time next year, will Riley redshirt? I view Meager as a "serviceable" QB in a great system. He has the experience that Vizza lacks. However, I think Vizza has better skills - quicker delivery, stronger arm and the ability to look downfield. It also seems that Vizza is able to utilize his peripheral vision to see when the pocket is about to collapse without taking his eyes off of his receivers...like that saying "he has eyes in the back of his head". I watched our offense in the OU game a couple of times of Tivo. There were several times in which Vizza would throw the ball just before he was hit by a defensive lineman. I stand by my position that Meager made the receivers wait for the ball to arrive too many times, but those thoughts are starting to fade from my mind. Now, if I could just stop those nightmares of seeing the wide open receivers being underthrown I think I might be alright.

Not if we have to play another game from behind against a team with a decent run defense and a horrible pass defense. I will say that I really like that quote from DM.

Or like calling a man Chris when his name is I don't care if they call us NTSU or Texas Teachers College either and I don't understand why some people get so upset about that. Those were actual names of our university/college and they just do that because they know it pisses some of us off.

No, not really...if you read my all of my post you'd understand. When someone brings my baby into the discussion, you bet your ass I'm going to be bitter. As I mentioned earlier, that thread was so bad the admins deleted it. Besides that, you should see how they treated Charlie (or any other person associated with UNT) when he posted over there. Before you go defending ponyfans posters maybe you should spend some time over there. Let me know if they roll out the welcome carpet for you after you tell them you went to NTSU. I know many SMU alums and I'll agree most are nice people. The majority fit the arrogant stereotype, but they are nice nonetheless. I don't hate SMU and shouldn't let a few bad apples on ponyfans distort my perception of the overall fan base...but that's what tends to happen. Yes, I'm well aware of Raiders fans and they don't just act that way on the forum. They were quite upset about the new code of sportsmanship outlined by their AD and the idea that some actually want them to stop using the "f-word" in their fight song. I know several die-hard Longhorns alums that have said they will never go to another game in Lubbock becuase their fans are so obnoxious. Navy fans are still commenting on how bad Tech fans are and they last played in 2003.

Maybe I'm just a little bitter because I remember the reception I received on my first attempt to be civil on ponyfans. That actually wasn't too bad. The worst came when I asked a simple question in late July about this year's SMU vs. Tech game being played in the 3PM heat on Labor Day and expressed concern over taking my 8 month old daughter to the game. I had planned to go to the game and cheer on SMU (I was actually a fan in the '70s and early '80s) until I realized they were going to play in the middle of the afternoon. I was called gay by several ponyfans posters for asking about the heat and called an idiot for contemplating taking my daughter to a college football game. The name calling and insults on that thread were so bad the administors deleted the entire thread (at least some over there are civil). Anyway, excuse me if there's no love lost from me when it comes to talking about SMU. I've watched your board insult every UNT fan that ever posted there (emmitt, charlie, overcusser, etc.). Some may have deserved it, most definitely did not. By the way...I took my 8-month old daughter to the SMU-UNT game and she had a blast. I've never been one to embrace any stereotype (other than the SMU "attitude") and don't buy into that crap theory about SMU blackballing us from any conference. I fully embrace the "rivalry" and I hope we can continue it on an annual basis. Both schools could greatly benefit from the media exposure. Yeah, I guess anything's possible. But if Bennett gets fired, then I guess you guys will just come and take Dodge away from us. 601 passing yards and 327 receiving yards by ONE receiver!! Ok, I know that's weak but everyone on this board seems to be happy about it! Seriously, I welcome all Ponies to our board if they want to discuss things related to football and not who should beat who because of their traditions/credibility and who benefits more by the win. Whether you (and your fellow alums) choose to believe it or not...we're in very similar situations in that we're both fighting to gain respect, media, recruiting exposure, butts in seats and wins in a very cluttered sports market where consumers have an abundance of choices.

Do they have reserved seating or is it GA, first come, first served?

Your pathetic posters on ponyfans can dish out the insults to us all the time but when we give you a taste of your own medicine, you start crying about it?? I welcome civil discussions between fans/alumni of both schools but don't come over talking about how much better SMU is and that you expect to beat little ole North Texas every year. Your team sucks this year and I'll be surprised if you win four games all season. In fact, I think your defense is one of the few in the nation that is worse than ours right now. I've got news for you...we expect to beat SMU every year too and, if that contract gets renewed, you better savor this victory because it'll be your last for quite some time!! Poneez - I will offer you a half-ass apology because I think you did have good intentions, but it was this statement that pissed me off: I challenge you to repeat that statement to Phil Bennett and the SMU football team...please post his response.

And those fools are already talking about stealing Todd and Riley away from us...as if they offer a more promising career opportunity.

Typical SMU nose-in-the-air arrogance, completed with a mis-spelled word. Creditability - how does Webster's define that?? We'll be sure to wave as we pass you by in the next few years!!

Would we be ranked in the top 25???

I don't often agree with your posts...but you're right on target with that one. I could give a shit about stats if we can't even win the game.

Ok, maybe I'm one of those MF'ers DD was talking about but, the last time I checked, the object of the game was to have the most points when time expires in the 4th quarter. I had a great time at the game and it was definitely one of the most exciting games I've ever witnessed in person. By no means do I place the blame for this loss squarely on the shoulders of DM. Our defense is pathetic and we really have no business winning a game when they give up 38 points (that last 7 was all on Meager) and to SMU no less. The offensive fireworks were a lot of fun to watch but when you attempt the most passes ever in the history of the program, shouldn't you also expect to have the most completions and the most yards ever as results??? Here's a shocking stat: Meager averaged one yard per completion more than Justin Willis did in yards per pass average. How many more times in the next few years will those records fall?? This is Dodgeball...expect similar results the rest of the year but don't be satisfied with putting up big stats in losing causes against teams we should be beating. SMU looked really, really bad against the pass...Texas Tech completed 50 of 66 pass attempts against SMU. They only had 473 passing yards that game but I have no doubt they could had more yards had they really needed or wanted them...being up 42-6 early in the 4th quarter gave them a luxury we didn't have. I'll be extremely surprised if SMU has a winning season this year...forget about their dream to go bowling. I repeat I do not place the blame of this loss solely on DM. However, we were still in position to win the game late in the 4th quarter and his interceptions were very costly mistakes. I think I've made it painfully clear what my complaints with DM are so I won't repeat them. I was pissed last night when we lost because we were so close to pulling it out. I don't like losing to SMU and I don't like being 0-2. I HATE LOSING. I know, I know...I'm an impatient SOB. With all the under/over throws, Meager played well enough to win the game (minus the last 4:19) but we have too many other problems with our defense that must be addressed ASAP. I can live with the underthrown passes for completions, I can live with a few of the false starts on key plays and I can even live with giving the opponents the ball at the 30 yard line after every kick-off. What I can't live with is giving up an average of 62 points per game and 3 INTs/game...especially when those INTs are so crucial to the game's outcome. I love my alma mater just as much as any of you and I'm very anxious to gain some respect in the college football arena. The broken records from last night's game are already creating a lot of attention in the area but a comment from a friend of mine reminds me how far we still have to go to gain the respect I want. He asked how the game went and said he heard that we had a lot of passing yards, then he asked what the score of the SMU-UNT game was last year. When I said 24-6, his reaction was of disbelief that we dominated them last year and then lost 45-31 this year. Bottomline is, we'll all remember the records because we're the Mean Green Nation but the rest of the world that follows college football will only remember the score. That friend then went on to say how happy he was that Boise State lost because now his alma mater, Texas Tech, is one team closer to being ranked.

I'm very certain TD did everything he could to get the refs to review that play. If you remember, he called a time-out to discuss that play with the refs. I know this is his first year as a college HC, but surely he knows the review procedures? If they would have reviewed that play, and overturned it, we would have gotten our TO back. For whatever reason, it appears the officials chose not to review that play.

That's like pitching a no-hitter in a baseball game but losing the game because you walked 4 straight batters. Who cares about individual passing records when you lose the game?? As bad as our defense was, the game was tied at 31 when Meager threw interceptions on consecutive series...the second INT was for a TD and virtually assured SMU the victory. Unless TD designed the plays for the receivers backs to be facing the goal line when they made the catch, then it's a fact Meager under threw numerous passes tonight. I'm not sure that's correct...I may be wrong but I'm pretty certain he was sacked at least once (and I do not blame him for that).

I saw the UNT girls walking to their cars after the game...nice....VERY nice.

Everyone is going gaga over Meager and his passing tonight, but what I mainly witnessed were great catches by the WRs. Nearly all of the long passes were under thrown and the WR was forced to sit and wait for the ball to get there. Yes, his numbers were gaudy but they would have been even better if he could just hit the receivers in stride. That is accomplished by throwing the ball to where the receiver will be if he keeps running rather than throwing to where he is when you decide to throw to him. It's no secret that I'm not a Meager fan, but I vowed to give him a chance this year since TD named him the starter. Yes I know he threw for 601 yards tonight, but I really haven't seen anything from Meager that I haven't seen in the last two years. He still throws behind the receivers, holds on to the ball too long and panics in the pocket. I haven't seen a whole lot of Vizza but, from what I have seen, he tends to do a better job looking downfield and hitting recievers in stride and he doesn't panic when the pocket starts to collapse. Also, SMU's defense looked really bad and if they don't get it together they're going to rank higher than us for most points allowed per game.

Agreed...defense sucked again tonight...lots of work needed. Agreed again...underthrown passes everywhere. Had a few of those passes been thrown to the proper spot, they would have resulted in TDs. The WRs had to wait on nearly every pass, just like last week...the biggest difference is that SMU's DBs are slower and weren't able to keep up with our WRs as much. That great catch by Fitz on the sideline (driving to the grass endzone) in the 4th was also poorly underthrown...he was held by the DB and that's the reason he was able to stay under the ball. We were able to score on that drive but weren't as lucky earlier in the game. There was a pass to Jacobs either at the end of the 2nd or the 3rd quarter in which the ball was also badly underthrown. Jacobs stopped, waited, caught the ball and was tackled around the 10. I think we fumbled on that drive....I can't find a box score anywhere yet. Does anyone know the story on J-mo...was he hurt or did TD simply choose to start Mosley over J-mo?? I saw all the draw plays too, but I know TD ran the ball more at SLC and he certainly utilized the RB as another receiver. I saw Meager struggling with the hand-off again tonight...you'd think he'd be an expert at handing off after a couple of years in DD's offense, but he just seems afraid to let go of the ball. Yep, and Meager is not the right person to be running this show. He's too ancy in the pocket, choosing to scramble instead of finding a receiver. That's what I like about Vizza...instead of worrying that the defense will beat the O-line he's looking downfield for a receiver and, if the pocket does collapse, he gets rid of the ball. Meager would rather hang onto the ball or throw to a receiver that's got a DB hanging all over him. Other observations I had: The rainbow flags the flag corps uses are gay...and, speaking of gay...I think I saw four or five guys in our flag corps...what's that all about??? How long 'til have we dudes on the dance team, or has that already happened too?? It seems we can count on Adam Venegas for a couple of penalties in key situations. Come on Adam...you're a Senior...we need you to be the leader of that line. I thought TD planned to rotate 8 WRs per game, yet I only saw the same 4 WRs on every play. Our no-huddle offense was good to force a few TOs by SMU and seemed to be successful in tiring out their defense. SMU converted too many 3rd and 15+. Phil Bennett coached that game like he knew it would be his last if he lost. Going for the TD at our 3-yard line with :03 left, and then :00 in the first half was a dumb-ass but gutsy call. Lucky for him he succeeded in getting the TD. Otherwise, we may have been up by 7 at the end of the game before Meager threw his back-to-back picks. Oh, and one more thing...the kick-off field position really hurt us tonight too. SMU's kicker put the ball in the end zone several times and Spencer never even got it within SMU's 5-yard line, which allowed SMU to regularly return the ball to the 30-40. Obviously, we didn't notice this last week too much because we only kicked off three times all game.

Yep, that's Justin's little bro and future QB of SLC. Anothter stat of note is Chris Brainard with 4 receptions for 113 yards and 2 TDs. He's considering UNT, Utah, SMU, TCU and Boise St.

I bought 7 and had someone cancel on me as well so I have one extra...it's end zone GA, face value $12.

I assume you aim to accomplish that feat by beating SMU??? Sorry, but it's going to take more than beating little ole SMU to change the entire nation's opinion, or even to help them forget that drubbing we took last week.

Well, I might agree with you on that one...but I wouldn't be a very good Mean Green fan if I didn't predict a UNT victory this weekend. Both teams looked horrific last weekend, getting outscored by a combined total of 138 - 19...so anything is possible tomorrow night.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I think the Belt looks great this year. I'm actually really concerned about SB conference play for the first time ever. ASU and MTSU both played teams on the same level as OU and both teams had excellent showings. MTSU got hammered by FAU the week before and La-La had a good showing against a strong (IMO) South Carolina team. In fact, only FIU and us had really embarrassing losses. I'm thinking we'll see some SBC victories this weekend: FAU over Okie State (I imagine former OU coach Schnelly is looking forward to having a big game at OSU) ASU over Memphis La-La over Ohio UNT over SMU!!!! I'm also interested in watching La-Monroe play Clemson and Troy @ Florida, although this one could get ugly.

I won't go into the way Craig Miller pronounced North Texas in a demeaning manner or how he said that Phil Bennett would and should get fired if he loses to North Texas two years in a row. What I really want to post is what Georgie mentioned. He said that there are ongoing discussions to renew a multi-year agreement to continue the SMU-UNT series! I think that is exciting news and I hope the contract gets finalized. I was under the impression that the SMU administration was not considering renewing the series and that tomorrow's game might be our last meeting for several years.