MeanGreen61

Movie Gallery declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy By Misty Bell and Matt Clower, The Messenger -> http://www.troymessenger.com/article...ws/newss01.txt Movie Gallery Inc. of Dothan filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy just after midnight Tuesday, raising questions about the future financing of Troy University's Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium. “Basically, at this point in time, Movie Gallery's business is moving forward just like any other business would be in this situation,” said Troy University Athletics Director Stephen Dennis. “They haven't closed shop, and our relationship with them is very positive. Nothing's changed so to speak. Today, nothing's changed in our relationship with them. “This has not affected me at this point in time, and I don't foresee it affecting me.” Movie Gallery is providing Troy University $250,000 per year under a 20-year, $5 million agreement to sponsor the stadium. The partnership is in its fifth year, and University Relations Director Tom Davis said Movie Gallery is up to date on its payments under the current terms of the obligation. He said it is too soon to predict how Movie Gallery's bankruptcy will affect the partnership with the university. “Movie Gallery has been an outstanding partner for the university, and we've enjoyed our relationship and look forward to continuing that relationship,” Davis said. “Right now, the announcement has just been made, and there is a lot that has to be done. It would be premature to speculate about what is going to come out of all of this.” Davis said the university will be in communication with Movie Gallery throughout its financial reorganization. “Our administration will be in contact with officials at Movie Gallery all through this process,” Davis said. Currently, Movie Gallery has entered into a process of reorganizing, restructuring and negotiating with lenders and motion picture studios. “Filing for Chapter 11 allows us to operate our business without interruption while continuing to implement a debt restructuring in a controlled, Court-supervised environment,” said Joe Malugen, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Movie Gallery, in a press release. “The support we are receiving from our creditors as we enter this process is a testament to their confidence in Movie Gallery's ability to emerge from bankruptcy as a stronger, more competitive company.” Andrew Siegel, a spokesman for Movie Gallery, said he was uncertain how the company would proceed in its connection to Troy University. “I'm not really sure there's much we can say at this point,” Siegel said. “Unfortunately there's not much I can tell you to clarify that today. There's no way I can speculate on what may happen down the road. That has not yet been determined.” For now, life will go on as normal in Troy as the Trojans prepare for their homecoming match against North Texas. “The bottom line: Today's another day, and we're moving forward,” Dennis said. “Nothing's changed.”

In our losses to Troy, games have always been close. Closest to a blowout in the series is our 21-0 win in '03. Troy wins 18-16 ('01) 13-10 ('05) 14-6 ('06)

Victory at Last NT 31 - Monroe 21 Richard White Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: NEWS On Saturday night an emerald beacon shined brightly from the clock tower, representing the football team's first victory of the season. NT (1-5, 1-2) defeated the University of Louisiana at Monroe (1-5, 1-2) 31-21 at Fouts Field. A school record 99-yard touchdown pass and two NT defensive touchdowns off interceptions highlighted head coach Todd Dodge's first career college victory. "The look on those players' faces when we got into the locker room, that's what I'll remember most," Dodge said. "Going into this game, I didn't have one feeling at all through the first five weeks that the wheels were coming off in any way, or that attitudes were heading south." The NT offense didn't score until halfway through the second quarter. Freshman quarterback Giovanni Vizza (16-of-30 for 202 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception) praised the NT defense for picking up the slack and containing the Warhawks offense while the NT offense battled through its initial troubles. "We weren't clicking at times and the defense came out and definitely helped us out tremendously," Vizza said. "They took the pressure off of us a lot of times. It was a great relief to know they had my back tonight." Early in the second quarter, senior defensive end Montey Stevenson intercepted a tipped pass from ULM quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, putting NT up 7-0. For the first time all season, the NT defense recorded a scoreless first half as the Mean Green led 21-0 going into the third quarter. "I wanted to win for this man so bad," Stevenson said of Dodge. "He's done so much for this university and this team. He's so passionate about his job and we see it every day in practice." Dodge deferred all credit for the victory to the much-improved defense, which had given up no fewer than 30 points in every game heading into Saturday's conference matchup. "They proved to themselves tonight who they really are," Dodge said. After ULM punted the ball out of bounds at the 1-yard line, NT made college football history on the first play of its offensive series. Vizza connected with junior wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald for a 99-yard touchdown pass, the longest in school history and only the 16th time such a feat has occurred in NCAA history. He also led the team with 118 receiving yards, followed by junior wide receiver Brock Stickler with 68 yards. "It was amazing," Fitzgerald said. "I knew he [the nearest defender] was going to break on it hard, so I was just trying to make him miss and I knew I had open field after that." NT intercepted ULM again late in the second quarter. Junior defensive back Dominique Green intercepted a tipped pass for a 75-yard touchdown. NT's offense helped pile on the points as freshman running back Micah Mosley's one-yard touchdown run with 3:35 remaining in the game put NT up 31-7. Mosley led the team in rushing with 73 yards, followed by Vizza who had 66 yards. The Warhawks made matters difficult for the Mean Green as they scored 14 points in 49 seconds, cutting into NT's lead, 31-21 with 34 seconds left to play. A failed ULM two-point conversion followed by a botched onside kick ended the Warhawks late rally. Watching NT's lead decrease substantially in the final two minutes proved nerve-wracking for Dodge. "I can't lie. When you struggle and need a win and as a team you probably deserve a win, you're old heart starts thumping a little bit when that happens," Dodge said. NT's major defensive victory was stopping Sun Belt Conference leading rusher Calvin Dawson, who entered Saturday averaging 134 rushing yards per game. NT held him to 65 rushing yards

Defense strengthens, creates three turnovers in first win of season Opponent scoreless in first half Shawn Edwards Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: SPORTS Media Credit: Chase Martinez Running back Micah Mosley (32), Nederland freshman, runs through the Louisiana-Monroe defense late in the fourth quarter of a 31-21 North Texas win Saturday night at Fout's Field. After poor performances during the first five games of the season, the NT defense helped give the Mean Green (1-5, 1-2) its first win of the season over the University of Louisiana-Monroe, 31-21. "I'm just so proud of the way our defense played," said head coach Todd Dodge. "I felt all along that before this journey was over with, our defense was really going to be strong. We've taken some shots, but they are doing a lot better job and they definitely won the ball game for us tonight." The defense was able to grab three interceptions of the night after having just one the first five games of the season. Two of the three picks against ULM were run back for touchdowns as the Mean Green turned the three turnovers into 17 points. The interception returned for a score by senior defensive end Montey Stevenson in the second quarter was his first interception and defensive touchdown of his career. This was the first interception returned for a touchdown since senior linebacker Maurice Holman's 99-yard return against Middle Tennessee in 2005. "We had a bunch of three-and-outs, bunch of punts, it was going back and forth there for awhile," Stevenson said. "I think once I got that touchdown it kinda swung the momentum our way and we got things going." Stevenson also recorded 10 tackles, two for a loss, with 1.5 sacks against the Warhawks. His performance earned him the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors. Sun Belt leading rusher Calvin Dawson was held to his worst game of the season by the Mean Green defense. Dawson rushed for only 65 yards on 18 carries and no scores. This was the first time in the last 10 games that he did not have at least 100 yards on the ground. The 10-game streak by Dawson was the 15th longest in NCAA history. The Warhawk's rushing attack, which averaged 224 yards a game before facing the Mean Green defense, picked up just 130 yards Saturday night. Junior defensive tackle Joseph Miller said after the game that Dodge challenged the defense during practice to step up. "We just wanted to go out and play hard," Miller said. "We went out there and played our hearts out and caused some turnovers by flying to the ball. It just all came together tonight." Miller had five tackles, 2.5 for a loss, with 1.5 sacks against the Warhawks. The ability of the Mean Green defense to get to the quarterback also improved against the Warhawks. With four sacks in the first five games, NT doubled its total by recording four sacks against ULM. This game was also the first time that the Mean Green had kept its opponent scoreless in the first half of a game this season. The last time that happened was in the seven-overtime victory over Florida International University last season. The Mean Green will play the defending conference champion University of Troy Trojans (4-2, 3-0), who are undefeated in conference play thus far. "It was a big step that we took," Miller said. "Hopefully it will carry us on through the rest of the season."

Blakeney believes defense will prove to be the deciding factor Saturday when Troy hosts North Texas. But he also knows it won’t win the game. “Everybody’s going to expect this to be an offensive game, and it probably is,” Blakeney said. “But the defense will determine it and the kicking game will determine a lot about field position.” The Trojans (4-2, 3-0 Sun Belt), winners of four straight, are second in the Sun Belt in total offense at 454.2 yards per game — right behind Arkansas State (456 ypg). North Texas, at 425.8 ypg, is third, but leads the conference in passing at 318 ypg, highlighted by a 601-yard effort in a 45-31 loss to SMU earlier this year. Troy is second at 277.5 ypg. “The offense will be the marquee matchup,” Blakeney said. “There will be points scored in other areas, and there will be points set up in other areas.” North Texas (1-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) got its first win last week, a 31-21 win over UL-Monroe. It was the first win of head coach Todd Dodge’s tenure. Starting with this week’s 2:30 p.m. game, its tough from here on out for the Trojans. Georgia looms on the non-conference schedule, as well as improved conference foes Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State, a team that has beaten Troy the last three years. “Everyone on our schedule that’s left can beat Troy,” Blakeney said. “We better full well realize that, we better full well coach our butt off and we better full well play our butt off.” Would you kick to Leodis?: Blakeney was asked if he would punt to his star returner Leodis McKelvin, who leads the country in that category at 25.6 yards per return. The senior also has two touchdowns. “People are doing a lot of thinking when it comes to kicking to Leo,” Blakeney said. “If we do a good job with the other 10 guys on the field, he’s going to carry us. “The dumbest thing you can do is hit somebody in the back (for a penalty). Don’t foul it up, just get in somebody’s way and let Leo do the rest. Once he sees a crease, he gets to it real fast.” National recognition: Troy got one vote in this week’s Associated Press poll, which came from Adam Van Brimmer, who covers Georgia Tech for the Morris newspapers in Georgia. Van Brimmer said in an e-mail that he was impressed with Troy’s win over Oklahoma State earlier this year and its four-game win streak, and he picked Troy over Georgia, Texas and Florida State. “I’d rather go with a two-loss mid-major on a roll than a two-loss major conference team that looks good one week, bad the next and hasn’t beaten anybody,” Van Brimmer said. Blakeney has a vote in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, said he didn’t vote for his team. Troy didn’t have any votes in that poll. “Any time you get a mention nationally, it’s a boost or plus,” Blakeney said. Off week: Believe it or not, most college football players don’t spend their off weekends watching other college football games. Wide receiver Josh Allen didn’t either, as he went to Jacksonville, Fla., to visit family. “I tried not to, but I watched some of the Vanderbilt and Georgia game,” Allen said. I like to get my mind off it. I don’t want it to feel like I’m still at work.” Maybe he was doing some advance scouting. Troy plays at Georgia on Nov. 3.

Troy 42 North Texas 22 Other Sun Belt forecasted scores MIddle Tennessee 28 Arkansas State 22 FAU 29 UL-lafayette 22 UL-Monroe 32 FIU 15 Western Kentucky 35 Indiana State 10 HARMON FORECAST http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/8820391

Colleges: Stevenson sparked good day by UNT defense Defensive lineman named Sun Belt Player of the Week 11:29 PM CDT on Monday, October 15, 2007 By Brett Vito/Staff Writer Of all the players in North Texas' starting lineup, Montey Stevenson seemed among the least likely to score the touchdown that might help turn around the Mean Green's season. The senior defensive tackle has spent most of the season clogging up the middle of UNT's line and trying to stuff opponents’ running games. Stevenson did that and a whole lot more while helping the Mean Green's defensive line come up with by far its most impressive performance of the season in a 31-21 upset of Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. Stevenson finished with a team-high 10 tackles, including two for losses, and returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown. He was named the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Warhawks. "We are so proud of him," UNT head coach Todd Dodge said Monday during the Sun Belt's weekly coaches teleconference. "He is very deserving. Our defense played with tremendous energy and passion. … The way they played was what I expect of them. Sometimes you start a season off and it isn’t what you want, but if you stay together, it can turn around." Stevenson played a key role in helping the Mean Green post its first win of the season with his big play in the second quarter. UNT had punted on its first four possessions before freshman quarterback Giovanni Vizza threw an interception. Stevenson intercepted a tipped pass on the next play and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. UNT never trailed during the rest of a historic night for the Mean Green and Dodge, who picked up his first win as a college head coach after a rough 0-5 start. "It feels really good to get the win," Stevenson said. "We had some bad things happen to us. This will help us have a successful season." The performance of UNT's defensive front will be a key to reaching that goal. The Mean Green came into the night allowing 255 rushing yards a game and could have been in for a long night against ULM and Calvin Dawson, who was leading the Sun Belt with an average of 134 rushing yards a game. Stevenson played a part in limiting Dawson to 65 yards. The Mean Green had struggled with giving up big plays in the running game, but didn't allow a run of more than 16 yards against ULM. Stevenson credited the Mean Green's performance up front to the team's defensive line meeting before the game. "We know it starts up front," Stevenson said. "We had to do more for this team." Stevenson finished with two of the Mean Green's 12 tackles for loss against the Warhawks. UNT had posted just 18 tackles for loss in its first five games of the season. Dodge credited the Mean Green's improvement in part to its defensive linemen, who helped UNT turn the tide after struggling in a series of losses earlier in the season. UNT missed 12 tackles in a loss to SMU in its second game of the year. "Our tackles are playing very well. Joseph Miller was our most productive player two weeks ago," Dodge said of one of UNT's other interior defensive lineman. "We only missed two tackles the whole game. … We played better and the energy was better." Dodge: Vizza bringing renewed energy The addition of freshman quarterback Giovanni Vizza to UNT's starting lineup has made a big difference for the Mean Green not only because of his production, but also in the intangibles he brings to the field, Dodge said Monday. "We would all be naive to say that there hasn't been some renewed energy with Giovanni in the lineup," Dodge said. "When we made the change, it wasn't because of what [Daniel] Meager hasn't done, it's an indication of what Giovanni brings in terms of his running ability and the spark he brings." Vizza threw for 202 yards, rushed for 66 and threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald while leading the Mean Green to its first win of the season against the Warhawks. Meager threw for a school-record 601 yards against SMU in UNT's second game of the season, but didn't lead the Mean Green to a win in four starts. UNT to face team with a vote in AP poll UNT already knew a game at Troy on Saturday will be one of its biggest challenges in Sun Belt play, but in case it didn't, the release of the Associated Press Top 25 poll this week provided a reminder. Troy (4-2, 3-0) received one vote in the poll. "One of our grad assistants called and said we got a vote," said Troy head coach Larry Blakeney. "That's always good. It is what it is. Someone put us in there. We will take any kind of recognition we can get." Troy tied for the Sun Belt title last season and blasted Rice 41-17 in the New Orleans Bowl. The Trojans lost their first two games this season to Florida and Arkansas, but have been on a roll since. Troy has won four straight, a streak it started with a 41-23 win over Oklahoma State. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

Sun Belt Game of the Week North Texas 31 ...UL Monroe 21 North Texas got two defensive touchdowns and a 99-yard touchdown catch from Casey Fitzgerald on the way to a stunningly easy win. Defensive tackle Montey Stevenson took an interception 20 yards for a score, Fitzgerald came up with his big play, and Dominique Green took an interception 75 yards for a touchdown as part of a 21-0 second quarter. The Mean Green was up 31-7 on a one-yard Micah Mosley run, while the D only allowed a 46-yard Zeek Zacharie touchdown catch before the final 1:23. North Texas … Defense? For the first time all year, the Mean Green defense showed up, coming up with big plays early, and holding UL Monroe to 130 rushing yards with three pickoffs. The offense didn't get its normal passing numbers, even with a 99-yard touchdown, but it didn't need it. The running game and the defense were enough to win with this week. Eventually it'll all come together, and the passing game will blow up and the defense will be a rock, but for now, just getting wins any way possible is important. SUN BELT CONFERENCE ROUNDUP http://cfn.scout.com/2/687620.html

Why can't some people just accept that this was a great call that went 99 yards for a TD. On any scoring play, especially a long one, someone on the defense has to make some kind of mistake ie: miss a tackle, be out of position, etc. That in no way diminishes the accomplishment.

Congrats. North Texas moves up to #9 ranking in Central Region. 1 Texas A&M 2 Texas 3 Tennessee 4 Missouri 5 Oklahoma State 6 LSU 7 Colorado 8 Memphis 9 North Texas 10 St. Louis 11 UTEP 12 Colorado College 13 Denver 14 Mississippi 15 Rice Receiving votes: New Mexico , Oklahoma SOCCERBUZZ RANKINGS http://www.soccerbuzz.com/2007rankings/ran...007.htm#central

North Texas' Stevenson Earns Conference Honors Courtesy: University of North Texas Release: 10/15/2007 DENTON, Texas (10/15/07) - Following his 10 tackles and interception return for a touchdown, North Texas’ Montey Stevenson has been named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week Stevenson, a senior from Alvarado, Texas, had a career-high in tackles and sacks to lead all defenders in North Texas’ 31-21 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Stevenson also recorded his first career interception and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown to give North Texas a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. It was the first interception return for a touchdown by a North Texas player since the first game of the 2005 season. Stevenson led the charge against the Louisiana-Monroe rushing attack that came into the game averaging 224 yards, holding the Warhawks to just 130 on the ground. Stevenson was also a big part of holding all-conference running back Calvin Dawson to just 65 yards, which broke the nation’s longest consecutive 100-yard rushing games at 10. Both of Stevenson’s tackles for loss came against Dawson.

INSIDE SLANT The league's worst defense made a point against Louisiana-Monroe, enabling the Mean Green (1-5, 1-2) to upset the Warhawks 31-21 Oct. 13. North Texas turned three turnovers into 17 points, including returning two interceptions for touchdowns. "Our defense stepped up against a quality Sun Belt offense," first-year UNT coach Todd Dodge told the Denton Record-Chronicle. "I am so proud of the way our defense played. I felt all along that before this journey is over that our defense is going to be strong. We took some shots, but we are doing a much better job." Meanwhile, freshman quarterback Giovanni Vizza threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to the league's leading receiver, Casey Fitzgerald, as UNT ended a five-game losing streak. UNT has made a lot of strides in Sun Belt play, only to come up short in losses to Florida Atlantic and Louisiana-Lafayette. However, the Mean Green played their best game of the season against the Warhawks. The Mean Green play Oct. 20 at defending league champion Troy, which is unbeaten in the Sun Belt. NOTES, QUOTES —Freshman QB Giovanni Vizza made his second straight start and threw for 202 yards and a touchdown in a 31-21 win over UL-Monroe. —Defensive lineman Monty Stevenson and defensive back Dominque Green had interception returns for touchdowns against UL-Monroe. GAME BALL GOES TO: Casey Fitzgerald — The junior had six catches for 118 yards and a touchdown — a 99-yarder — in a 31-21 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. KEEP AN EYE ON: QB Giovanni Vizza — In his second start, the true freshman threw for 202 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 66 yards against UL-Monroe. QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is exciting. We've been working hard for and finally got a win. ... It's a big weight off our shoulders." — UNT junior wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald told the Denton Record-Chronicle after the Mean Green's 31-21 victory over UL-Monroe. STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL LOOKING GOOD: WR Casey Fitzgerald — The former walk-on leads UNT with 58 receptions for 845 yards and six touchdowns. QB Giovanni Vizza — The true freshman played a solid game against UL-Monroe in his second career start. He threw for 202 yards and rushed for 66. More importantly, he didn't throw any interceptions. WR Brandon Jackson — The senior has 44 receptions for 529 yards this season. STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: Although North Texas played its best defensive game of the season, the group still ranks last in the league and must continue to improve. UNT's offensive line allowed four sacks against UL-Monroe. The run blocking also needs to improve. ROSTER REPORT: Senior OL Josh Alexander (knee) is out for the season. Backup LB Bryant Seidle (shoulder) is likely out for the season. Senior DB Roy Loren quit the team before the season began.

Attendance info is from the NCAA site.

Sun Belt attendance numbers This week's games 18,973 @ North Texas v ULM 18,242 @ Arkansas State v ULL Year-to-date (* = number of home games) 21,188 Troy (**) 21,160 Arkansas State (***) 20,306 Middle Tennessee (***) 19,892 ULL (****) 19,726 North Texas (**) 17,532 WKU (**) 17,055 ULM (**) 14,421 FAU (***) 8,962 FIU (**)

I don't recall the Nobel Peace Prize being any type of determining factor in who would be/ who was a good president.

UL Monroe (1-4) at North Texas (0-5) 7:00 EST GamePlan Why to watch: North Texas might not be very good, but it sure is entertaining. The Todd Dodge, Mean Green offense is averaging 341 passing yards per game, but the defense is giving up yards and points just as fast on an ugly seven-game losing streak. UL Monroe lost its first four games before shocking Arkansas State 30-13 to get into the Sun Belt race. With a home game against Florida International ahead next week, the Warhawks can be 3-1 in Sun Belt play going into the road trip against Florida Atlantic. Why UL Monroe might win: The North Texas defense isn't' doing anything right. Yeah, Oklahoma and Arkansas fattened up the statistics, but lightweights like SMU, Florida Atlantic and UL Lafayette have had a great time, too. The Mean Green is dead last in the nation allowing 547 yards and 51.6 points per game. There's no pressure coming from the defensive front, no big plays from the secondary, no takeaways. Nothing. It's ULM's turn at back. Why North Texas might win: Beating North Texas requires an offense with a pulse, and while ULM can run, it's not a strong attack. More importantly, stopping the pass is a plus, and ULM has one of the nation's worst pass defenses despite playing few teams that bomb away. The Warhawks have dealt with efficient passers, but not any bombers. This week, they'll have to handle getting thrown on, and thrown on, and thrown on some more. Who to watch: UNT's Giovanni Vizza isn't big, but he's extremely fast, mobile, and has a strong arm. With things going south, the coaching staff turned to Vizza to get him some work and some seasoning, and he threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns on 57 attempts, but he also threw three interceptions. He'll make a ton of mistakes and should throw a bunch of picks, but he'll also add positive yards running the ball. What will happen: North Texas will throw for over 400 yards, UL Monroe will run for over 300 yards, and the team that gives away the most turnovers will lose. That'll be North Texas. CFN Prediction: UL Monroe 48 ... North Texas 43 ... Line: UL Monroe -7 SUN BELT PREDICTIONS http://cfn.scout.com/2/651733.html

Men's Basketball Hits The Court For First Practice Friday Courtesy: University of North Texas Release: 10/11/2007 DENTON, Texas (10/10/07) – With the season opener just a month away, the defending Sun Belt Champion Mean Green men’s basketball team returns to work on Friday with the opening night of practice. Three of the starters that helped cut down the nets in Lafayette, La. will return to the court, combined with a talented incoming class that will have the Mean Green back in contention for another trip to the NCAA Tournament. North Texas’ backcourt is in the capable hands of Ben Bell. The senior was selected to the Sun Belt’s All-Tournament Team after posting three straight double-digit scoring games in the Sun Belt Tournament. He led the team with 105 assists, making him only the second North Texas player in the last seven years to reach the century mark. Bell averaged 10.8 ppg, and shot 50 percent from the floor (19-38) and beyond the arc (5-10) in NT’s five postseason games. Opponents will think twice before entering the lane this year with the duo of Quincy Williams and Keith Wooden. Williams is one of only three returning players in the league to average at least 10 points and seven rebounds per game last year, and was the only player to rack up at least 35 blocks and 50 assists. The senior is the principal rebounder on the Sun Belt’s best rebounding team, and was a monster in the weight room this offseason. Williams leads all conference returners with 2.94 offensive rebounds per game and ranks second in field goal percentage with a 57.6 percent clip. Wooden boasted the top field goal percentage (52.5) among all newcomers in the Sun Belt last year, and his 31 blocks tied for the 10th most in school history. He finished eighth in the SBC in blocks per game (0.94), and ranked 16th in the conference and second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per game. Despite playing the season’s last 11 games with a protective mask over his broken nose, Wooden’s averages actually went up. He had 16 double-digit scoring games, including five straight during conference play, and tied for the game-high with 16 points against Memphis in the NCAA Tournament. Top to bottom, the 2007-08 North Texas recruiting class has the talent to keep the Mean Green at the top of the Sun Belt Conference. Ranked among the top third of the country by HoopScoopOnline.com, this North Texas class is highlighted by a four-pack of gifted guards and a couple of powerful paint players. Guard Adam McCoy earned NJCAA Region-I Second Team honors for Mesa Community College (Ariz.) last year. He not only owned the nation’s 14th best 3-point field goal percentage at 48.7 percent, but was the Thunderbird’s prime scoring threat, with a team-high 18.4 points per game. Tristan Thompson, ranked as the 18th best player in the state out of Angleton High School according to HoopScoopOnline.com, spent last season leading Brewster Academy prep school (N.H.) to a No. 5 national ranking and a trip to the NEPSAC title game. A three-time Louisiana All-State selection at point guard for Christian Life Academy, Josh White joins the Mean Green with an impressive prep resume. Named the 10th-best player in the state of Louisiana by Rivals.com, White led Christian Life Academy to back-to-back 1A state titles while earning the state’s Most Outstanding Player award given by the Louisiana Sportswriters Association. One the Dallas area’s most celebrated players as a senior at Kimball High School, George Odufuwa joins Wooden as Arizona State transfers on the Mean Green roster. Odufuwa shot 50.0 percent from the floor in 13 appearances for the Sun Devils last season, averaging 4.8 minutes per game against some of the country’s top competition. Dez Willingham started 42 games over the last two seasons at SMU, leading the Mustangs in assists/turnover ratio (1.59 a/to) and free throw percentage (82.9 percent) in 2006-07. As a prep star, Willingham was a consensus top-100 player in the nation at DeSoto High School, rated as high as No. 18 by the PrepStars Recruiters Handbook. Another Louisiana All-State selection, Kedrick Hogans was a Louisiana Sports Writers Association First-Team All-State selection after leading Karr High School in New Orleans to the 3A state title. The Mean Green will face a stout schedule in 2007-08 that features NCAA Tournament No. 4 seed Texas, and home matchups with NIT participants Oklahoma State and South Alabama. Overall, North Texas will take on four teams that finished with at least 20 wins – including three inside the RPI Top-100 – and will play host to a school-record 16 regular season home games at The Super Pit. North Texas plays an exhibition match against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m., and will raise the banners from the historic 2007 season prior to the home opener against Cameron on Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

NT defense struggles Mean Green still one of two winless teams in Sun Belt Shawn Edwards Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: SPORTS After five games, NT (0-5, 0-2) remains winless. The offense has begun to find its rhythm under Todd Dodge's new offensive system, but the defense has continued to struggle. So far this season, the defense is surrendering 547 yards of total offense per game and has allowed each opponent to score 30 or more points. "We have to improve on giving up the big plays, and we've got to improve on forcing turnovers," Dodge said. "That is something that we are really focusing in on this week." With last week's loss to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (1-5, 1-1), NT is one of only two teams in the Sun Belt Conference without a win. Stopping the run has been a major problem for the defense this season as it has given up more than 160 yards on the ground per game. The team will not have a break this week as the University of Louisiana-Monroe (1-4, 1-1), led by leading rusher in the conference Calvin Dawson, comes to Denton this Saturday. Dawson averages 134 rushing yards per game. Senior linebacker Maurice Holman said that everybody on the defense will have to execute the assignment given to each of them against Dawson. "That's the only thing we aren't doing," Holman said. "We are in position and we are doing everything we have to do to get there. We just have to make the play." NT has moved from the 3-4 defensive scheme it used last season to 4-3 this year. Senior defensive back Aaron Weathers said he does not feel there need to be any drastic changes to the defensive scheme at this point in the season for the defense to improve. "We just need to listen to our coaches in practice, focus on our job and watch a lot of film," Weathers said. "I just need to be a leader, communicate with my team and try to go out there and make plays." Big plays have hurt the defense all year, with opponents totaling 21 scoring drives that have taken less than two minutes. Dodge said that the defense will have to eventually stop those big plays from happening. The defense was able to make a few improvements in the loss to ULL. For the first time all season, the defense held its opponent without a first down on its first two possessions. The defense recorded only two sacks the previous four games but recorded two, the most in a game this year, against the Ragin' Cajuns. Dodge said the defense has progressed and was able to meet some of the goals set for the game against ULL. "One of the huge deals that we want to achieve on defense is to get three-and-outs," Dodge said. "During the course of a ball game we want to force five three-and-outs. We forced five against Louisiana-Lafayette. .... The one thing that I have to do as a football coach with our defense and our defensive coaching staff is to make sure that I point out that we are making progress." Weathers said he feels some pressure to step up defensively and help out the offense. "We've got to play a lot better than we have been," Weathers said. "The offense is scoring points and we have to do our job so that we can get a win." Although the defense ranks at the bottom of the nation in points and yards allowed per game, Dodge said it cannot look back but has to focus on improving everyday. "We've got more games left than we have already played," Dodge said. "We have a great opportunity to improve and we expect to go win every game we play."

Football: Mean Green hopeful after slow start 09:25 AM CDT on Thursday, October 11, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Before North Texas began its season, head coach Todd Dodge laid out some lofty goals for his first campaign with the Mean Green, including competing for the Sun Belt Conference title. That goal appears to be out of reach after UNT dropped its fifth consecutive game to open the season and its second straight in league play last week against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Mean Green was forced to re-evaluate its prospects for the rest of the season this week heading into a home game against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday and came to one conclusion: UNT still feels like it has a lot to play for the remainder of the year. "We have seven games left, more than we have played and have a great opportunity to improve," Dodge said. "We still expect to win every game that we play. As the head football coach of this team, we know that we are 0-5 and 0-2 in conference, but we have to make sure that we slow it down and make sure our players see the improvement we are making." The situation is one a few of the Mean Green's veteran players have faced before. UNT lost its first four games of the 2004 season before coming back to win the Sun Belt title and play in the New Orleans Bowl. Several of the Mean Green's veterans were members of that team. UNT also started with five straight losses to start the 2001 season before coming back to tie for the Sun Belt title and advance to the New Orleans Bowl. The key difference in those situations and what the Mean Green now faces is UNT only lost one Sun Belt game in its season-opening slide in 2001 and managed to turn the corner before beginning conference play in 2004. Two losses put the Mean Green in a deep hole. Only once in the six-year history of the Sun Belt has a two-loss team won a share of the title. "We don't think about or talk about it a lot, but it is in the back of a lot of guys' minds," UNT defensive lineman Montey Kennerson-Stevenson said of the Mean Green's previous rallies from slow starts. UNT's chances of winning a title this season are all but gone, but Dodge pointed to several other goals the Mean Green could reach, including pulling off an upset in one of its remaining games. Dodge cited some of the shockers that have happened in college football already this season. Appalachian State beat Michigan, while Stanford knocked off USC. UNT doesn't have one of the college football world's giants left on its schedule, but it will face Sun Belt frontrunner Troy and Navy in a nonconference game. "We don't want to miss out on an opportunity to have one of those weekends where we upset someone and have people say that they never saw it coming," Dodge said. UNT will have plenty of opportunities to reach that goal. Dodge pointed out that the Mean Green has four home games coming up after playing four of its first five on the road. UNT plans to pull out all the stops to try and break through. "People have asked if there will be wholesale changes to younger players," Dodge said. "There won't be. I told my senior class that I think we are going to do special things at North Texas and I don't want to wait until they are gone." Montgomery making progress Running back Cam Montgomery has made an impression on Dodge the last few weeks and is seeing additional playing time in practice. "Cam is getting a lot more confidence and is more healthy," Dodge said. "Because he has gotten more reps in practice over the last three weeks, he is more confident. He is starting to free-flow in practice. You can see that burst again." Montgomery, a junior transfer from Northeast Mississippi Community College, was one of the Mean Green's top recruits in Dodge's first signing class, but has just three carries for 7 yards on the season. Montgomery has received extra time in practice partly because of a series of injuries to starter Jamario Thomas. Montgomery is still listed third on the Mean Green's depth chart. UNT battling a flu bug Defensive lineman Jonathan Stewart, defensive end Blake Burruss and offensive lineman Ajani Banks missed practice on Wednesday because of the flu. Several UNT players have been sick over the last few days, including offensive lineman Matt Menard and wide receiver Brock Stickler. "We traded about four for four," Dodge said. "Fortunately it is all the same symptoms and is a 24-hour deal. We will be all right. I think it will cycle through before the weekend." UNT's slow start Slow starts are nothing new for North Texas. The following is a look back: Season 5-game start finish 2006 1-4 3-9 2005 2-3 2-9 2004 1-4 7-5 2003 2-3 9-4 2002 1-4 8-5 2001 0-5 5-7

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Scout.com had Penson ranked as the #40 MLB in the NATION coming out of high school last season.

Scout.com had Penson as the #40 MLB in the NATION coming out of high school last year.

The Sports Network DATE & TIME: Saturday, October 13th, 7:00 p.m. (et) FACTS & STATS: Site: Fouts Field (30,500) -- Denton, Texas. Television: None. Home Record: ULM 1-1, UNT 0-1. Away Record: ULM 0-3, UNT 0-4. Neutral Record: ULM 0-0, UNT 0-0. Conference Record: ULM 1-1, UNT 0-2. Series Record: UL-Monroe leads, 12-11. GAME NOTES: Still in search of their first victory of the season the Mean Green of North Texas will host the UL-Monroe Warhawks this Saturday at Fouts Field in a Sun Belt Conference tilt. The Warhawks finally found the win column this past weekend, as ULM collected a solid, 30-13 victory over Arkansas State. It was the first win of the 2007 campaign for the Warhawks, who opened the year with four straight setbacks. Fortunately for ULM, the team will have the luxury of hosting three of its next four games. As for the Mean Green, they have lost seven consecutive games dating back to last season. Five of those losses have come during this season, and the most recent setback was a 38-29 loss to UL-Lafayette. The Mean Green have not had much success at home, posting a terrible 2-9 ledger at Fouts Field since the beginning of the 2005-06 season. It does not get any easier for the Mean Green, as they will have to square off against the Troy Trojans next week. Last season the Warhawks posted a convincing, 23-3 victory over North Texas, and now have a slim, 12-11 edge over the Mean Green in the all-time series. The Warhawks pounded Arkansas State this past weekend, rushing for a whopping 235 yards on 52 carries. Overall for ULM the team finished with 430 yards and that led to the 17-point win. The success on the ground is not surprising, considering the Warhawks are currently producing an outstanding, 224.4 ypg via the run. Calvin Dawson has clearly been the top threat out of the backfield for ULM, as the tailback is leading the way with 670 yards and three scores on 5.7 ypc. In the win over ASU, the Warhawks were once again led by Dawson, who churned out 114 yards and one score on 26 totes. The passing attack also put forth a nice effort in the win, as Kinsmon Lancaster threw for 195 yards and two scores. Unfortunately Lancaster has dealt with consistency issues this year, as the signal caller has thrown for just 630 yards and has just five touchdowns in five games. Lancaster has completed just 54.2 percent of his passes and has also tossed three interceptions. Where the Warhawks have struggled this season is on the defensive end of the field, as the unit is being abused by the run and also from the pass. ULM heads into this matchup surrendering 196.2 ypg on the ground, while also being torched for 271.4 ypg via the pass. All that yardage has led to a whopping 35 points per contest allowed. In the recent win over the Indians, the Warhawks put forth easily their best defensive performance, holding ASu to just 376 total yards, including just 206 yards through the air. The squad forced three turnovers in the win, and are now a plus two in turnover ratio heading into this weekend's game. ULM also held the Indians to just 2-of-13 on third down attempts and just 16 first downs. James Truxillo is currently leading the team with 41 tackles on the season and in the win over ASU the safety grabbed six stops and one TFL. Offensively the Mean Green are a one-trick pony, as the team lives by its passing attack. North Texas heads into this game averaging a whopping 341.2 ypg through the air. The overwhelming success with the passing attack has left a lot to be desired by the ground game, which is pounding out just 95.2 ypg. The offensive trend for UNT continued this past weekend, as the Mean Green threw for 383 yards. The quarterback behind that yardage was Giovanni Vizza, as he finished the contest 35-of-57 with three touchdowns. Unfortunately the signal caller also threw three interceptions and was sacked twice. This was clearly Vizza's best performance of the season, as the QB has completed just 50 percent of his passes thus far, and has just four touchdowns against six interceptions on the season. Daniel Meager has been far more productive and in four games has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,081 yards and four scores. Regardless of who is under center, that player will certainly be looking in the direction of Casey Fitzgerald, who has 52 receptions, 727 yards and five touchdowns. This could possibly be the worst defensive unit in the entire nation. The Mean Green are currently last in the nation in total defense (547.0 ypg) and points allowed (51.6 ppg). While the team is being torched for 291.8 ypg through the air, the main problem for UNT has been its run defense, which is being pounded for 255.2 ypg. The struggle against run continued this past weekend as the Mean Green were abused for an eye-popping 300 yards by the Ragin' Cajuns. North Texas allowed ULL to churn out an amazing 8.6 ypg, and also allowed the Cajuns to score three times via the run. The defense forced two turnovers in the contest, but finished with only two sacks. This unit for UNT has had trouble making the big play all year and heads into this matchup with just eight forced turnovers and a meager four sacks. Aaron Weathers and Maurice Holman have been the top two performers for this defense, as the two players have recorded, 35 and 29 tackles, respectively. Considering how poorly the Mean Green have performed against the run and on their home field, expect a strong win for the Warhawks. Dawson and company should have an easy time finding holes and the end zone. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: UL-Monroe 41, North Texas 31

Notebook: Dodge has optimism on defense 11:58 PM CDT on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas head coach Todd Dodge has decided to look at the bright side this week. The Mean Green has lost its first five games of the season and is allowing an average of 547.0 yards and 51.6 points per game, totals that rank last among the NCAA's Bowl Subdivision teams. Dodge dug past those numbers to come up with a few positives from UNT's 38-29 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette last week. He is emphasizing each to his team heading into a game against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, and ran through them Tuesday during his weekly press conference. "It's very important that we accentuate the things that we did well," Dodge said. "It's important going into the game against Monroe that I am able to say some of the same things next week, then we will be able to get some consistency." Dodge believes the Mean Green can improve its performance and its record if it can build on the following positives defensively: -- UNT forced five three-and-outs against ULL to meet its goal for the game. -- UNT forced six punts to exceed its goal of five. -- UNT posted seven tackles for losses, two more than its goal of five. -- UNT held UL-Lafayette to three third-down conversions on 12 tries, surpassing its goal of holding its opponent to less than 50 percent on third-down conversions. "The one thing I have to do for our defense and our defensive coaches is show them that we are making progress," Dodge said. "We have to improve on forcing turnovers and still have to improve on limiting explosive plays. We limited Lafayette to four, but we gave up 190 yards on three plays. You take away those three plays and we hit eight of our 10 goals on defense." Dodge also pointed out that his team reached two special teams goals when it held ULL to an average starting position inside the 30-yard line and recovered a fumble on a punt. UNT has played better offensively and reached some of its goals, including converting all three of its drives in the red zone into points. "Those are the things that we did well and the things that we are going to focus on that show that we are getting better," Dodge said. "What we have to do better is protect the football and force more turnovers and limit big plays on defense." Dodge to give young linebackers more time Dodge said Tuesday that redshirt freshman Craig Robertson and freshman A.J. Penson will see more time at linebacker for the remainder of the season. UNT has struggled throughout the year defensively, and comes into a game against Louisiana-Monroe allowing an average of 255.2 rushing yards a game. The Mean Green hopes that playing both of its young linebackers more will help it improve heading into a game against a ULM team that features Calvin Dawson, who leads the Sun Belt with an average of 134 rushing yards a game. "Penson and Robertson have played a lot and we are going to put them on the field even more," Dodge said. "Those guys are our best players in space." Bailey OK after car accident Sophomore offensive lineman Tyler Bailey will be back in UNT's lineup this week after suffering what Dodge described as concussion from a car accident last week. Bailey was in an accident on Thursday in which his car's airbag deployed. Bailey made the trip to Lafayette, La., but started to feel sick before the game. Backup Chad Rose started in place of Bailey. "We felt he was going to be able to go when we made the trip, but at the hotel he started showing signs of a mild concussion," Dodge said. "We were not going to risk anything with him and made the decision on Saturday morning that he would sit out. He will be fine. … He is a pretty tough kid. He is one you definitely listen to when he says he isn't feeling well."