MeanGreen61

Sun Belt Conference Who's leading the pack? Shawn Edwards Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: SPORTS After tough losses to The University of Oklahoma and Southern Methodist University to start the season, the Mean Green (0-3) look to bounce back as it begins conference play this weekend. Unfortunately for NT, the Sun Belt Conference looks stronger this year than ever before. This league is one that is very up and coming," said NT head coach Todd Dodge. "I think that the Sun Belt has probably surprised a lot of people across the country." At the top of the SBC currently is Florida Atlantic University (2-1) (1-0). The Owls began the season with a conference win over Middle Tennessee State University and finished last weekend by upsetting the University of Minnesota 42-39 in Dolphin Stadium. Quarterback Rusty Smith has passed for 783 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. NT will have its hands full in its first home game against FAU, which it has never beaten. "Florida Atlantic is an outstanding football team," Dodge said. "They have our attention as far as the type of athletes they have. We plan on going out and going after a victory." Another team in the mix to win the SBC is Arkansas State University (1-1). The Indians kept it close in week one against Texas, losing 13-21. ASU also did what NT could not by beating SMU last Saturday 45-28. The Owls will head to Knoxville this weekend, attempting to get a victory on the road against the University of Tennessee. "Our conference is getting better and better every year," said ASU head coach Steve Roberts. "The Sun Belt is definitely getting better, but we are still a very young league." Troy (1-2) was another SBC team that managed to get an upset victory over the weekend. In a 41-23 romping of Oklahoma State at home, Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook had a career day, throwing for 371 yards and completing 33 passes. Also good on his feet, Haugabook has rushed for 91 yards and four touchdowns in three games. Head coach Larry Blakeney said he thinks the conference is really starting to get people's attention. "This is the best weekend [the SBC] has ever had," Blakeney said. "We are now getting to where we are playing each other, so we are gonna be knocking each other off. There should be more respect as we come through if we can continue to win a game here and there against non-conference foes." The rest of the SBC, including NT, is winless thus far this year. Louisiana-Monroe (0-3) head coach Charlie Weatherbie said that his team just needs to get back to the fundamentals if it is going to start winning. "We need to do the little things that make the big things happen," Weatherbie said. "If we can do that, then it will give us an opportunity to compete for the Sun Belt Conference race." With it still being early in the season, Middle Tennessee State (0-3) (0-1), Louisiana-Lafayette (0-3) and Florida International University (0-3) all look to turn things around in a conference that is still up for grabs.

That wasn't the point of the post. Your post indicated that Miami dumped NT. If that were true, we would have no obligation to help them find a replacement or pay the buy out fee.

Sun Belt Game of the Week Florida Atlantic (2-1) at North Texas (0-2) Why to Watch: Is it possible for two teams to crank out 1,000 yards of passing offense? After years of no Sun Belt passing production whatsoever, there are suddenly some high-octane options to make things extremely interesting. When last we saw North Texas, it was losing to SMU, but put up 601 yards and three touchdowns in the process. Last week, Florida Atlantic blew past Minnesota with Rusty Smith throwing for 463 yards and five touchdowns. Having already beaten Middle Tennessee, the Owls can be 2-0 in Sun Belt play and establish itself as one of the true favorites to go to the New Orleans Bowl. If nothing else, this will be very, very entertaining. Why Florida Atlantic Might Win: Oh sure, the North Texas offense has suddenly found something it can build around with the passing game, the defense has been horrific. Getting the doors blown off by Oklahoma is one thing, but giving up 534 yards and 45 points to SMU is another. The Owls should be able to move the ball however it wants to, and Smith should be able to pick the number of passing yards he wants to put on the board. UNT generates no pressure to throw him off. FAU, currently second in the nation in turnover margin, helped by 13 takeaways will also win the turnover battle. The UNT defense doesn't force mistakes. Why North Texas Might Win: It's not like the Florida Atlantic secondary is stopping anyone. Minnesota roared back to make last week interesting with 355 passing yards. Oklahoma State achieved a near-perfect offensive balance against the Owls, and came up with several big pass plays. The FAU secondary isn't getting any help from the pass rush, and as the games wear on, they're making more mistakes. North Texas might be more effective bombing away in the second half. Who to Watch: Someone had to catch Daniel Meager's 601 passing yards against SMU. Senior Brandon Jackson finished second on the team last year with 17 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown. So far this year, he caught 17 passes for 217 yards and a score, but he's the number two target right now behind junior walk-on Casey Fitzgerald, who's taken the season by storm. He made seven grabs for 126 yards and a score against Oklahoma, and then tore up SMU for 18 catches for 327 yards and two scores. What Will Happen: This will be fun. The rest Mean Green will put up a ton of yards with plenty of big plays, but the FAU defense will come up with just enough key stops, and the passing game will do just enough to keep up the pace. CFN Prediction: Florida Atlantic 41 ... North Texas 31 COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS PREDICTIONS http://cfn.scout.com/2/651729.html

If Miami did the askin', why will we have to pay them $150,000 if (with our help) a suitable replacement can't be found ?

Football: Success in the air Meager breaking records but seeks win 11:09 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer When Todd Dodge arrived at North Texas in December, he promised to wipe the slate clean for his quarterbacks. He didn't watch old film or look at past results. That fresh start gave Dodge a chance to see Daniel Meager's potential to transform from the caretaker in a run-based attack to a gunslinger in the spread. That potential has quickly turned into production in the first two games of UNT's season. Meager threw for a school record 601 yards two weeks ago in a loss to SMU, and enters the Mean Green's Sun Belt Conference opener at home against Florida Atlantic on Saturday ranked seventh nationally with an average of 354.5 passing yards a game. "I haven't thought about being No. 1 yet," Meager said of his record-setting night against the Mustangs. "What I want to be No. 1 in is wins. I want to win more than anything else." UNT (0-2) hasn't won a game since knocking off Louisiana-Lafayette in the 10th week of last season, and hasn't won a home game since a victory over Florida International in the sixth game of last year. Meager's performance against SMU has given the Mean Green hope that against FAU (2-1, 1-0), it can break out of its four-game losing streak that dates to last season. Meager threw three touchdown passes while completing 46 of 64 attempts against the Mustangs. The only drawback to the junior's performance was tossing three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter. Meager's first interception in the final period set up the game-winning touchdown, while SMU defensive back Bryce Hudman returned the second 49 yards for a touchdown that sealed the Mean Green's 45-31 loss. Dodge dissected each interception with Meager, but didn't let those mistakes detract from a solid all-around performance. "We told our quarterbacks the guy who is the most accurate and runs our no-huddle offense the most efficiently would win the starting job," Dodge said. "You go out and complete 46 of 64 passes, you are pretty stinking accurate. That is what we want Daniel to see in himself. We don't expect 601 yards and 46 completions every Saturday, but being a 65-percent passer and a guy who throws for 300 yards week in and week out are things that should happen." Dodge's confidence is based on the abilities Meager has shown while playing in his system since the beginning of spring practice. "He is fundamentally sound and the right guy for the job because he is a good distributor of the football," Dodge said. Meager's performance against SMU represented a dramatic turn of events for a player who has always had a short leash while being put in and pulled out of the Mean Green's lineup. Meager took over as UNT's starter as a redshirt freshman in 2005, when the Mean Green was aiming for a fifth straight Sun Belt title. He started every game in a 2-9 season while splitting time with Matt Phillips. Meager was benched at the beginning of last season, came back to start five games and was then yanked from the starting lineup for the last game of the year. Meager entered this season with 1,458 passing yards, but had thrown 14 interceptions compared to eight touchdown passes. Those struggles didn't hurt Meager's confidence. "Daniel worked extra hard," UNT wide receiver Brandon Jackson said. "I always came out to the practice field after class in the summer and he was out here throwing balls. He wanted to be the man and did the extra things it took to win the job." Meager threw for just 108 yards against Oklahoma in the Mean Green's opener, but remained UNT's starter even though freshman Giovanni Vizza came on to throw for 124 yards and a touchdown. "Winning the job gave me a lot of confidence and so did the coaches," Meager said. "They have shown confidence in me all along." Sticking with Meager paid off for UNT against SMU, a game Meager hopes is a sign of what the Mean Green's future holds. "I hope it's an indication of where we are going," Meager said. "We still have a lot of room for improvement both in the big things and the little things." Spencer on watch list for Ray Guy Award Junior Truman Spencer has been named to the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, which is presented annually to the top punter in the nation. A committee of sports writers, college football coaches, sports information directors, past Ray Guy winners and members of the Greater Augusta Sports Council selects the winner. Spencer averaged 42 yards per punt in UNT's first two games of the year and had a 73-yard punt against SMU. He averaged 40.8 yards a punt last season. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com. Meager before and after North Texas quarterback Daniel Meager has improved his performance dramatically this season under new head coach Todd Dodge: 2007 category 2005-06 354.5 passing yards/game 66.3 67.0 completion pct. 50.9 134.6 passing efficiency 91.0 30.5 completions/game 7.0

Football: UNT sees green in LSU game 11:03 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas will make up to an additional $250,000 by backing out of its contract to play a nonconference game with Miami in 2008 and playing LSU instead, according to information provided by UNT and LSU. UNT was scheduled to play at Miami on Aug. 30, 2008, in the Hurricanes' first game at Dolphin Stadium after spending seven decades in the Orange Bowl. UNT formally notified Miami that it wouldn't play its game against the Hurricanes on Aug. 14 and entered into a contract with LSU to open the 2008 season at Tiger Stadium. UNT was guaranteed $450,000 for its game against Miami, but will make $700,000 for playing at LSU. UNT and LSU were originally scheduled to play in 2009. The game was moved up a year at LSU's request. "We moved them from 2009 to 2008 and didn't want to do that without giving them some more money," LSU senior associate athletic director Verge Ausberry said. "We wanted to keep a good relationship with them." How much additional money UNT makes on the exchange will depend on the school’s help in filling Miami's open date. UNT will pay a $150,000 fee for backing out of the deal if no suitable replacement is found. Miami spokesman Rick Korch said Wednesday that Miami has yet to replace UNT on its schedule. UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said the school is still looking for an opponent for Miami and that its decision to play LSU was based on more than the monetary benefit. "There were a number of issues with the cost of traveling to the Miami area, and we already have conference games in Florida," Villarreal said. "It was a better situation to go to LSU." BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.

The Sports Network DATE & TIME: Saturday, September 22nd, 7:00 p.m. (et) FACTS & STATS: Site: Fouts Field (30,500) -- Denton, Texas. Television: None. Home Record: FAU 1-0, UNT 0-0. Away Record: FAU 0-1, UNT 0-2. Neutral Record: FAU 1-0, UNT 0-0. Conference Record: FAU 1-0, UNT 0-0. Series Record: Florida Atlantic leads, 3-0. GAME NOTES: The North Texas Mean Green will try to capture their first victory of the season when they open their Sun Belt Conference schedule this Saturday evening against the Florida Atlantic Owls from Fouts Field. The Owls head into this contest riding a huge wave of momentum after disposing of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 42-39. It was the second victory of the season for the Owls who opened the new campaign with a hard-fought 27-14 victory over Middle Tennessee. As for the Mean Green, they opened the season with two straight setbacks to Oklahoma (79-10) and SMU (45-31). Fortunately the team was able to enjoy a much needed bye week this past weekend. Next on the horizon for UNT will be two straight road games against Arkansas and UL-Lafayette. FAU has dominated this series, winning all three meetings. Last season the Owls pulled off a slim, 17-16 victory over North Texas in Denton. After scoring just six points against Oklahoma State in their previous matchup, the Owls exploded for 42 points in a victory over Minnesota. In the win, FAU totaled a whopping 580 yards, including a sensational 463 yards through the air. Along with that yardage, quarterback Rusty Smith also tossed five touchdowns in the win. It was easily the best performance of the season for Smith, who has thrown for just 783 yards thus far. The signal-caller has seven touchdowns and just one interception on the season, and has completed just 57.6 percent of his passes. The ground game has been decent as well, posting 120.3 ypg. Charles Pierre has been the top option out of the backfield for FAU, as the tailback has 191 yards and two scores on 38 totes. Against the Gophers, Pierre ran the ball just 17 times, but finished with 89 yards and one score. The Owls have struggled this season defensively, especially against the pass, as opponents are averaging 263 ypg through the air. Overall the unit is allowing 391.7 total ypg, which has led to 31.7 ppg. The unit's trouble against the pass continued this past week, as the defense allowed Minnesota to pass for 335 yards. Overall the Owls surrendered 470 yards, but despite the poor effort FAU was still victorious. A huge reason for the win, was the seven turnovers that FAU forced. The Owls have done a tremendous job at forcing miscues, as the team has already forced 13 in three games. Frantz Joseph was sensational in the win over Minnesota, as the linebacker led the team with 14 tackles and also recovered one fumble and collected one INT. It is safe to say that the Mean Green are a one-dimensional offense, as the unit is posting just 13.5 rushing ypg, while throwing for an eye-popping 416.5 ypg. The lopsided approach was even more evident in the team's recent loss to SMU, as quarterback Daniel Meager threw for a school-record 601 yards. Meager finished the game 46-of-64 with three touchdowns and three interceptions. That passing record led to a receiving mark for Casey Fitzgerald, who hauled in 18 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile the rushing attack for UNT churned out just 39 yards on 12 carries in the contest. It was a shocking performance for Meager, who threw for just 108 yards in the season-opening loss to Oklahoma. Obviously Fitzgerald is the top target for North Texas, as the wideout comes into this contest with 25 receptions for 453 yards and three touchdowns. It is on the defensive side of the field that UNT has been atrocious, as the Mean Green are surrendering a horrible 62.0 ppg and an astonishing 601.0 total ypg. In the 14-point setback to SMU, the Mean Green were abused for 181 rushing yards and on top of that, the unit was torched for 353 yards through the air. The defense did force two turnovers in the contest, but allowed the Mustangs to record 28 first downs and also allowed the opposition to convert on all five of its red zone chances. Aaron Weathers tallied a team-high seven tackles in the loss and now has a team-best 16 stops on the season. The week of rest was definitely needed for North Texas, but it still will have trouble this week against FAU. The Owls are riding high off a huge win over Minnesota and should remain in the win column after this weekend. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Florida Atlantic 45, North Texas 41 09/19 10:56:31 ET

The '03 Baylor game had 29,437.

Dodge stays confident after 0-2 start 12:23 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer A tough first two weeks of the season hasn't changed head coach Todd Dodge's outlook on his first year at North Texas. When the Mean Green opens Sun Belt Conference play Saturday at home against Florida Atlantic, Dodge will aim to take the first step toward a league title in front of a packed house. "We want to win our conference championship," Dodge said. "We have not started it yet. It starts right now. I don't know of any other way to coach other than for a championship." UNT struggled in the first two games of the Dodge era, falling to Oklahoma and SMU. The Mean Green allowed more points than in any game in school history in a 79-10 loss to the Sooners before falling to SMU, 45-31. UNT is hoping to turn its season around at Fouts Field in its first home game of the season. "I hope that when I look up at the stands, I will see a packed house," Dodge said. "You have 34,000 students across the street, 10,000 of them can show up to watch us play. Denton is the ninth-fastest growing city in the nation and we have 100,000 alumni in the area. I am hoping that people will come out and jump aboard with us." UNT has enjoyed a sharp rise in ticket sales since the Dodge arrived at UNT in December. UNT could have new look in secondary UNT could have a new look in its secondary when it faces Florida Atlantic this weekend. The Mean Green has struggled in the early stages of the season against the pass and is allowing an average of 378 yards a game. UNT has played man-to-man defense extensively early in the season. "We have quite a few zone principles in our packages, and that is a thought when you need to protect some people in the secondary," Dodge said. UNT is also looking at giving some of its defensive backs additional playing time. Dodge said the Mean Green could give Dominique Green more time at cornerback while Roderick Cotton and Desmon Chatman could see time at safety. Peachey will be available for FAU game Sophomore tackle Robert Peachey will be available for UNT's game against Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Dodge said. Peachey was projected to start at right tackle before the season began, but missed the first two games of the year with a hamstring injury. Peachey will enter the Mean Green's game against FAU as the backup at both tackle spots and is expected to play. Dodge: UNT accomplished a lot against SMU Dodge sees several positives in the Mean Green's offense heading into its game against Florida Atlantic on Saturday. UNT ranks third nationally in passing offense with an average of 416.5 yards a game and had a breakout night against SMU offensively in a 45-31 loss. Junior quarterback Daniel Meager threw for a school record 601 yards against the Mustangs. "I expect a lot out of our kids, but I have to sit back on my drive home some nights and say that we are accomplishing a lot considering we are putting in a whole new offense," Dodge said. "We taught a whole new offense with no huddle, which is a little unconventional."

This week's bottom 10 http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bottom10073

September 18, 2007 FAU on-campus stadium APPROVED > Posted by Ted Hutton at 2:25 PM This just in: By unanimous vote, the BOT has approved plans for a $62 million, 30,000-seat on-campus stadium to open September 2010. The vote was no surprise, but it took forever to get there. Nearly five hours of presentations, speeches, most b-o-r-i-n-g but I guess necessary. There were a couple nice hilites. Couple heros for stadium backers: BOT chair Norm Tripp, who really did get choked up when he gave his speech, which was comparable to anything I have heard from The Voice. "When [the state] gave us a university, they didn’t tell us we had to be a second rate university forever. We have the right to make this a world class institution right now. We have a right to bring to this university a full experience. We have the right to become a world class university." Great stuff, and there was more. And Craig Dunlap (see below). WORD OF CAUTION: There is still work to do. The stadium is supposed to be self sufficient, so the money needs to come from sale of naming rights, suites, club seats, other sponsorships, donations, etc. FAU has about a year to get the money lined up. Is there a chance they won't get it? Slim one, but I really, really doubt anything can stop this now. More later, but I have to interview some folks. I do work for a newspaper. LINK TO FULL ARTICLE, STADIUM PHOTOS AND MEETING PHOTOS http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/college/fau/blog/

President's Council Pre-game Tailgate will be serving Mean Green Margaritas.

Sun Belt inching up respect ladder BY TODD TRAUB Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 It might not be a seismic shift in the college football landscape, but the Sun Belt Conference did its best to shake things up last week. The Sun Belt, which began football in 2001, earned an unprecedented three nonconference victories against NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A ) teams. Troy beat Oklahoma State 41-28 on Thursday night; Florida Atlantic beat Minnesota 42-39 on Saturday, and Arkansas State chimed in with a 45-28 victory over SMU. Before an Indian Stadium crowd of 17, 465, Arkansas State avenged last year’s 55-9 loss to SMU in Dallas. The Indians got career nights out of Corey Leonard — who passed for a personal- best 266 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for 3 more — and Reggie Arnold, who rushed 19 times for a career-best 156 yards and 1 score. “I can’t remember a time when the Sun Belt has won three Division I nonconference games since I’ve been here,” seventh-year Indians Coach Steve Roberts said. “I’m sure people are looking around and people may be saying ‘Hey these guys could be for real,’” Commissioner Wright Waters said of the Sun Belt trifecta. To make cash for their programs, Sun Belt schools have made it a practice to schedule nonconference games with bigger opponents, usually enduring one-sided whippings that helped the bank book but not the conference’s prestige. However, with some random exceptions, even the non-top 25 schools have given the Sun Belt fits. The conference entered the year with a 48-191 non-Sun Belt record, and the mark is worse when it is taken into account that several of the victories came against Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA ) opponents. Every now and then a team has had its moments. Troy beat Marshall and Missouri in consecutive weeks in 2004, Middle Tennessee has beaten Vanderbilt three times and Arkansas State beat Tulsa in 2002 and Army and Memphis last year. But for the Sun Belt to consider itself a big-time player, the victories have to come with some regularity, Waters has said. With that in mind, last week was a good sign. “In many ways, this is not the end of the road, it’s a step in the right direction,” Waters said. Waters said things began to turn last year. Arkansas State posted its season-opening victory over Army at home and edged Memphis on the road, North Texas beat SMU and the Sun Belt had two bowl teams: Middle Tennessee, which lost in the Motor City Bowl to Central Michigan, and Troy, which beat Rice in the New Orleans Bowl. “[it was ] a watershed year,” Waters said. “Turning a corner and being able to shift gears and it’s no longer about ‘Can we survive ?’ but it’s about ‘How good can we be ?’ I think this weekend is really evidence of that trend.” After Arkansas State’s victory Saturday, Roberts pointed out that all three winning Sun Belt teams got their victories at home. He said that’s the result of successful scheduling by the athletic directors, including Arkansas State’s Dean Lee. In the past, the Indians have either had to sign 2-for-1 contracts to get teams to come to Jonesboro or sign two-year deals in which they play a team at its place with the return game at a neutral sight instead of Indian Stadium. Being able to entice Memphis, Army, Southern Miss and SMU into legitimate home-and-home series makes a huge difference, Roberts said, and Waters agreed. The Sun Belt now needs to keep it up if it wants to take the next step, Waters said.

FAU 26 North Texas 23 Other Sun Belt games Middle Tennessee 21 WKU 19 Tennessee 38 Arkansas State 17 Troy 33 UL-Lafayette 23 Kansas 49 FIU 13 HARMON FORECASE ALL GAMES http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/8820391

Sun Belt enjoys big weekend League picks up key nonconference wins 12:23 AM CDT on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 By Brett Vito/Staff Writer The Sun Belt Conference finally got a few nonconference opponents where it wanted them last week, and reaped the rewards in the form of perhaps the most impressive weekend in league history. Troy and Arkansas State beat Oklahoma State and SMU at home, respectively, while Florida Atlantic beat Minnesota in what amounted to a home game at Dolphin Stadium. That trio of wins marked a watershed moment for the 7-year-old league that has often struggled during the nonconference portion of its season, which reached its pinnacle last week. North Texas will host Florida Atlantic on Saturday in the first full weekend of league play. "It's the best weekend that we have ever had that I can remember," said Troy coach Larry Blakeney, who is in his fourth year in the league. "We had three pretty good wins over teams from the Big 12, Big 10 and Conference USA. It shows that there has been improvement in the league." The Sun Belt finished with just six nonconference wins over Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) teams last season, including Troy's win over Rice in the New Orleans Bowl. The league's solid weekend is one coaches and administrators attribute to playing nonconference opponents at Sun Belt venues. "It's no accident that those wins came at home," Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said. "You can see the significance of having fans in the stands for those games." UNT struggled to a 3-9 record last season, but knocked off rival SMU for just the fourth time in the 32-game series at Fouts Field. ASU beat the Mustangs 45-28 in Jonesboro, Ark., on Saturday, just one year after falling to SMU 55-9 in Dallas. Sun Belt teams played just four Bowl Subdivision teams in home stadiums last season, a total that will increase to nine this year, 10 counting FAU's game against Minnesota. "We are becoming a little more demanding as a conference in terms of saying that we will go on the road twice if they come back to our place once," Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill said. "People are starting to understand that if they want us to play on the road, they are going to have to come to our place." That's a big change from the early years in the league, when the teams in the conference were trying to get on their feet and often went on the road several times a year for big paychecks. MTSU was the only team in the Sun Belt to have a winning record in its first season in 2001, when UNT went 5-1 in league play and represented the Sun Belt in the New Orleans Bowl despite having a 5-6 overall record. MTSU was left at home after finishing 8-3. The Sun Belt was 1-5 in bowl games before Troy broke through for its 41-17 win over Rice last season, when the league sent two teams to bowl games for the second time in three years. MTSU lost to Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl just four days after Troy's win. New UNT head coach Todd Dodge is one of several Sun Belt coaches and officials who believe last weekend's performance was just the latest sign the league is on the rise. "From what I have seen, this league is up-and-coming and very underrated," Dodge said. "You can see the quality of the teams. I was not surprised at all." UNT focused on tackling during off week UNT spent its off week focusing on tackling, one of the problems the Mean Green encountered in its first two games of the season, Dodge said. UNT gave up a school record for points in a game in a 79-10 loss to Oklahoma in the first week of the season and also struggled defensively in a 45-31 loss to rival SMU. Dodge said he was particularly concerned with the Mean Green's struggles to tackle in open-field situations. Schnellenberger: Dodge will be successful at UNT Florida Atlantic head coach Howard Schnellenberger said Monday that he expects Dodge to be successful at UNT. "He is a very impressive guy who is probably smarter than half the coaches in the league," Schnellenberger said. "He looks like he will be very successful there with what he wants to do." Schnellenberger started FAU's program, which played its first game in 2001, from scratch. He has won all three of his games against UNT during his time with the Owls. UNT will open Sun Belt Conference play against FAU on Saturday. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com. Print E-mail this article Forums

Give him time, he's thinking !

Maybe takin' out the trash

WEEK 3 ROUNDUP http://cfn.scout.com/2/679835.html

You need to contact TD and give him the benefit of your expertise.

THREAD http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=251174

Football: UNT faces tougher Sun Belt Troy, ASU, FAU deliver big wins this weekend 09:58 PM CDT on Sunday, September 16, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer A quick rundown from the weekend in the Sun Belt Conference: Troy beat Oklahoma State, Arkansas State knocked off SMU and, perhaps most pertinent of all for North Texas fans, Florida Atlantic edged Minnesota. Has there ever been a more pronounced sign that the Sun Belt the Mean Green used to dominate is no more? The Sun Belt once longed for one win or two like the ones the conference's teams posted last weekend. Sometimes the league got those wins -- over the course of a season. The Sun Belt's coaches have droned on for years about how the league is improving. This weekend they came up with the proof. This wasn't just one isolated win like Troy's victory over Missouri in 2004 or Louisiana-Lafayette's win over Houston last season. It was perhaps the best overall showing ever for the league in a short time frame. That performance came just in time to remind UNT that the Sun Belt isn't going to be the cakewalk it used to be when the Mean Green opens league play this weekend at home against FAU. This isn't the same conference UNT walked all over while winning 26 straight league games from 2001 through the first game of 2005. The talent is better in the Sun Belt now. So are the teams. Troy hammered Rice last season in the New Orleans Bowl and doesn't look like it is slowing down any time soon. ASU beat SMU just a year after falling to the Mustangs 55-9. What might be even scarier for UNT fans is FAU hanging 580 yards of total offense on Minnesota of the Big 10. Granted, the Big 10 isn't exactly turning out to be a world-beater of a conference this season, but it's still the Big. 10. FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger might be known best for winning a national championship with Miami, but in Denton he is equally well known for his habit of raining on UNT's parade. FAU stunned the Mean Green at home in the second week of the 2004 season, just the Owls' fourth in program history. FAU has won the last two years as well and is quickly rising toward SMU status on the villain level among the UNT faithful. To say that Schellenberger arriving in Denton just in time for head coach Todd Dodge's first home game at UNT is a bit ironic would be an understatement. Just about everyone believes that Dodge will turn around the Mean Green's program after two down seasons. The point is hard to argue considering Dodge built a dynasty at Southlake Carroll and appears to be turning around what was a struggling UNT offense. UNT quarterback Daniel Meager threw for a school record 601 yards against SMU and former walk-on wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald finished 327 receiving yards, the fourth-best total in Division I-A history. Those performances give the Mean Green hope that its 0-2 start is one it can recover from quickly in Sun Belt Conference play. The Sun Belt was always a respite for the Mean Green in its best days of the last few years. Those days keep fading from memory, though. UNT finished 2-5 in each of the last two seasons in conference play. Last year one of those wins came against an FIU team that finished 0-12, and UNT needed seven overtimes to seal the deal. There is a chance the Mean Green could quickly rack up a few wins in league play. The last two seasons ASU and Troy have come out of the preseason prognostication pack to become league champions. If last weekend's games are any indication, becoming the latest team to come out of nowhere to win the league title is going to be monumental challenge for the Mean Green. This isn't the Sun Belt of old any more. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

It can't be considered as a slump when they've never averaged much more that 10K to 11K for a season.

Multiple page thread http://www.ponyfans.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19362 [EDIT: Sorry for putting this back at the top of the list. Please note that this references last year's debacle at UNT] Captain's log. Another 4:00 a.m. post. I am more depressed and p!ssed off today about SMU football than I have ever been. I went to SMU for seven years through the 90s and have watched this team since I was a kid. With expectations at post-death penalty high this year, this team sunk to a new all-time low last night. All apologies to the current players, most of whom are busting their @sses for the team and don't deserve to be bashed as individuals, but what the @*#&% @^$#&^$# was that on the field last night? That, my friends, was not football... it was a complete and utter joke. More importantly, what is there to be excted about with SMU football? Everyone can just officially shut their @sses about anything positive with this team or our football program. There isn't one thing to be hopeful about, and if you think otherwise you're a sunshiner and seriously delusional. The program has ZERO HOPE. ZERO HOPE. Our quarterback situation is probably the worst in division 1. We have big, fast wide receivers who can't catch a cold in a snowstorm. We have defensive backs who make plays on the ball as if it were a nuclear warhead. We have two pathetically sh!tty recruiting classes on the board and after this year's joke of a season, we'll be served up another round of bottom-feeding next year and great excitement about signing a couple of the area's top 100 players. The @#$*&^(#*@ worst part of everything, though, is that Phil Bennett couldn't coach his way out of a nutsack. He's a great guy and I really have rooted for him to succeed here, but it isn't working. This team is PATHETIC. We're the most ill-prepared and poorly coached team I have ever seen, including a few pee-wee footbally teams I have been associated with. EVERY fucquing decent play we make is followed, WITHOUT FAIL, by a penalty, fumble, interception or the like. On a couple of plays, I was waiting for a safe to fall out of the sky and land on someone. The game last night against NTSU was just fucquing embarrassing. Our team is a joke. What else is new? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beyond sick of being part of the laughing stock of college football. I'm tired or guaranteeing to friends that the team will be better... that we'll post a winning record or that we're on the verge of being able to stay on the field with mediocre programs like TCU and Tech (yeah, I saw the fluke victory last year against TCU... spare me... ask Robot Greggo about blind squirrels and broken clocks). I'm tired of having false hopes of (GOD FORBID!!!) a winning season. Which will come first, a bowl game for SMU or the apocalypse? Here are a few predictions for the future: we're not going to win sh!t this year. We're going to get our fucquing @sses handed to us and holy sh!t we're going to lose to sam houston junior college and probably el centro, if they can put together a team in time to play us next year. Then Justin Willis will either become a rock star or transfer, followed by a starting role in the NFL. Next year we can start a new mediocre freshman and play QB and running back roulette for another 12 games. We'll hire a firm to find us a new coach and the cycle will begin anew. Maybe it's all part of God's plan to to eradicate SMU from NCAA football relevancy and slowly make 99% of the country forget that our otherwise fine instituion even exists. Pure genius the plan is. The worst part is that there's not a d@mned thing we can do about it. Alumni throwing money at it apparently doesn't help. A large endowment means very little. Making small changes to the admissions process is like wiping sweat off of your face using your dog's @ss as a towel. Hiring new coaches is pointless... they all turn out to lack severely in coaching ability, recruiting ability, or both. Bennett is already in the middle of a 2nd straight complete failure in recruiting, and next year will be number three after we lose all momentum with this year's 1-11 work of art (if we play 11 games let it go, I don't have any desire to even look at the schedule to verify how many games we're playing). We're losing to schools that shouldn't even be in D1. We're going to be lucky to win the next two games against spare teams that we wouldn't even have thought of playing 20 years ago. Just like the Texas Rangers, we are going to S U C K until the day I die and probably well beyond that. There is no hope. We wil always have a pathetic offense, and we will never average 20 points in a season. It's the curse of death penalty. Did we sell Babe Ruth also? No wait, even the Red Sox won something recently. Not SMU. Football is officially dead here. I am tired of this sh!t. Give it up, SMU. It's time to make another gutless move and throw in the towel like we did Track and baseball. Spare us the 40-point losses against respectable teams and the 20-point losses against teams like NTSU that good high schoool teams could compete with. Give our enslaved loyal followers respite from the continuous beating that is SMU football. Raise us up from the depression on 9 out of 10 weekends during football season. I have been a die-hard SMU fan for years... I go to games and sit until the end while we get our @sses handed to us, I go to basketball games and I have listened to basketball games on stations that sound like we have a tin cup and wire stretching from my house to Moody (I know, this is a football rant, but while I'm on the subject, why not add in some basketball frustration). This sh!t is just that... a steaming, heaping pile of pony sh!t. We are a disgrace to college sports. I apologize in advance and wish the best to the guys who have some talent and deserve some modicum of coaching and fan support beyond the 10,000 who make it out to our games. I'm going to concentrate my thoughts on rooting for the Cowboys on Sundays. Wake me in the year 2090 when we win a Division III championship against UTA or we play Highland Park in an under-25 city of Dallas championship or something. This bullsh!t is going to get worse. I just can't take it anymore. I am going to have a heart attack from getting p!ssed off about our football team. I am signing off... I am done. I must quit SMU football. Good night and good luck.

Beleive this is the first time ever for the Belt to get 2 wins over BCS teams in the same week ! 3 good wins for the week plus WKU also beat EKU. ULL sure didn't help with a big loss to McNeese State. FAU over Minnesota Troy over Oklahoma State ASU thumped SMU