MeanGreen61

Back to 1-2 this year with the win being vs 1AA Villanova & a home loss to the South Florida team that edged FIU by 1 point.

MUTS are Zero-Forever vs UNT.

Football: Tough schedule helps address concerns Offense, mental toughness still worries Dickey 10:27 PM CDT on Monday, September 25, 2006 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas head coach Darrell Dickey knew his team was in for a challenge during a brutal series of four non-conference games to open the season. Four weeks and one win later, Dickey and his players believe they have made progress but still have a lot to accomplish before opening Sun Belt Conference play Saturday at home against Middle Tennessee. The Mean Green solved a few of their problems in the first month of the season, including settling on Woody Wilson as their starting quarterback and adjusting to a new 3-4 defense. A 33-13 loss to Akron on Saturday showed UNT still has plenty of challenges left, though, including finding a groove offensively and developing the mental toughness that helped the Mean Green win four straight Sun Belt titles from 2001-04. UNT’s streak of consecutive conference titles ended last season after a 2-9 campaign. “My biggest concern is having enough healthy players and our younger players learning to stay focused when things go wrong,” Dickey said. “It’s not that we were not playing hard [against Akron]. We were just not settled down. By the time we got settled in, they had a bunch of points on the board.” UNT gave up two quick touchdowns in the first quarter against Akron and didn’t recover until it was too late. Getting off to a slow start has been a problem for UNT all season, including in its win over SMU in Week 2. Evan Robertson’s punt block for a touchdown prevented UNT from being shut out in the first half of a 24-6 win. The Mean Green have not scored an offensive touchdown in the first quarter of 16 straight games. UNT is hoping its performance running the ball against the Zips is a sign its offense – and its running game specifically -- is coming around. Junior running back Jamario Thomas rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown against Akron in his best outing since his freshman season. The Mean Green came into the game averaging just 67.7 yards a game on the ground and more than doubled that total with 175 yards against an Akron defense that ranked No. 42 nationally in total defense. “It was great to move the ball,” UNT offensive lineman Joel Foster said. “The biggest thing was that we proved to ourselves that we can do it.” UNT still ranks No. 117 out of 119 teams in Division I-A in total offense at 196.0 yards a game after a slow start, but some of its struggles could be attributed to its schedule. The Mean Green faced three defending conference champions – Texas, Tulsa and Akron – all on the road. The Mean Green’s win over SMU was its only home game thus far this season. The schedule was rough early, but it is one UNT believes has helped narrow down its problems heading into conference play. “The schedule helped prepare us,” junior linebacker Brandon Monroe said. “We have started to learn how to fight through adversity. We have been challenged and learned a lot. We have to use that to our advantage.” Briefly … Linebacker Phillip Graves worked with a trainer during practice on Monday in his first action since suffering a knee injury during preseason practices. Fellow linebackers Derek Mendoza and Willie Ransom also worked out. Dickey said he was not sure if any of the three would be ready to play against MTSU. … Former Oklahoma State running back David Jackson will have two years of eligibility remaining, including this season, after transferring to UNT. … Junior safety Cliff Higgs is questionable for the MTSU game with a sprained ankle. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

Orlando Sentinental article posted by SpaceRaider on the Muts board. Forget the losses - Schnellenberger has a larger plan Published September 24, 2006 COLUMBIA, S.C. · There were no miracles for Florida Atlantic here Saturday evening. Jubilation hasn't introduced itself this year to the Owls. Another Saturday, another loss. Another city, another blowout. This time it was South Carolina beating up on the Owls 45-6 at Williams-Brice Stadium to provide coach Steve Spurrier some false hope before facing No. 2 Auburn next week. The bad news is the Owls are 0-4 and have been outscored 192-20. The good news? These games mean little and the numbers are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Get real. The Owls were supposed to get flattened and they did. So move on and understand the bigger picture. Six years ago, Owls coach Howard Schnellenberger began molding a football program from nothing at FAU. The fact Schnellenberger has brought this program to Clemson, Louisville and South Carolina -- and next year to Florida and the year after to Michigan State -- is rather remarkable when you consider the Owls are probably the only Division 1-A school playing in a high school stadium. So the Owls got blown out four consecutive games? What did you expect? Not only did FAU pick up $1.8 million over the past month, but Schnellenberger's players have picked up valuable experience and can still salvage the season once they begin Sun Belt conference play Saturday. It's like a clean slate. Smack in the middle of this is Schnellenberger, who dares to dream of bowl games and a 40,000-seat domed stadium in Boca Raton. Crazy, you say? Like a fox. The University of Miami's football program was dying when Schnellenberger arrived. He turned the Hurricanes into a national brand like Pepsi or Coke. He arrived in Louisville to a football team playing in a dilapidated baseball stadium. Today, the Cardinals are ranked No. 8 and Papa John's Cardinal Stadium is affectionately known as the house Howard built. The Cardinals moved from No. 103 in the country to No. 11 under Schnellenberger in less than six years. Progress is going to be slower at FAU. He inherited programs at Miami and Louisville. At FAU, he's started from scratch. Still, they've been to the playoffs, set a record for becoming the fastest team to defeat a 1-A opponent (22nd game), and Schnellenberger has gotten much-needed recognition for the program by playing big-time teams. Have the Owls struggled? Mightily. But after working with the same players for the team's first five seasons, Schnellenberger is in the process of rebuilding. "The only way not to lose all the seniors at the same time was to run them off," he said. Schnellenberger has one senior on defense, two on offense. He's rotating quarterbacks who have never started before. "People don't understand how young we are ... and they don't care to learn," he said. What they may also not realize is the potential of this school's program. Losing can cloud your thinking and allow trepidation. That would be a shame. Everyone wants immediate satisfaction, but imagine the possibilities at Florida Atlantic with a domed stadium on campus in the center of South Florida's population. Imagine Schnellenberger bringing recruits there rather than Lockhart Stadium. Imagine the benefits to the basketball program. Doesn't it make sense the Big East would want to take a long look at including FAU in its conference? You see, even on nights like this, when he's pacing the sidelines in his suit and tie, Schnellenberger sees the potential. "I'm looking for us to be able to play the teams we are playing now and having a legitimate chance of winning within the next three to four years," he said. "Louisville gives me a lot better barometer as to what can be done, what will be done [at FAU]." The road ahead for FAU is going to demand patience and commitment, but it's not one Schnellenberger hasn't been down before. The trick is going to keep believing even on nights like these. Dave Joseph can be reached at djoseph@sun-sentinel.com.

Eastern Michigan is 0-4.

They've said the same thing for the past 5 years

Good post Rick. Nice to see a post on the new Prez & athletics with a face-to-face Q&A and not based on rumor, idle gossip or speculation.

UNT -2 v Muts ULL -5.5 v E. Michigan UAB -9.5 v Troy FIU -7.5 v Arkansas State FAU -12 v ULM http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/odds/las-vegas/

SMU is killing Arkansas State 41-6 in the 3rd. What happened to the 'veteran' ASU defense. Day off ?

He's not the only one

A FIU dance team member is representing non-BCS schools in this Athelon vote. She's currently the leader, but it's close. LINK http://www.beltboard.com/forum/forum_entry...=all&order=time

Where have you gone Booger Kennedy ? Scroll down http://www.arkst.com/board/index.php?topic=26274.15

Middle Tennessee is averaging 577 to lead the conference. UNT is second.

Wilson takes unusual route to NT Change of position leads to a change in destination Spencer Campbell Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: SPORTS Coming out of high school, life seemed pretty well planned out for Woody Wilson. The Fayetteville, Ark. high school football star would attend SEC powerhouse Arkansas, stay close to his family and make the quiet college town proud. Fortunately, for NT, that is life doesn't always work out the way you plan. After Wilson signed a letter of intent to play for the Razorbacks in 2003, he was deemed academically ineligible because he didn't make the required score on his SAT. Arkansas' coach, Houston Nutt, sent him to Coffeyville Community College so he could become eligible. The plan always was for Wilson to return to the Razorbacks' squad. Once there, he would be converted from a quarterback into either a receiver or a defensive back in order to take advantage of his blazing speed. After redshirting a year at Coffeyville, Wilson played in seven games during his redshirt freshman year, each one at quarterback. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 910 yards and eight touchdowns. He led Coffeyville to a 9-3 overall record in the Jayhawk League. All thoughts of becoming a defensive back left Wilson's head. Because Arkansas had no interest in Wilson as a quarterback, they quickly canceled his scholarship. Other, bigger schools were interested, but they all wanted him at defensive back. NT coach Darrell Dickey came calling and offered Wilson the chance he was desperately looking for. "I just wanted to play quarterback, and NT was recruiting me," Wilson said. "Coach Dickey gave me that chance, so I'm here." FULL ARTICLE http://www.ntdaily.com/media/storage/paper...www.ntdaily.com

From College Football News. North Texas (1-2) at Akron (1-2) 6:00 pm EST Saturday, Sept. 23 Why to watch: What was originally seen as a possible clash of top conference contenders now is just a battle to turn seasons around. Akron couldn't capitalize on the momentum from the win at NC State losing 24-21 to Central Michigan to kick off the MAC season. With road trips to Kent State and Cincinnati ahead, the Zips could use a convincing home win to get some of its MAC champion swagger back. North Texas pulled off a shocker against SMU winning 24-6 only to clunk last week in a 28-3 loss to Tulsa. A win over Akron would be a huge confidence boost going into Sun Belt play next week against Middle Tennessee. Why North Texas might win: The Zip lines have been awful so far. The offensive line can't protect QB Luke Getsy, and the defensive line is doing nothing to get to the quarterback. The defensive front will get into the backfield and make plays, but it likely won't generate too uch pressure on the Mean Green quarterbacks. Why Akron might win: The North Texas offense has been worse than the stats have made it out to be scoring just three touchdowns in three games. While the Mean Green hasn't been able to score too much on teams like SMU and Tulsa, Akron's defense, ranked first among MAC teams, has been effective against teams like Penn State and NC State. Don't expect UNT to throw for more than 150 yards meaning it has to be Jamario Thomas or bust running the ball. That could be a problem against a strong Akron run defense. Who to watch: North Texas is playing around with its quarterback situation to try to generate some production. Woody Wilson has been the most productive option completing 17 of 21 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown, and he even ran for 74 yards in the win over SMU. Even so, junior Daniel Meager, who has more experience after starting last year is still in the mix even though he didn't do much in his time against Tulsa last week. Wilson is the main man, but he might get a quick hook if Akron gets up big early. What will happen: Akron will get up by ten early and coast the rest of the way. The defense will take care of the UNT offense without much trouble. CFN Prediction: Akron 28 ... North Texas 10 ... Line: Akron -17.5 Must See Rating: (5 skip the birth of your first born - 1 The Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency) ... 2 Week Four Sun Belt Fearless Predictions http://cfn.scout.com/2/568845.html

Ditto

Q&A from today's DRC UNT chat. DRC UNT CHAT http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/...920.1ac6c5.html

East Carolina wants the Big East in the worst way. If ECU and UCF were to head out, Marshall would become the Louisiana Tech of CUSA as the conference would become Southern/Southwestern.

Offense D- Defense C+ Special Teams B Coaching F Mean Green Coaching: F The Mean Green is a running team. There is no arguing that, but a team can't be one dimensional. Passing the ball 11 times isn't going to win a game, especially when you're averaging 0.9 yards per rush. Woody Wilson didn't look bad passing the ball either. He completed four of five passes before he was replaced by Daniel Meager. I understand wanting to get Meager some playing time but when you are down you don't take out the one guy who brings a spark to the offense. Mean Green, Golden Hurricane Reports Cards http://media.www.ntdaily.com/media/storage...gepublisher.com

If you actually think that the DRC beat writer is going to generate friction with questions like "why does it appear that you could care less about winning OOC games" I have some wonderful ocean front properly in Arizona for sale.

I'm not one to voice my opinion, pro or con, very much about the coaching/team on a message board. That said, the only stat that really makes a diddly damn to me is the FINAL SCORE. Other years are history. The season that counts right now is 2006.

Kansas barely got by UL-Monroe by 2 at home last week

44-0 win before a Thursday nite (6PM start) crowd of 20,806. Not bad, not bad.

Dawson makes big impression at UNT Linebacker filling in well for Graves 08:57 PM CDT on Thursday, September 14, 2006 By Brett Vito/Staff Writer When Phillip Graves came hobbling off the field with a knee injury during preseason practice a few weeks ago, the situation had all the makings of a disaster for North Texas. Graves is arguably the Mean Green’s best defensive player and is on the watch list for the Butkus Award that goes to the nation’s top linebacker. UNT has missed Graves in its first two games of the season. Germaine Dawson has just made that longing a little less painful. UNT plugged the former walk-on in for the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection and watched him develop into a force in his own right. Dawson enters the Mean Green’s game against Tulsa on Saturday ranked second among UNT players in tackles with 13 and first in pass breakups with three. “Germaine is an active player,” UNT defensive coordinator Fred Bleil said. “He can go outside and play against a wide receiver and also play in the box. His skills are really very similar to Graves’. Once we plugged him into the lineup he has gotten better and better.” Dawson’s list of highlights is surprisingly long considering he has started just two games. The most impressive of the plays Dawson has made came last week in the Mean Green’s win over Dallas-area rival SMU at Fouts Field. Dawson had Justin Willis in his grasp when the former Ryan quarterback threw a pass that was tipped and intercepted by defensive lineman Sky Pruitt. The sophomore later sacked backup quarterback Corey Slater to help kill another drive. “It felt so good to get that sack,” Dawson said. “I had a chance earlier, but he got out of my grasp. … I was not going to let him go a second time.” When Dawson first arrived at UNT, he didn’t appear destined to play a key role on the Mean Green’s defense. The former Rockdale standout was a second-team Class 3A all-state selection as a senior, but was undersized for a linebacker at 6-1, 207. Both UNT and Baylor recruited Dawson, but neither offered a scholarship. The Bears coaching staff wanted Dawson to accept a partial academic scholarship with the understanding that he would receive a full athletic scholarship in January. UNT offered Dawson a chance to walk on. “North Texas had won four conference championships, but Baylor hadn’t had a lot of success,” Dawson said. “When I got accepted to North Texas I decided to come here.” The decision has paid off for Dawson, who played on special teams and backed up Graves as a freshman. “I knew I was going to get some playing time this season, but with Phillip being a senior and how good a player he is, I didn’t really think I would do more than relieve him if he got tired,” Dawson said. That plan changed when Graves strained the medial collateral ligament in his knee. UNT had a host of experienced inside linebackers it could have moved to rover spot for its season opener against the Longhorns, but plugged in Dawson instead. The Mean Green got their first indication that playing Dawson might not be such a bad idea against Texas. Dawson finished with eight tackles and broke up three passes against the defending national champions. “The Texas game everywhere I looked it was No. 53 on the tackle,” UNT defensive lineman Sky Pruitt said. “It’s extremely exciting to have someone step in and start making plays. For guys like Phillip and I who are in our last year, to see guys step in and play up to par is pretty awesome. You need guys like that if you are going to be successful.” Dawson credited his success in part to Graves, a player he looks up to and seeks out for advice on the sideline. UNT will need Dawson to continue his recent surge for at least a few more weeks. Dickey said he wants to be careful bringing back Graves because the team captain’s knee problems could linger if he returns too quickly. Thanks to Dawson, playing without Graves for a little while longer does not appear as if it will be as costly. “Germaine is a young guy, but he has the skills and an attitude that he is not going to let his age or size be a disadvantage,” fellow linebacker Willie Ransom said. “He watches a lot of film and really wants to be a student of the game. He acts older than he is.” Germaine’s germination North Texas sophomore linebacker Germaine Dawson has filled in nicely for Butkus Award candidate Phillip Graves the last two weeks. The following is a look back at the former Rockdale standout’s first two outings of the season. Game Tackles Highlight Texas Eight Broke up three passes SMU Five Posted first career sack