MeanGreen61

Quick Explanation of Scores - Attendance: Home attendance average over the last three years divided by 10,000. Avg. Score: 4.35 - APR: The most recently released Academic Performance Rate. Avg. Score: 5.45 - Quality Wins: Wins over D-I teams that finished with a winning record. Avg. Score: 5.45 - Total Wins: Wins over D-I teams. Avg. Score: 17.02 - Players Drafted: Number of players drafted divided by two. Avg. Score: 2.95 - Conference Win %: Conference winning percentage times 10. Avg. Score: 4.97 - Elite Wins: Wins over D-I teams that finished with two losses or fewer, or on the road over teams that finished with three losses or fewer. Add an additional 0.5 for an Elite Win over a two-loss team on the road. Avg. Score: 0.82 - Bad Losses: Losses to teams that finished with four wins or fewer, or any loss to a non-D-I team. Subtract each loss from the overall total. Subtract an additional 0.5 for each bad loss at home. Avg. Score: 1.2 81. North Texas Score: 28.45 2005 Ranking: 62 2004 Ranking: 65 2003 Ranking: 85 Attendance Score APR Score Draft Wins Quality Wins Elite Wins Bad Losses Conf. TOTAL 1.68 3 1 18 0 0 2 7.27 28.45 Program Analysis: It's amazing what a 2-9 season does to a Program Ranking. North Texas loses the 8-5 2002 season and has to come up with a big 2006 with the 9-4 2003 campaign getting wiped out of the mix next year. The Attendance and Draft Scores will always be an issue, so it's all about wins, wins and more wins. RANKINGS 80-99 http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2006/Pr...kings_80_99.htm

Soccer Ranked 14th In Preseason Regional Poll Courtesy: University of North Texas Release: 08/11/2006 DENTON (8/11/06) – The North Texas women’s soccer team, coming off its best season in school history, is ranked 14th in the Central Region to begin the 2006 season by Soccer Buzz Magazine. The Central Region, comprised of 68 teams, features some of the powerhouses in women’s soccer and the Mean Green will do battle with a number of those teams this season. Of the teams the Mean Green will face this year, USC is ranked 17th in the national poll to begin the season, while SMU, Nebraska, and Florida Atlantic are regionally ranked. Middle Tennessee and Oklahoma, who North Texas faces in an exhibition game, both received votes in the Central Region poll. The Mean Green returns 10 starters from a team that made its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and tied a school record with 16 wins. Junior forward Heather Hutyra, the reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, leads the way for North Texas this season. She enjoyed a breakout season last year with 20 goals and 47 points and marched her way into the record books at North Texas. Freshman of the Year Kelli Lunsford is back after posting the second most goals on the team with seven last season. In net, first-team all-conference goalkeeper Kandice Ellis returns after one of the best seasons in school history. Ellis notched seven shutouts and posted the fifth best goals against average in school history and the third most shutouts in school history. North Texas begins their exhibition season on Friday, Aug. 18 with a home game against Oklahoma and then on Saturday, Aug. 19 with a match against the Alumni. Both games will be played out at the new Soccer Stadium at the Mean Green Village.

Off the MUTS board. Another cops, robbers, football player(s) story. Three Trojans suspended from team, school after arrests Saturday, August 12, 2006 MIKE PERRIN News staff writer Three Troy University football players were suspended from the team and the school after they were arrested just after midnight Friday in connection with a burglary. Juniors Chris Bradwell, 22, and Nikko Doyle, 20, and sophomore Maurice Coleman, 21, were being held in Pike County Jail in Troy on Friday night with their bail set at $7,500 each. According to a Troy Police Department release, the three were arrested in connection with the second-degree burglary a short distance from an apartment at Troy Place Apartments on Gibbs Street. Bradwell and Doyle are junior college transfers from Northeast Mississippi Community College, where new Troy linebackers coach Benjy Parker served as defensive coordinator the past two seasons. Bradwell is a defensive end from Jacksonville, Fla., although Troy's media guide says he played high school football in Alpharetta, Ga. He played in four games as a true freshman at Florida State University in 2004. In February 2005, he was dismissed from the team after he was arrested for possession of marijuana. In 2005, Bradwell was a junior college All-American and the Mississippi Junior College defensive player of the year. Doyle is a linebacker from Batesville, Miss., and Coleman is a sophomore defensive lineman from Eufaula who played in five games last season after redshirting as a freshman. Coleman played four seasons for current Troy wide receivers coach Shayne Wasden at Eufaula High. All three players were challenging for starting positions for Troy in preseason camp.

5. North Texas Mean Green PiRate: 82 National Ranking: 112 HFA: 3 After thoroughly dominating the league the first four years of its existence, North Texas fell all the way into a tie for last in 2005. The Mean Green return the most starters and the highest percentage of lettermen in the conference. Can an extra year of experience vault them back to the top? It’s possible, but not probable. UNT will definitely jump up a few notches in the standings, but the days of them including the New Orleans Bowl on their printed schedule are over for now. The season wasn’t as bad as the record last year. The Mean Green lost all five conference games by a touchdown or less. They should be at least a touchdown better this season, so you could argue that the boys from Denton will run the table in the SBC if the other teams stagnate. North Texas had problems completing passes last year, finishing with just 48.6% completions. They averaged a paltry 5.1 yards per attempt and 129 yards passing per game. Sophomores Daniel Meager and Matt Phillips may only slightly improve on those marks, but whoever is under center will spend a good part of each Saturday giving the ball to the star tailback and getting out of his way. How often can a team in this league lose a back that rushed for 1,154 yards at a five yard per carry clip and consider themselves better off the next year? North Texas can stake that claim. After losing Patrick Cobbs, Jamario Thomas reclaims the starting job after overcoming an injurious 2005 season. In 2004, Thomas led the nation with 1,801 yards and 17 touchdowns. Thomas can explode through a hole and into the clear quickly. The entire starting trio of receivers returns this year as well as the three backups. Joel Nwigwe has deep threat potential and should help keep opposing defensive backs honest. The experienced offensive line should keep Thomas among the nation’s rushing leaders. Three players, center Chad Rose, guard Dylan Lineberry, and tackle Josh Alexander could vie for all-SBC honors. Defensively, UNT should improve on the 31.5 points per game allowed in 2005. Safety Aaron Weathers recorded 113 tackles and intercepted three passes last year. He’s one of the top three safeties in the league. The real strength of the defense will be the linebackers. Brandon Monroe, Maurice Holman, and rover Phillip Graves will make it much harder for running backs to get into the clear and should help the Mean Green chop off 25 or more yards off the 221 per game they surrendered last year. Up front, end Jeremiah Chapman and tackle Sky Pruitt have the potential to make all-SBC. North Texas has the hardest schedule of the five contenders. They face the other four contenders on enemy ground. Add to that non-conference games at Texas, Tulsa, and Akron, and you can just as easily pick UNT to finish with nine losses once again as they have of regaining the crown. My personal guess is UNT will at least double their wins from last year, and all of them should come in conference play. With a few breaks, they could find themselves playing for a trip FULL SUN BELT REVIEW http://vanderbilt.scout.com/2/556174.html

The media guide has him at 6'3, 274

Over 100 yards in total offense (about 25% of the Pats total), a TD and good blocking. Good show PC, good show GAME STATS http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/gamecenter/l...20060811_NE@ATL

Lil' Abner (#28) got mucho TV time

FWIW Washington Monthly university rankings. UNT at 220. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/...9.national.html

Posted by Space Raider on the Sun Belt board. 13 DI-A institutions received letters from the NCAA because they were below 15K last year. They were warned of possible sanctions if they are below 15K again this year... WAC - Utah State, San Jose State, New Mexico State MAC - Bowling Green, Akron, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Ball State, and associate member Temple C-USA - Rice, Tulane Sun Belt - UL-Monroe http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C...92321%2C00.html

Thanks !

Scroll down. http://sundaymorningqb.blogspot.com/ . NORTH TEXAS - - - - - 2005: 2-9 (2-5 Sun Belt) / Last Five Years: 31-30 (27-6 Sun Belt) 2006 Schedule (Do not click this link at work, in a public space such as a library or around small rodents unless you have first clicked 'Mute') What Everyone Should Know: After four unabted years of running roughshod over everybody amidst a conference win streak spanning hundreds of games (actually, only 25, which is impressive enough), the Mean Green must consider themselves the true gatekeepers around these parts, and only on a brief hiatus in 2005 before reclaiming its rightful place in a sparsely-attended, oft-mocked December bowl game of little to no consequence. Good At: The Green produced another 1,000-yard rusher in Patrick Cobbs, who hit 1,200 returning from injury last year. Back in the spotlight this fall steps Jamario Thomas, who led the nation in yards per game as a true freshman during the regular season in 2004 but dropped to 360 with no touchdowns behind Cobbs. Four starting lineman return to aid this effort. Not So Good At: A once passable run defense was chewed up and spit out on a weekly basis last year, and not just by the LSUs and Kansas States on the slate: four Sun Belt opponents easily topped 200 yards rushing, and only Florida International (79 yards) failed to top 180. A lot of tackles return, and a good number of them are in the secondary. Will Be Better At: UNT made a living of winning close games in its championship run, then proceeded to lose its last four in '05 by a combined 18 points. If a team is going to go an entire season without leading in any game by more than seven points, as the Green did in '05, a prerequisite for success is protecting the meager advantages. Which the Green did not do. Defining Games: Sept. 9 vs. SMU, Sept. 30 vs. Middle Tennessee State, Nov. 4 at UL-Lafayette The Goal: A year under sophomore QB Daniel Meager's belt ought to get the 4:8 INT ratio into line and complement the inevitably heavy doses of Thomas en route to reclaiming the league championship. They won't win a game outside the conference either way (even SMU is a nearly automatic loss in SMQ's mind), but judging from the littany of one-score losses last year, there's not enough of a gap to keep a more experienced bunch from challenging as usual. The Abyss: Ding dong, the witch is dead. '05 was the new trend, not the aberration, and the losses will pile up again. The Reality: SMQ sees no reason to give up on the league's poster child after a tough season in which it continued to play competitively even after all hope was lost by November. Call it a mulligan, and the gashing handoff-fest scheduled at Lafayette the de facto championship game.

Any info/observations on how the 'young guns' are firing/misfiring ?

Quick Explanation of Scores - Attendance: Home attendance average over the last three years divided by 10,000. Avg. Score: 4.35 - APR: The most recently released Academic Performance Rate. Avg. Score: 5.45 - Quality Wins: Wins over D-I teams that finished with a winning record. Avg. Score: 5.45 - Total Wins: Wins over D-I teams. Avg. Score: 17.02 - Players Drafted: Number of players drafted divided by two. Avg. Score: 2.95 - Conference Win %: Conference winning percentage times 10. Avg. Score: 4.97 - Elite Wins: Wins over D-I teams that finished with two losses or fewer, or on the road over teams that finished with three losses or fewer. Add an additional 0.5 for an Elite Win over a two-loss team on the road. Avg. Score: 0.82 - Bad Losses: Losses to teams that finished with four wins or fewer, or any loss to a non-D-I team. Subtract each loss from the overall total. Subtract an additional 0.5 for each bad loss at home. Avg. Score: 1.2 http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2006/Pr...ngs_100_119.htm 4 Sun Belt teams listed.

North Texas preview from BlueRaiderZone.com http://www.blueraiderzone.com/nt2006preview.html

Basketball: UNT practice facility nears completion Renovations to old Liberty Christian gym to be finished soon 10:29 PM CDT on Thursday, August 10, 2006 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas’ basketball teams will soon have a second home. UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said recently that he expects renovations changing a vacant gym in the Mean Green Athletic Village into a basketball practice facility to be completed in the next few months. “It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Villarreal said. “The fact that our basketball floor at the Super Pit is up for a third of the year with events and orientation makes it difficult for our kids.” UNT won’t have that problem after the latest in a series of projects is completed at what used to be Liberty Christian High School. Villarreal said UNT will have to install a new floor, repaint the gym and put up new goals. Once that work is completed, the men’s and women’s teams will share the facility. UNT currently practices and plays at the Super Pit, which is also the site of several other university functions. The basketball court is frequently removed during the offseason, forcing UNT’s teams to hunt for other places to work out. Both UNT men’s head coach Johnny Jones and women’s associate head coach Angela Ortega said their teams run into problems at times in the offseason. “The problem that we have is that although we have 11 floors on campus, we don’t always have access to them because of camps or things that are going on just in the regular school day,” Jones said. “This will keep us from having to go off campus to practice.” The even bigger advantage will be the access players will have to a court at any time to work out individually. “I know our kids’ frustration last year came when they had a break between classes and wanted to go use the shooting gun,” Ortega said of a machine that allows a single player to stand and have a machine pass balls to them to shoot. “With a practice facility they could put up 400 shots between classes, which would be a huge advantage for our program.” More and more colleges are building practice facilities, which have become a draw in recruiting. Baylor is building the Lt. Jack Whetsel Jr. Basketball Practice Facility at the cost of $8 million. “Everyone is building practice facilities and promoting it from a recruiting standpoint,” Ortega said. “We are being asked all the time about practice facilities by the parents of recruits. They want to know if there is an extra site where their daughter can go and shoot 200 free throws, if they want.” Villarreal said he can give both teams that luxury at a relatively low cost because there is already a gym available. The basketball practice facility is just the latest project UNT has taken on at the Mean Green Athletic Village since taking over the property in 2005. The UNT soccer team already has its new field in place and a softball field is nearing completion. Another gym on the campus has been renovated to house the women’s volleyball team. UNT is hoping the addition of an extra gym will give both its basketball teams a lift in recruiting and on the floor. The Mean Green women are looking to build on a 19-9 campaign that included a Sun Belt Conference West Division title last season, while the men finished 14-14 for the second straight year.

Offensive line looking Peachey for Mean Green Ex-Georgetown standout battling for starting spot 10:27 PM CDT on Thursday, August 10, 2006 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer At this time a year ago, Robert Peachey was a little lost in his freshman season at North Texas. The former Georgetown standout not only had to learn about a new town and a new campus, he also had to learn about a new position after switching from defensive to offensive line. Since that time, Peachey has not only found his way, he has moved to the top of the Mean Green’s depth chart at right tackle, where he is in a battle for a starting job with Jeremy Brown. UNT offensive line coach Harold Etheridge said Thursday that Peachey has the edge over Brown and will see significant playing time whether he wins the job or not in his redshirt freshman season. “It feels great to have the opportunity to play right away,” Peachey said. “I improved from last fall and last spring and then made another big jump heading into this fall.” Peachey’s improvement could provide the Mean Green an answer at a position that remains one of the team’s biggest question marks in the early stages of fall practice. UNT was set to return starting tackles Joel Foster and Josh Alexander, plus Brown, who was a part-time starter in 2005. The Mean Green lost Alexander for the season to a lingering knee injury that will require surgery. Etheridge said Foster is likely to start at left tackle to fill the void left by Alexander, leaving the job at right tackle up for grabs. Brian Carlson of Kilgore College came to UNT as a tight end in December, but is now splitting time working with UNT’s tight ends and offensive linemen. Matthew Menard, a freshman from Spring Westfield, moved from defensive line to offensive line early on in fall practice and has also shown promise. “We have two guys with a lot of experience at tackle in Foster and Brown,” Etheridge said. “Now we have to bring the young guys along.” None have come along quite as quickly as Peachey, who is listed at 6-5, 279, but pushed his weight to 288 pounds over the summer. Peachey’s increased weight is just one sign of his rapid rise through the ranks of UNT players since signing with the Mean Green in February of 2005 as a 6-4, 270-pound defensive lineman. Peachey made the move to offensive line the following fall and showed his potential. “The good thing about Peachey is that he is very coachable and is one of those guys who does what you ask him to do,” Etheridge said. “He plays older than he is. He is a freshman, but he knows what he is doing.” The performance of Peachey and the rest of UNT’s offensive line will be of paramount importance to the Mean Green’s prospects this season. UNT averaged just 3.9 yards per rushing attempt last season and allowed 21 sacks. UNT is hoping Peachey can help the Mean Green improve both totals. Senior Dylan Lineberry was the cornerstone of the Mean Green’s offensive line last season, when he was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team. So far, he has been impressed the Peachey’s performance, especially considering Peachey has only played on offense on a fulltime basis for a short time. “Peachey is a big, strong guy,” Lineberry said. “He just needs to get the fundamentals down and he will be good to go.” Briefly … Freshman defensive end Draylen Ross reported for practice on Thursday after the last of the paperwork he needed to be cleared to practice with the Mean Green was filed. Ross missed the first three days of practice. Tackling the tackle spot A season-ending injury to projected starting left tackle Josh Alexander has made the battle for the staring tackle jobs at North Texas one of the most intriguing of fall practice. The following is a look at the candidates: Joel Foster, 6-4, 282 — Senior appears to be a lock to start at left tackle. Robert Peachey, 6-5, 288 — Redshirt freshman is challenging for staring job at right tackle Jeremy Brown, 6-5, 308 — Junior has played both right and left tackle and could start on the right side or rotate as a backup on both sides. Brian Carlson, 6-5, 268 — Junior transfer is working at both tackle and tight end, where he might fit best Matthew Menard, 6-5, 275 — Freshman could be key backup this season and a starter down the line.

From the MUTS board. Aug 10, 7:25 PM EDT Sun Belt crowded with contenders By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Three teams got a taste of what it's like to play for the Sun Belt Conference championship on the last day of the season in 2005. And for the first time in the football conference's five years in existence, North Texas was not one of them. "This league is very close," said Louisiana-Lafayette coach Rickey Bustle, whose Ragin' Cajuns, 5-2 in the league last year, lost out in a three-way tiebreaker that decided who went to the New Orleans Bowl. "The league has gotten better. There's a lot more talent in this league than there was three or four years ago. There's not a lot of difference between the top and the bottom." Full article with team capsules in predicted order of finish http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBC...EMPLATE=DEFAULT

FWIW from today's Star-Telegram NOTES North Texas intrigued by Bomar STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS North Texas coaches have not ruled out any potential signing of former Oklahoma quarterback Rhett Bomar, but nothing will happen until Bomar's NCAA eligibility status is determined. On Aug. 2, Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn were kicked off OU's team after both admitted to receiving overpayment for jobs they had at a car dealership in Norman. The next day, UNT assistant Kenny Evans was contacted by Bruce Scott, an assistant coach to Bomar's father, Jerry Bomar, at Callisburg High School near Gainesville. "They were just kind of trying to figure out what they were going to do," Evans said. "I talked to Jerry and basically gave him some advice. He asked if we'd be interested. I said yes, but, like everyone, we'd have to understand the sanctions they were going to impose." UNT coach Darrell Dickey said any situation involving Bomar is out of UNT's hands until Bomar is officially released from OU and cleared with the NCAA as far as his admitted violation. "I was unaware that Kenny had talked to [Jerry Bomar]," said Dickey, who knew Scott had contacted Evans. "When he mentioned it to me [on Tuesday], I said, hey, there's no hurry on our part. We have to let all this stuff play out and then determine what our position would be." -- Troy Phillips

Article from the MUTS board. No college immune from bad behavior By GREG POGUE pogue@dnj.com At what point does a university assume responsibility for the actions of its recruited student-athletes? Imagine trying to ensure that 200-plus young men and women always make the right decision. It's not going to happen, no matter how hard they try. Case in point is every university in the country. Not one is immune. And every coach and administrator dread that late-night call. A year ago Christmas, Vanderbilt football coach Bobby Johnson got it. Popular running back Kwane Doster — a fine student and even finer person — had been shot dead during a visit to his hometown of Tampa, Fla. Imagine how much agonizing Johnson has done since that fateful night? MTSU men's basketball coach Kermit Davis got "the call" a year ago October when three of his players were cut during a fight at a local private club. Again, the wrong place at the wrong time crossed paths. Yet, those who know Davis know how tight a ship he runs. Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer has gotten plenty of those "calls" the past few years. Did one of college football's winningest active coaches all of a sudden loosen the grip? His detractors would say most definitely, although he has been swift to mete out punishment this summer when players ran afoul of the law. Not a rookie to college coaching, but going through the process of being head coach nonetheless, first-year MTSU football coach Rick Stockstill had two players arrested last month on two charges, the most troublesome being a gun possession charge that is still being investigated. From the Air Force Academy to Georgia to Southern Cal to all points here and there, young people making wrong decisions swipes all demographics. It might well be labeled an epidemic, if only we wanted to follow what is being labeled as a downward spiral. Many correctly blame NCAA recruiting restrictions that have limited coaches' access to those upon whom their jobs ultimately depend. Evaluation time causes more coaches to take chances on marginal student-athletes. Then again, coaches also take chances on those who can run fast and jump high and, seemingly, lift tall buildings — or, more succinctly, their programs — in a single bound. Even the time student-athletes players spend with their coaches once they arrive at school — especially during summer months when they are expected to be on campus but working out on their own — has been severely limited. You know what they say about idle hands. Rightfully or otherwise, athletic programs will be judged by the student-athletes they not only recruit, but the young men and women they mold. That's the nature of the beast of modern-day college athletics. Consistency seems the best way to get a student-athlete's attention, meaning no one is immune to quick and stern discipline when they mess up. Then again, that has to be balanced with allowing a person the opportunity to make a mistake just once. Originally published August 10, 2006

New Rules: 23 steps to gridiron sanity By Pat Forde ESPN.com It's early August, which means most college football fans have regressed into 5-year-olds with a week left until Christmas. The suspense is killing them and the calendar is moving in cruelly slow motion. Labor Day weekend seems eternally out of reach, with too many soul-killing baseball games still to be played between now and kickoff. To pass this excruciating time constructively, I say it's time we get educated. In homage to Bill Maher, whose schtick is blatantly and unapologetically ripped off here, I offer the New Rules for College Football Fans, 2006 edition: Pregame beers are fine, but stop before 12. 23 steps to gridiron sanity http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/sto..._pat&id=2544246

Football: Better late than never for Early UNT LB returns from long layoff due to knee injury 08:59 AM CDT on Thursday, August 10, 2006 By Brett Vito/Staff Writer North Texas linebacker Maurice Holman hasn’t had far to look for inspiration during the opening days of fall practice. Whenever Holman has felt a little tired or sore, one glance at fellow linebacker Shawn Early has been enough to convince him to push on. After all, a little soreness is nothing compared to what Early has gone through over the last year and a half. The senior tore anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee during spring practice after the 2004 season, missed all of the 2005 campaign and is just now resuming his full workout regiment with the 2006 season rapidly approaching. Early was cleared to begin football-related activities just a little more than two weeks ago and is gradually working his way back into form while trying to regain his place in the Mean Green’s starting lineup. “For me it’s an inspiration to have Shawn back out there,” Holman said. “He came back from a devastating injury, isn’t holding any grudges and wants everyone to get better. He wants to play with a passion like anyone would, but he is still giving us a boost by pushing along the younger guys.” Early was a backup safety and linebacker in his first two seasons at UNT before breaking through as a junior in 2004, when he finished with 60 tackles and a sack while starting 11 of 12 games at outside linebacker. Early was expected to start for the second straight season as a senior in 2005. That plan was cut short when he injured his knee in February during the early stages of spring practice. Early had surgery a short time later and was unable to recover in time for the 2005 season. He only worked out for a few days in spring practice earlier this year before being sent back to the training room for additional rehabilitation work. “It was real tough to sit out,” said Early, who is just six hours short of earning his degree. “It was the first season I have missed and the first major injury I have had. It taught me patience and made me mentally stronger.” That mental strength has paid dividends during a long and arduous recovery period. Early worked on rehabilitating his knee and still found time to spend hours in the weight room in an effort to get stronger. Early played outside linebacker as a junior but is expected to move to an inside position this season in UNT’s new 3-4 base defense to take advantage of his strength and compensate for any speed he lost due to his knee injury. “Shawn has always been a physical player and we were worried about his knee, so we moved him inside,” UNT linebackers coach Kenny Evans said. “We want to get our best 11 players on the field and Shawn is right up there with them. We have to find a spot for him, whether we rotate him at inside linebacker or move him somewhere else. “We definitely like the way he is moving right now.” While Early has looked like he is back at full speed early in practice, he still has several challenges to face. UNT worked out in half pads on Wednesday and will not begin practicing in full pads until Friday. Those practices will be a key step in Early’s recovery process. “Every day is big for Shawn,” UNT head coach Darrell Dickey said. “Just him being out there since he didn’t do anything in spring is a big deal. Any time you are coming off of a serious injury, just cutting and planting and doing football-related things, there is that feeling of insecurity. He has done well with that and did well in half pads today when we had a little contact.” Early will be in a stiff battle for playing time once UNT starts practicing in pads. The Mean Green have five linebackers on their roster who have been starters at some point in their careers. UNT will have more spots for those players this season in the 3-4 defense, but Early could still face a long road to earning extensive playing time. The journey is one Early is ready to begin in earnest with the first workouts in full pads on Friday. “I have been running and cutting on my knee and it feels pretty good,” Early said. “I have confidence back in my knee. Once I get hit on it or make that first cut, I will be all right.” Ieans no longer with team Former UNT wide receiver/quarterback Jonathan Ieans has been released from his scholarship and is no longer with the team, Dickey said Wednesday. Ieans was an all-district quarterback as a senior at Houston Madison and was both a backup quarterback and wide receiver in three seasons at UNT. Dickey likes look of freshmen Dickey said he was pleased with how UNT’s freshmen fit in with the team’s returning players during the first full-squad workout of fall practice. UNT’s freshmen worked out separately from returning players during the first two days of practice. “I liked how the freshmen jumped right in there,” Dickey said. “The ones that had opportunities today looked like they had been here a while and had a smooth transition.” Briefly … UNT is still waiting for paperwork to come through that would allow incoming freshman defensive end Draylen Ross of Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis to begin practicing. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

Per info in this thread (if correct), Bomar enrolled at UH today. http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/cusa/phpbb/v...pic.php?t=40293

Bomar's dad: Rhett deserves second chance Jerry Bomar says former Oklahoma QB made a mistake, needs to be punished 03:16 PM CDT on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 By BRIAN DAVIS and RANDY JENNINGS / The Dallas Morning News Rhett Bomar’s father said the former Oklahoma quarterback made a mistake and needs to be punished for breaking major NCAA rules. But Jerry Bomar said Rhett deserves a second chance and that the sophomore will pay restitution whether the NCAA requires it or not. “All we want to do is start over fresh from here,” Jerry Bomar told The Morning News. “He didn’t murder anybody, commit a crime or anything like that. But he made a mistake. He didn’t want to hurt Oklahoma. Oklahoma is a great school, it’s got great coaches. But he made a mistake, and he’s got to be punished. “But this is America, and I think he deserves a second chance.” Jerry Bomar has not spoken publicly since his son and teammate J.D. Quinn were dismissed from the team last week. An investigation revealed the players accepted money for work they did not perform at a car dealership in Norman, Okla. Now, Bomar said his son is examining his future options but admits they may be limited. OU officials are completing a report that will be forwarded to the NCAA. It could be months before the NCAA Committee on Infractions determines whether the school or players should be punished. “He’s going to pay the money back, whether he’s [forced] to or not,” Bomar said from his office at Callisburg High School, where he is the head football coach. “His parents are not going to give it to him, so he’s going to have to earn it.” Jerry Bomar would not say what schools he and Rhett are looking at. North Texas and Texas A&M-Commerce have expressed interest. Houston is also reportedly interested. Bomar also said a major league baseball team has called expressing interest in signing Rhett to a professional contract. Rhett Bomar was a two-sport star at Grand Prairie before choosing to stick with football in college. “We know he’s out of Division I-A for this year, and we think he could play Division II now,” Jerry Bomar said. “But then there could be penalties on top of that. It’s just all going to depend on what happens with the NCAA.”

Saw on the WKU board that Nebraska's center is leaving school because the coach departed. Will xfer to another school or return to Europe & play pro ball.

Oops.........excuse the double post !