MeanGreen61

Is that worse than Losing

Your'e assuming a lot aren't ya?

" The win is the seventh straight for the Mean Green and extends their unbeaten streak to 14 games, the third longest in the nation". Courtesy: Rick Yeatts Freshman Brittany Cleveland notched the game-winning goal against Denver

Beleive he means THIS November

Like Stan........ I'm ready for your opinions, but don't beleive we'll be bored

La. Tech to face dual rushing champs October 21, 2005 ADVERTISEMENT By Jimmy Watson jimwatson@gannett.com When Louisiana Tech athletic director Jim Oakes announced the two-game series with North Texas last year, the 2005 meeting between the two schools appeared headed toward a guaranteed television contract. The game would feature the WAC's and the Sun Belt's Offensive Players of the Year in Ryan Moats and Jamario Thomas. Thomas led the nation in rushing last season with 180.1 yards per game, while Moats averaged 147.8 and averaged 6.2 yards per carry. Moats scored 18 touchdowns, Thomas 17, and both had the kind of pizzazz that often left fans yelling for more. You could almost see the ESPN officials drooling in their scheduling rooms. But Moats left Tech early for the NFL and Thomas has had a less than sterling season, while playing second fiddle to 2003 national rushing champ Patrick Cobbs. Full article http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...326/1001/SPORTS

North Texas (2-3) at Louisiana Tech (2-3) Rian Johnson Staff Writer October 21, 2005 The Mean Green’s win last week, coupled with a Troy loss to Louisiana-Monroe, has NT regaining control of its own destiny. NT will use its next two opponents to try to get its team in position for another run for the Sun Belt title. David Minton / NT Daily Patrick Cobbs takes a carry during practice. He hopes to repeate another 100-yard performance Saturday against the Bulldogs. We were very fortunate and very pleased with getting a win Saturday, but we also realized there is a lot of things this young team has to improve on,” NT coach Darrell Dickey said. “And this week, we are going to work on trying to get some things we are not doing well ironed out and preparing a game plan to go over and play Louisiana Tech and try for a victory.” David Minton / NT Daily NT running back Jamario Thomas gears up for the Mean Green’s non-conference game against Louisiana Tech on Saturday. The Mean Green (2-3, 2-1) is facing a Louisiana Tech (2-3, 0-1) team fresh off a conference battle against Nevada that was decided in the last few minutes of the game. The Mean Green is expecting that loss to provide a little extra motivation this week in Ruston, La. “[Louisiana Tech is] a program that has had great success over the years,” Dickey said. “We are playing at their place, and they have played well this year. They had a tough loss to Nevada on the road last week … so I am sure they are going to want to come back and make up for that this Saturday.” The Bulldogs offense was not very impressive last week against Nevada. The Bulldogs only managed 68 yards on the ground and was out gained 458 to 229. But Dickey said the offense poses a threat. “They are a pretty wide open offense, but they still have a dangerous running game, and they can throw the ball extremely well,” he said. Louisiana Tech has three running backs averaging nearly five yards per carry on the season, and as a team, the Bulldogs squad has gained more than 650 yards on the ground. Matt Kubik leads the Bulldogs passing game. He has completed more than 48 percent of his passes on the season, finding the end zone seven times from the air. The Mean Green hopes to capitalize on Kubik’s mistakes, as he has thrown five interceptions in the season. Defensively, the Bulldogs scheme could pose a problem for the Mean Green offense line. “[Defensively, Louisiana Tech] line up and say ‘We are going to play defense two-deep, you whip us if you can,’” Dickey said. “But they also have a very good blitz package, and they have got the athletes to execute it.” That blitzing scheme shows in the defense’s numbers. The Bulldogs have 10 different players with a sack this year. Senior defensive lineman Moqut Ruffins leads the units with 2.5 sacks. Trend to watch: The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 55-21 in the second quarter this season. The Mean Green has been outscored 9-54 in the second quarter this season.

DRC article Football: Ransom beginning to pay off Highly-recruited DE starting to live up to hype for Mean Green 09:26 AM CDT on Friday, October 21, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Willie Ransom felt a little guilty in the opening weeks of the season. The North Texas defensive end had seen the rankings and heard the evaluations. He was supposed to be one of the most important members of the Mean Green’s 2005 recruiting class. For a while Ransom didn’t feel like he was living up to his end of the bargain. “There was some pressure coming in,” Ransom said. “I had to put that out of my mind and get ready to play. Each week I get better. I am feeling like myself again and am playing to my ability.” The latest indication that Ransom is coming out of his shell came last week in UNT’s 13-10 win over Florida International. Ransom moved into the starting lineup against the Golden Panthers and posted the first sack of his college career, not to mention his second big play in as many weeks. The streak is one the former Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College standout hopes to keep alive on Saturday when the Mean Green take on Louisiana Tech at 3 p.m. UNT heads into the first of consecutive non-conference games off a 13-10 win over FIU. The win marked just the latest in a series of solid performances for the Mean Green’s defense in Sun Belt play. UNT leads the league with an average of 10 points allowed a game through its first three Sun Belt games. Ransom was barely noticeable in the first of those games, a season-opening win over Middle Tennessee, but has played a larger role in each of the Mean Green’s last two league contests. The 6-3, 250-pound defensive end picked up a fumble in the Mean Green’s 13-10 loss to Troy and rumbled 21 yards deep into Trojans’ territory. Those are the types of plays UNT’s coaches expected Ransom to make when they won a recruiting battle with Kansas State, Troy and Southwest Missouri State for his services. “When we signed Willie, we hoped he would come in and make an immediate impact, and based on our last two games, he has done that,” UNT head coach Darrell Dickey said. “He has the speed and quickness to be a great pass rusher and run down plays on the other side of the field. He is also big enough to hold up against the run.” UNT needed a player of Ransom’s caliber after losing starting defensive ends Adrian Awasom and Tommy Harrison. Awasom led the Mean Green with eight sacks last season and is now in his rookie season with the New York Giants. UNT’s coaches saw Ransom as a potential replacement for Awasom after he was named honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference and a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. Despite those high ratings, Ransom got off to a slow start in his bid to move into the Mean Green’s starting lineup. He missed spring practice while completing course work at Coffeyville and was not quite ready when two-a-days began in the fall because of a toe injury. Ransom broke his toe at Coffeyville and has continued to experience pain in his foot because the injury didn’t heal properly. “I didn’t get a chance to work out with the team in the spring and see how my toe would feel,” Ransom said. “Then I didn’t work out enough over the summer. That held me back.” Ransom was bothered by the toe and a series of other minor ailments during fall practice, but has gradually gotten back to 100 percent while learning the Mean Green’s system. The result has been a gradual improvement in Ransom’s performance. Dickey moved Ransom into the starting lineup for UNT’s game against FIU after his solid night against Troy. The result was a sack that helped UNT force the Golden Panthers to settle for a field goal after they drove to the Mean Green’s 2-yard line. UNT is hoping the promotion will lead to a few more big plays and a more consistent performance from Ransom, who has posted six tackles in what was limited action until last week. “I have started to come along and get adjusted, which has helped me be more consistent,” Ransom said. “It built my confidence to know that I am going to start. Now I just have to go out there and raise my level of play.” BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .

Post on the Sun Belt board. Missouri State says 'no thanks' to the Sun Belt. Fact? Rumor? OK,who cares? Thread from the MAC board http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/mac/invision...=ST&f=1&t=26476 Thread from the Missouri State board. http://www.anygivensaturday.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4447

College Football News on this week's Sun Belt games. http://www.collegefootballnews.com/sun_bel...ons/SunBelt.htm

Frankly a lot more people get/go nowhere that those who get/ go somewhere Also... is a sale out better than a sell out?

Updated: Oct. 20, 2005 Indians surprising everyone but themselvesBy Adam Rittenberg Special to ESPN.com The blueprint for Louisiana-Monroe's turnaround revealed plenty of durable parts but no dependable adhesive. Like many programs located in the talent-rich south, ULM had the athletes to succeed. But after an exasperating seven months that featured two coaching departures -- Bobby Keasler was fired and Mike Collins resigned after being arrested on DWI charges -- the team was shattered. "We were pretty much at a depressed point," senior DE Brandon Guillory said. "We were tired of losing. The coaches were going in and out." The remedy came in waves. ULM's first step was hiring Charlie Weatherbie, an upstanding citizen who had reassembled programs at both Utah State and Navy. But ultimately, it took a core of leaders to ripen and unite the team. The evidence is emerging this season. Louisiana-Monroe is the only remaining unbeaten team in Sun Belt Conference play . Following an unusual three-week break, the Indians will resume the quest for their first league title and a New Orleans Bowl bid. "Every year I knew we had the capabilities to win the conference," Guillory said, "but this year we have guys who see nothing else but us winning the conference." Players saw nothing but disappointment before Weatherbie arrived in May of 2003. A feeling of abandonment consumed the team, and morale had plummeted. But beneath it all, Weatherbie saw potential. "I thought they had some pretty good players when I got in here," he said, "and I was right." The Sun Belt schools might seem foreign even to learned college football fans, but NFL alums like Brian Mitchell (Louisiana-Lafayette), Marty Booker (ULM), Jake Delhomme (ULL) and Kelly Holcomb (Middle Tennessee) are known. The league regularly produces pros, most recently Dallas Cowboys LB DeMarcus Ware (Troy) and S Chris Harris, a ULM product who is starting for the Chicago Bears. Guillory talks regularly with Harris and admits he owes his friend a phone call after the rookie's first interception Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. "It's good to see those guys coming out of our conference," Guillory said. "We're not the Big 12, but we're still showing that we're producing." Added Indians senior QB Steven Jyles: "There's guys that come out of the Sun Belt who go to the NFL every year. You just don't hear about them until they get there." The residue from ULM's problematic past led to a 1-11 mark in Weatherbie's first season. The Indians lost their first four games of 2004 before breaking through with a 16-14 win over Idaho. ULM won four of its final six regular-season games, and players began to absorb their coach's attitude. "Coach Weatherbie always talked to us about how there were teams we played that talent-wise, there's no way they should compete against us," Jyles said. "But as a team they were better than us, and that's what we had to learn." Added Weatherbie: "Even though North Texas has dominated by winning the conference title, all the games that teams have played against them or one another, they're all fairly close. This league has got unbelievable parity." The Indians also learned that great teams don't simply show up on Saturdays. In past summers, only the skill players remained on campus to train, but last summer the linemen stuck around as well. ULM conducted 7-on-7 scrimmages with Grambling State, and rising seniors like Guillory and Jyles brainstormed how to sustain the momentum from 2004 into 2005. Motivation became easy when the preseason picks came out and the Indians were a consensus bottom-feeder in the Sun Belt. "I thought they'd give us a little more credit and respect than they did," Jyles said. "The teams we beat last year, they picked them over us, and that really hurt." But Hurricane Katrina sidetracked the Indians' push toward the season. The hurricane affected several players from the New Orleans area. "Not just my house is gone, but memories, awards, videos and a lot of things that remind me of how I got here," said Guillory, who hasn't been back to the city and doesn't plan to go anytime soon. "Football had a big, big role in taking my mind off of it." ULM dropped its season opener to Northwestern State and then was shut out 38-0 against Wyoming. A 44-7 drubbing at Georgia appeared to extend ULM's torment, but Jyles saw good signs emerge in Athens. "The score didn't show it," he said, "but we competed as a team. Offensively we were going up and down the field. We just couldn't put it in the end zone. That really lifted our spirits and let us know what we are." What they are is a contender, and with four league games remaining, Jyles intends to keep it that way. "We have talent all over," he said. "It's just the simple fact of us coming together and playing like a team. That's what winning ball games is about." Adam Rittenberg covers college football for the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald.

Box score & stats. http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/boxscore?gid=200510200222

Familiar ring? Post from the Troy board after tonites games with guess who ? FIU. I still believe that we have the athletes in place but our coaches are marginal, at best...either our offensive staff isn't on the same page or some of them just don't know what they're doing. I just don't understand how our offense continues to be this out of sync year after year after year...something is wrong on that side of the ball and it ain't just Fleetwood. I'm not saying that he's not part of the problem...but I am saying that he's not all of the problem. Something is going on with the offensive staff and I would like to know what it is. We continue to make the same mistakes week after week and it's not just the QB's. For a freshman, Foster shows a lot of promise, but we have juniors and seniors at other positions who aren't getting it done and they appear, in my useless opinion, to be poorly coached ...fundamentally and otherwise. I don't what it is, but something's up and someone in position to do so needs to start asking some questions so that we can get to the bottom of this. I don't know what's going on, but enough is enough and I want some answers...for a change.

Soccer: Renowned rivalry UNT-Denver grudge match rates No. 1 in all of Mean Green sports 08:52 AM CDT on Thursday, October 20, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Of all the goals Kristen Campbell has scored during her North Texas career, it was one of the first that stands out. Campbell was a freshman in 2003 when she took a pass from Marilyn Marin with 24 seconds left in double overtime and slipped the ball into the goal to give UNT a win over a Denver team that was ranked No. 20 nationally. “The seniors clued us in on how big of a match that was,” Campbell said. “It was surreal to score in that situation. It’s still my favorite goal.” The Mean Green’s upset win that night is just one of several great moments in the UNT-Denver series that has developed into arguably the greatest rivalry in Mean Green sports. UNT and Denver have met in the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament three times and combined to win the last four tournament titles. Either UNT or Denver has won or shared the last four regular season Sun Belt titles. A new chapter will be added to the series at 7 p.m. Friday at the Mean Green Soccer Complex when UNT faces Denver at home for the first time since Campbell’s game-winning goal two years ago. The Mean Green have a few other rivalries, including one with Middle Tennessee in football, but none quite measure up to the UNT-Denver soccer grudge match that the Pioneers lead 5-3-1. “I don’t think there is any question that this is one of the better rivalries that we have,” UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said. “It’s an intense fight every year because it is either North Texas or Denver that wins the conference title in a league that traditionally only gets one NCAA Tournament bid. I think everyone in the league looks to this game.” This season’s game will be no different, even though the circumstances surrounding the game have changed slightly. UNT and Denver are sitting atop the Sun Belt Conference standings as usual, but the Pioneers have failed to keep pace with the Mean Green during a torrid start. UNT (11-2-2) is in the midst of a 13-game unbeaten streak that ranks as the third longest in the nation and is 6-0 in Sun Belt play. The Mean Green are ranked No. 36 nationally by topdrawersoccer.com. Denver (7-6-2, 4-1-1) was stunned by Arkansas State, 2-0, in its last game and also suffered a double overtime tie against Louisiana-Lafayette. Those setbacks have left UNT in position to take a commanding lead in the race for the conference title with just two games left in the regular season. “It really shook up things in the conference when Denver lost,” UNT senior defender Misty Cordon said. “We were not expecting that at all.” The Mean Green needed a few unexpected performances of their own to turn the tide in the series that was dominated by Denver early on. Campbell’s game-winner in 2003 broke the Pioneers’ three-game winning streak in the series. Denver appeared as if it would regain control of the rivalry when the Pioneers knocked off the Mean Green in the 2003 conference tournament finals and in the teams’ 2004 regular season meeting. UNT finally broke through for its first win over Denver in the Sun Belt Tournament last year with a stunning 3-0 victory in the semifinals. The Mean Green had lost three straight in the postseason to Denver. “It was huge for us to win in the conference tournament last year,” UNT coach John Hedlund said. “They had always been a thorn in our side, but last year we had the better team and took it to them. That just made the rivalry stronger.” The Mean Green went on to beat Florida International in the tournament finals and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. “When they beat us last year it made the rivalry more intense for our girls,” Denver coach Jeff Hooker said. “UNT has improved as a team over the years. John has also become a better coach.” While both programs have gone through up and down cycles over the years, Hedlund and Hooker believe the UNT-Denver rivalry will have staying power because of the talent in their school’s immediate areas. The Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver regions have both produced players who have ranked among the Sun Belt’s best. UNT forward and Fort Worth Western Hills graduate Heather Hutyra ranks fourth nationally with 16 goals. All but one of UNT’s starters is from Texas. Lleane Grimditch was the Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year and leads Denver with six goals. The junior is one of 15 players from Colorado on the Pioneers’ roster. “Both teams get good players out of their area and have been able to build solid rosters,” Hooker said. “The rivalry has become which city has the better players, Dallas or Denver.” The history of the UNT-Denver series shows that there is no telling which team might have better players until they square off in a unique rivalry game. “It’s what we look forward to,” Cordon said. “This game is how we measure ourselves in the conference.” BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com . The UNT-DU series There might not be a better rivalry in North Texas athletics than the Mean Green soccer team’s series with Denver. The following is a look back. 2000 UNT 0, Denver 0 Notable — The series began with a tie after both teams joined the Sun Belt 2001 UNT 2, Denver 1 Denver 2, UNT 1 Notable — UNT won in the regular season, but Denver exacted revenge in the finals of the Sun Belt Tourney. 2002 Denver 6, UNT 1 Denver 3, UNT 0 Notable — Denver dominated both games and knocked off UNT in the Sun Belt Tourney finals. 2003 UNT 3, Denver 2 (2OT) Denver 1, UNT 0 (OT) Notable — Kristen Campbell scored the game-winner in perhaps the greatest contest in the history of the series in the regular season, but Denver won in the Sun Belt Tourney finals for the third straight year. 2004 Denver 3, UNT 0 UNT 3, Denver 0 Notable — Denver dominated in the regular season, but UNT cruised in the Sun Belt Tourney semifinals and went on to advance to the NCAA Tourney for the first time in school history.

Hawaii didn't even try to run the ball until the middle of the 4th quarter

Soccer: Renowned rivalry UNT-Denver grudge match rates No. 1 in all of Mean Green sports 08:52 AM CDT on Thursday, October 20, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Of all the goals Kristen Campbell has scored during her North Texas career, it was one of the first that stands out. Campbell was a freshman in 2003 when she took a pass from Marilyn Marin with 24 seconds left in double overtime and slipped the ball into the goal to give UNT a win over a Denver team that was ranked No. 20 nationally. “The seniors clued us in on how big of a match that was,” Campbell said. “It was surreal to score in that situation. It’s still my favorite goal.” The Mean Green’s upset win that night is just one of several great moments in the UNT-Denver series that has developed into arguably the greatest rivalry in Mean Green sports. UNT and Denver have met in the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament three times and combined to win the last four tournament titles. Either UNT or Denver has won or shared the last four regular season Sun Belt titles. A new chapter will be added to the series at 7 p.m. Friday at the Mean Green Soccer Complex when UNT faces Denver at home for the first time since Campbell’s game-winning goal two years ago. The Mean Green have a few other rivalries, including one with Middle Tennessee in football, but none quite measure up to the UNT-Denver soccer grudge match that the Pioneers lead 5-3-1. “I don’t think there is any question that this is one of the better rivalries that we have,” UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said. “It’s an intense fight every year because it is either North Texas or Denver that wins the conference title in a league that traditionally only gets one NCAA Tournament bid. I think everyone in the league looks to this game.” This season’s game will be no different, even though the circumstances surrounding the game have changed slightly. UNT and Denver are sitting atop the Sun Belt Conference standings as usual, but the Pioneers have failed to keep pace with the Mean Green during a torrid start. UNT (11-2-2) is in the midst of a 13-game unbeaten streak that ranks as the third longest in the nation and is 6-0 in Sun Belt play. The Mean Green are ranked No. 36 nationally by topdrawersoccer.com. Denver (7-6-2, 4-1-1) was stunned by Arkansas State, 2-0, in its last game and also suffered a double overtime tie against Louisiana-Lafayette. Those setbacks have left UNT in position to take a commanding lead in the race for the conference title with just two games left in the regular season. “It really shook up things in the conference when Denver lost,” UNT senior defender Misty Cordon said. “We were not expecting that at all.” The Mean Green needed a few unexpected performances of their own to turn the tide in the series that was dominated by Denver early on. Campbell’s game-winner in 2003 broke the Pioneers’ three-game winning streak in the series. Denver appeared as if it would regain control of the rivalry when the Pioneers knocked off the Mean Green in the 2003 conference tournament finals and in the teams’ 2004 regular season meeting. UNT finally broke through for its first win over Denver in the Sun Belt Tournament last year with a stunning 3-0 victory in the semifinals. The Mean Green had lost three straight in the postseason to Denver. “It was huge for us to win in the conference tournament last year,” UNT coach John Hedlund said. “They had always been a thorn in our side, but last year we had the better team and took it to them. That just made the rivalry stronger.” The Mean Green went on to beat Florida International in the tournament finals and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. “When they beat us last year it made the rivalry more intense for our girls,” Denver coach Jeff Hooker said. “UNT has improved as a team over the years. John has also become a better coach.” While both programs have gone through up and down cycles over the years, Hedlund and Hooker believe the UNT-Denver rivalry will have staying power because of the talent in their school’s immediate areas. The Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver regions have both produced players who have ranked among the Sun Belt’s best. UNT forward and Fort Worth Western Hills graduate Heather Hutyra ranks fourth nationally with 16 goals. All but one of UNT’s starters is from Texas. Lleane Grimditch was the Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year and leads Denver with six goals. The junior is one of 15 players from Colorado on the Pioneers’ roster. “Both teams get good players out of their area and have been able to build solid rosters,” Hooker said. “The rivalry has become which city has the better players, Dallas or Denver.” The history of the UNT-Denver series shows that there is no telling which team might have better players until they square off in a unique rivalry game. “It’s what we look forward to,” Cordon said. “This game is how we measure ourselves in the conference.” BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com . The UNT-DU series There might not be a better rivalry in North Texas athletics than the Mean Green soccer team’s series with Denver. The following is a look back. 2000 UNT 0, Denver 0 Notable — The series began with a tie after both teams joined the Sun Belt 2001 UNT 2, Denver 1 Denver 2, UNT 1 Notable — UNT won in the regular season, but Denver exacted revenge in the finals of the Sun Belt Tourney. 2002 Denver 6, UNT 1 Denver 3, UNT 0 Notable — Denver dominated both games and knocked off UNT in the Sun Belt Tourney finals. 2003 UNT 3, Denver 2 (2OT) Denver 1, UNT 0 (OT) Notable — Kristen Campbell scored the game-winner in perhaps the greatest contest in the history of the series in the regular season, but Denver won in the Sun Belt Tourney finals for the third straight year. 2004 Denver 3, UNT 0 UNT 3, Denver 0 Notable — Denver dominated in the regular season, but UNT cruised in the Sun Belt Tourney semifinals and went on to advance to the NCAA Tourney for the first time in school history. This text is invisible on the page, but this text is affected by the invisible item's flow. 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Interesting article on the youth of the soccer team and adjustments that were made. Young, fast team passes past old Michael Neglia Staff Writer October 20, 2005 A school record of 16 wins, capturing the conference tournament title and making the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament are some of the things last year’s NT soccer team accomplished. Add losing eight seniors to that list, and you have a tough act to follow. Emily Hughes / NT Daily Jamie Yates, junior forward, goes to kick the ball during Sunday’s game against Arkansas-Little Rock at the Peterbilt field. But that hasn’t been a problem for this year’s squad, as the Mean Green has reeled off a school record: a 13-game unbeaten streak, which includes a 3-1 road victory over SMU, a 1-0 win over Rice and a 1-1 tie with Missouri State. Those three teams beat NT last year by a combined score of 8-0. Those results have come with a roster that is more than one-third freshman, including four starters. And three seniors, with none that start. It has been somewhat of a surprise, at least to Mean Green head coach John Hedlund. “I really am [surprised] because last year’s team was really made up as a veteran squad, it had eight seniors on that team, the core of that team has been together for three or four years,” Hedlund said. “I really didn’t know what to expect with this team, with so many new faces. I didn’t know whether these young players, these freshmen coming in, could play at a high level immediately.” Sophomore forward Heather Hutyra wasn’t as surprised by the team’s success. “You know, we had an awesome team last year, I just think this year the team is working really well together, everybody’s on the same page,” Hutyra said. “We have a lot of young talent and John recruited very well, so I’m not surprised that we’re doing better.” Experience aside, the biggest difference between last year and this year’s team is athletic ability. “The speed is a huge difference from last year,” Hedlund said. “We’ve never had this much speed and what helps out more than anything this year is if some of these players make a mistake, they’re so fast that they can get back and still try to correct that problem. But, last year’s team, if we did get beat, usually it would end up in a goal.” Another important asset and upgrade from last year is depth. “I would say this is the deepest team we’ve had,” Hedlund said. “We’re probably about five or six deep on this team and maybe a year ago we could probably bring three or four pretty good players on the bench.” Still, arguably the biggest reason for success this season has been players adapting to new positions and excelling at them. “We’ve been very fortunate where we move some kids into different spots that don’t normally play there and they have blossomed into that position,” Hedlund said. “Take a girl like [freshman] Gennifer Hurst … she’s always played forward. Now we’ve converted her into a right marking back, defender, and she’s done an extremely good job. “The biggest key might be [junior] Angela Hawkins, she’s never played sweeper before, but we lost our big-time sweeper from a year ago and we had to fill that void and she’s been tremendous.” Hurst admitted that playing defense wasn’t necessarily in her comfort zone when she first started. “It was a different experience but once I got back there and I got used to the system that they’re playing, that we play, I kind of got comfortable,” Hurst said. The Mean Green still had to make changes this year to better suit the team’s style of play and inexperience at the beginning of the season. NT switched formations during the offseason from a 3-5-2 (three defenders, five midfielders, and two forwards) to a 4-4-2 to play a more defensive-minded game. If that wasn’t enough, NT started the season off with a goalkeeper controversy as to whether senior Briana Buchanan, who had led the team to the NCAA Tournament last year, or untested but very talented sophomore Kandice Ellis would be the starter. Hedlund tried playing both for a while, and Ellis got the hot hand and never looked back. “They know coming in that there’s going to be competition in every position, and I think that’s what’s going to motivate them more than anything in the offseason,” Hedlund said. “Bri [buchanan] has done a great job for us, don’t get me wrong, but Kandice has come in and taken it to another level.” That’s not to say that Ellis didn’t feel the pressure. “Of course I was nervous but I mean you have to go with a positive attitude,” she said. “Bri and I just pushed each other, whoever’s playing better gets to play.” All of this could have been a problem, until the big win against SMU. “We came out in the SMU game, that’s the first game we played together as a team really well,” Hutyra said. “Before every game, John talks about the SMU game and ‘let’s just go out there and play like that,’ and I think that it’s a lot that we can lean back on and proves that we can play that well.” Since the SMU win – the second of the 13-game unbeaten streak – it’s been riding high for the Mean Green. A win against Denver on Friday night, and a Western Kentucky loss or tie will clinch the regular-season conference title. All of that bodes well in the future for a team that consistently starts at least a combined eight freshmen and sophomores. “It’s a talented group of players, and they’re still young and have room to improve, which is exciting,” Hedlund said.

UNT is #78 in scoring defense giving up 27.6 ppg, but Tech is #82 giving up 28 ppg.

The UL Monroe football team has plenty of time to rest bumps and bruises before making a final push for the Sun Belt Conference title. After trouncing Troy 27-3 on Saturday, ULM (3-4, 3-0) faces a pair of open dates and 20 days without a game before playing host to Florida International on Nov. 5. As the lone unbeaten left in the Sun Belt, ULM plans to savor the first-place feeling. "We all feel pretty good about it," ULM offensive tackle Kyle Cunningham said. "The biggest thing is, we all need to get healthy over the next few weeks and not lose our focus. We have to make sure that everybody keeps on their mind that we've got five games left. We need to keep on track." Full article http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../510190311/1006

Because anthrax or anthrax scares isn't something to joke about?

Of the 119 NCAA Division I-A schools, 41 had errors. There are other problems: Five community colleges are classified as Division I-A schools in the Education Department's data; a Division I-AA school also was classified as I-A. The University of Arkansas has no data for 2003 even though the school says it filed its EADA report. Full article http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/200...rts-cover_x.htm

North Texas (2-3) At Louisiana Tech (2-3) FACTS & STATS: Site: Joe Aillet Stadium (30,600) -- Ruston, Louisiana. Television: None. Home Record: UNT 0-2, LaTech 2-0. Away Record: UNT 2-1, LaTech 0-3. Neutral Record: UNT 0-0, LaTech 0-0. Conference Record: UNT 2-1, LaTech 2-1. Series Record: North Texas leads, 5-4. GAME NOTES: The North Texas Mean Green travel to Ruston to battle the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in a non-league affair at Joe Aillet Stadium this Saturday. The Mean Green opened the 2005 slate with a thrilling 14-7 victory over Middle Tennessee State, but proceeded to drop their next three contests, including a 13-10 decision to Sun Belt Conference foe Troy. The loss to the Trojans snapped a 26-game conference winning streak for UNT. Fortunately for North Texas the team was able to snap its three-game skid with a tight 13-10 victory over Florida International last week. After the Mean Green battle the Bulldogs they will clash with seventh-ranked LSU, which will be followed by a home contest against UL-Lafayette. As for the Bulldogs, they suffered their first conference loss of the season with a 37-27 setback to Nevada last weekend. Louisiana Tech opened its season with two straight losses to Florida (41-14) and Kansas (34-14), but rebounded nicely with victories over New Mexico State (34-14) and Hawaii (46-14). Next on the schedule for the Bulldogs is a home date with San Jose State. With regard to the all-time series between these two schools, the Mean Green hold a slim 5-4 advantage. The last meeting came back in 1987 with North Texas getting the best of the Bulldogs, 10-5. North Texas' offense was once again ineffective last week, racking up just 226 total yards against Florida International, but fortunately for the Mean Green it was enough to get them a three-point victory. The unit collected just 11 first downs and converted only 1-of-14 third down attempts, but controlled the ball for just over 34 minutes. UNT finished the contest with just 147 rushing yards on 48 carries, while producing a meager 79 yards passing. Patrick Cobbs, who became the all-time leading rusher at UNT earlier in the year, rushed for 112 yards on 27 carries in the win. While the ground game enjoyed moderate success, the passing attack was ineffective as Daniel Meager completed just 10-of-15 passes with a touchdown. On the year, Meager has yet to provide consistency as the team's signal caller, completing just 48.4 percent of his throws for 442 yards. Meager has just one touchdown pass on the season, but has thrown four interceptions. North Texas is averaging just 9.2 ppg and for that number to improve the team will need to gain more than the 203.8 total ypg it is currently. Defensively, the Mean Green have been simply atrocious this season, allowing 27.6 ppg behind 418.4 ypg. In the victory over FIU last week, UNT allowed 322 total yards, but came up with a whopping eight turnovers to secure the hard- fought victory. North Texas held the Panthers to just 79 yards on the ground, which is shocking considering the defense has struggled tremendously against he run this season, allowing an average of 213.6 ypg. UNT did have some trouble against FIU's aerial attack as the Panthers threw for 243 yards on the day. Maurice Holman finished the contest with 10 tackles and one fumble recovery, while Brandon Monroe also added 10 stops to go along with one interception in the victory for North Texas. Aaron Weathers, who collected nine tackles against FIU, leads the defensive unit with 49 stops on the year. After dropping 46 points on Hawaii in their previous contest, the Bulldog offense was simply dreadful last week, gaining just 229 total yards, including a mere 68 on the ground. Patrick Jackson led the way for a LaTech rushing attack that averaged just 2.1 ypc, logging 34 yards and a score on eight totes. While the ground game was struggling to produce, the passing attack did little to help as the Bulldogs racked up just 161 yards through the air. Matt Kubik completed just 13-of-39 pass attempts and tossed one touchdown along with one interception. On the season, Kubik has had very little success, hitting just 48.4 percent of his passes for only 725 yards and seven scores. It should only get worse for Kubik who might be without his main target, Seneca Chambers, who is listed as questionable with kidney problems. Chambers has 17 receptions for 174 yards thus far, but has yet to find the end zone. On defense, Louisiana Tech has been less than stellar thus far, allowing 28.0 ppg behind 386.6 ypg. Last week against Nevada, the Bulldogs permitted 458 total yards, including 269 through the air. The passing yards racked up by the Wolf Pack should not be surprising considering the Bulldogs are yielding an average of 251.8 ypg to the pass. LaTech rarely put up a fight against Nevada's offense, allowing the Pack to collect 26 first downs and convert all six of their red zone scoring chances. The defensive unit, which was on the field for close to 36 minutes, was able to force three turnovers and register three sacks in the setback. Byron Santiago paced the Bulldogs with 13 tackles, while Barry Robertson, who leads the squad with 39 tackles on the year, finished with nine. After a poor offensive display last week against Nevada expect the Bulldogs to rebound nicely against a struggling North Texas team. Look for LaTech to run early and often against the Mean Green who are ranked 109th in the nation against the run. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Louisiana Tech 34, North Texas 14

The University of North Texas football team hasn't exactly been a scoring machine this year. The Mean Green (2-3) hasn't scored more than 14 points in a game and is averaging just 9.2 points per outing. UNT scored just 13 points last week in a 13-10 win over Florida International, despite getting eight turnovers. Meanwhile, the Mean Green has suffered through 54-2 and 54-7 losses to Tulsa and Kansas State respectively. Full Article http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.d.../510190316/1029