MeanGreen61

Here's a thought. This board is loaded with experts who know what's right, what's wrong, what needs to be done and when it should be done, etc. Maybe a raffle or drawing to select one to lead us to the promise land?

SMU's invite more about money & connections.

Lafayette to host 2005 New Orleans Bowl Courtesy: Sun Belt Conference Release: 10/11/2005 LAFAYETTE, La. - The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation announced Tuesday that the 5th Annual New Orleans Bowl will be played in Lafayette this year at UL Lafayette's Cajun Field. The game, which will take place at 6 p.m. CT on Dec. 20 and will air live on ESPN, will feature the Sun Belt Conference champion against an opponent to be determined from Conference USA. The change of venue, prompted by hurricane damages to the Louisiana Superdome, was facilitated by a group effort between the GNOSF, the New Orleans Bowl Committee, the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, the Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, and the University of Louisiana Lafayette. The decision to move the game to Lafayette involved a coordinated effort between leaders from both communities, who worked on logistics through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as well as the lifecycle of Hurricane Rita. Jay Cicero, President/CEO of the GNOSF, and the New Orleans Bowl staff quickly identified Lafayette as the host for this year's game. "The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation has been unwavering in our desire to keep the New Orleans Bowl in Louisiana," Cicero said. "Everyone's patience and diligence through this process has been phenomenal, and we are all excited about the payoff. Lafayette provides a number of key elements we wanted in a host city. "Most importantly, it compliments the unique culturally rich backdrop and Cajun hospitality that our participating teams and visitors are accustomed to, and the spirit of our Bowl that cant be found anywhere other than South Louisiana. Additionally, by keeping the bowl next door, our economic development mission for the State of Louisiana can be realized in a region that is hard at work in the aftermath of the recent storms." Lafayette has seen its share of residue from both South Louisiana hurricanes, including the unexpected demands on the hospitality industry. Billy Ferrante, Executive Director of the New Orleans Bowl, worked with local leaders to tackle the key issue of housing for the event. "At a time when forecasting hotel room availability throughout our region seemed impossible, the Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission put forth a Herculean effort to guarantee availability for our teams, bands, broadcast partners, fans, and special events," Ferrante said. "Now, we are now looking forward to working with the City of Lafayette, the CVC, the Chamber, and the University, in a Host Committee capacity as they continue to take ownership of this event as if it were their own." Working to secure the more than 3500 rooms required to stage the event, Karen Primeaux, Convention Marketing Manager for the Lafayette CVC, welcomed the challenge. "We are honored to host such a prestigious event in Lafayette and we are looking forward to a full house at Cajun Field on December 20th," Primeaux said. "The city of Lafayette has incredible Cajun and Creole cuisine, great attractions and over 4,000 hotel rooms within the city." Setting the stage for the move, University President, Dr. Ray Authement, and Interim Director of Athletics, David Walker, made the 31,000-seat Cajun Field available and pledged invaluable operational support to help in the logistical transition for the Bowl. "I am delighted that we were able to find hotel accommodations and other amenities so the Bowl could be held in Lafayette," Authement said. "There are a lot of similarities between New Orleans and Lafayette. Though we are not the same in size, Lafayette is rich in culture and highly respected for its' food and music." "We cant put a price tag on the value of local expertise, and we certainly want to tap into the best resources available," Cicero added. "After serving as the local host to large scale events since 1988 (Super Bowls and Final Fours included), our staff knows the value of, and is looking forward to, relying on Lafayette talent to help us stage a great game that showcases this region, creates a memorable event for the players and fans, and has a positive economic impact on this city." In addition to an overall $10-15 million economic impact for the local economy, media exposure surrounding the Bowl will deliver an immeasurable positive media and public relations value. More information on the 2005 New Orleans Bowl can be found at www.NewOrleansBowl.com courtesy Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation

With all that's been posted recently, never woulda guessed. Another enlightening thread.......WOW

Give me strength

How dare you ! Shame on you ! Posting something that isn't negative ! Just check the the board........the ship is sinking !

From College Football News http://www.collegefootballnews.com/sun_belt/Sun%20Belt.htm

Opening Vegas line is UNT -1.5 http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/odds/las-vegas/

North Texas Downs FIU 1-0 To Push Unbeaten Streak To 11 Courtesy: University of North Texas Release: 10/09/2005 Courtesy: Rick Yeatts MIAMI, Fla. (10/9/05) – Sophomore goalkeeper Kandice Ellis notched her second consecutive shutout as the North Texas women’s soccer team completed a perfect road trip with a 1-0 win over Florida International. The win pushes the North Texas (9-2-2, 4-0) winning streak to four games and extends the Mean Green’s unbeaten streak to 11 straight games. In a tight defensive struggle North Texas scored the only goal of the match in the 60th minute when sophomore Heather Hutyra beat Madeline Gannon on a scramble inside the Golden Panthers box. Hutyra’s goal is her 12th of the season as Jamie Yates picked up the assist. North Texas defensively held FIU (3-5-4, 1-2-1) without a shot in the final 22 minutes of play as Ellis extended her scoreless streak to 396 minutes without allowing a goal. FIU outshot the Mean Green 12-8, but Ellis made three saves in each period to preserve the win. The win moves North Texas to 4-0 in Sun Belt Conference play for only the second time in school history and the first time since the 2000 season. North Texas returns to action for its final three homes games of the season starting on Friday, Oct. 14 against Arkansas State.

Ethan B. Szatmary / They've Got t Be Kiddin' Maybe a good season to miss New Orleans Bowl 09:14 AM CDT on Sunday, October 9, 2005 Ethan B. Szatmary Cheer up Mean Green football fans. Sure, the University of North Texas football team finally saw its 26-game Sun Belt Conference winning streak snapped in a 13-10 loss to Troy on Tuesday. And sure, the Mean Green’s streak of four consecutive New Orleans Bowls seems in jeopardy, too, after UNT fell to 1-1 in conference and 1-4 overall. But, with Hurricane Katrina leaving the Louisiana Superdome unplayable, the New Orleans Bowl is rumored to be moving up north to Ragin’ Cajun country at Louisiana-Lafayette. Who really wants to go to the Lafayette Bowl anyway? Let’s go party on … not Bourbon Street. * The Mean Green honored former head coach Hayden Fry and his 1975 team at halftime of UNT’s loss to Troy, and the crafty old coach came dressed like he was going out clubbing afterwards — decked out in maroon suit with a pink shirt open at the collar. * UNT professor Dr. Don Beck had more to say to University of Iowa professors who want to do away with Fry’s old policy of painting the opposing team’s locker room pink. Dr. Beck claims to have given this idea to Fry on a trip he made to Iowa City to a “Values in Coaching Workshop.” “When in Iowa City I described for Hayden and his group how law enforcement organizations would use such a pink room to ‘calm down’ aggressive humans rather than use physical force. [Perhaps you are aware that the county sheriff in Phoenix is noted for forcing inmates to wear pink],” Dr. Beck wrote me an e-mail. To any of the Iowa professors who disagree with the pink treatment, Dr. Beck was so kind as to e-mail me the scientific study “The Physiological Effect of Color on the Suppression of Human Aggression: Research on Baker-Miller Pink” by Dr. Alexander G. Schauss, Director, A.I.B.R. Life Sciences at the American Institute for Biosocial Research, Inc. Tacoma, Wash.

WAC attendance ain't exactly smokin' this year. With the exception of the top 3 ( Hawaii, Fresno & Boise), UL-Monroe has better attendance figures so far this season 40,848 Hawaii (2) 36,397 Fresno (2) 30,582 Boise (2) 18,328 UL-Monroe (2) 17,531 Nevada (3) 16,780 La. Tech (2) 16,656 NMSU (3) 15,321 Idaho (2) 14,685 San Jose (2) 12,475 Utah State (2)

FWIW, the early line from Howell for this week's games. North Texas -4 vs FIU Troy -1 vs ULM FAU -2 vs Muts Arkansas State -13 vs ULL http://www.jhowell.net/cf/cfpred.txt

FWIW, attendance averages from the official NCAA site for games thru Saturday, October 8th. # of home games in parenthesis. 20,418 Troy (2) 20,378 North Texas (2) 18,328 UL-Monroe (2) 16,799 Arkansas State (2) 16,609 Middle Tennessee (2) 16,604 UL-Lafayette (3) 16,512 Florida International (1) 13,924 Florida Atlantic (2)

The 'official count' was a little over 8,000

Mean Green Unbeaten In 10 Straight With 1-0 Win Over Ragin Cajuns Courtesy: University of North Texas Release: 10/07/2005 Courtesy: Rick Yeatts Kristen Campbell assisted on Julie Radford's game winning goal over Louisiana-Lafayette LAFAYETE, La. (10/7/05) – Junior Julie Radford netted her first goal of the season as the North Texas women’s soccer team defeated Louisiana-Lafayette 1-0 at the Cajun Soccer Facility to move to 3-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. North Texas (8-2-2, 3-0) is now unbeaten in 10 straight games, setting a new single season school record. Radford’s goal came in the 65th minute and was assisted by Kelli Lunsford and Kristen Campbell. North Texas out shot the Ragin Cajuns (3-5-2, 1-2) 20-5 in the match and goalkeeper Kandice Ellis made two saves to pick up her fourth shutout of the season. Ellis has allowed only one goal in the last 296 minutes of play spanning four games. Lunsford led the Mean Green with four shots on the night as North Texas had 10 different players register at least one shot. North Texas looks to extend its unbeaten streak to 11 straight games on Sunday afternoon as they face Florida International at 1 p.m. in Miami, Fla.

Take a pause & lighten up a bit 1. If a deaf person swears, do you wash his hands with soap ? 2. If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation ? 3. If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys & apes? 4. If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is it homeless or naked? 5. What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant? 6. Can an atheist get insurance against acts of God ?

It is their FIRST win (1-5) and it is against a 1-win team that lost their starting QB last week.

Football: UNT hoping to rebound from loss Mean Green hold first full practice since Troy game 08:45 AM CDT on Friday, October 7, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer The first full-scale practice of the post-streak era went just how North Texas coach Darrell Dickey hoped it might Thursday afternoon. Dickey didn’t see his players mope or slack off. What he detected was a determination to get better following a 13-10 loss to Troy on Tuesday. The setback on national television ended the Mean Green’s 26-game Sun Belt Conference winning streak and put UNT’s run of four consecutive conference titles in jeopardy. UNT had not lost a Sun Belt game since falling to Louisiana-Monroe all the way back in the fifth week of the 2001 season. “I feel very good about the attitude of this team and the improvement we are making,” Dickey said. “I really like what I am seeing.” UNT will have a little extra time to try and bounce back from its loss to Troy before taking on Florida International. The Mean Green are off this weekend and will have a 10-day break before taking on the Golden Panthers in Miami. The game will mark the beginning of a three-week road trip that will also include a pair of tough non-conference dates with Louisiana Tech (Oct. 22) and LSU (Oct. 29). The Mean Green were scheduled to take on the Tigers on Sept. 3 before the game was postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Thursday’s practice offered UNT’s players a chance to get over their loss to the Trojans and prepare for the road trip. “It was good to get back out there,” UNT wide receiver Johnny Quinn said. “It’s all about a new week and a new game now. We had a good attitude today in practice.” UNT is hoping that attitude will help the team quickly improve an offense that has struggled through the Mean Green’s first four games of the season. UNT is averaging just 8.2 points and 198.2 yards of offense an outing. A game against FIU could offer the Mean Green a chance to get back on track. The Golden Panthers (1-3) rank last in the Sun Belt defensively with an average of 40.8 points allowed a game. Dickey was not surprised by his players’ attitude in their first day preparing for a game against FIU, even though it came after a tough loss to the Trojans. “I have watched these kids this year and our kids in the past,” Dickey said. “Our players do not get caught up in all the stuff that surrounds the program. They just focus on their job.” Bazaldua named Draddy semifinalist Kicker Nick Bazaldua has been named a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy, an honor given to one senior each season for excellence in academics and community leadership in addition to success on the field. Schools are allowed to nominate one player for the award. Semifinalists are required to have a GPA of at least 3.0. A committee of former college coaches and administrators will select 15 finalists on Oct. 27. The winner will be announced at a dinner on Dec. 6 in New York City. Bazaldua was a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference selection and is also an All-America candidate and a Lou Groza Award watch list honoree. Bazaldua was named first-team all-conference last season when he made 14 of 18 field goals and all but one of his 38 extra point attempts while scoring a career high 79 points. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com

You post like you're in the know, so enlighten us.

Kids get some halftime fame Brandon Musselman Daily Reporter October 05, 2005 NT’s student population and athletic department gave back to the community at Tuesday night’s football game as NT played Troy State University. Special Spectators receive instruction before being featured in halftime festivities during the NT football game against Troy last night. Special Spectators, a non-profit organization that gives children with life threatening illnesses the chance to watch a live collegiate football game, had a tent set up in the Mean Green Village. The tent filled with more than 100 children, their families and student athletes. “We like to get as much of the family involved as possible,” said Blake Rockwell, executive director of Special Spectators. “It’s good to have the entire family together.” Special Spectators started when Rockwell combined his love for college football and his love for helping seriously ill children, such as Rockwell’s brother, Chucky, who died when he was 10 years old of congenital heart problems. Rockwell decided children should have the opportunity to have a fun day out at the football field. The group, which is in its third year of existence, has experienced a rapid accumulation of benefactors. From a humble beginning of only two participating universities, the group has added schools exponentially. Last year the group worked with 22 universities. North Texas will be the first Texas university to sponsor the group. However, Texas Tech University and Southern Methodist University will soon be on the list of participating universities. NT offered a record 600 tickets for the game to the children and their families. Rick Villareal, NT athletics director, speaks highly of the philanthropic organization. “It’s a great thing,” Villareal said. “Kids who normally wouldn’t be able to see the game are able to come out and enjoy the festivities. … We’re excited to have them.” The activities included a barbeque cookout, a trip to the bounce house and a special halftime ceremony where the children were acknowledged on the Jumbotron. NT student athletes visited and ate dinner with the children before the game. Afterward, they escorted the children to the game. “It’s a really good opportunity to be able to associate with these kids,” said junior volleyball player Heidi Johnson. “It’s awesome for the kids.” Tennis, track, golf, swimming, basketball and volleyball were among the many NT sports represented at the event. Attending the event is not the only thing the athletes did this week. They also reached out to the children by visiting them at their respective children’s hospitals earlier in the week.

Brett Vito: UNT offense continues to look anemic 08:11 AM CDT on Thursday, October 6, 2005 There are times in sports when numbers lie, instances when they can be twisted and turned to fit any argument. When it comes to evaluating the North Texas football team’s offense, this isn’t one of them. Through four games UNT has been just plain bad. There is no other way to put it. The Mean Green headed into a game against Troy on Tuesday ranked dead last in the country — No. 117 — in total offense with an average of 188 yards a game. Florida Atlantic and Florida International, a pair of provisional members in Division I-A, are off to a better start. So too, by the way, is Buffalo, which came into the week ranked 116th nationally with an average of 239 yards a game. Matters only got worse in a 13-10 loss to the Trojans that served as the definitive piece of evidence that the Mean Green have hit rock bottom offensively in a season when so much more was expected. UNT finished with 229 yards against the Trojans, 80 of which came on a final desperation drive for a touchdown in a failed rally. That late surge came after the Mean Green made mistake after mistake that cost them the game and then some. UNT came into the night with a 26-game Sun Belt Conference winning streak. The Mean Green left with questions about what is wrong with their offense, why a host of proven players aren’t performing up to expectations and whether a streak of seasons with a winning record is about to come to an end. “It came down to turnovers and missed opportunities,” UNT coach Darrell Dickey said. “I’m disappointed we made a lot of mistakes that prevented us from scoring.” UNT had the ball at the Troy 4-yard line in the second quarter and couldn’t get into the end zone, saw a ball skip off the hands of wide receiver Brock Stickler deep in Troy territory and watched its once powerful running game finish with an average of 3.2 yards a carry. Take out UNT’s final drive and the Mean Green amassed just 149 yards. UNT has long struggled offensively in non-conference games, and this year was no different. The Mean Green fell flat against Tulsa and Kansas State. What has been shocking is seeing UNT struggle against Sun Belt opponents. UNT scored just seven points offensively in a 14-7 win over Middle Tennessee in the Mean Green’s season opener and then managed just 10 against Troy. Even that total is deceiving considering UNT’s second quarter field goal was set up by a Troy turnover that gave the Mean Green the ball at the Trojans’ 17-yard line. UNT led the Sun Belt in scoring last season with an average of 25.8 points a game, a total that increased to 35.9 points a game in Sun Belt play. UNT is averaging 8.2 points a game overall and 12.0 in Sun Belt play this year. “We had enough opportunities to score and win the game,” UNT offensive coordinator Ramon Flanigan said. “That’s what’s frustrating. We left points on the field.” That is the last problem one expected the Mean Green to have this season considering the talent the team returned after last season. Running backs Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas won the 2003 and 2004 national rushing titles, respectively. Junior Johnny Quinn continues to show week after week that he is among the best receivers in the Sun Belt. So far that talent has not translated into a consistent performance. Flanigan said the Mean Green’s coaching staff is still struggling to find a way to use Cobbs and Thomas effectively. Both thrived as feature backs, but have struggled sharing time this season. Cobbs is averaging 73.2 rushing yards a game, while Thomas is posting 39.0 yards a game. Cobbs averaged 152.7 yards in 2003 while Thomas posted 180.1 yards a game last year. “There is no question that the ability is there,” Flanigan said. “But we have one or two breakdowns per play. That’s tough to overcome.” UNT’s coaches have talked about costly mistakes throughout the season, but have yet to find a way to eliminate them. Time is running out to turn the corner. After falling to Troy, UNT is 1-1 in the Sun Belt and will have to hope for a perfect run to the finish conference play and some help to challenge for the league title again. Both Troy (1-0) and Louisiana-Monroe (2-0) are unbeaten in SBC play. The Mean Green’s run of three straight winning seasons also appears to be in jeopardy. At 1-3, UNT will need to win five of its last seven games to post a winning record. With a game at LSU looming and another tough road trip to Louisiana Tech coming up, there is no guarantee the Mean Green will be able to recover in time. If UNT can’t rebound, it will have to look back and wonder what happened to an offense that so far has failed to capitalize on its potential. “Our timing hasn’t come together yet,” Cobbs said. “We’re not clicking at the same time. We had a lot of chances to make some great plays. We’re close, but until we’re there, we’re just going to be close.”

From the official Sun Belt site. http://sunbeltsportstv.nmnathletics.com/Vi...CRIBER_CONTENT= OUCH- Waters lays the wood to an Arkansas Stater H.R.: I am truly sorry for the tragedies to human life and property caused by the recent hurricane damage. Since I was never able to have anyone in the conference office return a call regarding the process for selection of the conference tourney site, I may get a response from this forum. And since that time, I'll also take exception to your recent innuendos during your visit this past weekend to ASU. How dare you come in here and imply that we have a "fan behavior" problem based on the sour grapes from an SEC school? Have you ever been to one of their games? They sure roll out the welcome wagon for the opposing teams, don't they? And while we're discussing fans of Sun Belt schools, name one college (other than possibly Western Kentucky) that wouldn't love to have the numbers in attendance that we do at ASU? Next time you choose to come visit our area, why don't you arrange a meeting w/some of our local supporters? I can assure you that you will be treated w/far more respect than you implied toward us last weekend. We just would like to have an open discussion w/you. In the meantime, God bless all of you impacted by the recent events. Our thoughts, prayers, and support will continue. Commissioner Waters: H.R., since you were not in any of the meetings that I attended last week, I would suggest that you not make leaps on what was said or not said. But since you raised the issue, let’s put it on the table. You have a sportsmanship issue, like a lot of other schools. That is not based on the observations of an SEC school, it is based on personal observations and the observations of numerous people attending your games (both internally and externally). Is your problem better or worse than other schools? Probably somewhere in the middle. But two wrongs do not make a right. THERE IS NO PLACE ON A CAMPUS OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR ANY BEHAVIOR THAT MAKES COMMENTS TO COMPETITORS OR OFFICIALS THAT ARE DEMEANING! If you cannot sign in to this concept, I suggest you should spend more time at professional contest, where unfortunately this type conduct is encouraged. This is college athletics. It is amateur athletics, and a student-athlete should have the ability to compete in an environment that allows them to best display their ability. It is unfortunate that some believe their behavior should or can impact the outcome of a contest, if it is done in good taste (I.E.; Duke, Michigan, etc) then have fun. Cheer for your team, cheer against the opposing team, but do not lose your civility toward other people. Just because people have on another color uniform does not make them an enemy. It makes them a competitor. Play hard, play fairly and enjoy the competition. It is not a matter of life or death, so keep it is perspective. But comments that are mean-spirited directed at an individual are not appropriate and reflect poorly on all involved. It was interesting that during our discussion, one staff member came forward and volunteered that while being recruited to your institution, she was concerned about being branded professionally as being from that institution and did she really want to work in an environment where this type of behavior is allowed? As for your attendance issue, I don’t want our basketball games to become a very polite golf match. But I recognize that fans also should be able to come to events and not hear the language that is coming out of the stands. Now with all that said, your school is not alone with this problem. But only your school can take the initiative to say ‘we are better than this, we are concerned about our image and we want our image to be in keeping with our institutional image which is one of class and integrity where all people are treated fairly and visitors are our guest.’ We all need a little soul-searching on this one, H.R. I hope you will join me in saying to the few people that are abusing visiting players with demeaning comments that this is not the way we want ASU or any other Sun Belt school to be viewed.

From the Belt board. http://www.palmswestpress.com/images/Troy_...04_05/index.htm

Is the 'pevent defense' similar to the 'prevent defense' or have I missed out on a new defensive strategy?