The Fake Lonnie Finch

I responded to this McCarney game plan thing on one of Harry's threads. McCarney is McCarney. He's gonna dance who who brung him. The run game brung him, and so he's going to stick with it. We're either happy to be 7-4 and in a bowl game dancing with the run game that brung us, or...? I think the main problem is, as discussed over the past few seasons, is adjusting within the game. Although, honestly, I'm really having a hard time complaining much at 7-4 and still a chance to get and eighth and ninth win. I was one who, before the season, said we'd only win four games - and, only by a miracle would we get as many as six! I've never been so happily wrong! So, as low as my bar was set for this group in August, I'm happy. If McCarney's groups are going to be run heavy and have us in the thick of the conference races late in November, I'm not going to compain a whole lot. Besides, most of the things we used to complain about have been addressed and conquered: -Get a real stadium, check -Get a real coach and coaching staff, check -Get us in a conference with more bowl ties, check -Stop the eight year losing streak and bowl drought, check -And set the school attendance record to boot, check I'm starting the think that unless some people see McCarney, RV, and DT walk on water, they are going to lose the faith altogether. It's as though many people here are like the kid who got a $100 bill in his Christmas stocking, then complained that he didn't get two. If McCarney or RV left at this point, after all the work they've done, would anyone be surprised? If they can't make you happy by attaining the goals we said we wanted achieved, why would they stay? If you all were my kids, I'd whip yer asses with a belt and send you to your bedrooms with no dinner!

This here. What were they, 14 of 19 of 3rd down? The distance didn't matter. They converted them short, long, and in between, running and passing.

Or, can we just admit that UTSA has a pretty good defense, maybe? Half of their defensive line is comprised of a guy who signed with Oklahoma State and another who signed with Baylor. Those two teams were playing for the Big 12 title on Saturday, and those two guys at UTSA were regarded as good enough to sign by Gundy and Briles. Throw in the DB who began at Oklahoma, and you've got a defense with some talent. They showed it Saturday.

We've come a long way since they signed...they've come a long way. I'm happy they stuck around for it. I hope they are as well.

...they have two world class museums in Tulsa. If you like art, you might go to one to kill some time before and/or after the game. Here is all the information you need: The Gilcrease has a vast collection of Western and Native America art. And, I mean, from real artist, like Remington...not like at a gas station in eastern New Mexico: http://gilcrease.utulsa.edu/Visit/Hours-and-Admission The Philbrook is closer to the TU campus, just west of it about four/five miles. Good art there as well for people who like paintings, pictures, sculptures and whatnot. Philbrook also has a garden for people who are into plants, flowers, and vegetation: http://philbrook.org/visit/plan-your-visit/hours-admission

There weather should be nice. Mid-50s. No parcipitation expected. I'm hoping to go and bring at least four humans. I will try to round up some cousins...but, they all went to either Oklahoma State or Oklahoma or Tulsa Community College. That's just the way it is for people who grow up in and around Tulsa.

I was born in the Year of our Lord, 1969...the last year we defeated the Blue and Gold. This weekend, we will finally defeat them again. It will feel like a rebirth to me.

There's always bands playing at Cain's, ya'll. This weekend is no different. Friday and Saturday are also weekends in Tulsa. So, there will be bandsd playing the the world famous Cain's Ballroom. Here's the free calendar they give on their business website: http://www.cainsballroom.com/calendar/

...my family might be going up there to visit my dad's family. And, so, I've about got them talked into going to the game as well. When attending games at Skelly/Chapman, we dine beforehand at the Coney-I-Lander across the street from the school there on 11th. If you want to come in and berate my parents for conceiving me, that's where we'll be. Derek Thompson will be breaking a few more school records Saturday, so I hope you all can make it and such. You know what I mean? Anyway, here is the full text repost of a post I made on June 3, 2013 about where to eat and whatnot in Tulsa. You can read it again for your own, personal enjoyment: I have bias for Tulsa because my parents are from there and I went to grad school at TU. Living in Tulsa was okay for three years, but I was ready to come back to Dallas. Tulsa, for sure, has many unique eating establishments. If you like non-chain food, Tulsa is about the Non-Chain Capital of Good Food in America, Tulsa is about as safe as you can get on the crime side, as long as you stay South. The west (of 75) and north sides (of 244) are no-gos. I know I've posted all of this before, but here is an off-the-top of my head list of unqie eating places in Tulsa: Bar-B-Que: Elmer's, home of the Badwich Seafood: Bodean (51st Street) Cajun: S&J Oyster Co (Detroit and 1st? Near downtown) American: Coney-I-Lander (several locations in Tulsa) American: Bill & Ruth's Subs (several locations in and around Tulsa) American: Ron's Hamburgers and Chili (two or three locations around Tulsa) American: Ike's Chili (downtown) American: The Brook (South Peoria) American: Weber's Root Beer (still make their own Root Beer, grill great Burgers...S Peoria) Lebanese: Jamil's Steakhouse (still on 51st, but now on the east side of Harvard) Breakfast: Brookside By Day (South Peoria...the also a BBD II "The Duece" up near Jenks at 81st and Harvard. I lived at 81st and Yale back in the day, so The Duece was a good breakfast/brunch option) Tex-Mex: Senor Tequila (original on 51st, close to Jamil's...look, if you're absolutely jonesing for Tex-Mex try this place. But, really, we're from Texas and it's not going to be any better than the Tex-Mex you find around DFW. I never had outstanding Italian in Tulsa. Like Tex-Mex, you've probably had better here in DFW. South Peoria/Brookside area (roughly E 15th north up Peoria to 51st) has many restaurants and bars: The Brook, Kilkenny's Irish Pub, Webers, Elmer's, one of the Ron's, one of the Coney-I-Landers...hit Brookside, for sure, on a Friday night. Utica Square is an upscale shopping area in Tulsa. Not an enclosed mall. Not a totally planned thing like the new set of retails in Allen or Firewheel. It's an outdoor store-to-store that has been there since the indoor mall was the thing; so, it's kid of ahead of its time. Maybe a little Highland Park Village feel, but Tulsa-sized and speed. Polo Grill is worth checking out there if you're a sit down and drink wine-type. it's kind of a date place. Or, at least, I used it as a date place. You can see that most of the stuff is American. But, that's kind of to be expected. You're in the middle of the country in the heart of old Route 66. It's unique and I wish to hell TU were staying in C-USA with us. I've got plenty of relatives up there to visit. But, you know how it is - once you get your own wife, kids, and whatnot, you see cousins less and less. UNT-TU was always a good excuse to get back up there.

Skelly/Chapman is a very small stadium. So, it's not like you are going to be seated far from the field, no matter where your tickets are located.

Agree. But, look, I think some here take it much harder because UTSA is a lot like old NTSU/UNT: commuter school, easy to get into. We have moved past what we used to be in many ways. The academics have greatlyy improved at UNT since many of us hit the campus in the late 80s/early 90s. And, the school has and is doing more to make it a four-year on/near campus experience for students. UTSA is a very young school. It is still very commuter. I've got family in San Antonio and have been on the UTSA campus once over the past year. Honestly, it isn't impressive. But, they have and are improving it as fast as they can. The thing that strikes me about UTSA is that it seems the school recognizes that a high visible athletics department can help lift it in all areas. As we all know, we had momentum from the late 70s quashed by a clueless administration. You have to look at this thing from the long view - Larry Coker, hired on March 5, 2009, has been at UTSA longer than McCarney has been here. I mean, they hired him as we were still screwing around with Todd Dodge, for pete's sake. He's been at it for five years there; McCarney's been at it three years here. In many ways, they both were "starting from scratch." Coker's built this thing with some quality transfers. The quarterback, from Texas State. The DT Mabry signed a letter of intent with Oklahoma State out of high school. The Okotcha on defense began his college carrer, like Marcus Trice, at Oklahoma. The DE Singletary began his career at Baylor. He's also recruited well. You can see that. They are not a bad football team.

Harry, come on...you're know that Dan McCarney is a "dance with who brung ya" kind of coach. We didn't get this far passing first, then running. It is not going to change. And, if it puts us in position to be in the conference title hunt year after year instead of being at the bottom of the standings, I say let Dan have his way.

NT's All-Time I-A/FBS Leaders in Tackles: 1. Craig Robertson: 381 2. Brad Kassel: 365 3. Burks Washington: 351 With 105 tackles on the season so far, Orr sits at 349 tackles for his career. To pass Burks Washington: 3 To pass Brad Kassell: 17

Brelan Chancellor is already the NT career leader in: Kickoff Returns: 122 (and counting) Kickoff Return Yards: 2,962 (and counting) Kickoffs Returned For TD: 3 (...and counting!) In All-Purpose Yards at NT, he now trails only: 1. Lance Dunbar: 5,375 2. Patrick Cobbs: 5,222 3. Brelan Chancellor: 5,212 -Brelan Chancellor joined Partick Cobbs and Lance Dunbar as the only Mean Green players to reach 5,000 career all-purpose yards. And, he did it in style with a 65 yard punt return for a touchdown versus Rice, a game that clinched bowl eligibility for North Texas for the first time since 2004. He needs only 11 all-purpose yards versus Tulsa to get past Cobbs He needs 164 all-purpose yards against Tulsa to pass Lance Dunbar as UNT's all-time all-purpose yards leader. Punt return yards in a season: The record is held by J.T. Smith who had 380 punt return yards during the 1976 season. This year, Chancellor has 287. He needs 94 punt return yards to break Smith's record.

It doesn't matter how many they lose, Larry Coker is their coach. They have the support of the school and administration. They will be fine. UTSA has done a fine job of building that thing from scratch. Look at the other recent start ups/new to FBS; Coker's hiring was the best among them.

Among NT QBs at the Division I-A/FBS level, Thompson is now: Passing Attempts 1. Steve Ramsey: 1,015 2. Derek Thompson: 996 (needs 20 attempts versus Tulsa to pass Ramsey) Passes Completed 1. Derek Thompson: 597 (will become UNT's first I-A/FBS quarterback to complete 600 or more passes with three against Tulsa) 2. Giovanni Vizza: 532 On a 3rd and 5 from the Louisiana Tech 38, Derek Thompson completed a 35 yard pass to Darnell Smith to become UNT's all-time leader in completed passes among I-A/FBS-level quarterbacks. Passing Efficiency 1. Scott Hall: 132.26 2. Derek Thompson: 125.8 3. Riley Dodge: 125.71 Touchdown Passes 1. Steve Ramsey: 69 2. Scott Hall: 50 3. Derek Thompson: 40 Passing Yards 1. Steve Ramsey: 7,076 2. Derek Thompson: 7,018 (needs 59 more yards to become UNT's all-time leader in passing yard for I-A/FBS quarterbacks) During the fourth quarter of the UTSA game, on 1st and 10 from the UTSA 41, Derek Thompson completed a 14 yard pass to Darnell Smith to become only the second I-A/FBS quarterback to throw for 7,000 yards.. Completion Percentage 1. Riley Dodge: 64.7% 2. Jordan Case: 61.6% 3. Giovanni Vizza: 60.7% 4. Derek Thompson: 59.9% Career 200 Yard Passing Games 1. Steve Ramsey: 20 2. Derek Thompson: 19 (will tie Ramsey with a 200 yard game against either Tulsa or in the bowl game) Career 300 Yard Passing Games 1. Derek Thompson: 7 2. Steve Ramsey: 6 During the 3rd Quarter, on a 3rd and 10 from the Southern Miss 39, Derek Thompson completed a 14 yard pass to Brelan Chancellor to become UNT's all-time leader in 300 yard passing games among Divison I-A/FBS quarterbacks. Career Total Offense (Passing + Rushing) 1. Derek Thompson: 7,304 2. Steve Ramsey: 6,568 During the 1st Quarter, on a 3rd and 8 from the Southern Miss 44, Derek Thompson completed a 15 yard pass to Brelan Chancellor to become UNT's all-time total offense leader among Division I-A/FBS quarterbacks. During the 4th Quarter, on a 2nd and 9 from the UTEP 42, Derek Thompson threw a touchdown pass to Carlos Harris to become UNT's first I-A/FBS quarterback to surpass 7,000 career yards in total offense. Until the touchdown strike to Harris to put him over 7,000 yards in total offense, all of Derek Thompson's record setting plays this season had come on 3rd down with 5 or more yards to go.

How could they not come back and post after the way many of our fellow posters taunted and belittled them during the week? We were 7-3 in the C-USA and some here thought we had a juggernaut. What we have is a good football team in a conference full of former Sun Belt schools. We've made a lot of progress. It's taken three long years. Instead of appreciating it, we take to talking down to other fans who visit the board and preening like spoiled brats when we fall to 7-4.

Some here have been laughing longer than that. They laughed when UTSA hired Coker, before they were even fielding a team. He was a steal. I said so at the time. Our fanbase - many of whom eagerly supported the hiring of high school coach Todd Dodge - to this day, even in defeat to Coker, still look for other excuses. He's an excellent football coach. Always has been, always will be. Also, it's (sadly) amazing to see how much perspective our fanbase has lost in such a short amount of time. We are no longer thankful for a winning season, a bowl season. Instead, we are upset at the record-setting coaching staff and players. Crazy.

Anyone out there still pooh-poohing UTSA for hiring Coker?

That's good news!

They deserve this for forcing out Jeff Bower.

Mark Cuban? Are you posting here? Or, is this Jerry Jones in August?