UNTLifer

Grady to Utah

For You T.O.

Unbelievable.

USAToday.com

DRC.com I-35E widening funds add up Expert thinks money from various sources should be enough for 4 more lanes 07:24 AM CDT on Monday, August 22, 2005 By Dave Moore / Staff Writer There might be enough money to pay for the widening of Interstate 35E from Lake Dallas to University Drive, one transportation expert says. Funds from the future State Highway 121 tollway, tolled express lanes on I-35E, a recent federal highway bill and $60 million in county bonds could add up to more than $300 million — the cost of widening the highway from four lanes to eight lanes along the 11-mile expanse. “What this money will do is help us expedite the widening of I-35E from Lake Dallas to University Drive,” said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, of the new federal highway funding. Morris said transportation officials are still tallying up how much money will be available to undertake the widening project. They should know the total within a few weeks, Morris said. Tolls along Highway 121 through Denton County would carry the heaviest load of funding work on I-35E, portions of which have received failing grades from engineers since 1998 because it’s been so overloaded. The widening project should bring the interstate’s performance up to a satisfactory level. John Polster, of Innovative Transportation Solutions Inc., has said the tollway could generate $1 billion over 20 years for various transportation projects. Morris said tolls from express lanes that might be included on I-35E would also go toward paying off the project. Those tolls would be collected by electronic toll passes. The widened I-35E project would also include lanes without tolls. Also contributing toward the project is $5.6 million from the recently passed $286.4 billion Transportation Authorization Bill. U.S. Rep Michael Burgess, R-Flower Mound, assisted in landing those funds for North Texas. The federal funds might also help to lure state dollars to the project, he said. Morris’ news is good for Denton County drivers, whose commute is among the worst 20 percent in Texas, with nearly 30 percent of all drives lasting 40 minutes or longer, according to 2000 Census data. Many residents are frustrated by the fact that though the road is clogged by traffic, there wasn’t enough money to fix it. With funding, work might begin sometime between 2012 and 2015. The Denton County Commissioners Court has combined to set aside $60 million in bonding authority, as part of the money authorized by voter approval of the Transportation Road Improvement Program bonds in 2004. “I’m real excited that we had the bond election, and instead of the project being on the ground in 20 years, it will be on the ground in 10 years,” said County Judge Mary Horn. She said she won’t hesitate paying tolls on Highway 121. “If I can stay off of [interstate] 635, I will,” she said. “I’m looking forward to 121. That whole area is growing so fast, we have to keep up with demand.” DAVE MOORE can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is dmmoore@dentonrc.com.

That's a good cover for trying to get her contact info.

Crip, I appreciate you coming on here and inviting our fans to your tailgate, etc... I have a few friends that are LSU alums that have invited me down to Baton Rouge also. I have just heard too many stories with the same theme for there not to be any validity to them. LSU is known for this, they celebrate it and it is not going to change. Again Crip, you and a few LSU fans that I know seem like good people, but the majority is giving you all a bad name.

Agreed. I also found the statement about Peterson having a "fluke freshman year" as odd.

We won.

Don't let stebo see these results.

LJ will have that changed in no time.

Where has this guy been. Every defense put 8 in the box last year. We beat the teams in conference doing this and lost to the teams in OOC. Same thing almost every year.

I know MeanGreenSig personally. Sometimes he needs a little help!

Southern Cal has been known as Tailback U for years and it didn't seem to hurt them. I don't think anyone wants to see us deemphasize the running game or throw the ball 30 to 40 times a game, but I would like to see an increase from the current 12 to 15 times a game. We need someone to take the pressure off of the running game by keeping the defense honest. I would love to see us average 20 to 25 throws a game. You don't think a respected passing game would have helped out in the bowl game? I love Scott Hall, but he was never the same after his chest injury. We were not going to win any games if the other team shut down our running game, and we didn't have the passing attack to mount comebacks. Hall's strengths were his leadership ability and his ability to minimize mistakes not a strong arm.

DRC Football: Freshman QB Phillips learning on the fly Former Lake View star moves up to second spot on depth chart 09:22 AM CDT on Friday, August 19, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Matt Phillips had more than enough reason to give up on playing for North Texas last winter. The Mean Green inked 25 players on national signing day, but asked Phillips to wait for the team to sort out its scholarship and quarterback situation. Phillips agreed to the plan, instead of playing for a smaller school — a choice that has paid off in ways even he couldn’t anticipate the last few months. The former San Angelo Lake View standout not only landed a scholarship at UNT, but he has quickly risen up the Mean Green’s depth chart. “It’s crazy the way it has worked out, but that’s football,” Phillips said. “Someone might get hurt or stay healthy for the whole year. You hear all the time about strange injuries where people break their hand washing their car or something like that. You have to be prepared all the time.” Phillips needed just nine days to surpass several more experienced players and move into the second spot on the Mean Green’s depth chart at quarterback, behind redshirt freshman Daniel Meager. Meager has sat out several practices this fall with a series of injuries, including a pulled hamstring. Those injuries have opened the door for Phillips to work with the Mean Green’s first-team offense. Phillips and Meager are among several players competing for the right to take over for Scott Hall, a four-year starter who completed his career last season. Hall is the Mean Green’s all-time leader in passing efficiency. “Daniel has been out a little bit and to this point Matt is doing very well picking things up and handling the offense,” UNT coach Darrell Dickey said. “We want to give him more opportunities and see how much he can handle.” Phillips threw for 1,950 yards and 11 touchdowns during his senior season at Lake View and was named District 4-4A’s Offensive MVP. The skills that made him a top high school player have helped him adapt to the college game and the Mean Green’s offensive system. “I have been learning everything I can, listening to coach [Ramon] Flanigan and talking to the rest of the quarterbacks,” Phillips said. “They have been helping me out a lot. I am not trying to do anything special. I just want to get the job done.” Phillips got a jump on the learning process by moving to Denton two weeks before the beginning of fall practices to talk to Flanigan, UNT’s offensive coordinator, and adapt to a new environment. That extra time in Denton has helped Phillips settle in at UNT. “I am coming together with everyone,” Phillips said. “The linemen are treating me like one of their own and the receivers have been making me look good. Those guys can run.” Dickey called Phillips one of the pleasant surprises of fall practice because of the way he has quickly adjusted to the college game and throwing to faster receivers. Phillips’ performance could lead to an increased role this fall when UNT begins its pursuit of a fifth straight Sun Belt Conference title. The opportunity is one Phillips is preparing to capitalize on. “If it comes to that point, I will be prepared,” Phillips said of the possibility of playing as a freshman. “I am watching a lot of film and trying to be as ready as I can be.” UNT pondering logos UNT is still considering multiple logo designs for its helmets and is also trying to decide if it will place a logo at the 50-yard line at Fouts Field. The school is installing a new artificial surface at the stadium this fall. UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said if UNT places a logo at the 50-yard line, it will be painted on the field, so that it could be changed at a later date. Construction workers have already begun installing permanent lettering in the end zones at the field. The north end zone will read “North Texas” while the south end zone will read “Mean Green.”

We currently have minimal support for basketball at NT.

I believe the first post in this thread will provide your answer.

I noticed Nebraska shares your thoughts. Oh, BTW, their new starting QB is a JUCO we went after.

This was mentioned on Sports Center last night. They said he wanted to go to USC since he is from Southern California.

Based on you last paragraph, Dude, go back to work.

Aren't you contradicting yourself? First you say it usually gets out to the local media, but then later you state that you found out about RV from local media in New Mexico and Tennessee. Or, is your first reference to "local media" not about the DFW/Denton market?

Now there's a recruiting incentive for TCU. Win our conference and go bowling.....at home.

Walter Payton played at Jackson State, so I guess he really wasn't that good considering the conference he played in.

Our football team also garnered the university positive front page news in USA Today, something many of our excellent academic areas have never done. Further proof of Dr. Pohl's statement that "athletics is the window to the university," or something to that affect.

And the exterior of Fouts didn't even look that bad, although all they showed was the picture of Mean Joe with the "Fouts Field home of the Mean Green" above him.