UNTLifer

Amen! Any team except the Red Sox and Yankees. I'll pull for the Astros since I now live down here, plus I can't stand LaRussa.

Please tell me when, during the past four years, NT's played Nebraska and Kansas and when Kansas or Baylor were ranked in the Top 50?

I bleed green and always will.

The exact problems I have with DD illustrated. I will not discredit the conference winning streak, what the wins have done for program recognition, etc... This is beyond me and pisses me off. My problems: Lack of discipline: Ex. Player gets a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and his patted on the butt or on top of the head. Not Gaining Fan Support: Badmouthing the fans in the media, example above of walking off the field, leaving the field in fall practice when it was marketed as a meet the team, etc... DD's "job security by the BOR" as lead to an appearance of "I don't care."

I agree with all of the replies that have been posted. I don't fault our players, and I applaud our coaching staff for the conference winning streak, bowl games, etc..., but I do fault DD for the various reasons I have stated in other posts and for: I also blame them for the fact that all of these people attended these games and were totally turned off by what they saw. Follow that up with DD's typical woe is me, woe is the program, the fans don't like us, etc... b.s. and you have a problem. Plus, I have a problem when the AD's hands are tied by the BOR to make decisions for the betterment of the program. Where there is smoke, there is fire, and there is a lot of smoke right now.

Harry, Your points are skewed. Plus, I have never downplayed our four conference titles, the four bowl games and what they have meant to our school and program. If I have, please point this out. I am going to respond to your post paragraph by paragraph. 1. I don't fault us being in the SBC. I am not blaming anyone for where we are, in fact, I applauded the admin for getting us in a conference with teams closer to home. 2. I have never downplayed our SBC titles. We haven't won 4 bowl games, we've won one and got beat bad in two of them and played Memphis relatively close. Please don't compare DD and Fry. They were from different eras. Look at the number of bowl games that are available now as opposed to the 70's. Fry didn't have the conference tie-in, and I would argue that NT would not have played in any bowls during the Dickey era if it weren't for the SBC creating the New Orleans Bowl. Also, don't compare recruiting. In the Fry era, teams had a scholarship limit of around 105 and this wasn't really monitored. Now the limit is 85, 20 less than when Fry was recruiting against the SWC. I would say DD recruiting against the BcS with 20 less scholarships to offer is equivalent to Fry recruiting against the SWC with 20 more scholarships. At best it is a wash. Average I-AA program? Seems to me we were ranked in the Top 10 in I-AA and advanced to the playoffs a couple of times. 3. Yes, we are young. Again, my main complaint of DD is his lack of discipline, no creativity in the game plan, bad mouthing the fans, facilities, etc..., no in-game adjustments and a team that looks lifeless at times. 4. I will never give up on this team and I never claimed to be doing so. Again, this post was to reveal the truth behind the numbers when people throw out that DD is 29-21 over the last four years. 5. Many other mid-majors that have success successfully recruit for both lines. I know this position is a premium and we have experience along the OL this year, which makes me question the coaching. Our OL coach hasn't really produced for many winners in the past. 6. Agree 7. Agree, but I would like for the coach and his team to appear to be fired up to play. 8. The problem with those losses is that we should have never lost in the manner we did. We were totally inept against Tulsa and the offense couldn't do a thing against Troy until the end. I don't blame 18 to 22 year olds for this. I didn't see a noticable difference in talent. Again, my point was to reveal the truth behind DD's 29-21 record, nothing else. Harry, I've never had the pleasure to meet you, but I would guess that your relationship with the Athletic Department skews your point of view from time to time and that you must be careful what you write. I understand that. I'm not trying to get in an arguement with anyone, just wanted to throw the facts out there for discussion.

Sorry Stan, but I would argue that through RV's efforts we have seen an increase in season tickets, fan support, etc... The gameday event has as much to do with the increase as anything. When has DD gone out and sold the program other than the winning records the last few years? The point of my starting this thread was to reveal the truth behind the numbers. With our success in the SBC the last few years, why are other teams catching and passing us by?

eulesseagle, I agree we need a new stadium, but how does a new stadium change any of the following: Poor gameplans or no variance in the gameplan depending upon the competition Lack of emotion Lack of in-game adjustments Bad mouthing the fans The appearance that the team has accepted defeat to the BcS schools instead of competing. Lack of discipline.

I don't know, but I'm sure there are many out there that would jump at the chance. Who thought we would attract a University of Washington assistant, Simon, to North Texas when our record was so poor? I know Simon didn't pan out, but many of you act like this is an unappealing job. These would be my requirements: 1. Good recruiter: must have ties to the Texas high school market. 2. Motivator: must be able to motivate the masses, students, alumni and citizens of Denton County to support the program. 3. Run an exciting brand of football that attracts fans. Aggressive on both sides of the ball. Go after DeLoach for all I care, but the current attitude has to change.

That's why I didn't bring most of these games up. We should have beaten Baylor both times and Arizona. We got jobbed at Arizona, but it shouldn't have even been that close. Again, look at my post. I never mentioned the losses to UT, OU, etc.... During this timeframe, we have what I would call two quality wins: Baylor and Cincy. The Baylor win was only quality, because of what it meant to beat a local Big XII school. It wasn't because Baylor was good that year.

I'm really not the type to focus on the negative, but this has become embarrassing. I don't have anything against DD the person. I think he is a good decent man, he just isn't doing it for me as a coach. North Texas is the only public university in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, pretty much from Austin north, yet we keep trudging along. We should expect better. I just want some of the faithful that come to DD's defense at every critical opinion to spin this one positively.

DD's Record is 29-21 since 2001 including bowl games. Many of you have preached that this is a sign of improvement in the program and something to be proud of. I don't mean this as to demean any of the players, because I don't believe this coaching staff is extracting their full potential. I use this to point out how unimpressive this record is and to emphasize my earlier point that DD lacks the fire to motivate these players and the creativity to adjust his game plan to take advantage of our opposition's weaknesses. 2001: 5-7; wins over Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, NMSU, ULL and Idaho 2002; 8-5; wins over Nichols St., ASU, ULL, ULM, ID, NMSU, MUTS and Cincy 2003; 9-4; wins over Baylor, ULL, ID, USU, MUTS, Troy, ULM, ASU, & NMSU 2004; 7-5; wins over MUTS, USU, NMSU, ULM, ULL, ID, ASU Please show me one quality win based on rankings other than Cincinnati. Every team on this list was ranked below us and typically in the Bottom 10 or 15 of all D1A schools. DD's Bad Loses: 01: South Florida, ULM 02: South Florida, Arizona 03: Air Force, Memphis 04: FAU, Baylor, USM Add in this year to date and DD's overall record is: 30-24 Win over MUTS Bad Loses: All three, Tulsa, KSU, Troy because of how NT either was blown out or did not perform. Sure, 30-24 looks good, but look at how we have lost. Even to the UT's and OU's of the world where I don't expect to win we looked horrible, not even competitive other than the defensive performance against UT with the 8 sacks. I have watched the facilities improve, donations/season tickets improve and the talent of the recruits improve, yet we are less competitive in OOC games, our players don't look prepared or fired-up and DD still bad mouths the fans, facilities and university. Not Good.

Why not? A&M signed Marcellus Bennett last year, one of the top players in the nation, by allowing him to play basketball and football. Why shouldn't we do the same with a two sport star?

Anybody see Alex Smith of the 49ers yesterday? What about Eli Manning last year? Troy Aikman his first year in Dallas? Bomar for OU? Sure Meager has struggled, but I'm not ready to throw him under the bus. He is a good athlete, is mobile and was recruited by a number of highly ranked programs prior to his injury in HS. It is growing pains, moving up to the collegiate game, along with playing behind a line that hasn't provided much protection that has him struggling at this point. I liked the fact that he kept after it against Troy and scored late in the game. I believe Meager will be okay, but the running game that was supposed to take the pressure off of our young QB has not materialized due to problems with the OL.

Game One: We ran the ball so much because it was a close game, and we didn't need to pass. Game Two through Four: I would be that most of the passing was done late trying to catch up or after the score had gotten out of hand. While your numbers look good, they don't tell the whole story.

Off Week? Didn't we just play Troy and have FIU coming up. Seems to me there would be plenty to talk about. Seems convenient not to have a show.

How long is he here if his hands are tied like some have suggested? The wrong people are leaving the university, and I wouldn't be surprised if more don't follow. No facts, just a hunch.

I think DD is a good man and has done some nice things at North Texas, but that doesn't mean I'll sit around and accept what I perceive to be wrong with the program just because he's won our conference the last 4 years. What I see right now is uninspired play, poor gameplans, a lack of in-game adjustments and poor discipline. These all point to coaching.

I salute everyone that made the effort to be there for a 6:30pm Tuesday night game. The stands looked good on my television in Houston.

I understand DD's "us against the world" mentality, but it is like he can't appreciate the good so he puts his team in this situation. I wouldn't be on the lookout for this if he appreciated the fans during the good times the last three years.

Rotating quarterbacks and rotating running backs are two totally different situations. Apples to oranges. Rotating quarterbacks is detrimental, because they are the leaders of the offense.

Excellent point.

DRC.com 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 Typical DD BS quote. He's back in the situation he loves, "us against the world."

I agree that the Fry interview and the video animation of the proposed facilities was great. I'm just afraid that the animation of the new facilities wasn't seen by many considering it was shown with about a minute and a half left in the game.

He seemed very uncomfortable and sounded lost. I'll watch it again and print the quotes if possible.