Smitty

Seconded. And just to add, we should also be respectful of the students' right to vote on this. I know we all desperately want a new stadium, but this portion of the funding is the students' money that we're talking about, and they should have the right to have a say. Telling them that we don't care what they think and we want to ram this fee down their throat is unlikely to generate support, and support is what the athletic program needs now more than ever. Besides, that whole taxation-without-representation thing has been shown to be a bad idea. Ask the British.

The alien's name is Klaatu, and the order to Gort is "Klaatu barada nikto," which was famously re-visited in Army of Darkness by the great Bruce Campbell. From the trailer I saw, it looks like they've left Gort out of the remake. I hope the filmmaker enjoys his prolonged stay in purgatory.

Where's Gort?

I had a similar negative reaction, and I'm still not thrilled. The Day The Earth Stood Still was very much a product of its era - the height of the cold war, when suspicions were high of anything out of the ordinary. I'll wait for the reviews before deciding, but I'm not going to be in line for it. The original was brilliant.

Without getting into the whole redshirt debate again, you cannot judge Riley on one play or one game. It's really not fair to judge him on this entire season. This is not an indicator of his future.

Not satisfied. Never satisfied with a loss. Never satisfied with moral victories. But encouraged? Yes. This was a step forward. After taking so many steps backward at the end of last year and this year, this was a step forward. It's a start. We've got some pieces to build on. Vizza looks good. Fitz and Dibrell look good. You've got good a back in Cam Montgomery and a really promising young rusher in Lance Dunbar. No sacks allowed against LSU (are you kidding me, did anyone expect that?). Some strong linebacker play. A talented but very young secondary. Very good punter and place kicker. Gilmore returning to the D-line. The cupboard is not empty. And no one we will face the rest of the year is as good as the teams we have already played. Not saying we will win, but I doubt there is anything that ASU or Troy or MTSU can do that KSU, Tulsa, and LSU did not do better. The KSU game was bad, the Tulsa game was awful, but the LSU game was better. Now the task is to improve again against Rice. Get better every week and the wins will come. Patience, everyone, patience.

You don't want a reporter. You want a cheerleader. This is more of the shoot-the-messenger mentality that too many sports fans have. It is not the job of the media to encourage, be loyal to, or otherwise promote ANYTHING that a reporter is covering. It is their job to tell the truth. And the truth is, these were THREE STRAIGHT BLOWOUTS. You want a writer to not write about THREE STRAIGHT BLOWOUTS? Then don't get blown out three straight times.

I'm impressed with how Vizza has taken care of the ball this year. Against very tough opponents, with an inconsistent running game and offensive line, to have no interceptions and so few sacks (six sacks in three games in which you were beat by a cumulative 142-35 is amazing) is an indication of Vizza's awareness and recognition of situations. It's so easy to throw interceptions when you're getting hit and trying to avoiding sacks, but Vizza has done a good job of throwing the ball away out of danger, and yet he's completing 59.6 percent of his passes. Give him a little more protection and let Cam Montgomery and Lance Dunbar continue to improve, and Vizza should have a chance for real success. Overall, I thought this game was a step forward. Maybe that says more about where we're coming from than how much progress we've made, but it's still a step forward.

...you would live to see this? The New York Yankees are almost certainly going to miss the playoffs. And the Tampa Bay Rays are going to make the playoffs. Gotta be a sign of the apocalypse. But I do love to see it.

42, actually.

A couple of goals: Defense: hold LSU to under 200 yards rushing (LSU ran for 266 against Appalachian State and averaged 214 a game last year) and get a quarterback sack or two. Don't let LSU's offense get into one of those meat-grinder rhythms. Offense: it sounds obvious, but avoid a 3-and-out first possession and get some first downs in the first quarter. Any points in the first quarter would be huge. Keep Vizza on his feet, get a little confidence, then get the ball to your receivers and backs in space. We've got some explosive players, but the trick is to get them a little running room. I'd love to see the offensive and defensive lines have some success tonight.

I grew up watching Slam Bang Theater, hosted by Icky Twerp, aka the great Bill Camfield. Mr. Camfield's son has a website dedicated to Bill's memory: IckyTwerp.Net

What a killer penalty on the second or third play of the game. FAU broke a 74-yard touchdown run, but it was called back by a holding penalty against a wide receiver. In replay it looked like the hold was behind the play. He just grabbed the DB's shirt when the DB turned to pursue the runningback flying past.

Very true. And believe me, no one hopes more than I that Riley plays a critical role in extra wins for a program that needs extra wins. The decision has been made, Riley is playing, and it's done.

What I want is for UNT to be on a road to a present AND future successful football program. Of course I want those two more wins this year. I want many more wins this year. But I think Riley's presence as a junior and senior quarterback, in 2011 and 2012, would have paid bigger dividends than will be realized by his presence this season. I have no idea what "he" thinks (do you mean Riley or coach Dodge?) but I know that it is a common practice in major college football to redshirt a top athlete in his true freshman year when his position or positions are well manned. And this year North Texas has talent and depth at QB and WR. I simply believe that we need Riley more in 2009-2012 than we do in 2008, and that the long-term move would have been a better choice for this program. Are differing opinions not welcome? And I don't understand why you seem to be taking offense. "Do you ever think about anyone else but you?" Where does that come from? You're right. I guess I don't care about anyone but myself. That's why I spend dozens and dozens and dozens of hours creating screensavers, wallpapers, icons, cellphone wallpapers, userbars, and avatars for North Texas students and alumni, and offered them up for free. That's why I spent my own money to purchase a domain name and hosting, then spent more time building a website to make those materials easily available for people. Yeah, pretty damned selfish.

Saturday's game against superpower LSU may get ugly. Probably will. All the numbers suggest it will. Some of us get frustrated and negative, and some put their fingers in their ears and bury their heads in the sand. But I believe that all of us - every single person who has ever called themselves a Mean Green fan - have hope. We come together, we buy the tickets and hats and t-shirts, we volunteer our time, and we show up every week and cheer on the Mean Green because we love North Texas and because we have hope. Hope that this week will be the week, like the week we stood toe-to-toe with the Longhorns. Or the week we came off the deck to defeat a heavily-favored Middle Tennessee to start our run of four Sun Belt titles. Like the week we beat the Tennessee Volunteers. And neither LSU nor a hurricane is going to extinguish that hope. Give 'em hell, Mean Green!

I agree. I just don't think Riley translates to a winning season this year. With the status of the offensive and defensive lines, I don't think he adds enough spark for even one or two more wins this year than the team would have achieved without him. Frankly, Gilmore's return has a far better chance of adding wins than Riley does. But let's say Riley does mean an extra win this year. Let's say his presence means two more wins this year. Are you willing to trade an entire season of a veteran Riley Dodge at quarterback for two wins in a losing season this year? Because IF North Texas is grooming Riley Dodge to be this team's quarterback, then that's the trade UNT has made. You're giving up a full season of veteran quarterback play when he would have been at the peak of his game. This program was lined up for four years of talented upper-classman play at QB, two from Vizza and two from Riley, starting next year. Two years of Vizza as junior and senior with Riley as one of his wide receivers, then turn the offense over to Riley for his junior and senior years. Leadership and big-play capacity for four years. That is gone, and those four years are now three. That is far too high a price to pay for anything that is likely to be gained this year. I agree that Todd Dodge knows far more about football than I will ever know. But I still disagree with him on this one.

Oh, now I understand. Let me see if I'm following this avalanche of logic. His shoulder may still be recovering from surgery, so playing college football and going across the middle to take shots from linebackers and safeties is part of his rehab. Then take the lessons he learned this year and put them on the shelf next year while you redshirt him when he's healthy and the team is a year older and a year better and actually building on the hard lessons learned this year. And Todd just needed help this year. But he won't need help next year, despite the fact that Casey Fitzgerald won't be back next year and you could argue that the need for Riley at wide receiver could be greater. So play Riley while he's recovering and the team is bad, then redshirt him next year when he's healthy and the team is better. Genius.

Welcome to the reality of living in a litigious society. And you guys want UNT to have a law school? As if the world needs even one more lawyer. The only way I'd support a law school at UNT is if it has it's own guillotine.

I haven't lived in Denton in many years, but I get up there regularly. I don't keep up with the city's dealings, but I have seen what has happened in the last decade or so with the Square and the area around it. The Square got a major facelift and is doing well because of it. All kinds of local business went in there, filling a number of existing spaces around the Square that were empty. The streets leading into and out of the Square have also been remarkably renovated. The facelift hit the buildings, the sidewalks, the streets, and the old courthouse. It looks great, but they did not throw out some of the businesses that were long-time residents (like Denton County Independent Hamburger Company, aka the GOD of burgers-and-fries). I used to shop at Fultz's bookstore and go to movies at the Fine Arts and the Campus theaters, and it is amazing to see what Denton has done with that area. The really nice thing is they overhauled it without losing the historic look of the Square. There are all kinds of restaurants in the area that were not there not too long ago, and they've even cleaned up Carroll Blvd. all the way to I-35. They've even got some law firms on the Square. Okay, so there is a downside. I don't know who was behind it all, but major projects do happen in Denton. As for the idea that "Any other college town would love to have top level college sports," North Texas has been unable to provide top-level college sports for decades. We've talked rings around the problems our athletics have suffered, and I saw up-close the past athletic directors who simply did not care about developing the facilities and programs. Frankly, until recent years, North Texas did very little to deserve support. We've been marked by losing teams, student and administration apathy, and poor attendance. Rick V is the first AD I can remember who really seems to care and has made major strides in upgrading facilities and growing the athletic department, and I strongly believe in what he is doing. But after decades of stagnation at UNT, I can't blame any entity - public or private - for taking a show-me attitude towards Mean Green athletics, especially when it comes to replacing Fouts Field. And I cannot blame anyone for withholding support until after the upcoming vote by the students. If the University won't vote for the stadium, if UNT won't help itself, then why should anyone else support it? And just to add, I strongly believe the students should have the right to vote on the stadium fee. It's their money and they should decide how it's spent.

Well, that's easy enough to fix. Lose this week.

Why not? The Aggies bury their dead mascots at Kyle Field so they can see the scoreboard.

ESPN says it's official. The Patriots announced Brady will have knee surgery, be placed on injured reserve, and is out for the year.

ESPN is reporting that Lance Armstrong will ride in the 2009 Tour de France.

Positives: Lance Dunbar. Gives us the explosive running game again. Very exciting runningback.