Smitty

Make it 35-6, late third. SMU's early offensive success is gone, and their defense is getting worn out. Tough way to start a season full of high expectations. Almost feel sorry for them. Almost. Okay, not even a little bit. Tech is laying some real shots on the Ponies.

Willis threw into tight coverage. Safety coming over to help got the interception. The SMU crowd has been taken out of the game.

Texas better get ready for that game. 28-6 now. Harrell is cutting the Ponies to ribbons. The only way SMU can get any pressure is with the blitz, and Harrell sees it coming and finds the outlet receiver for big plays.

Agreed. They've had some dropped passes and seem to be struggling to find something that works.

SMU has looked okay. They looked better early in the game, they're playing hard, and they had two decent drives but couldn't finish either and settled for field goals. They do have some speed, but they're out-matched. I think this game is more a case of how good Tech looks than how bad SMU looks. Harrell just stands behind that massive line all day, and SMU doesn't have the muscle or speed to create pressure. But screaming ALL OUT just before running an all-out blitz - TWICE - is a shocking mistake by the Mustangs.

SMU isn't getting much pass rush against that huge Tech offensive line. Credit to Tech, no criticism of SMU. SMU looks okay. They've got some speed. But the Mustangs gave away the ALL OUT! blitz again! Why are they screaming ALL OUT? Couldn't they come up with a better signal, one that's not so obvious to the opponent? That play set up a touchdown. 21-6 at halftime. Working behind that massive offensive line, Harrell is going to have a big year for Tech.

Now that was genius. SMU's defense audibled to an all-out blitz, and one of the SMU defenders started waiving his arms and screaming "ALL OUT! ALL OUT!" so loud that it was easy to hear on TV. I guess Tech's offense heard it too - they immediately threw a little quick pass over the middle where the defense had vacated and it went the distance for a touchdown. Might want to keep those signals to yourselves, fellas. 14-3, Tech, early second quarter.

SMU is really pushing the "Pony ^" marketing tag. There are a lot of white "Pony ^" t-shirts in the stands, and the commentators mentioned that SMU spent a lot of money on this campaign. Willis looks okay, but he pulls the ball down kind of quick when he drops back to pass. He's doing too much scrambling and he's taking a pounding. Its only the first quarter and he has taken some solid shots.

Also consider the DART rail park-and-ride parking lots along I-75. Mockingbird Station, one of the DART rail stops, is only a few blocks from the stadium, and SMU said they run a shuttle bus service from Mockingbird Station to the stadium on game days. Parking in those lots is free. Go straight to Mockingbird Station, or park in one of the other park-and-ride lots and ride the train to Mockingbird Station. Here is DART's website: DART rail system

Could we have just a little patience? It's way too early (at least two years) for this kind of criticism. Let the staff establish their system and install their recruits before passing this kind of judgment. Plus, the inescapable conclusion of this kind of thinking is that IF Coach Mendoza is not competent, THEN Coach Dodge is not competent to evaluate and hire a staff. Do you really believe that? For even a moment do you believe that?

Cable listings show ESPN is showing the game live at 3:00.

Right with ya, boss. No excuses for bad attendance this year. Be there. Be loud. Be proud. Be green.

What I find most disappointing is the context of this loss. It appears that the 69-point deficit was the biggest in the nation this weekend, and this debacle comes the same weekend that: Appalachian State beat No. 5 Michigan Arkansas State stayed within 8 points of Texas Troy scored 26 at Arkansas and stayed within 20 Louisiana Lafayette stayed within 14 of Steve Spurier's South Carolina Yes, there's been a ton of bitching and moaning on the board, and I think its safe to say North Texas will probably be on ESPN's bottom ten next week. HOWEVER, reading everything being said, I sense that the support and optimism is still there (dazed, bruised, perhaps bleeding internally, but still there) and almost no one is jumping ship. I believe that the Mean Green Nation will turn out in force next week for SMU, will turn out in force for the home opener, and will continue to support the new regime. I've got my tickets and remain excited about the program. It was, after all, just one game - one miserable, horrible, embarrassing game that I do not think will be the subject of a future wallpaper. And, actually, it could have been worse. It could be argued that Middle Tennessee's weekend was worse. The Blue Raiders are thinking Sun Belt championship and a bowl game, but they got thumped by Florida Atlantic, 27-14 (it was 27-0 in the fourth quarter), and are already 0-1 in conference.

Agreed. OU's athletes are simply vastly superior, and they didn't look past this game (thanks to Boise State and Michigan's upset today). SPEED SPEED SPEED. The Sooners are just incredibly fast all over the field. But Casey Fitzgerald looks good. Again.

Oh, hell. 14-0 in three minutes, sixteen seconds.

Question 1: Michigan was No. 5 in the nation before this game. Would you drop them completely out of the top 25? Question 2: There may be restrictions on who can be ranked, but would you vote Appalachian State into the top 25?

Probably the biggest upset in the history of college football. Certainly top five, but I can't imagine any four bigger than this. The cupcakes bite back!

56-7 in the fourth quarter. But how much worse could it have been? It was 49-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Miami down 7-0. Patrick has ten carries for 39 yards and three receptions for 28 yards. He's their leading rusher and receiver so far. No TV that I know of, these stats are just from ESPN's website.

Yeah, that caught my attention, too. He really believes we'll be in a new stadium by 2010.

Did he just say what I think he said? Todd Dodge said things are happening that can't be published or discussed, but he really believes North Texas will have a new stadium by 2010.

This interesting paragraph comes from a column on ESPN.com by Gregg Easterbrook, who is complaining about the power schools scheduling low-level competition to grease their way to a bowl bid: A link to the full article: Before we get to the NFC preview, some cupcakes

By Pete Fiutak CollegeFootballNews.com Posted Aug 27, 2007 "...while the Sooner secondary will erase the awful UNT receiving corps." "OU can beat North Texas without throwing a pass..." "...against a ridiculously overmatched Mean Green team that won't get a chance to see what its new offense can really do until the fourth quarter." I wonder how this guy really feels about North Texas?

Section E, row 23, seats 19 and 20.

I'm planning a set of icons to put on the Extras page. I'll post when they're ready.