Smitty

2007 ARKANSAS STATE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Sept. 1 at Texas SEPT. 8 MEMPHIS SEPT. 15 SMU Sept. 22 at Tennessee Oct. 6 at Louisiana-Monroe* OCT. 13 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE* Oct. 20 at Middle Tennessee* OCT. 27 TROY* NOV. 3 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL* Nov. 10 at Florida Atlantic* NOV. 17 NORTH TEXAS* Nov. 24 at Southern Mississippi 2007 MIDDLE TENNESSEE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Sept. 1 *at Florida Atlantic Sept. 6 at Louisville (ESPN2) Sept. 15 at LSU Sept. 20 WESTERN KENTUCKY Sept. 29 *FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL Oct. 6 VIRGINIA Oct. 13 at Memphis Oct. 20 *ARKANSAS STATE Oct. 27 *at North Texas Nov. 3 *at Louisiana-Monroe Nov. 10 *LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE Nov. 20 *at Troy (ESPN2)

From the Pro Football Hall of Fame's website: YALE LARY HOF Class of 1979 Defensive Back, 5-11, 185 (Texas A&M) 1952-1953, 1956-1964 Detroit Lions Robert Yale Lary, Jr. . .Major contributor to three Lions championships. . . 11-year fixture at right safety, exceptional punter, long-distance threat on kick returns. . .Lifetime marks show 50 interceptions, 44.3-yard punting average, three NFL punting crowns, three TDs on punt returns. . .All-NFL five years. . .In nine Pro Bowls. . .Third-round pick, 1952. . . Career interrupted by army service. . .Born November 24, 1930, in Fort Worth, Texas. BIOGRAPHY Detroit Lions fans recall Yale Lary in many different ways. Some remember him as a superb right safety, a key cog in Detroit's fearsome defensive platoon in the 1950s and 1960s. Others will tell you he was one of history's truly great punters. Still others say it was his breakaway ability on punt returns that set him apart from all the rest. In reality, each assessment is correct because the multi-talented Texas A&M product did all of those things superbly well during his 11 years with the Lions. There is no question that Yale's defensive play was exceptional. A fixture at right safety throughout his career, he was named to the All-NFL team five times and played in nine Pro Bowls. His career mark showed 50 interceptions and he might well have had many more had not opposition quarterbacks avoided throwing in his area. Still those who remember Lary as a superb punter have plenty of reason to do so. His career average of 44.3 yards on 503 punts places him among the best ever. He won three NFL punting titles and missed a fourth by a razor-thin margin. "Kicking from the end zone, Yale invariably put the ball across midfield with enough hang time to let us cover the kick," team captain and Hall of Fame linebacker Joe Schmidt recalled. "He made our defense look good because he always gave us room to work." While Lary's outstanding exploits might be remembered in different ways, all who saw him play undoubtedly would agree that he was a rare find, the kind that comes along only once in a generation. Comparatively small at 5-11 and 185 pounds but armed with a big heart and great ability, he did much to make the Lions a championship team.

Everybody ease up. He was just a poor coach, not a criminal. He did a poor job here, and he paid for that with the loss of his job. But this kind of hatred is uncalled for.

The Dallas Morning News reports today that Kansas State has finalized its football schedule for 2007 and 2008. "In 2008, Kansas State will host North Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma..."

Yes. The man who accounted for the single greatest rushing season - and one of the greatest seasons by any UNT athlete - in school history deserves enshrinement.

There is only one way to get some love from the Rivals of the world - you gotta whup some butt that the big shots respect. Rivals and the BCS crowd adhere to a concept you see in sports all the time: perception is reality. A batter gets a pitch called a ball because the ump respects the hitter's knowledge of the strike zone. A pitcher gets a strike call because the ump respects the pitcher's control. A basketball player gets a foul call because the ref's respects his talent. Never mind whether it was actually a ball, or a strike, or a foul. The call is influenced by the perception. Todd Dodge's past victories have begun to earn him some collegiate respect - you see it in the increased media coverage and the attitude expressed by writers like Kevin Sherrington. But for UNT to get over the hump, it has to bloody the nose of a respected program. TCU and Boise State have gotten there, and I believe that Todd Dodge will earn UNT that respect.

This could be a big game for the Sun Belt, as the conference desperately needs to win games like this. I'll be by the set rooting for Troy against OSU.

I believe that's correct. I've never seen it anywhere else, and I've never seen it available for download or purchase.

In that case, his actions were appropriate.

Let's not disparage the Abilene reporter for having an agenda when we don't know that. However, he absolutely should have contacted or attempted to contact Coach Dodge or RV. If he was unable to contact them, that should have been put in the story. If an editor cut that bit out to get a story to fit, then shame on that editor. That's an important item that needed to be stated. Should the young man have taken steps to protect himself? Yes. It sounds like he did since he has a scholarship elsewhere. Should Coach Dodge have contacted the young man? In my opinion, yes. Someone, if not Coach Dodge then an assistant (the offensive line coach makes sense), should have contacted him just out of courtesy. Should UNT have honored the scholarship? In my opinion, not necessarily. Scholarships are pulled all the time, as are committments. Should Coach Dickey have contacted the young man? In my opinion, yes. Just common courtesy.

Dodge should have at least called the young man and told him. Yeah, he's busy, but its one phone call. Make the time to do that. Never mind fairness, it would just be good politics to tell the coach and the young man exactly what was happening and why. It would certainly help Coach Dodge in future recruiting in that region. That's not the way to build future recruiting relationships. As for the job analogy: if an employer actually offers a job to someone - and by doing so logically encourages that person to stop looking for a job - then that employer absolutely owes it to that person to tell them if the situation changes. That is the equivalent of this situation. Insall is not just another person who interviewed and didn't get hired - he was offered the job when Dickey offered him a scholarship. UNT and Coach Dodge owed him the courtesy of telling him that the situation had changed. I'll guarantee you this: if Dodge had honored the offer but Insall decided - because of Dickey's departure - to find another school, a lot of people on this board would be brutally critical of Insall.

This decision is important to Mr. Vizza, and that's all that matters. He should take his time, and not rush to the fax machine just to make a bunch of alums feel better.

It means people like us have been asking the athletic department about Vizza, and Coach Ford has contacted Vizza to see what is going on.

Gentlemen, please, rest your sphincters. Give Mr. Vizza time. Maybe he had a big test this morning. Maybe his school's fax machine is broke. All kinds of possibilities. Let's hold off accusing the kid of wavering or changing his mind or grand-standing until justified.

Just in time for driving around town on signing day, a couple of shiny new Dodge avatars in green chrome:

Here's a logo inspired by the Boise State's Bronco design.

Very very nice.

Oh, great. Please, give us windbags another forum in which to spew our knee-jerk opinions. And in a publication intended primarily for consumption by students. There's a marketing angle for you, Harry. GoMeanGreen: molding the minds of the youths of North Texas. We're all goin' to hell.

Before we all agree that hitting-up teenagers for money for a stadium is a good idea, and before we take our cues from UT, remember this: Places like UT charge a lot more for their tickets than does UNT (2006 season tickets were $365), and they have "patron priority levels" that I'm guessing are similar to the Mean Green Club but is probably more expensive than UNT is charging. Yet here we are griping and moaning about the increased Mean Green Club fee this year and the shortened payment schedule. But we're ready to add fees to 18- and 19-year olds? So that we can watch football in a nicer stadium? You want to be big-time, have a big-time stadium? Then you're going to have to pay. And the fees UNT is asking us to pay now will be a pleasant memory in five years if this program continues to grow. That's the cost of big-time football. I want a new stadium as much as anyone, but adding fees to the students should be the last place to turn. The money should come from alums and corporate contributors. Sell the stadium naming rights. Increased costs and fees for tickets are appropriate, but let's ease up on adding fees to teenagers at a time when the cost of college is skyrocketing out of control.

I wonder what kind of corporate dollars UNT can get. I don't know what the rules are on that for colleges, but it seems a natural would be American Airlines and American Eagle. I have no idea if AA would be interested, but how about naming it American Eagle Stadium?

Because dear old Fouts Field is a freakin' dump. Miserable sight lines, uncomfortable seating, poor amenities. It stinks on ice, and its probably better now than it has ever been. You should have seen it twenty and thirty years ago, when the urinals in the men's room were simply the concrete wall with a low trench at the bottom. That's right, we used to just piss against the wall. Remember the cover of The Who's album, "Who's Next?" Same thing. Don't you think it would help recruiting to bring kids to a 30,000-seat stadium like SMU's as opposed to a 30,000-seat stadium like Fouts? And there is reason to plan for multiple phases. I'm not sure, but I think that's what Kansas State did. I believe that, as the program grew and their fan base grew, they added to it.

Not to make expectations too high for Coach Dodge, but how good might recruiting be next year with a complete staff in place and a full year to recruit? And how good might it be combined with a successful first season, say with seven or eight wins? And does this impact the possible recruiting of Riley Dodge?

Here is the Fort Worth Star Telegram's list of players on the Star-Telegram's National 100, State 100 and Area 50 lists who have committed to North Texas: Bron Hager RB, 6-1, 210 From: Austin Westlake Listing: State Top 100 Breece Johnson WR, 6-2, 175 From: Colleyville Heritage Listing: Area Top 50 Marcus King WR, 6-3, 200 From: Trinity Listings: Area Top 50, State Top 100 Jason Martinson WR, 6-1, 187 From: Birdville Listings: Area Top 50, State Top 100 Justin Padron LB, 6-0, 215 From: Carroll Listings: Area Top 50, State Top 100 Kyle Russo DL, 6-3, 245 From: Carroll Listing: Area Top 50 Jordan Scoggins TE, 6-3, 248 From: Trinity Listings: Area Top 50, State Top 100 Evan Walker WR, 5-11, 185 From: Colleyville Heritage Listing: Area Top 50

For UNT to be matching or beating TCU and SMU with so much less time to work with is remarkable. It also suggests that Coach Dodge did a great job assembling a coaching staff.

Oops. It's edited. I beg forgiveness.