untjim1995

The point is that we have stepped up immensely in the stadium we play in, but our OOC scheduling has almost mystifyingly gotten worse. I am still amazed that this has happened, been allowed to keep happening, and, even sadder, been accepted by the clear majority of UNT fans, just because it gives folks a chance to tailgate before a game. That NIcholls State game last year was the least competitive game I have ever watched a North Texas team beat. That looked like us against Oklahoma in 2007, with a brand new high school coach at the helm. That win actually hurt the team more than it helped--it made the team and fans think Dajon Williams was a great QB for this offense, which he obviously wasn't against actual FBS teams. And that frustrating fall from grace irritated McCarney so much that he decided to go back to his old safety net, Minimac, who we are stuck with now as our starter, since he doesn't freelance or do anything he isn't asked to do--just hand the ball off and throw bubble screens and two yard slants. It really wouldn't bother me if we hadn't been promised that a new stadium would allow us the opportunity to host more recognized opponents in Denton, teams like Iowa and Minnesota, or OSU and Mizzou, just to mention a few of the names bandied about. And if the P5s announced that they would never play another OOC game on the road at a G5 school, I'd accept it, too. But to watch SMU host the teams they host every year in Dallas, to see Arkansas State hosting Mizzou, and to watch Oklahoma State in past years travel to Troy, FAU, ULL, UTSA, and now Central Michigan, it just boggles my mind that we host Texas Southern, South Alabama, Idaho, Ball State, SMU, Nicholls State, and now Portland State in the years after the opening season of Apogee, it is just deflating. It doesn't have to do with a lack of love of our school, either. It has to do with the fact that beating these teams does absolutely nothing for your recruiting or to generate any buzz in the fanbase, except for SMU. When we beat our CUSA West colleagues, people in the area and in the region notice those names. If we got to play OSU, even once, and just gave them a close game, it would be better for us than every regular season G5/FCS win we have had since we beat Baylor in Lubbock in 2003. Hell, and losing at UGa 45-21, but playing them close for 3 quarters did more for us than anything since we had gone to the NO Bowl in 2004. It would be a lot easier if that game, even once, took place in Denton, instead at the Southern P5 giant's home place. Its gonna take a win over a named P5 school AND a conference championship around here to make recruiting and fan support increase in a major way. Its probably gonna take a win over a named P5 school AND a conference championship around here to make recruiting and fan support increase in a major way. Its the only thing we haven't done to get the needle moving here for either facet.

Sadly, that part about tailgating and glad-handling better is accurate, as illustrated by the last 14 years.

We have to play a schedule that is as daunting as any we have played since the Dickey days...with a below average QB, a new OL, and a defense that still has work to do to get built up to win games. 114 out of 128... or to put it another way, 49th out of 62 G5s... for a coach entering his 5th season...with the same OC entering his 6th season...and the same AD in his 14th season.

From 1995-2001, we hosted Oregon State, Houston, Vanderbilt, UNLV, Baylor, and TCU to Denton...at Fouts Field...with Craig Helwig's scheduling. SInce 2011, we have hosted Houston, Indiana, Idaho, Ball State, and SMU to Denton...at Apogee Stadium...and that doesn't include the three FCS schools we have hosted and will host this year as the only OOC game at home.

Again, why would any of you expect a QB like either of those listed in this thread to seriously consider us when we run an offense that is attractive to bus drivers? A QB that is going to OSU or A&M is going to be a spread QB, while a Qb under Franchione is going to either run a lot himself or still throw it around more than he ever would here. Until you run an offense that is perfectly made for a throwing QB, not one that is perfectly designed to hand off 75% of the time and then throw two-yards from the LOS on the other plays, you can forget about QBs like this from a Texas high school. Damarcus Smith better turn into something great from JUCO becuase if he doesn't, we aren't gonna have anywhere to pull QBs from, except from more of Mac's old teammates' kids in Iowa.

Getting 5+ wins out of this schedule would be very impressive...VERY impressive, considering our developed talent deficiencies on defense, OL, and at QB.

Yes, Corky, Matt Simon, and Coach Mac all look at these games as possible wins and coached that way all week before and during those games. Dickey didn't...ever. As a matter of fact, if that game involved a regular season opponent that was not beatable by just running the ball down their throat, then it was just about running the clock out until we got to an opponent we could pound into submission (basically SBC teams only). The one thing I loved about Mac when he got here and had continued doing until last year's nut-kick of a season was to inspire and motivate the few fans we had, as well as the engagement of the student body. We hadn't had that kind of person around here since well before my time of getting here (fall of 1991). Maybe Corky could've done that if the university had even tried to care about college football back then, but selling ice to eskimos would've been just as easy as selling i-aa football to UNT fans in the early 80's when the SWC was at its peak. I am just praying that Mac gets that positivity and motivation back--that this place hasn't beaten him into give-up, Dickey-style comments in the upcoming years. Because that is exactly what it sounded like last year when he complained about the fact that Texas HS recruits usually won't come here. If you are gonna run a Dickey-style offense, even with great facilities and a nice conference affiliation, you aren't gonna get any attention from the HS coaches, players, or their parents. They know that 95% of Texas high schools run the exact opposite style of offense. If he can switch this up, I'll believe that mac will truly get what needs to be changed here--to adapt to the times and run multiple offensive styles, instead of a 1970 three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense that bores people to tears when you aren't winning (see Dickey years, not including 2002-2004).

All of the game that are bolded, italicized, and underlined above are all examples of ADs that have gone out and accomplished something great for their fanbase. If you are in the bottom three of the G5 (MAC, SBC, or CUSA) and still host a P5, congratulations. It must be nice to get to see those teams come to town. Try not to be jealous of us when we host Portland State, Incarnate Word, Liberty, or Abilene Christian to complement those OOC giants Army and SMU in the years ahead.

I am in whole-hearted agreement with you on all of this...especially the last sentence--the issues are gigantic, and quite frankly, bigger than this AD can handle, imo. And I think it is an ostrich-level, sticking your head in the ground view to think the buck stops at the President of the university for athletics. He reports to the Chancellor, who reports to the BOR. The BOR has extended said chancellor, even after the accounting fiasco. The AD has been extended several times in 14 years, with a football program that has gone 64-107 under his watch. When you combine the two basketball programs into the mix, his winning percentage is .456 in the big three. If someone wants to trumpet our non-revenue sports, go for it. The local media and national media don't talk about soccer, softball, volleyball, track & field, tennis, golf, or cross country at the collegiate level. They do talk about football and mens basketball, with a smidgen of coverage for womens basketball. If we care more about the teams winning than the university's leadership does, it shouldn't surprise anyone to see the abysmal numbers we see here for season tickets or MGC members. Amazingly, though, there are people that are shocked that these numbers don't grow. And comparing them to OSU or Baylor right now is apples to oranges. Yes, they are both fruit, but that's it. They are P5 money, we are G5 broke. Compare us to San Jose State (who we most resemble), UH, UTEP, UTSA, USF, UCF, MUTS, FAU, or FIU, but please don't compare us to P5s. I love the Mean Green, but I loathe the way we run our athletic department. The thing is that it would take a commitment of about $2 million to get out of bad contracts, hire a coach who has had success as a head coach before, and make winning an expectation. If we cannot expand our budget for athletics by $2 million dollars to buyout bad contracts, hire an AD who can actually pick coaches that know how to win, and bring in better opponents for years down the road, we really should be playing in the Southland again--because that is what needs to be done. If Louisiana Tech can do it, we can do it. If Lousiana-Lafayette or podunk Arkansas State can do it, we should be able to do it. I'm freaking tired of being UTSA's hydrant, but I also know that they take this serious for the betterment of their entire university. I don't see how anyone can say that same thing with full confidence about our leadership, which, ahem, goes above the President.

This is just pathetically sad...how an AD could survive this alone is beyond me, without mentioning the ridiculous coaching hires we have made around here for over a decade. http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25234720/best-in-college-sports-ohio-state-lville-ucla-lead-2014-15-rankings

Yeah, but in the FIU game last season, the defense (and coaches) was beggin McNulty to just go out there and hand the ball off, as they knew it was the only chance we had to win that game. If we had been behind FIU, as we had been against Troy in 2012, the same exact result would've happened.

Go another step further. With the schedule that we have to play this season, put DT at QB and we still win 3-4 games at the most. Hell, make the 2013 team play this schedule and I think its probably gonna go 7-5 at best--and that was arguably the best team we have fielded since the Fry years. McNulty isn't very good, in my opinion, but even if he was, the schedule is too hard for where we are right now as a team, nor or the lines on the team or the rest of the defense/special teams. Whoever is QB next year is who has the best chance to get us back to .500, just because the OL will be more experienced and the defense will be very experienced. Its 2017 that I think gives us the best chance to get back to 7+ wins. And that will give us the opportunity to see if RV will extend Mac again...

I'm just telling you that you are on an island without many other folks right now in believeing that McNulty won't be our starter in September at SMU. Frankly, I don't see how you can look at the situation we have at QB, with the head coach we have, and the gameplan that we run and think that Damarcus Smith will start over Andrew McNulty. But then again, I'm just an old geezer these days. Its probably just the 25 years now of following the team closely that makes me see things less optimistically than you young guys do. I, too, remember thinking in 1995 when I graduated that we were about to become an awakened giant, that I would finally be able to talk sports in a similar fashion as my SWC buddies. I was certain of it, even felt like we were on our way in the SBC Domination Years. Then, Tulsa happened....followed by absolute, pure-ass give-up by Dickey....that led into the debacle that was Todd Dodge for 4 seasons...and RV keeping his job...and budget being the only thing that mattered. Oh to be young again...and have Mean Green Shades that aren't jaded. I was once there, too, BG. But, just as those before me told me the same thing, give this place enough time and you'll realize you follow the team because they are yours or you'll walk away--but either way, the leadership here won't give a damn what direction you decide to go--because they have hundreds of thousands that have walked in your shoes on campus and sat in those classrooms--as long as that stays that way, that's all they care about. Cheap tuition and cost of attendance means job stability. Spending money on sports is a "bet" in their eyes...and if they are gonna "bet" its not gonna be on sports.

The student-athletes aren't accepting failure...the BOR and the AD are. The student-athletes that represent North Texas do so for the love of their sport and the opportunity to have their education paid for in some fashion. But when the coaches fail at winning in revenue sports, yet they get to keep their jobs for additional seasons because of cost, that is acceptance of failure.Just in terms of the two main revenue sports,I've watched us wait to fire Vic Trilli, Darrell Dickey (after ULM loss in 2001, BOR wouldn't let RV fire him), Todd Dodge, and Tony Benford because of cost, even though they had failed miserably up to that point. Face it, if Tony Benford has another bad record this year, it won't be any different than the seasons before this one, but he will now get canned and Rob Evans will get promoted to interim coach because we are only buying out the last year of a contract.

In the last win, at home against FIU, McCarney wouldn't even let McNulty throw the ball in the entire 4th quarter after he threw a bad interception. Literally, McCarney preferred letting McNulty hand off on every snap for the rest of the game, which was a lead of less than a TD, than to trust him to pass or to let another QB go out there instead.

Not in Mac's eyes, though...

Of course. He is the QB of the team. I thought the same thing about DT that I do about McNulty going into his senior year. What I didn't know back then was how hard hitting our defense was gonna be and how strong our special teams was going to be. DT was the busdriver du jour--we lost to Ohio, Tulane, and UTSA because of this that year, but we dominated Idaho, UTEP, UNLV, USM, La Tech, Tulsa, and MUTS, as well as physically overwhelming Rice and Ball State in the seond halves to get those wins. I just don't see us having anything close on defense to that 2013 squad, while also recognizing that McNulty isn't as good a passer as DT was. But, yes, if he shows us that he can lead our team to wins, then I will gladly eat my words. I just don't see it right now.

Yeah, well we replaced them with Andrew, so that alone makes the IQ of that board way higher, right??

McNulty hands off better than anyone since I've been the coach here//Mac

McNulty will start, at a bare minimum, thru September. Smith hasn't played a down in this system yet. McNulty knows the perfect way to hand off and to throw short passes in this offense, as the senior busdriver. Mac isn't going to make the same "mistake" two years in a row. That's why we have already been hearing the "McNulty is just like Derek Thompson" stuff. Mac trusts Minimac--and no one else right now. The only chance Damarcus Smith has of starting is 1.) if McNulty gets injured or 2.) we start off poorly. Considering we have SMU to open up with, we will probably be 1-2 going into October, so that won't cause a QB change. But a loss at USM MIGHT cause a change, just as we get ready to play a FCS team at home, similar to last year with Dajon Williams getting to start against Nicholls State. That would be October 10th, in Game 5 at the earliest. I actually think the chances are pretty good that McNulty starts all year, but if I was guessing as to when I could see Damarcus Smith get his first start, it would be if we have only beaten SMU and Portland State and Mac makes a change to try to finally beat UTSA--that game is on Halloween night. Team we absolutely should beat: @‌SMU and Portland State Teams we can beat: @‌USM, UTSA, UTEP Teams it will be really tough to beat, but not completely impossible: Rice, WKU, @‌Marshall, @‌La Tech, @‌ MUTS Teams we cannot beat: @‌Iowa and @‌Tennessee

I voted for Mac, just because he has sounds like a legitimate FBS coach, something we haven't had since Fry left. He has tried all he knows to do to get people interested in this place. I still believe that he thought that UNT was a USF starter-kit in the waiting, not fully understanding the history of the school's apathy toward sports, nor the view of the school's football team with Texas HS coaches, players, and their parents. That said, Corky Nelson was probably the best coach we had here since Fry left. He knew how to motivate people and he didn't give up. At UNT, you have to have two qualities as a head coach--no give-up in you and to be a salesman. I don't know about his sales ability, since i-aa was damn near impossible to sell, but his fortitude was shown in wins and close losses against big time schools. His only problem was not being able to win SLC Championships and to do anything in the 1-aa playoffs when they got there. After this, I suspect Jerry Moore has to be next, since he did get hired away by Texas Tech after two seasons here. Although he failed at the I-A level as a head coach, his tenure at Appalachian State shows us that he could coach college ball. He probably would've been a great hire after Bob Tyler, not before him.

This is what I fear is happening to Dan Mccarney, too. He got here, full of optimism and motivation. But as time has gone on, and once the realities of our situation have hit hard, his positivity has turned into a combo of begging for help from fans/negativity about recruiting here. He, too, may very well just take a paycheck for the next few years and call it quits with quite a retirement.

Mac could go 0-12 and we ain't firing him to pay for three years of his contract. If we did, we would probably have to hire the head coach at Strickland Middle School to coach here, as it would be all we could afford at that time. A bad season, less than 4 wins, means that Chico is gone after this year, when his contract runs out--again with the timing of buyouts around here being what determines firings/hirings.

FIFY No way we buy out three years of the largest contract ever given out by the school in our illustrious atletic history...even if we went 0-12.

I'll take a stab at this: 1.) In the pre-Fouts days, just like Todd Dodge did when he was coaching here, if I were the AD, during every single press conference or interview, I would've talked about a future stadium being in the plans/drawings of the BOR and that they have promised to build one. It may have been the single best thing Todd Dodge did for our university, basically talking up the fact that he was promised a new stadium. 2.) I would have fired Tony Benford after this past season, just as I would have fired Todd Dodge after his third year. After firing the coaches, I'd have announced it to the press first, then gotten the BOR to sign off on it, not the other way around. If they threw up a fight, I'd go and "apologize" publically for getting out of line with the BOR's budget constraints, forcing them to have to let others know for certain that the budget is all that matters here. When the few big monied donors here cut bait because they finally realize that the BOR doesn't care about winning, maybe the message gets across to them to start caring or drop the ruse of having a FBS program. 3.) I would never schedule a bodybag game against anyone south of the Mason-Dixon line--only against B1G teams, Pac teams, or northern ACC/Big XII school. Losing to them doesn't give your students and alumni the embarrassment of losing to your neighbors, relatives, and co-workers from UT, OU, A&M, LSU, Arkansas, etc.., nor does it make easier for your fans to abandon you to become t-shirt fans of these other schools, as if they needed any more fans or financial support. 4.) I would never schedule an FCS opponent at home in Apogee. If it means we play five home games in some seasons, so be it.I work to give the fans at least a decent OOC opponent at home every year, maybe even two, but never a 6 game home schedule with Portland State, Incarnate Word, or Abilene Christian. 5.) I go to T. Boone Pickens and talk about a series against Okie State, even if its a 3 for 2, just to get a regionalized P5 team here--we will play them here on the years they play in Ft Worth to give them a game in the Metroplex every year. 6.) I call BYU and get a home-and-home series going with them in the future. That's a start...