untjim1995

CBL and I are completely on the same page concerning the current state of our program. The improvement is drastic, but there are no wins with it--that is just how amazingly poor we were last year. If that's Dodge's fault, I won't argue, but the AD cannot fire him. There is just no money for our AD to do this. I have heard about this re-shuffling the deck in the AD and moving Dodge to some other position, but I just don't see Dodge leaving to go be a high school coach again and somehow saving the AD $$$. More likely is the case where we are paying two coaches at the same time, which we did with Dickey--while he was also the OC at Utah State. How did that work out for us when it came time for Dodge to get assistants? We got a bunch of high school coaches. Like it or not, Dodge will be here this year and next year. The new stadium should be able to provide enough revenue streams to allow us to buyout one year of Dodge's contract and get us a new coach to enter the 2011 season. But buying out two years or more isn't gonna happen--unless we just don't win another game this year AND lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ are found to make the change.

Also, FAU is one of six winless FBS schools left--not much to puff our chest out about this year.

I will have my 4-year old in tow with me tongiht and I am looking at taking him up to the bonfire tonight. It shows on the unt.edu website that the Bonfire and Yell starts at 8:15. Is that when the bonfire will be lit--at 8:15? Or is the expected lighting supposed to be earlier/later? Anyone who has any knowledge of this, I would appreciate your feedback. As you can imagine, getting an accurate time is of great importance when dealing with a 4-year old boy!! Thanks in advance!!

I also thought that year 3 would be when we would be ready to make a run at 6-6 or better, but after year 2 was so bad, I had to change my expectations to make it year 4 to at least get to 6-6. This year, my expectations were to win 3 games--we EASILY could already be there now, but it hasn't happened so I will still stand by my original hope to get there. BTW, I didn't think we would even have a win yet this season when I looked at the schedule in August. I figured our first win would be against WKU, then we would beat ULM and Army at home. My fear was that we either wouldn't get to three wins--still possible, I suppose, but even worse would be that fans were leaving games at halftime because we were losting 42-7 like last year. that hasn't been the case yet, and I do think that as the year progresses, we will see some wins, maybe even more than 3 that I originally hoped for.

I believe yes is the answer on both questions. I think about the job Todd Graham did at Rice or Steve Kragthorpe did at Tulsa as great examples of this, as was the amazing job Franchione did at TCU. When Fran got to TCU, the year before they won 1 game--albeit a great win over SMU that kept them out of a bowl game (just as we did to them in 2006--hehe). The next year, Fran's Frogs went 6-5 and were awarded a bid to the Sun Bowl, in part because they didn't leave the WAC and the UTEP fans out there stood up for their fellow conference mate. That TCU team then beat USC. BTW, in each case listed above, all three coaches were gone within four years of their hire date to other schools up the food chain.

I understand your frustrations, especially when I told my dad who we were playing this weekend and his response was "Who?" Of course, I knew that response was coming and could still not come up with a good answer for him to understand why I wanted him to go with me on Saturday night. But, in reality, I think the SBC is a good spot for us right now and in the near future. Unless a new SWC gets formed anytime soon and we are actually included, then the SBC is about where we belong. As a matter of fact, one could argue that the other SBC programs probably look at us right now as the dead-weight that they are carrying around right now as conference mates.

To answer a few points here: 1.) there were maybe a few at most on here that were against hiring Dodge back then--I can pull just about any thread from back then to back this up. 2.) hiring an experienced coach is something we did the last two hires--two OCs from Division 1A teams. Sometimes, it just doesn't translate no matter how experienced you are. Remember, we have hired exactly one coach in 40 years with previous HC experience--Hayden Fry. That worked out fairly well, so in true North Texas spirit, we haven't done it ever again. 3.) The experienced college staff we should have gotten when Dodge started was not hired because of two things--Dodge's mistake in believing that high school coaching assistants would work here, but even more so, the fact that those assistants were affordable to a cash-strapped AD that was still paying for a head coach that had been fired the season before. Trust me, your frustration is noted--I agree with you on each and every part of it. I will say this, I want Dodge to be the coach here for a loooonnnng time here because he turns it around and begins winning championships. Here's the thing though--if your administration doesn't fund a program seriously, then you get what you pay for. If we do end up firing Dodge at some point, the new stadium should be the top reason that a new coach would want to come here--everything else, except for support, will be top-notch, IMO. We will know a lot about what the university thinks about our program with the next hire, whenever that will be. If we get another non-BCS coordinator, or worse, we will know the answer to that. It is going to take a commitment to make that next step up and I would love to see a guy like Kragthorpe or a Franchione be next in line. Or at least a head coach that has proven his worth at the FCS level at the worst. This would at least tell the fans and alumni that care about UNT Football that we are going to TRY and field a legitimate program that can compete at this level. I just don't want to see the next head coach at UNT being a running backs coach from Okie State or the offensive coordinator from UTEP, or gasp, the head coach from Highland Park HS.

Uhmm, I think we haven't beaten a full-blown SBC mate in two years and now have the longest losing streak against conference teams in the history of the SBC. Why can't you pick that??

Look, the record sucks--but it has sucked for a long time, even before Dodge. This year's improvement is dramatic--I remember last year that some of the most beloved fans on here were posting about leaving games for the first time before the game ended. And these were blowouts at home against such strong teams like Florida International and Louisiana-Lafayette. I want him to win games, too, but if we gave the previous two guys 4 years to get it figured out, we should at least do the same here. Look at how much attendance has grown over the last 3 years, how much better the recruiting has gotten, and also how nice it has been not to be called MFers and to hear every week how this job is the "hardest job in America". Now if we only win 2 games this year, then the firing decision is tougher--but the $$$ issue still stands. It is my opinion that if we win 3 or more games this year, then he will still be here with the next year to get a winning record. We introduce the new stadium in 2011 and I think the revenue stream alone should help pay for any buyout that will be needed at that point. But we need to give him at least though this year.

Yes--you are correct--it is.

Since I had to put up those dang nets with a duct-taped box everyday for you to hit when Coach Karcher was here and you were a freshman, I would tell you that , yes, the next year under Dodge, as a soph, your improvement was huge. Of course, not having to put up those stupid nets everyday once coach Dodge got there and actually seeing you throw to people instead may be clouding my view!! Seriously, it was night and day seeing how comfortable you got with a year under your belt!!

I agree completely with you and it is annoying to see so many people with degrees fom UNT that will root for some other school and in mnay cases support it financially because they are good and big and well-known and our piss-ant school isn't. That said, with the superior product that UNT has chosen to roll out there for so many decades, it isn't much of a surprise that the student body here never really supported their own. Heck, if the administration and alumni didn't care much at athletics, why should the students? I am glad it is changing now, though.

You know, it doesn't bother me too much. I mean these are two different levels of competition that we are talking about. The NCAA may classify us as both FBS, but the Grand Canyon-esque divide between UNT and UT is just so enormous. To me, a college football fan should love and support their school first--I agree that a real douche chooses to root for UT, OU, Tech, etc. over UNT when his degree says North Texas on it. But, if you like another school, too, I don't see any problem with sporting their apparel at their games like was being told here. At UNT, we would love it if someone who went to A&M wore a Mean Green shirt to a game just to fit in at Fouts. He would not be a douche, either.

Having seen both Parker and Simon closely during my years working down at the AD, this is a summation in my opinion of both: Parker was a great family man and had a strong faith. He was meant to be a high school coach--he connected with kids and their families and really wanted them to become better men as he played a fatherly role. He was very much unprepared for being a head coach of a college team, though. He was very much in over his head. I remember in his last year, he spent the entire off-season and fall camp having the team read a book called Psycho-Cybernetics because he was convinced that his guys would understand that we could go up to Lincoln, Nebraska and beat them. He was so convince that we would go up there and compete and he talked to the team about when Odessa Pemian came into Marshall ranked #1 and his team out there beat them by a point. He thought UNT could do the same because his Marshall team knocked off that grand program out west in Permian. Well, we lost a squeaker 76-14 to a team that played for the national championship in I-A. It just showed how out of place he really was at UNT. Simon was not in over his head as a head coach at a college. He had a lot of experience as an assistant, especially under Don James at Washington, where they won a national championship. He had a great offensive mind and he especially connected with the running backs and the OLine. His saga was really the most disappointing of any UNT coach since Fry--he had GREAT potential, but two things absolutely sunk his tenure as a head coach--he was unbelievably paranoid and he believed that he was often a victim of racism. Before games, he would meet with the head coach at midfield and openly accuse them of spying on his practices. During practice, he would send various staff over to students who were at practice to enjoy a nice day and ask them why they were there. During games, he would accuse the referees of being racist--one particular game, he told one ref that all the official wanted was for Simon to call him "Massah", which immediately drew a flag. He would call the DRC and complain that the owners there were racist and wanted him fired. In the end, that paranoia just buried him. The chip he carried on his shoulder was great when he wanted to motivate the team in a big game. But when the opponent was not a big name, his teams almost always got outplayed because he couldn't motivate them against the lesser opponents. Simon SHOULD have been a successful coach here, similar to what the Troy coach has been to them--in place for many years and having a reputation as someone you really could lose to if you weren't prepared. But his personal stuff just did him in, at least in my opinion.

Well, I wanted Kragthorpe back before he took the Tulsa job and when we fired Simon. He was an awesome coach when he was here and after he left, esepcially at A&M where he was the OC when they won the Big XII. But, at the time, he told the DRC back then that he wanted no part of being the HC at UNT. It probably didn't matter anyway, as Dickey got ram-rodded thru and we had a cheap head coach. Now, who knows, maybe with a new stadium that changes, but he knows he can make more as an offensive coordinator at a big-time BCS school than here at UNT--unless, of course, UNT does soemthing it never has done and pays their next coach a competitive salary. But, I do agree with you--he would be a tremendous hire here. But, I doubt it would happen, as Dodge isn't going anywhere until at least the end of next year, when there wold only be one year left on his contract and we enter into the new stadium.

Pal, we aren't far from being a FCS school--our support has never been even good for a school this size, our administration made sure that music, arts, education, and business were going to be the best window to the university--not football or any other athletic venture. Look at what we pay, look at who does the hiring, and look at our FBS history since 1995. I posted on a thread last week about this, but it still blows me away. We have beaten more than 4 FBS teams in one season on 4 occasions (2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004). We beat exactly two non-conference FBS teams in that span during those seasons. Your question on standards is sad--becasue you know where they are, why they are that way, and that based on our history, it probably isn't changing. Blame Todd Dodge for losing a Sun Belt game on the road with his freshman QB, but recognize that if Riley Dodge learns from all of this--much like Mitch Maher did from his freshman year to his sophomore year--the future could be brighter. Its not a pass on TDodge, it is recognizing what he has THIS season and what could potentially be there. If that is too hard, though, UNT probably ain't the place for your fandom--because its gonna frustrate you more and more if history keeps getting followed here at our alma mater.

There are two home games that I think we should win (WKU and Army). 2-0 There are two more games that I think we could win (FAU and ULM). 1-1 There are two road games that I think we won't win (@ Troy, @ Arkansas State) 0-2 There are two road games that I thnk we could win, but won't (@ULL, @ FIU) 0-2 In this scenario, UNT finishes with a record of 4-8. That would represent more wins this year than in the previous 2 years combined and more wins than UNT has had since the last year of the SBC championship run (2004). Here is the really sad part and what I hope gives some perspective to the board about our program. We moved up to Division 1-A in 1995. From 1995-2008, UNT has won 5 games or more in a season 5 times (1996, 2001-2004). In 1996, we won 5 games (including a win at home over 1-AA Illinois State). In 2001, we won 5 games in the first year of the SBC. In 2002, we won 8 games (including a home win against 1-AA Nicholls St). In 2003, we won 9 games. In 2004, we won 7 games. In the other years, it wasn't so pretty. In 1995, we won 2 games (including one against a 1-AA Idaho State). In 1997, we won 4 games (including 1 against 1-aa Indiana State). In 1998, we won 3 games. In 1999, we won 2 games. In 2000, we won 3 games. In 2005, we won 2 games. In 2006, we won 3 games. In 2007, we won 2 games. In 2008, we won 1 game. It doesn't matter if we look at the coaching of Simon, Dickey, or Dodge, getting 5 wins against Division 1 teams has been amazingly difficult. As a matter of fact, we have done it exactly 4 times in 15 years. If Dodge gets us to 4-8, there is no debate about him being back next year. It might frustrate LoveMG, TFLF, shaft, UNTPlaymaker, and others, but he will be back--and should. Because, sadly, he will have done something that just doesn't happen much around here-- win 4 FBS games in one season. And, trust me, if you want to get into a debate on raising standards, I'm all for it--but talk to the administration and the BOR first. They are the only ones that can apply the pressure (and $$$) to the AD and the head coach to change things. With a 28K stadium on the way and a coaching staff that combined probably makes less than all but 15-20 other FBS team, none of us should our breath.

Speaking of the coach (RF) that you are referencing with your incident that you were correct about, remember when that said coach was also involved in a fistfight with another coach at halftime of one of our games in their last year here? Well, apparently, our old head coach, DD, must be a magnet for this kind of stuff. Now that he is on the staff as the OC at New Mexico, the new head coach there, Locksley, i believe is his name, has now been outed for punching one of the position coaches during an argument in Albuquerque. What are the chances that DD could be a part of two staffs in three years where the coaches are PUNCHING each other because of disagreements--not players, the freaking COACHES!! I hope Dickey has taken up self-defense classes--he's gonna need it.

And yes this relates to NT football....because it shows that if they can get teams like this to their craphole....we ought to get some decent games in Denton......even if our place seats 28,000.

I'm pissed off that we are still in the SBC...

I think we should just have RV meet with the commissioners of the Big XII, SEC, and the MWC and tell them that we want in their conference and it is up to them to bid for us. To heck with the Sunbelt--which is the only thing we have won at the Division I level in 30 years. I can't wait to see how LSU, OU, and TCU fight to get us in with them--should make awesome headlines. This is gonna be great--especially since we will have a BRAND NEW STADIUM that holds 28,000 fans!! Hopefully, though, the stadium will be hurricane proof--in more ways than one. Off.

I feel sorry for Cougar high in this regard. Back in the 70s thru the early 90s, they were good to very good just about every year. When it became clear that the old SWC was not gonna make it much longer, UT wanted to join either the Pac-10 or the Big Ten because of those conference's academic and athletic reputations. UT did not want to entertain the SEC, even though overtures had been made by that conference to invite UT and A&M, because of academics in the SEC. A&M was all for it, though, so the SEC looked into getting UH as a partner for the Aggies to join the SEC, too. But, the Texas Legislature basically said that there is no way Texas will be in a conference without A&M, so the SEC idea got shot down, as did the Pac-10/Big Ten idea. Basicaly, the old Big Eight then came in and said we want A&M and Texas, but the folks in the legislature with Baylor and Tech ties soon made it clear that they weren't going anywhere without them, too. Unfortunately for UH, their attendance was never good, and with A&M's proximity to Houston, the Big XII knew that they could get that market covered, leaving UH high and dry. Imagine how pissed you would be if you were a UH fan/alum. You were once being mentioned to be in the mother of all BCS leagues (SEC) only to get that pulled out from under you and get left out COMPLETELY. I suppose the rumor of UNT to the old SWC might compare somehow, if it is true.

These old posts are always entertaining to read back on because of the opinions of the time and how strongly people either agreed or disagreed with them. The funny part about this particular thread is that in two years, some other poster could bring it up and show that people were making a big deal about Tre Newton being named the starter, and he ends up being a spare. Who knows?

Not necessarily the direction that I was going for, but I will say that I appreciate every single $ that we got for that game--so, again, thank you Alabama!!

Not exactly--Michigan ended up being pretty decent actually and they beat Florida in their bowl game to end the year. That Appy State loss just killed their season. They were good, but that loss just crushed that team. I can promise you that K-state won't be playing in any bowl game this year.