Mean Green 93-98

Lethal injection would be getting off awfully easy for what he did to that poor girl.

Oh, yes. If true, Mello definitely gets the boot. And, depending on his level of involvement, will probably never work in college athletics again.

This is a topic that has bounced around this board a little bit. http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10396435 Upsets aplenty in college football, but why? Dennis Dodd Oct. 8, 2007 Let's eliminate the time worn. Scholarship limitations have little or nothing to do with the Year of the Upset. That's a cliché. Outdated. The 85-man scholarship limit (down from 95 in 1991) started 16 years ago. Former child stars have made it through jail, rehab and divorce -- twice -- in that amount of time. A spreading of the wealth? That doesn't explain why Duke still loses and why Florida still wins -- two national championships within that span. Coaches predicted in the early '90s that the quality of play would suffer with less scholarship players. Uh, no. The game has never been better. Interest has never been higher. In fact, if the NCAA is worried about cost containment it might want to trim a few more scholarships. About the only stockpiling being done these days is at USC, which can afford to turn away recruits under Pete Carroll. That makes it even harder to explain the biggest upset of all time Saturday at the Coliseum. The Trojans have future first-round draft picks all over the field. Stanford had been routed by at least three touchdowns in their first three Pac-10 games. They were on the road using a backup quarterback, led by a coach in his first season in I-A. Scholarship limits didn't help Appalachian State. It went into the Michigan game with 20 fewer scholarship players on Sept. 1. Or ask Drake, which beat I-AA Illinois State on Aug. 30 with no scholarships. But something is happening out there. In the last two weeks, teams ranked in the AP poll have lost 20 games. Last week, almost half of the top 25 lost -- 11 teams. From 1980-2006 there were only nine upsets by underdogs of 30 points or more according to betting expert RJ Bell of Pregame.com. There have been two more in the last 36 days (Syracuse over Louisville, Stanford over USC). That's not counting Appalachian State beating Michigan (Las Vegas doesn't set lines in games involving I-AA teams) and a slew of other upsets this season. A few theories as to why: The basketball theory: One or two talented guys can make the entire difference in a basketball program. Look at Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. at Ohio State. It's becoming that way in football. A group of players, say 10 guys out of a recruiting class, can make the difference in a program, with speed being so key in the modern game. Illinois is suddenly a factor in the Big Ten race because of Ron Zook's recruiting classes. Most of those classes feature speed at their core. In the 1960s and '70s, offenses didn't have to operate much outside the tackles. Receivers were less important. Now it's imperative to have a tailback who can turn the corner and receivers who can run. A quarterback who can take off doesn't hurt either. In a one-game situation things can even out in a hurry. Take Appalachian State. On offense, it was quicker than Michigan's defense. There's a reason Tim Tebow is getting 45 percent of Florida's carries and accounting for 41 percent of its rushing yards. He is the team's best player. Like a point guard in basketball, he is handling the ball most of the time. "Offenses are clearly able to get the ball to players out in space," Kansas State coach Ron Prince said. "So much of the spread offense, it's gone all the way down to the high school level. Kids are throwing and catching in games. Kids who were playing basketball and were out for the track team are going out for football because it's fun." The label theory: When breaking down games, sometimes it's best not to look at the jersey but look at what is inside the jersey. Most people couldn't name one player at South Florida. Count Auburn among those folks the night of Sept. 8. The Bulls missed four field goals, but Auburn helped them win with five turnovers. Clearly the big, bad Tigers of the SEC underestimated the directional school from Florida. South Florida is a mirror of what Rutgers was last season when it made its Cinderella run -- tough defensively, capable offensively and anonymous. The no-respect theory: This is a subset of the label theory. The no-respect angle is widely cited after an upset but hard to define. When, exactly, is an opponent disrespected enough to rise up and pull off an upset? Stanford hung in against USC long enough on Saturday to do two things it had done little of all season: Intercept passes and drive the field. It picked off John David Booty four times. Then, with the game on the line, drove 45 yards against the No. 1 Trojans for the winning score. "So many times, in all of these guys' lives, they are told that they can't do something ... " Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said, "(that) you can't possibly think or expect that you can beat USC. They hear that hundreds and hundreds and thousands of times. It was about the team, the team, the team. This was one time when the players said, 'Yes (we can).'" The information overload theory: My son's coaching staff scouted a future opponent on Saturday and turned in a detailed report on Monday. My son is in fifth grade. The point is that there is so much information available, an industrious coaching staff can sometimes expose weaknesses an opponent doesn't even know it has. "It's just everything from blocking to tackling to nutrition to speed development to videos and watching tape," Colorado's Dan Hawkins said. "The whole expertise and level of every player has been raised." Natural causes: It can be rain, wind or snow but don't underestimate the influence of Mother Nature in upsets. Colorado trailed Oklahoma 24-7 on Sept. 29. Then the Sooners tired out playing at the high altitude. Hawkins had a great game plan. CU held the ball for 38 minutes, leaving a top defense withered for the stretch run. OU's Reggie Smith then gave Colorado the last break when he muffed a punt deep in his own territory. The magic of the forward-pass theory: We're still not through with offensive revolution, which has seen almost every major offensive "trend" record set this decade. Each season the NCAA tracks offensive trends in 14 categories. All-time highs have been established in almost every one of those categories this decade. Sometimes twice. "I think it's the way the game has gone," Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel said. "If you give up 350 yards on defense, that's a pretty good defense. You very rarely see a dominant, dominant defense." Daniel is leading that revolution. At Southlake (Texas) High School, he was running schemes under coach Todd Dodge that just now are finding their way into college. What's Daniel doing at Missouri? He loved Gary Pinkel's offense. The Tigers are undefeated at this point in the season for the second straight year and are ranked No. 11. Teams, coaches and players have never been more creative throwing the ball. Currently, teams are passing 47 percent of the time, on pace for another record. Ten years ago that figure was 42 percent. "I just know a lot can happen a lot in football these days with teams throwing," said another person responsible for the revolution. "Teams just don't run up the middle and punt now." South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier ought to know.

Not too often you see a team pull out a win with a 6-1 turnover margin.

Truer words have never been spoken, and this is true of the UNT football program as a whole. Thanks, Brett.

So, Fake Lonnie, what you are basically saying is that there is no hope for UNT regardless of what anyone does? I am sure your enthusiasm is absolutely contagious in your home and place of employment. I am glad we have a president and AD who care about the success of UNT football, and are willing to take chances to see it succeed. Five games does not prove that the chance taken in hiring Dodge and his staff have been a failure. And harping on RV for occasionally posting on the message board is absurd. A smart AD will want to mingle with the fans from time to time, and an occasion fifteen minutes to review what's being said and possibly make a post is not a bad investment of time. Most of us greatly appreciate his participation.

That result was a surprise. Looking at the schedule a couple weeks ago, I figured our first win would be against them. Now I'm not so sure.

Is this someone from SMU trying to steal Todd Dodge from us?

Who knows what Dickey would have done? Who knows what Harbaugh would have done?!? All I know is that Todd Dodge is our coach, and I am not going to lose faith in him after 5 games. He might still have some learning to do, and sometimes learning comes by trial and error. He has done some good things. If he signs more than half his recruits that have verballed, we will have a better recruiting class than we have had in years. In Dodge I trust.

I'm as disappointed as anybody else about the loss and our defense's performance. But I just can't believe the crazy posts that keep coming up after each loss, especially this one. Yes, our defense needs MAJOR improvement, but Mendoza is not going to be canned halfway through the season. Nobody gets a free pass, but I think at this point our team's goal is largely to gain familiarity with the coaches' system, and to show improvement through the course of the season. Yes, we want some Ws with that, but I imagine the SBC title is now out of reach. I saw some guys lay it all out for the team tonight, and I appreciate them and the coaches who motivate them. I hope we can rally around our team, show our support, and see some improvement.

UNT 48 UL-L 45 We'll score some points, but we won't be stopping them a whole lot either.

Being as that I don't live near the Metroplex, I thought I would check out that espn360.com. Unfortunately, I hit a couple snags: (1) My provider does not carry espn360.com. (2) They do not show the UNT game as one of the games they are offering. I had the Mean Green Premium in the past, but it's just not very good. I can stream George and Hank's broadcast off KWRD and not miss nearly as much.

Frank Solich was fired after a 9-3 season, a level of success that Callahan has not yet attained with his West Coast Offense. The reason Solich was fired was because he had to coach at a school where everyone expected NCs. But to say that Nebraska updated their offense because they weren't winning is simply not accurate.

I think the best part of this board is the history lessons! Thanks!

If he were to bench a superior quarterback so he could start his son, Todd Dodge is not half the man or coach I thought he was.

Seriously . . . This should have provoked an epic Plumm-post with unprecedented font sizes and color variations.

Hmmm...who does the responsibility for that fall on?

Classes canceled after U of M football player murdered on campus Killer still at large, campus put on lockdown By: Nikki Bussey Staff Reporter Posted: 10/1/07 A University of Memphis football player was fatally shot in his car at Carpenter Complex about 10 Sunday night, in what police said was not a random attack. Taylor Bradford, a junior defensive lineman from Nashville, was pronounced dead at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. After he was shot, he drove his light-colored Lincoln across central and hit a tree near Zach Curlin, police said. No witnesses have forward at this time, according to police. With the killer at large, officials ordered the campus to be put on lock-down on Sunday night and canceled Monday's classes at 4 a.m. Bradford, 21, whose nickname among friends and family was "Booger," transferred from Samford University in Birmingham to play at The University of Memphis in 2006. Right after the incident, students stood in sweatshirts, hugging and some crying outside Carpenter Complex and in Central parking lot, confused about what was going on. "I'm just concerned that I don't know anything," said Krista King, biology major. "When I see the policemen flying by in our parking lot and hear the sirens, I get worried. I hate not being informed." When asked if it were safe to go to bed, one campus police officer said, "Yes." "Dean Porter came and knocked on all the sorority houses," said Samantha Murphy, pre-dentistry major. "He told everyone to stay inside." Gionni Carr, Student Government Association president, urged the administration to cancel classes Monday. "School will be shut down, if I have my way, in his memory. I would like to have some sort of mass assembly so we can all talk about this…we are in a situation where no one feels safe. I don't feel safe." Earlier Sunday night, Bradford stopped by all the sorority houses with the president of Kappa Alpha Psi, Will Terrell, and another fraternity brother to encourage all the sororities to participate in an up-coming fraternity event in order to promote diversity. Being so close to the murder, the sorority women living in the Carpenter Townhouses expressed uneasiness about the safety on campus. "As a young woman who lives in the new sorority houses, I'm concerned about the safety not only of residents, but for all students here on campus because of the amount of crime that has recently occurred," said communications major, Molly Phinney. "I love this university with all of my heart, however, actually being so close to an incident (like this) truly scares me and I hope more precautions are executed." The Tiger Text sent at 4 a.m. said, "Classes canceled. Main campus only. All offices open. Tune to local media or call 678-0888 for more information." The newly installed public address system on campus was not used to alert students. However, a campus safety alert was e-mailed to students and staff at 4:30 a.m. Football players were among the many who assembled in the parking lot. As Bradford's car was being towed away, they stood in a line across from the stoplight with somber faces. They stayed in the area until the car was towed away, leaving only the damaged tree as a reminder of the death of Bradford. "Taylor was my brother," Terrell said speaking by phone from the hospital. "We will miss him dearly. He will be remembered. He loved to play football. He loved his family, he loved his friends and he loved Kappa. He was always full of innovation and ideas. If you were around him, you were going to have a good time."

Boy, those are some great stories some of you have. My story is simply: I go to UNT + I like football = I am a lifelong UNT fan. I don't see why that equation doesn't work for everyone. Admittedly, as one poster noted, it involves a morbid masochism to cheer on UNT football. One time, my parents (Penn State grads) came to meet my sister (KU grad) and me at Texas Stadium for a game when UNT got thoroughly whupped by a mediocre KU team. My Dad, perceiving my agony (wouldn't have taken Sigmund Freud), asked me, "Why did a guy who likes football as much as you go to North Texas? Why didn't you go to Florida State or something?" I guess I had to answer that I actually did not go to UNT for the football. I hope that in future years, the football team can be a real selling point for the school, like UT or A&M.

Thanks for the updates.

Wonder how many more are going to come out of the woodwork now? Two Belgian tennis players say they were asked to take bribes Sep. 27, 2007 CBSSports.com wire reports BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Two Belgian tennis players said Thursday they had been approached to take bribes to lose matches, including at Wimbledon. Gilles Elseneer said he refused an offer of $141,270 to lose a first-round match against Italy's Potito Starace at Wimbledon in 2005. "I would get ($70,635) before the match and ($70,635) after," he told VRT television in an interview posted on its website. "I thought at first it was a joke because it involved an awful lot of money. "But rest assured that it happens a lot. It involves a lot of money." Elseneer refused to say who approached him other than that "they are active in the tennis world." He said the bribe offer did not involve other players or coaches. Elseneer, a qualifier, beat Starace 6-3, 7-6 (11-9), 6-3. He lost in the second round to Richard Gasquet in four sets. "I was favored to win against Starace on grass," Elseneer said. "They invested ($141,270) in me, but they put a heavy bet on my opponent, ensuring a good payback." Elseneer says he was approached about a bribe at Wimbledon in 2005. (Getty Images) Another Belgian, Dick Norman, said he had been approached six or seven years ago at a lower-level challenger tournament in Italy to take cash to lose. "This was a lot more than if I won the tournament. I said no," Norman told daily De Standaard. Norman said he was also asked to divulge tips or bits of information on other players who were either having personal problems or concealing minor injuries. Such information could be useful to gamblers betting on matches. The new claims come amid concern that pro tennis is being infiltrated by gambling rings. Russia's Nikolay Davydenko is under scrutiny after a British online gambling company tracked bettors putting 10 times the usual amount of money on a match he played in August. Most of the backing was for his 87th-ranked opponent; Davydenko quit in the third set with a foot injury. Davydenko has denied any involvement in gambling and has welcomed a widespread probe conducted by the ATP men's tennis tour. Tour rules in place since 2003 bar players or members of their entourages from betting on tennis or providing inside information to others, with penalties of $72,950 in fines and lifetime bans. The ATP board is also considering a new rule that would punish anyone who fails to report any information about someone else's possible gambling activity. http://www.sportsline.com/tennis/story/10375882

You are comparing apples to oranges. Or at least to oranges with light artificial apple flavoring. Yes, every athletic department has "perks" for its big donors. But this is not the same as a coach accepting $1200 for himself personally in exchange for inside information.

Telling friends or those affilliated with the school things you don't tell the press or public at large is not the problem. The problem comes when you sell that information for $1200 a pop. Was Dennis Parker trying to profiteer off the information he had like Franchione is? I hardly think so.

I believe, given a fair chance, Johnny can most definitely be successful in the NFL.

Coach Fran always did strike me as a little too opportunistic.