GrandGreen

High expectations for a new coach, that will have to rebuild; have you looked at what is coming back? Recruiting this year is a disaster, a new coach and staff is not going to be able to salvage it. NT will lose a bunch of players and has little in depth. QB, offensive line and, defensive tackles are major concerns next year. Assuming Thompson fully recovers that gives you one solid QB, the offensive line must be almost completely rebuild, the wrs lose Lott, Jackson but hopefully have healthy Bynes, Strafford joining Carey, Taylor and Lewis. The defense loses it's best players Atkinsson, Jackson and Robertson. There is little depth at any position as NT pays the price of a heavy reliance of jucos. NT will have a few good players returning in Dunbar, Carey, Chancellor, and Phillips. But once again they will have no experience at QB other than Baine and maybe Dodge if he stays which is questionable. Runnning back will be a strong position, WR should be alright but the offensive line will lose three starters off what has turned out to be a weak unit. All the defensive ends will return but that unfortunately can't be considered a strong point. Linebacker should be ok with Orr, Phillips, Johnson and Herron but there is no depth. The secondary should actually be better assuming Ford and Cook return with McCord, Hill, Downing and Shorter. Next year is going to depend on players such as Cantly, Abbe, and McCoy developing and the injured players all returning. Unfortunely, I don't see much chance for good season next year no matter who the coach is. I am afraid Dodge inherited a better team than he is leaving.

Well nothing like class warfare between the few fans NT actually has. The truth at this point in time, NT does not have enough of any kind of fans to be cavalier about it. I even include the fair weather ones that like to tail gate but never bother to show up in the stadium and the ones whose main contribution is a few complaining posts on the message boards. To downplay the import of the students is stupid, they whether they like it or not are the biggest contributing group to NT athletics. Conversely, to not appreciate the few relative big financial supporters of the program is also foolish. If NT ever gets to the big time it is going to be because it finally develops a group of big contributors. Like in politics or many other things in life, money matters. I could even stand Mattress Mac has long as he was heavily supporting NT athletics. Pointing fingers for lack of support to students, Denton residents, alums and NT faculty and staff can all be unfortunately easily supported, however almost every fan comes from one or more of these groups. It is easy to support UT or now TCU, but it takes a little character to support the Green.

I see no merit in terminating Dodge before his successor has been hired. I don't see any current coach on the staff as a valid candidate, so nothing is gained by an interim coach. The problem is firmly RV's now. He is frankly lucky to still be AD after the Dodge hire and another bad decision could spell the end for him as well. RV has made some very good recent decisions in hires for the non-revenue sports and hopefully he can do the same in football. RV certainly has plenty of time to come up with a solid replacement HC.

The first half of football was the most dominating I have seen in a long while. Something like 30 yards of offense for NT versus 300 for FIU. Even with the injuries I don't understand how NT's offensive line has got this bad. There is a reason that Baine was the fourth string QB but he did about as well as anyone could with the blocking he had. Likewise the best back in the league has been totally destroyed the last two weeks as everyone keys on him. The defense after getting better has regressed. I don't think this team has given up but there is just not a lot of talent left on the field missing Thompson, Tune, Leppo, Johnson, Dodge, Stradford, Mosley, Ford, Cook, Neal, Jones, Bynes, Jackson, Brown plus others. This game was just brutal, as soon as the team gave up their always first drive td, the game was basically over despite the return by Chancellor. Good game by Chancellor, as always Robertson, and a few others but this effort joined some of Dodge's worst defeats: big loss to Rice in Houston and his first game against Oklahoma. FIU has a good team and the conference championship may will be settled when Troy and FIU play. It will be interest to see how the rest of the season progresses. With a different coaching situation you would expect that the final games could be used to build up for next year and give playing time to the players who will return, but there is no reason for Dodge to play it that way. I would like to see more of the several freshmen that have already lost their redshirts such as Abbe, Orr, Chancellor and Byrd as well as the people who should be vying for offensive line positions next year: Bean, Noble, Franklin and Adelpipe. I don't see any NT victories unless Riley Dodge returns and I am not sure that is worth the risk.

I guess I missed that quote, although I have heard Dodge state that he has not seen anything like the injury problems NT has suffered this year. ASU posters make the same claims, I took time to look through their game recaps, have you? I think the fact that 20 of their 22 starters in the first game played in the last game including their first two qbs makes it almost impossible that they had close to the injury issue as NT. From a technical standpoint I am not you can lose a starter when the player in question never started. Yes, NT lost a couple of projected starters before the season begin also, but I think Dodge would be delighted to have 20 of the 22 starters that played against Clemson available for Kansas State. No one knows what NT's record would be without the abnormal injuries but to suggest it is something teams routinely go through without dire effects is foolish.

I thank you have some valid points. Dodge is undoubtedly a much better coach than he was four years ago, and there is a good chance he might be better than the next NT coach. The problem is one of performance and perception. He has not shown he can win and the overwhelming perception among fans, the general public and recruits is that he can't coach at this level. The fact is that Dodge at this point is an albatross to the NT program. Unless he has a miracle finish, he is just not marketable to fans or recruits. Yes, there are a few that value character over wins but not enough to sell out one section of the new stadium. There are some real asses that are successful coaches because they win, but I can't think of any FB division college football coach that has had a long losing career because he is a great guy.

Geez, I heard that by ASU posters on the Belt Board, it simply is not close to being true. I looked at the starting lineup for their first game and their last game for 2009. There were two players that started the first game that did not play in the last. I can't see any circumstances were their injuries situation could even be close to what NT has went through and we are only half way through the season.

The facts are Dodge has made far too many mistakes to be retained with his record unless NT has some kind of miracle finish to this season. It is imperative that NT have some type of momentum going into the new stadium next year. Injuries have been devastating but it was Dodge's fault that NT went into the season with only two true scholarship QBs. You can make a strong case that NT would have been around the top of the Belt without the abnormal amount of injuries but I still can't see NT as anything but the ninth or tenth best team in Texas; a more meaningful comparison for the program. I think character is paramount but you must also win. I wanted DD gone even when he was winning because with his approach and attitude I didn't see him doing anything but harming NT in the long run. Dodge the opposite to Dickey in character, however has dug himself a deep hole and long lost almost of the positive benefits of being a great high school coach. Any magic the Dodge name once had in recruiting has been turned around by his college coaching record. The sad truth is that in 3 and a half years, Dodge has not shown that he can win and it is too big a risk to go forward with him. This was the year that NT should have won, the experience and talent level both will be down substantially next year and the likelihood that Dodge can turn it around is remote not to mention that the AD will lose all creditability if he retains Dodge if the aforementioned miracle finish does not occur.

The last thing NT needs is for Holmen or Edwards trying to play the wing. It is hard to believe with the current basketball recruiting going so well that last year was a disaster. Having only 11 scholarship players and 5 at the guard positions makes depth a real problem. I look for Johnson to play a lot of point guard which means that Johnson, White and Thompson will be the guards. Against some teams, I am sure that JJ will stay with Shorter and it is obvious that Williams will get a lot of time at the wing. NT just will not have that big scoring guard off the bench that has been a prime part of JJ's teams. The second front court player to pair with Odufuwa is any one's guess. Edwards was signed for this position but his 7 pt and 3 rebound juco year isn't very reassuring. A lot seem to think Holmen will fill this position, but played behind Spencer all the last part of the season. Hogans is a high energy guy but has shown little offensively and is foul prone. Knox had some early success but didn't get any minutes as the season ran on. One of these guys is going to have to get substantially better for NT to have a great year. NT has three players that are legitimate conference mvp candidates and should have a great year despite lack of guard depth and apparent front court talent. If there are no injuries, NT guards should be good and better defensively than they have been; although the lack of height may hurt. Anything happens to Odufuwa and this team is going to be in deep trouble.

www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/topstories/stories/101010dnspountcommit.17556ed89.htmlMy link Jones was mvp of his district last year and an all state player who averaged over 21 points a game. Looks like a great pickup.

Any coach should know better to go into a season with only 2 scholarship QB's. Unbelievable run of injuries, however it is not unusual to have two quarterbacks out; look at last year. Yes, Dodge could also play; but it is fairly obvious that it was a good idea to move him to wr. He will if at all possible; play a great deal Saturday. The kid has tremendous heart and as been put in a very bad situation.

It great to throw around numbers like $1m but not very practical. Unlike SMU which fans ponied up Jones salary, any increase in NT's salaries are going to have to be from new revenues. NT budget is deficient as it is, there is a new stadium to pay for and students fees can only pay for half of it. I can see NT increasing coaches salaries a few hundred thousands but don't think NT will do anymore.

How about a group composed of NT alums: Don Henley, Nora Jones, Meat Loaf, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and heck even bring Pat Boone and you could get a great group of jazz musicians.

The BOR is a mixed group, they are political as they are all there because of the Governor. They obviously support athletics to some degree, the question is how much. The way the athletic fee is apparently set up the BOR can continue to increase the fee in increments not greater than 10% until it reaches the state max of $20 per hour. What I expect them to do is continue to raise the fee and increase coaches salaries, not to the level of SMU salaries but to the top of the Belt. If they don't do at least that much NT will be in trouble. As an aside the BOR better be foremost about education. This UNT will prosper because of location is only true, if you equal prosper with mediocrity. Tech has significantly raised at least their stated standards, UTA is allowing huge increases in enrollments, all the schools that are striving for tier one status are working hard to get there. NT which is far behind in research, must rapidly advance or they are going to be passed by Houston, Tech, UTSA, UTEP and UTA. The way UTD is structured, I think they are already far ahead of the other schools. This is what Jackson and the BOR should be concentrating on, not a Dallas fiefdom.

It is rare for an incoming coach to retain any of the previous staff. Occasionally the recruiting coordinator will be maintained, but with the state of NT recruiting; that is not going to happen.

Didn't miss your point; did you miss mine. Corky in his second year, first in 1-aa was playing with a team largely recruited at the 1a level, therefore had an advantage. His first game was against the team he had coached Baylor and it was a close game but he won I think 2 games that year. No doubt, Corky got the team up for the big oc games and did a better job against those teams then any of his 1a predecessors. He is also the only NT coach I've seen get into a fight with a player on the side lines. While I am not as nostalgic about Nelson as some, I do believe if NT gets the right coach he can be quickly successful in the Belt. NT should and could dominate the Belt. While overall the Belt has gotten marginally better, only Troy has really elevated themselves and I think their questionable recruiting strategy should be much harder to accomplish going forward with rules on the number of players that can be signed.

Geez, being I saw most of those games, including the infamous win-loss against Texas, I am will aware of his record. The other side of the coin is that he did not consistently win against SHSU, SFA, McNeese, NE La, etc. I am not knocking Nelson, I liked him but he definitely had off the field issues and despite the last twenty years, I hope for more than a break even coach.

I like Corky, but his legend grows the farther we get away from his time. You do realize that Corky first couple of years, he was playing in 1aa with a team primarily recruited at the higher classification, so he should have had a big advantage. Going down to 1aa was almost the death knell of the NT football program. I think the NT decision makers believed being one of the biggest and traditionally best teams in that classification, that NT would dominate. It never happened primarily because of much higher academic standards than the norm in the Southland. Both Nelson and Parker stated that they won almost every recruiting battle between NT and other Southland conference teams, but the problem was that NT just could not qualify most of athletes they played against. This situation was not remedied until Parker last years when the NCAA set minimum qualifying standards. Corky could get the team up for the big games, and the 1988 squad should have won the 1aa championship. That was a sophomore dominated squad that I thought was up for great things the next two years, but it did not happen. Corky overall was a below .500 coach with all but one year in 1aa, he had some great wins but he never really consistently won. It is amazing that NT has been so bad in football that Corky would be considered one of our best coaches.

What in the world would be gained by naming an interim coach? All it would do is reduce your coaching staff by one, and put someone with no hc experience at all leading the team. The only rationale would be that you are auditioning one of the coaches for the future hc. Canales would be the only one that would possible be considered, but I don't see anyway that NT would want anyone associated with the Dodge experiment. I can't see any enthusiasm generated or any upward bump in recruiting generated by anyone already here Dodge is not Dickey, he is going to go out with class and give it his all to the very last game. If NT actually hires a new HC before season end, it might make some sense to name an interim to save Dodge the embarrassment and the AD the problems that would ensure if Dodge actualllly rallied the troops for some late wins. .

I don't think there is anyway that Dodge returns unless the team start winning. There is no way that NT is going to open a new stadium with a coach with absolutely no momentum..

I really don't know for sure, but I think NT still has a lot of players living off campus. It is one thing for Stallings to point out the issue but another to stop it. The facts are that most had rather live off campus and most likely do, to prohibit this could be detrimental to recruiting. I know I was amazed at how much SMU was providing Hopkins (the brother of the one who played basketball at NT) for off campus housing.

My thoughts on the game and other comments: The game was a hard fought between two bad teams. Anyone criticizing Riley about his performance in the last two games, is either football ignorant or so wrapped up in "blame the Dodges" that they are blind to reality. Was I the only one that wondered why NT didn't go for two on their first td of the fourth quarter when they refused an off side penalty to take the extra point? Not necessarily because of fear of missing an extra point later on, but to make that extra point the winning score. The offensive line even with the third center should be better, I wonder how much a relatively inexperienced offensive line coach is a factor. Defensive ends are still a problem, I did like McCoy starting; but there was no pressure on the QB except on blitzes and NT paid dearly for those blitzes. Lack of defensive back depth was also evident in this game. Mason is a good QB but NT's defense made him look great. Is every team we play going to score on the first possession, I thought NT had them stopped three times only to have first downs made on penalties. Ex the final extra point, the special teams played maybe the best game in the Dodge era. Chancellor looks like the real deal. I wonder if Dodge spoke to the referees about the continued calling of offensive counts by the defense. This is usually something that is stopped when recognized. We now all see the reason that challenged plays cannot be shown at the stadium. Terrible calls by the refs. I wonder if they could really tell anything from their instant replays and didn't just reverse the call based on the big screen. Games balls to Dunbar and Dodge; Good games by Atkisson, Jackson, Robertson, Phillips and great plays by McCoy and Olawale. Overall, just too many bad mistakes to beat almost any team. T. Dodge fate was basically sealed with this loss. He certainly was not really for the job in the beginning, but I would have liked for him to have at least a fighting chance this year; but the injuries are just too much to overcome. Fans deserting the team, flogging the coaching staff, and otherwise expressing great displease with the state of NT football are certainly abundant and have more than ample justification. However, the team has had an unbelievable string of bad luck, the coaches fate is almost sealed, and change is coming. The team has not given up despite all that has occured. Based on those circumstances, why not continue to support the team and look forward to better days. I know you have heard that mantra many times, but unlike in the past there are actually some tangible reasons that things may be changing in the right direction for NT.

Poor Dodge, when he loses: he gets the lion share of the blame, but a win and it is the great coordinators. I highly doubt, Dodge has turned everything over to his assistants; but even if he has, he deserves credit for the win. Everyone involves should share in this and I hope many more victories this year including Dodge.

Thanks for the update, hope we can get about 6 more like them.

Overall the defense had a good game, but they were really shaky at the end with the game on the line. FAU last td was what 3 plays, and they did not exactly shut them down on their last drive. I'm sure I am not the only one that thought here we go again when FAU scored on three plays after NT last td.