GrandGreen

A few on the SMU board stated that it would be alright if SMU got a 2 to 1 series against NT. I would be very disappointed in RV if he gave SMU any kind of advantage in a future series. On a side note if SMU had 20,000 at the game than at least 9,000 were from NT. That is giving SMU credit for the claimed (but I doubt it) 2,000 fans they are supposed to have behind the glass. My estimate is that SMU had about 16000 at the game with at least 7000 NT fans. Also SMU did not come close to bringing 1000 to Denton last year.

The sad part of the above SMU story is that the next week, they beat NT. The recent UT and OU losses were bad, but that lost to SMU might be the worst game I have ever seen NT play.

By the look of that crowd Saturday, both in terms of numbers and enthusiasm, I think you may be living in the deep past. You have a beautiful stadium but you depend on a PA system to make any kind of home crowd noise. It seems to me that SMU who got a large portion of its crowd for Saturday's game from NT may have more to gain than NT that may have gotten 500 attendees from SMU last year. SMU does benefit from beating NT or for that fact anyone. Ask yourself this question, which school needed to win the most on Saturday Night. Sorry to offend, but SMU and NT have both got a long way to go before they can look down on any football program.

I believe that the metroplex teams should play as many games in as many sports as possible. However, it is a big stretch to think it could ever develop into a rivalry remotely close to UT/OU. TCU and SMU have played forever, the crowds at those games have been far from spectacular. NT had a great crowd for the SMU game, most I have seen at an away game except the NO bowls and the first UT game; but SMU's attendance in Denton was very disappointing. Apparently RV has proposed an extension of the series to SMU. It seems to me that SMU actually has more to gain then NT from continuing this series. I will be happy if the series continued because in effect it is like adding another home game not because I think it is any big deal getting to play the once mighty mustangs.

Why would anyone worry about rushing stats when you can pass for an average of almost 10 yards per attempt. Actually the rushing stats were not all that bad if you eliminate the bad snap and a couple of plays were Meager was caught in the backfield and that probably should have been counted as sacks. Rushing last night was only to keep the defense honest and NT was effective enough apparently to kept SMU from completely playing for a pass. The time to worry is going to be in the comming games, were I am sure the teams are going to load up on pass defense and dare NT to run. If NT can't move the ball on the ground, then it is going to be a problem, I see a lot of prevent type defenses comming NT's way.

I don't think I have every hear a PA system play loud noise when the opponent was calling signals as SMU did on several occasions last night. I know that most conferences do not even let the bands play at this time. Is there not a rule against this. If not why doesn't NT and every other school do this at every opponent snap?

Ford stadium seats 32,000 and I don't think it could have been much more than half filled although those red seats do a good job of making the stadium seem fuller. My guess is that NT fans were about half the crowd and probably about 10 times the number that SMU brought to Fouts last year. Ford stadium is a very good facility.

What shall I see as the season progresses, that will alter my view of the SMU game?

I though he was sacked once also but it did not appear in the stats.

I can't believe anyone could criticize Meager after tonight's game. However, I was wrong. Yes, he set almost every NT single game passing record, but heck he was not perfect. I have read here that he constantly under threw his receivers (not sure how this could happen with a 70%+ % completion rate), has happy feet, and he can't be relied on when the game is on the line. Those have to be some of the most football ignorant quotes I have seen. Don't consider that although his receivers made some tremendous catches, he also had several balls dropped. Also do not consider that despite having a lot of defensive pressure, Meager did not get sacked. It is also puzzling how TD who is almost universally praised on this board for his quarterback development skills, is apparently according to many unable to chose the best QB.

Did you not watch the OU game? That might give you a hint at why they were playing off the receivers.

Better read the rest of thelr board before you jump to that conclusion.

Jerry Moore was a three yards and a cloud of dust man. He was a horrible hire for NT. Fry left a very good team with almost everyone returning built on speed and deception. Moore tried to convert that team to a clone of Nebraska at the time. He bought in 5 or 6 linemen all 6'5 and 300 or bigger in a time when there were not many players of that size. None of the big linemen ever contributed. He took a 10-1 team and turned them into a .500 club. No one has ever figured out why Texas Tech hired him away. Apparently he has turned into a great coach but he destroyed everything that Fry had build. He benched Bernard Jackson. NT had all four defensive backs returning who had led the NCAA in interceptions and Moore replaced all but one in the defensive backfield. It was one of many dreadful hires made by NT. Instead of building on the success of Fry, NT's decision makers were more concerned with reducing expenses and apparently did not even consider that Moore's style was completely counter to NT's returning players.

Not to rain too hard on this victory, but Lamar is a first year program that now has 3 loses by a combined 0-20 score.

Well, it takes some gonads for SMU to honor that team. Yes, SMU bought a good team and suffered the consequences and is still trying to climb out of the hole created by the worst penalty ever handled out by the NCAA. Not sure what they are celebrating, I think SMU might be better off trying to distance themselves from those years.

Are you sure it is classless to speak the true? There is nothing I saw in that game to suggest that NT could have even slowed down OU's passing game ,much less stop it. I hope OU routs everyone they play, but I doubt they are close to being as good as they looked against NT. Likewise, I think it will be difficult for NT to ever look as bad as they did in Norman last week.

"All the stories of maybe North Texas being held out of a conference because of a relationship or something that was done by SMU adds to the rivalry," UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said. "I don't think there is any reality to it, but it builds the story and the animosity toward each other." Well did Rick miss that SMU administration publicly supported La Tech for membership in CUSU and then completely in my view make asses out of themselves trying to justify their decision. The truth is their strategy has always been to distance themselves from that state supported school to the North. Makes no difference that SMU hasn't been a major factor in college athletics in decades, and the vast mass of college football fans could not care less about ether school.

Guess what, soccer ratings are just as bad as football and basketball. The polls are arbitrary and swayed by name identification in all sports particularly at the beginning of the year. I hope NT soccer has a super year but frankly beating TWU by two goals and UTEP by one at home aren't going to wow many people.

Better than last year's schedule, but hardly stellar with home games against Cameron, Hartford, Centenary, and Texas A&M International. The one home against Oklahoma State is the only thing that saves this OC schedule from being as bad as last years. Not to say that most teams are not using the same scheduling philosophy which is to get as weak a home schedule as possible with 1 or 2 games against teams that are better or about equal. NT should be at 5-3 and maybe 6-2 oc with this schedule. I do take exception to the write up which states that last year was the best season ever for NT basketball. No way. There were 11 loses that went with those 23 victories and only finishing 5th seed in the conference does not support a best season ever even at NT. One of the better seasons for sure, but does not compare with Blakeley's 22-4 season or Spika's 18-10 in the best conference in BB at the time.

Anyone trying to justify NT awful defensive showing IMO is wasting time, there is no way. First year coaching staff, new schemes, other staff players , etc, nothing justifies another team scoring 79 points . Bringing up other lopsided scores does nothing to hide the fact that NT was very poorly prepared for the game. Very few if any expected NT to do much more than play close to the point spread, but the fact is NT was never in the game and OU could have set the all time modern scoring record if they wanted to. I assume most all fans are still elated to have TD at the helm and willing to accept almost any record in his first year, but that does not mean that TD is not open to criticism or that we have given up on this year's team. I do wonder what has happened to the defensive backfield. Fred Bleil, who I thought was the best of the old staff, had heaped praise on his young cbs. I began to wonder when a walk on little used transfer from Baylor goes to top of NT's depth chart. Washington and Chatman have moved to other positions. Green has apparently slipped to non-playing status. Bush is the only returning player still in the rotation. Stating the obvious, it is going to be a very long year; if TD doesn't alter his defense or quickly develop some CB's that can effectively play in his scheme.

TD has stated repeatedly that the experienced defense is the strength of the team. No NT is not close to having OU level of athletes but Boise State was not either. There is enough talent here to compete in the Belt. NT coaching staff was schooled at OU especially on the defensive side of the ball. The offense looked about what most knowledgeable fans expected if not better, but the defense was far worse. No NT doesn't have the talent to play anywhere close to OU, but they are not nearly as bad they looked Saturday. NT's defense was one of the better ones in the Belt last year and they should be able to substantially improve above last year's level.

Actually WW is a junior with two more years to play. He came to NT because NT was the only 1a school that wanted him at QB. Now he has apparently no future at QB at NT, he has decided to move on. No villains here, TD gave him a chance to play QB and he did not make it and he decided to go somewhere else. I wish him the very best.

I don't think adding women's rowing and equestrian is going to help NT get into a more prestigious conference. They have one more men's sport than NT; they have soccer, swimming and tennis but no longer any track and field which counts as two sports (indoor, outdoor). The women have one more sport than NT, the two mentioned above but they do not have softball. IMO the number of sports has absolutely nothing to do with getting into another conference. If a conference membership was contingent for example on fielding a baseball team, then NT would get baseball team just like they did when it was a Southland requirement.

Well obviously I think to most, a team averaging over 2000 a game for volleyball has a slight recruiting advantage over a team that averages maybe a tenth of that and plays in a gym with a capacity of 600 with one of the lowest ceilings in college volleyball. Yes a combination of the right coach and a few excellent players can elevate a team to excel despite facilities and affiliations, but it is not common even in the lesser sports. After losing all three matches in NT's home tournament over the weekend to powerhouses like Georgia State and Texas State, it appears that NT has a lot of improving to do to be competitive in the Belt. Last I saw the MUTs were undefeated and had beaten some highly ranked teams. NT started slow last year and ended up with one of their best seasons, hopefullly that can be repeated.

I want NT to start the best QB for the program. Meager, Vizza or anyone else Dodge comes up with. There are many that interpret the game play to fit their own preconceived notions. There is no way in hell for anyone that watched the game on tv to be able to effectively rate the QB's and I doubt if many who attended the game could see any better. Was there an open receiver that could have been picked up by the QB with the time he had to pass? This is what I saw with only a tv view. Meager didn't make many major mistakes and I thought considering the competition had one of his better games. Meager played against the OU first team, Vizza did not. Vizza had two interceptions and was caught for a safety. His TD pass was under thrown and Fitzgerald make a great play to come back for the ball. I am not down on Vizza at all and he very well maybe the starting Qb soon, but to make the case that he out played Meager in this game is a real stretch. If the stats were reversed and Meager had the two interceptions and the safety there would be no end to the howling for a QB change. Based on one game and I use the term lightly, there are a lot more problems at NT than the QB decision. I though Meager played OK, he didn't make many major errors but didn't come up with any big plays either. Vizza played with enthusiasm, showed good athleticism but make the mistakes that almost any freshman is going to make in his first game against an overwhelming superior team.