GrandGreen

I haven't heard any fans or coaches that like the new rules instituted to speed up the game. Only the NCAA would allow lengthly timeouts to accomodate TV commercials, and then try to compensate by reducing the actual play time. Therefore, taken out a lot of the game end drama that the fans both in person and viewing on TV most enjoy. Does anyone else find it strange that in a game that is based on hard hitting and overall aggression, it has been found necessary to enact rules to limit taunting or excessive celebration? Not sure why it is considered so important to protect players feelings that these rules are necessary. This is a basically a judgment call and the game survived for years without benefit of these penalties. Is forced sportsmanship really sportsmanship? Obviously, there has to be limits but calling penalties because of celebration after a score or great play is unneccesary. I do think a rehearsed act like NT's famous grenade celebration does warrant a penalty, but a spontaneous reaction in most cases does not.

VE, if you want to use that as a point you might want to verify the numbers of jucos that played for Simon and Darrell. I don't think the numbers will support you at all. As for as Fry, he did not sign many jucos at all. Rod Rust did depend on juco recruiting and when the eligibility rules changed; his recruiting took a big dive. Rust signed 6 juco all americans one year and everyone of them was declared ineligible after the rules changed. Fry in his early years at NT did get a great number of transfers from other schools but not jucos. The knock on Simon was that he spend too much on the recruiting of California jucos, not the number of signees. In Simon's defense if you are going to recruit jucos why not go where most of them are. Number of wins when you are referring to a sub-.500 coach is a measure of longevity not success. If you go by that standard, I guess Slinker is one of NT's greatest all-time coaches.

Mustangs fans reaction after the loss, are almost exactly what NT fans would have been if NT had ended up on the wrong side of a 24-6 score.

Not one of the fashion police, but if this is an issue start a campaign to secure better alternate uniform atire. I do however think that being the band travel is paid for out of the athletic budget, it would be perfectly ok; in fact it should be mandated that any band member openingly supporting the other team should be shown the door. Would it be any different if NT had cheerleaders yelling for the other team?

Losing the last game to La Tech kind of takes the glamor off, but still a much better start than last year. Does anyone know why the Romanian girl is not playing, she was susposed to be their big recruit?

Yes, it hard to find anyone descent to be a 1A AD for less than 175K. I keep hearing this agrument that "poor" NT can't afford anyone better, what a defeatest outlook. Number one there are plenty of people out there that could do a great job for less than what UNT pays, the problem is identifying them. Number two there is nothing that mandates that UNT cannot pay more.

FFF great post, I can't understand those that think that getting beat by anyone this bad is exceptable. Yes, it was better than two years ago, at least the team put force some good effort. I wonder if any of the underdogs you mention went into the game hoping to compete.

Walter Chapman was the best defensive lineman of the Fry teams. Why he is not in the NT hall of fame is beyond me. He was in the category with Joe Greene, Cedric Hardman and Brandon Kennedy. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago never receiving the honor he certainly earned.

Actually Earl Campbell had a leg injury and the UT plan was to rest him for the game. As it became apparent that NT was given UT all they wanted and then some, they put Earl in. I do remember one long Campbell run with him limping down the sidelines and still out running anybody NT had.

Link to NT Daily Question and answer with NT's new President from NT Daily. Pertinent part below, not exactly a great endorsement of athletics but encouraging. At New Student Convocation, you said you wanted to bring more national recognition to NT. How will you do that? Well, you get national recognition in a lot of ways. We could have more national merit scholars. We could have more students who win prestigious awards. We can bring national recognition by having faculty who win awards and to get major grants. We can certainly get it through athletics, and I think we need to look at every part of the institution: the undergraduate level, the graduate students who win prestigious graduate fellowships, faculty, athletics, you can even have an award-winning building. It's really paying attention to everything we do so we're the best at it.

If you believe Baylor is better in all ways, why would you be agruing. My point would be you can get a better education at a fraction of the cost at NT and you don't have to go to Waco.

Maybe NT students low Link about UT basketball student attendenceattendence at basketball games is not as unusual as I thought.

Before DD the games with UT were always competitive. Even the 27-0 loss was a very hard played and a game that NT gained a lot of respect. The last meeting with UT was as bad as it could get. Only UT's mercy kept the longhorns from scoring a 100. The talent gap is enormous but I think NT will come to play this year. My prediction is Texas 47 NT 3.

NT loses 0-3 to #14 USC in second tournament match

NT Volleyball loses first matchh to Wyoming 0-3 Link

I doubt that if Fleming is as good as advertised, NT would ever want him to go to a Juco if it could be avoided. It is just too big of a risk, there is no guarantee that if he excelled at the juco level that he would sign again with NT. There appears to be a problem that has developed with Fleming. It seems the basketball program is falling apart. This situation plus the failure of Muse to qualify and having an incomming recruit that has not played in two years, Jackson, plus the apparent termination of Coach Steadman are all bad signs for JJ's program.

Imo, some of these posts are just more examples of NT students having a inferiority complex for no known reason. No, a degree from NT is not going to be met with shouts of glee from recruiters nationwide; but neither are any of the other schools being mentioned. My experience in the business world is that the school were someone received a degree is a very minor factor in hiring decisions. There are exceptions such as consulting firms that sell the pedigrees of their employees; but in the vast majority of companies, general factors such as interview skills, contacts, and experience are much more important.

That is last years media guide (2005). The roster on the athletic site has been updated and I am wondering what happened to one of their most heralded recruits, Amanda Dvorak who is not listed.

There got to be more to this story. Steadman was the one credited with getting the recent transfers so this might be a big loss in recruiting. NT appeared to be one over the ship limit so they must have known that there was going to be an opening. This highly touted recruiting class is beginning to look very suspect. Muse the most highly rated did not qualify. Jackson has not played in two years. Bell the point guard althought highly touted his fish year was not even jc all conference playing on a team that three others make all conference his soph year. Mangrum was hurt most of his senior year. Of course we will have to wait another year and see on the two transfers Dennis and Fleming.

Of course it is a snub and a rather obvious one at that. It would take very little effort to make the bowl open to all Texas 1a schools and then truely support the title of the Texas Bowl. We have a lot of people who like to fault the Belt for NT's problems. Where would NT be without the Belt? Do you really think NT would be better off losing more money in the WAC or as an independent? The Belt is the newest and logically the worst 1a football conference. There is not a team in the Belt that does not want to be in a better conference. However, damning the Belt is not going to accomplish anything, the objective has got to be to improve the program and thus enhance any further opportunities.

It would be real nice if the athletic department updated the roster on the official site to who is currently on the team. I have always thought that the official athletic site could be used to a much greater advantage to promote the teams. I buy the lack of promotion on tv, billboards and radio is due to budget restraints, but the better use of an established website should cost very little.

If you bother to look at the DCTF recruiting ratings you will see it is based on how well the recruits do based on their competition. Factors such as all conference selections and conference championships are the main criteria. It is a great leap in logic to use these ratings to directly compare the classes of the other Texas schools with NT. Some like to ignore the various recruiting ratings even though most of NT recent success was based on the 2001 class that included 6 or 7 state 100 players. IMO to have a successful program NT is going to have to start to recruit at least on a par with the non-big 12 schools in Texas. Facts are that NT is at the very bottom of the recruiting chain in Texas and that has to change. IMO that change has to start with a coach that believes in the school and doesn't wait until two months before the signing date to start recruiting in earnest.

Not sure what you can tell from this game other than a 6'5 190 guard is no match for a 6'11 325 center. It did look like Mangrum has a good outside shoot and is a descent passer. Wish he would have had a chance to play his natural position. He does look more like a shooting guard than a point.

NT no doubt has a good group of receivers, certainly much better than you would think given NT's offense. However, to call them the most talented ever is quite a stretch. Quinn despite all his accomplishments has never made first team all conference receiver. Jackson and Nwigwe have certainty had their days, but not on a consistent basis. Yes it is difficult to compare the current receivers in a run first offense with prior more pass oriented offenses. It maybe ancient history, but the Ron Shanklin and Barry Moore led receiving corp of the late sixties would be very difficult to suspass. Both were multi-year all conference selections and Shanklin went on to become an all-pro player.