MootPoint

That's what I originally thought, but apparently others think differently So now we get to look at who else might be willing to make a move for us.

It doesn't look like this scenario is going to happen so we're exploring other options at this point.

I don't know whether to laugh or LAUGH at this thought

Southern University also needs a game and has an open date on November 19 when we just happen to have an open date. . . . I would love another home game, but, hey, who knows

http://utahstateaggies.collegesports.com/s...bl-04sched.html http://www.lsusports.net/SportSelect.dbml?...164&SPSID=27811 Remember that Utah State canceled their game against Nicholls State and is now one game short. Notice that both Utah State and LSU have an open date on September 17. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but there are options out there for others that maybe we're not going to have control over.

I never said LSU wouldn't play a full 11 games. . . .

Don't hold your breath.

Look at the stats, KSU actually dominated the game and it wasn't as close as the final score.

Dang! It looks like PMG has posted 37 times to my 1 since he hit 7000. At this rate, he will be at 222666 posts by the time I hit 7000 posts!!

homecoming would likely be for ULL. . . .

Or else threaten them with respect to games in the future. . . .

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/colleges/12535697.htm North Texas football: Defensive lineman T.J. Raymond, a South Grand Prairie graduate, will miss this season after being declared academically ineligible, Mean Green coach Darrell Dickey said. Raymond, a sophomore, was expected to play regularly at both tackle spots, spelling senior Chris Miller and junior Sky Pruitt.

nfm

You go girl!

No news

The entire UNT community and all of our extended families are invited to attend a rally tonight (Thursday, Sept. 1) at Fouts Field to show support for hurricane victims. What was originally planned as a pep rally to kick off the 2005 football season will instead become a way to raise money for disaster relief and support for our family and friends affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Mean Green Football team was scheduled to play LSU this Saturday (Sept. 3) in Baton Rouge as their season opener. The game has been postponed. However, tonight's rally will go on -- and will also serve as a way for the UNT community to participate in helping. Meanwhile, today more than 350 Mean Green student-athletes as well as coaches and administrators have begun a collection of funds, clothing and personal items that will be distributed to the victims and their families through a collaborative effort with the Salvation Army of Denton. "This is an important cause that the athletic department and our student-athletes feel very strongly about," Athletic Director Rick Villarreal said. "We understand the magnitude of this tragedy and we have families within our staff and among our young people that have been directly affected by this horrendous event. We are just trying to do our part to help." Donations will be accepted for the next three days -- beginning today -- from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. on the concourse inside Gate 4 on the west side of Fouts Field. Mean Green student-athletes and athletic department personnel will staff the donation center. Student-athletes will also be collecting items across campus. In addition to the donation center, the football team will sponsor a special event following its practice at Fouts Field on Saturday morning to aid in the collection effort. The team will hold an open practice for the public and have players available following practice to sign autographs and mingle with fans. The team asks that anyone attending the event please bring a donation item that will be added to the collection. "Since we were originally scheduled to play at LSU on Saturday, we thought it would be appropriate to assist with the disaster relief effort by holding an open practice where our fans could come and help," head football coach Darrell Dickey said. The athletic department has a close association with several people affected by this event. Fellow Sun Belt Conference schools in New Orleans and southern Alabama have suffered extensive losses and are continuing to evaluate the extent of the damage. The Mean Green football team was scheduled to open the 2005 season at LSU, but was forced to postpone the game when the scope of the tragedy became apparent. A portion of the donations will also be given to help Tulane University student-athletes who have been displaced by the storm and have currently taken shelter in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Also, yesterday the university posted a web site encouraging community members to support the hurricane relief effort and providing resources for students, faculty and staff who may have family and friends affected by the hurricane. Visitors to this site will also be able to make direct contributions to the American Red Cross as well as receive information about how to contribute to other agencies doing relief work. A prominently displayed link from the university's home page www.unt.edu will take visitors directly to this information. Over time, the site will also be a clearinghouse for the many long term activities in which our student organizations and university will be involved. For example, in addition to raising money for relief agencies, the university is organizing volunteer groups to man American Red Cross phone banks. For more information on this project please call the North Texas Athletic Office at 940-565-2789.

2005 North Texas football preview After proving its worth last season, the Mean Green is calling on the linebacking unit to lead its defense Rian Johnson Staff Writer September 01, 2005 At the start of last season, the Mean Green linebackers were the most questionable position on its defense. On the eve of its 2005-06 campaign, NT is relying on that same unit to lead this year’s defense. “The linebackers are trying to take on more leadership than they have in the past,” NT defensive coordinator Kenny Evans said. “Some of the young guys now look up to them, and part of their job as a linebacker is to provide leadership and help them get where they need to be and know what they are supposed to do.” The linebacking unit will be anchored by middle linebacker Derek Mendoza, who led the team in tackles in four of his ten starts. The true freshman finished fourth on the team with 53 tackles, filling a void left by Tennessee Titan, Cody Spencer. Flanking Mendoza at the outside linebacker slots will be Maurice Holman and Phillip Graves. Holman capped last season with both a career and game-high of 10 tackles against Southern Mississippi in the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl. Graves finished the season with 50 tackles and two interceptions, despite starting only one game against Louisiana-Lafayette. Brandon Monroe and North Eastern Oklahoma A&M transfer Travis Thompson will add depth at a position Evans is delighted in. “We feel we have five linebackers that are ready to play,” Evans said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The linebackers provide stability in a defense that is forced to overcome the loss of eight of its 11 starters from last season, four of whom garnered all-conference honors. “They have big shoes to fill and they understand that,” senior linebacker Phillip Graves said. “So they are working to be at the kind of level that our defensive line and secondary were at last year.” Senior cornerback T.J. Covington is the only starter returning outside of the linebacker position. The preseason all-conference selection is taking it upon himself to ensure the secondary rises to the challenge. “I feel like I have to step up and help the other players come along by helping them out with the playbook,” Covington said. “And if there is anything they don’t understand, try to help them with it.” The secondary will benefit from the transfer of Ja’Mel Branch from wide receiver to cornerback. NT recruited Branch at cornerback, but upon his arrival moved him to the offensive side of the ball. Covington said the transition from wideout to cornerback will only help Branch compete at the position. “He has played receiver so he knows what to look for in the receiver,” Covington said. “He could be a real good impact to our defense.” Joining Branch and Covington in the secondary will most likely be safeties Roderick Cotton and Coffeyville Community College transfer, Aaron Weathers. Cotton saw action as a backup cornerback and on special teams last season, Weathers started at safety at Coffeyville, recording 50 tackles on the season. The defensive line may be the most difficult task the Mean Green defense faces this year. “We lost our entire defensive front, but we do have guys that will play in those positions that have played before, so we are not entirely inexperienced there,” Dickey said. Seven players have emerged to challenge for the four starting spots on defensive line, but Evans says that the look of the defensive front will change sporadically. “In the defensive line there will be three or four people rotating quite a bit,” Evans said. Eli Hutchinson, Blake Burrows, Jeremiah Chapman and Willie Ransom have all emerged as potential starters at the two defensive end positions. Hutchinson, Burruss, and Chapman all saw action in most of NT’s games last season. Ransom is a junior college transfer that led his team’s defense to the top of the conference, recording a team-best nine sacks. The battle for the inside defensive line positions is just as intense with Montey Stevenson, Sky Pruitt, Chris Miller and Robert Harmon all battling for nose guard and defensive tackles. Just like at defensive end, expect to see rotation at the position as the season moves on.

Athletic director receives pay boost Bryan Shettig Staff Writer September 01, 2005 The NT athletics department is expanding with new facilities and salary increases for its staff. Rick Villarreal, NT athletics director, is waiting to sign a contract for a 10 percent salary increase, an additional $15 thousand a year. “I’m extremely thankful,” Villarreal said. The 2003-2004 Administrative Salary Survey listed Villarreal making $150,491 a year, less than the state average for university athletics directors. “I do my job,” Villarreal said. “I don’t base it on money. There’s been chances for me to leave this institution for more money, but that’s not what I’m about.” He would not say what other universities offered him employment. The annual athletics budget for NT is $12 million, but Villarreal said the athletics department does not make a profit. He is also overseeing the construction of a new stadium at NT. The stadium is being paid through private fundraising and will cost $40 million and will eventually seat 50 thousand people. He stressed the uniqueness of using private money, citing Southern Connecticut State University and the recent $90 million stadium built with state funds there. “We have a mandate here: we haven’t built anything or will build anything without raising the money ourselves,” he said. Fouts Field has “served its purpose” and does not offer the comfort and services fans are used to, including luxury boxes and club levels – comparable amenities to professional stadiums, Villarreal said. The structure is part of Villarreal’s plan to elevate the athletics department and is joined by a bevy of new sports buildings, primarily for women’s teams, he said. The significance of the new stadium has many implications. “I think our attendance will double overnight,” Villarreal said. It will help the local economy, as part of a “total revitalization plan,” he said. NT athletics is up for recertification from the National Collegiate Athletics Association again this fall. Josh White, public relations agent for the association, said the recertification is supposed to be an “educational process.”

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/ViewArticle.d...0&ATCLID=178721 It includes a good interview with DD.

An Official Message from the University of North Texas System September 1, 2005 Dear UNT faculty, staff and students: The UNT System Board of Regents and Chancellor Lee Jackson are preparing a search for the next president to lead our university. Regents Robert Nickell and Gayle Strange, both alumni of the university, will co-chair the search. Students, faculty, staff, regents, alumni and regional leaders will comprise the membership of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee. Our search preparations follow Dr. Norval Pohl’s announcement on July 19 that he will not seek or accept an extension of his contract beyond its end on August 31, 2006. While we’re confident that Dr. Pohl will continue to advance UNT toward its goals during this academic year, we’re also mindful that his pursuit of higher education and private enterprise opportunities outside UNT may result in his departure before the end of this academic year. We believe it is prudent to launch our search this month, with the goal of identifying a new president by Spring 2006, if possible. Of course, our search for a new president must by driven by our mission of finding the right person for the job, not by a deadline. Although we haven’t yet set all of the specifics of the search process, an important and early step in the process will be identifying the qualities, strengths, experiences and characteristics our University community seeks in our future president. To that end, Chancellor Jackson will hold discussions in September and October with students, faculty, staff and alumni groups to talk about the University’s goals and the ideal profile of our next president. The search for a new president to lead UNT will require recruitment expertise. The UNT System will retain a major search firm with a successful record in higher education senior executive searches to work with the Search Advisory Committee. Together, they will identify candidates and encourage them to apply, review their credentials, and interview and recommend highly qualified candidates for consideration by the UNT Board of Regents, which will have the final authority to approve the selection of a new president. According to state law, when the regents are prepared to announce the name or names of finalists being considered for the position, they must do so at least 21 days prior to a final vote by the Board. This time period allows the campus community to meet the candidate or candidates and to assess their compatibility with UNT and its priorities. We’re confident that UNT’s reputation and our commitment to grow as a student-centered research institution will attract strong and proven leaders who will want to join us. Our on-going strategic planning process will lay the groundwork for action over the next few years and will be of great benefit to the next president of UNT. After its first meeting, the Search Advisory Committee will launch a Presidential Search web site to seek your thoughts and to provide you with progress reports. Of course, we hope you’ll also participate in forums when finalists visit our campus. Thank you for all you do to make the University of North Texas successful. Bobby Ray Chair, UNT System Board of Regents

I like our chances next year with a QB with a full season under his belt, Jamario, JQ and a ton of other returning starters.

Just think though, Hollywood will soon be pumping out movies about the lost treasure of New Orleans and the treasure hunters' perilous travels in the attempt to find it.

yeesh

The gas companies will just lower the price tomorrow and raise them back up on the 2nd to spite you.