NT80

RV says he did not initiate contact.... Let me stop this now. I received a phone call from Coach Butler and returned his call. I asked if he was calling because he was interested in the job. I invited him to apply and send info same as all candidates. I did not initiate contact. I can also now promise you that while I do know Coach Butler and he is a good friend, he is not a contender. Rick V

RV says he did not initiate contact.... Let me stop this now. I received a phone call from Coach Butler and returned his call. I asked if he was calling because he was interested in the job. I invited him to apply and send info same as all candidates. I did not initiate contact. I can also now promise you that while I do know Coach Butler and he is a good friend, he is not a contender. Rick V

Thanks Rick for the info. Perhaps the Clarion Ledger should be set straight for trying to imply that you made the contact. Media... Clarion Ledger article

Yes, they wanted to build a ~$1 million baseball stadium on UNT land, but were only drawing around 200 fans to each of about 20 home games. The math said "no way", so they played at a Denton HS field this past summer.

Other bad things about switching benches: now the UNT bench is closer to the band and getting blasted with music and student section noise during timeouts. Also, the teams now have to cross each other to get to their locker rooms on the opposite sides of the arena, look for a fight sometime because of this...who makes these changes, and why?

Something wasn't equal: Free throws: UTA = 30 UNT = 6

As someone posted, the lack of a $200 monitor cost us a game tonight.

I sat behind the scorer's table and the refs went over to the table at JJ's request at the end of the game to ask if they had a court-side monitor, which they don't (dingbats). The scorer pointed up to the large video boards and the ref shook his head "no" like they were not allowed to use that, then they walked off the court. Anyone know the rule, if there is an official one, on using large video replays as opposed to a monitor? Still, it should not have come down to needing a video replay to win/lose a game. We didn't defense the interior in the first half, took too many 3-pointers with no rebounds, and UTA had a 30-6 advantage in free throws. UTA is very athletic like us and won it's first 3 games by 30+ points each.

If you watched NT football the past two seasons you were certainly not surprised at the decision. It needed to happen.

Football: UTEP's OC Price interested in UNT job Son of Miners' head coach intrigued by opening 11:34 PM CST on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Texas-El Paso offensive coordinator Eric Price hasn't heard from North Texas about its opening for a head coach yet. But Price said Tuesday he would be interested in listening to what the school has to say if it comes calling in the next few weeks. "UNT is a solid program with good facilities," Price said. "They have a chance to win and have won in the past. The new coach will be able to recruit Texas kids, which is a good deal. It would be a great opportunity." Eric Price, 40, is in his seventh season working with his father, Mike Price, who is currently the head coach at UTEP. The Miners ranked 33rd nationally last season in scoring offense with an average of 31.8 points a game and are 31st this season at 28.8 points a game. The Miners have recruited the Dallas-Fort Worth area heavily since Mike Price arrived in El Paso in December of 2003. Capitalizing on UNT’s assets and building a solid program would be an intriguing challenge, especially after the Mean Green won four straight Sun Belt Conference titles under outgoing head coach Darrell Dickey from 2001-04, Eric Price said. "North Texas is not a job where they have never won and if you win a game or two you are going to be a hero," Eric Price said. "They have high expectations. It would be a challenge, but that goes with the job." Price was also the offensive coordinator at Alabama under his father in 2003. UNT is looking for a way to upgrade its offense that has struggled the last two seasons. The Mean Green produced back-to-back national rushing champions in 2003 and 2004 in Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas, respectively, but have struggled since and enter Saturday's game against Florida Atlantic ranked No. 113 nationally in scoring offense with an average of 13.5 points a game. Dickey's contract buyout set UNT has determined it will have to pay head football coach Darrell Dickey $524,167 to buy out the remainder of his contract that runs through the 2009 season, UNT spokesperson Debroah Leliaert said Tuesday. Dickey was fired on Nov. 8 with three years left on his deal. UNT will pay Dickey one year's base salary within 30 days of his termination date and will then pay out the rest of the contract in monthly installments. Leliaert said there are no plans to alter the provisions for the settlement stated in the contract.

Do we trade a Buick for a Dodge? I like SLC's offensive system but I'm still gun shy from the Dennis Parker era, not sure about another HS coach.

Yes, those SBC coaches would love for Dickey-ball to stick around.

Fine, we can name the practice sod after Dickey, but then we need to honor Coach Fry also in the new Stadium name!

Call MM for another Mil.?

LOL!!

MM's leverage just got fired!

Good point. Name the practice facility after Dickey, big deal. Then revoke MM's alum status!

Interesting to see them voting to add football or not. Many non-football schools think their conference choices are limited without football...and they are. UNCC used to be in CUSA but got ousted when CUSA changed to an all-sports 1-A football conference. The radio broadcast also mentioned UNCC was in the SunBelt many years ago.

Maybe would could start a new tradition. Instead of the 12th man, we have the Green Team?

A fine day indeed! NT wins. SMUt, ut, and tech all lose.

Yes Hawaii is a long way, but we would get more respect playing them in conference than we do playing most SBC teams.

I will be a BIG Tulsa fan against SMUt !

I noticed Wooden had a slight limp as he walked from the court after the game. It didn't seem to really bother him; he was carrying his leg sleeve but I don't think he had ice on the knee as he left. I too have seats right behind the home bench, which is now the visitors bench. A call from the ticket office upon the change would have been nice.

Football: UNT has added incentive for victory Players ready to win for outgoing head coach 12:31 AM CST on Saturday, November 11, 2006 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer This wasn't the way North Texas envisioned it would enter its game against Louisiana-Lafayette in the closing weeks of the season a few months ago. UNT had designs on competing for the Sun Belt Conference title and a berth in the New Orleans Bowl. A fourth winning season in five years seemed like a real possibility. Those dreams went awry in a series of tough losses that ended up costing head coach Darrell Dickey his job and leaving the Mean Green in an awkward situation heading into today's game against the Ragin' Cajuns. Dickey was dismissed Wednesday, but has decided to stay on for the remaining three games of the season. The news gave UNT a rallying cry for the rest of the year. "I would love to send coach Dickey out on a three-game winning streak," backup quarterback Matt Phillips said. "That is what we are going to try to do anyway, win all the rest of our games." Dickey has declined to comment on the decision UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal and the rest of the school's administration made other than to say that he has enjoyed his nine seasons with the Mean Green and will continue to lead the team to the best of his abilities the remainder of the season. UNT's players say that Dickey has told them not to worry about his future or what might be in store next season and concentrate on the task at hand. "We were caught off guard by it," UNT senior wide receiver Johnny Quinn said of Dickey's dismissal, "but our focus is strictly on Louisiana-Lafayette. This is something that is unfortunate and we are disappointed about, but we have a big game that we are going to get ready to play." At the beginning of the season, today's game appeared as if it might be a key contest in the SBC race. ULL was picked to win the conference title in the preseason coaches' poll behind a veteran roster that includes first-team all-conference selections at quarterback and running back in Jerry Babb and Tyrell Fenroy, respectively. UNT was picked to finish fourth and begin to get back to the form it showed while winning four straight Sun Belt titles from 2001-04. Neither team has lived up to expectations. ULL, which tied for the Sun Belt title last season, is 4-4 overall and at 1-2 in conference play is pretty much out of the race for a second straight Sun Belt title. UNT is 2-7 and has lost two straight conference games to fall out of the league title race as well at 1-3. While UNT does not have much on the line in terms of the conference race, ULL coach Rickey Bustle expects a challenge from the Mean Green. "I'm sure it's a very emotional thing for all the guys there," Bustle told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. "I haven't talked to Darrell and I don't know any of the details. I just know his team's going to be ready to play Saturday." UNT's struggles this season have been due in large part to an offense that has been unproductive. The Mean Green ranked No. 119 nationally in total offense heading into their game against Louisiana Tech last week before producing their best outing of the season against the Bulldogs. UNT finished with a season high in points, but still lost, 34-31. The Mean Green's offensive outburst could be attributed in large part to the "Green Team," a group of backups that practiced together last week and played as a unit against Tech. The group scored 17 unanswered points and helped spark a comeback after the Mean Green fell behind 21-0 in the first quarter. "It was a thrill for me to watch those guys who had not had much playing time give us a spark," Dickey said. "The team responded well to it." UNT scored 31 unanswered points after Dickey inserted his "Green Team," including 14 by the Mean Green's starters. Quarterback Daniel Meager and the rest of UNT's top players went back into the game for a two-minute drill at the end of the first half and scored on a 54-yard touchdown catch and run by Quinn. Dickey stuck with his starters and saw them score on UNT's first possession of the second half. The Mean Green stumbled the rest of the way, committing three key turnovers that ended UNT's hopes for a win. The "Green Team" will be in place again today when UNT will look to take the first step in sending Dickey out in style. "We have three games left that we are excited to play," Quinn said. "Being a senior, I want us to go out on top." BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com. What's at stake North Texas will try to turn its season around and send head coach Darrell Dickey out on a positive note in its last three games. Dickey was fired last week in the middle of his ninth season with the Mean Green. UNT is just 2-7 on the season, but has been close to getting over the hump the last two weeks when the Mean Green have lost to Louisiana Tech, 34-31, and Troy, 14-6. A win over the Ragin' Cajuns could help get the Mean Green headed in the right direction going into what will be an eventful offseason. ULL has also had a disappointing year and is all but out of the race for the Sun Belt Conference title at 1-2 in league play. While the Ragin' Cajuns will likely miss out on a bowl berth, they can finish with a winning record for the second consecutive season with a solid performance in the closing stages of the year. Facing off UNT's offense vs. ULL defense The Mean Green broke out of a season-long funk last week in a 34-31 loss to Louisiana Tech, a team that came into the game ranked last in the country in total defense. UNT introduced the "Green Team" of backups that ran a simple set of plays and scored 17 points against Tech. The unit is expected to return this week when the Mean Green take on a Ragin' Cajuns defense that gave up 42 points to Troy last week. UL-Lafayette ranks last in the Sun Belt in passing defense with an average of 226.2 yards allowed a game, but should be more than the Mean Green can handle. Advantage: ULL UNT defense vs. ULL offense The Ragin' Cajuns resemble UNT's teams from the bowl run of 2001-04 in the fact that ULL features a potent running game. ULL leads the Sun Belt Conference with an average of 189.5 yards a game, more than 35 yards better than any other team in the league. Running back Tyrell Fenroy leads the Sun Belt with an average of 83.6 rushing yards a game, while quarterback Jerry Babb has 251 rushing yards on the season. Babb is one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league when he gets a chance to carry the ball. UNT ranks sixth out of eight teams in the Sun Belt in total defense with an average of 356.1 yards allowed a game and failed to come through last week when the Mean Green's offense came up with its best performance of the season. Advantage: ULL Coaching UNT head coach Darrell Dickey will be looking to come up with one last unexpected run of success in his final three games with the Mean Green after being fired this week. Dickey is the four-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, but has fallen on hard times the last two seasons and was fired last week. ULL head coach Rickey Bustle led the Ragin' Cajuns to a share of the Sun Belt title last season, but has struggled this year. With two losses in league play, ULL is pretty much out of the race for the conference title. Dickey has a history of success in the Sun Belt and emotion on his side. Coaching: UNT Key position Jerry Babb, quarterback North Texas knows all too well how tough Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Jerry Babb can be to contain. Babb has not only been playing in the Sun Belt Conference for four years, the senior also posted one of the best outings of his career last season against the Mean Green at Fouts Field. UNT struggled to contain Babb no matter what he did in a 31-28 loss. Babb rushed for a career-high 133 yards and threw for another 109 while completing an efficient 8 of 11 passes. Not much has changed about Babb since the last time the Mean Green faced him a year ago. The Lafayette native comes into today's game ranked fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in total offense with an average of 155.8 yards a game. If the Mean Green are to break out of a three-game slide and send out departing head coach Darrell Dickey on a positive note, they will have to keep Babb in check. Dickey said Babb's stature is just one reason that will be a challenge for the Mean Green. "Babb is 6-3, 225, and is strong," Dickey said. "He is an outstanding runner, who can also throw the ball. We are going to have to contain him to have a chance to win." The biggest obstacle standing between the Mean Green and that goal could be keeping Babb in the pocket, a task UNT struggled with last season in its game against the Ragin' Cajuns. Those same problems have cropped up again this year. "The worst thing we did defensively last week was trying to keep containment," Dickey said of the Mean Green's loss to Louisiana Tech. The Ragin' Cajuns could have a big day against UNT if it can't find a way to improve against the run. ULL runs an option-based offense that attacks the perimeter of a defense. Babb has mastered the system and is setting up the rest of the Ragin' Cajuns running backs in positions where they can be successful in addition to taking advantage of his own opportunities. ULL sophomore running back Tyrell Fenroy leads the Sun Belt with an average of 83.6 rushing yards a game. While UNT has struggled at times this season defensively, it has managed to keep most of its opponents' top running backs in check. Arkansas State running back Reggie Arnold torched the Mean Green's defense for 121 yards and three touchdowns, but is the only player to clear the 100-yard mark against the Mean Green this season. If UNT is to break out of its slide against ULL, the Mean Green will have to prevent Babb from having a performance like the one he enjoyed last year at Fouts Field. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com. Key matchups UNT LB Germaine Dawson vs. ULL RB Tyrell Fenroy Fenroy is the leading rusher in the Sun Belt Conference and one of the keys to ULL's offense that ranks 16th nationally in rushing with an average of 189.5 yards a game. The sophomore is averaging 83.6 yards a game on an average of 5.5 yards a carry. Fenroy and the Ragin' Cajuns run an option offense that attacks the perimeter of a defense. UNT has struggled to contain the perimeter this season and had a tough day against ULL's offense last year. Fenroy rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries to complement a big day by quarterback Jerry Babb, who finished with 133 yards. If the Mean Green are to turn the tables this season, Dawson will need to have a solid day. The sophomore outside linebacker is tied for third among UNT players with 42 tackles in his first season playing a major role with the Mean Green. Dawson stepped in when Phillip Graves was injured in preseason practice and is now rotating with the senior captain. Facing ULL's option running attack will be a new experience for Dawson. If he responds well, the Mean Green will have a better chance of containing ULL and ending a three-game losing streak. UNT WR Johnny Quinn vs. ULL CB Michael Adams Quinn became the Mean Green's all-time leader in receiving yards with in a big night against Louisiana Tech last week and will be a key part of UNT's plans again today against Louisiana-Lafayette. Quinn is UNT's leading receiver with 42 catches for 524 yards and three touchdowns. The senior is just 11 catches short of breaking the Mean Green's career record for receptions of 182 set by David Brown from 1991-94. Quinn has quickly closed on that record the last few weeks by posting 100-yard games in each the last two weeks to go along with a 10-reception game against Florida International on Oct. 7. Quinn would likely have both records already if it were not for UNT's inexperience at quarterback the last two seasons. A game against ULL and Adams appears to give Quinn an opportunity to make up for lost time. The Ragin' Cajuns rank last in the Sun Belt in passing defense with an average of 226.2 yards allowed a game and only have four interceptions on the year. Adams, 5-8, 178, is ULL's best man in coverage and ranks fourth among Ragin' Cajun players with 34 tackles. Quinn, 6-0, 199, is one of the Mean Green's strongest players pound-for-pound and is also among the fastest. UNT will look to take advantage.

RV has already said in the paper no committee. A friend suggested the timing of the firing was probably set to be after NT was eliminated from the SBC race. Makes sense to me. Also, the job has to posted open for 30 days before it can be filled. So about Dec. 8. Other program's regular season's will be over by then and it would still allow for a couple weeks of recruiting by the new coach before the holiday dead period. Timing is everything with a college football coach fire/hire.