NT80

Maybe captured by a UFO and taken to the real Mean Green land?

Recruiting is sure not an exact science and I'd rather see classes judged by the end result of their college career rather than by their high school achievements. In just the transition to college life many players don't click academically or athletically until their junior or senior seasons.

I agree it's time to let it go but I think the program has reached the fan's "I'm not going to take it anymore" level. You're seeing something that 5-15 years ago the fans would have just accepted this level of mediocrity and said "oh well" maybe next year. We have come to expect more and want more. Don't give us false hope beating SBC lightweights and then crater in OOC games and say "sorry, that's all we got!". We want the Quan!

I agree that probably the one comment from the stands at this game was not the sole cause of RF's anger, just the last straw. I imagine it was a build up of frustration over many games and yellings. I hear many fans make comments directed up to the pressbox and I'm sure some are heard up there. But like someone mentioned, if you're in charge of the last-ranked offense in 1-A don't expect compliments from the paying customers. Just think what a last-ranked offensive coordinator at OU might hear as he walks down the stairs losing 21-7 at half to ULL?

Meager is young, but a redshirt. We have many seasoned veterans like Cobbs, Quinn, Branch, Bazaldua, etc. I don't buy the youth excuse when it comes to timeout usage, clock management, play calling, defensive formations, personal fouls, and other non-youth events.

NT was up by 4 so ULL was going for a TD on those four plays, no FG. Our defense was gassed at that point in the game (10 yd line). The timeouts would have given our guys time to regroup and kept time for us on offense if they scored. It was poor not to use the timeouts.

Updated version with RV comments: ............................................................................................. 08:25 AM CST on Monday, November 7, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas athletic director Rick Villarreal and head coach Darrell Dickey said they will look into a confrontation between offensive coordinator Ramon Flanigan and a fan during halftime of the Mean Green’s game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday at Fouts Field. A few of the Mean Green’s coaches were walking from the press box to the field at halftime when UNT alumnus Bill Covert said he yelled toward UNT staffers that they were being out-coached. Covert said one of the assistants turned around, walked into the row that he was seated in and asked him to repeat his comment. Covert repeated the comment after the assistant returned to the stairs leading to the field. Covert said the coach turned back toward him, but was restrained by other members of the staff. The coaches then walked to the field. Covert couldn’t identify the coach, but fellow UNT alumnus Paul Clark said Flanigan was the assistant who came into the stands. Clark was seated in the same row of seats as Covert. Clark said Flanigan didn’t shove or make contact with any fans. Covert said he was not sure if Flanigan made contact with any other fans, but he did not touch him. Dickey said he didn’t see the confrontation. Covert said he has not decided if he will file a complaint with the police over the incident. “Ramon regrets the situation,” Villarreal said. “He took the time to call after the game to say he made a mistake.” Flanigan declined to comment.

"WE'RE MAD AS HECK AND NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANY MORE!"

A LOT of poor time management in that game, and all season, and all 8 seasons if we looked back on it.

I just heard the DD locker room interview and it was all game related. He said ULL had a good running game and we couldn't stop it at the end, which was true. Their QB had a career night rushing and DD also mentioned our penalties which extended some ULL drives. More of a ho-hum interview like let's get this season over with.

Too late now, we just played game 8 and we're now out of the race. Those things have been problems for a long time but in the past we could outscore our mistakes, not this year.

Yes, Fouts has no pressbox elevator so when the coaches in the pressbox leave at halftime to join their teams in the locker room they must walk down the stand's aisle past all the fans; same when they return up to the pressbox. Normally no security is with them, even for visiting coaches, and most pass with nothing being said unless something good-natured to the visiting coaches. Last night RF had a security guard and athletic staff escorting him back up. On a side note, RV was not in the President's box like he normally is and didn't see either incident; then I remembered he was in South Ala. for the soccer championship. I bet he gets a full report when he returns, hopefully from both sides.

Adler and I noticed. Very classy of the coach and players. Well done!

Yes, this isn't your Daddy's Sleepy Alumni side anymore!!

You would have to have some arm to get one to the playing field, sideline yes, but not the playing field, that would take a 40 yard fling from section E. BTW: why are the Event-Bouncers on such a rampage about things this season?

A Conference Champion, even if not Bowl eligible with 6 wins, can be given a waiver to play in a Bowl. However, I believe the Bowl Committee has the right to not ask for the waiver, although being in Lafayette they probably would, and then they may still get to pick the Bowl rep if a tie exists. ArkStFan will explain all the senerios soon I'm sure.

If the coaches can't take the heat with our fans they would be eaten alive at a program that demands better than 7-42 OOC (hint: that would be every other 1-A program).

Article about live web broadcast of SBC Soccer Championship game..1 pm

Football: UNT facing 1-and-done situation Mean Green likely must win out to claim SBC championship 09:26 AM CST on Saturday, November 5, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer North Texas head coach Darrell Dickey used an analogy often associated with college basketball to describe the Mean Green’s plight in the final four weeks of the regular season. It’s tournament time for UNT. And just like the NCAA college basketball tournament, the Mean Green appear to be facing a one-and-done situation. UNT has already lost one Sun Belt Conference game earlier this season against Troy. To stay in the race for the league title, the Mean Green will likely have to win their four remaining games, beginning with tonight’s tilt with Louisiana-Lafayette at Fouts Field. “Our focus this week needs to be on Louisiana-Lafayette because if we don’t win, it’s pretty much over for us,” Dickey said. UNT (2-5, 2-1) sits in third place in the Sun Belt Conference standings with four weeks left in the season and is in what shapes up to be a three-team race for the league title with Louisiana-Monroe (3-4, 3-0) and Arkansas State (4-3, 3-1). Trying to chase down the league leaders is an unfamiliar situation for the Mean Green, who went undefeated in Sun Belt play the last three years. UNT won 26 straight conference games before Troy ended the streak with a 13-10 win at Fouts Field on Oct. 4. UNT has not played a home game since that loss and dropped three straight games. The Mean Green believe they are capable of bouncing back, despite some dismal performances the last few weeks. “We are very capable of getting on a roll,” UNT running back Patrick Cobbs said. “We have seen improvement in the last two weeks. … Hopefully we will take another step forward in conference.” If the Mean Green are to make that step, they will have to build on a few small signs of progress they have shown offensively in the last few weeks. UNT was hammered by LSU (56-3) and Louisiana Tech (40-14) in its last two games, but found a few positives in the wreckage. Running back Jamario Thomas posted his best game of the season when he rushed for a season-high 83 yards against LSU, the seventh-ranked team in the country. Redshirt freshman quarterback Daniel Meager also looked more comfortable than in previous games while leading the Mean Green on three drives that lasted at least eight plays against the Tigers. Those accomplishments might not sound all that impressive, but they were positives for a team that ranks last among 117 Division I-A teams with an average of 9.0 points a game. UNT’s low scoring average can be attributed partly to a tough non-conference schedule. The Mean Green have played a difficult slate of games before the Sun Belt season the last few years and have been able to bounce back each time. The Sun Belt’s coaches are not ruling out another late run by UNT. “With the two running backs they have, they are going to be dangerous,” ULL coach Rickey Bustle said of Cobbs and Thomas. “Defensively they are running to the ball and playing hard.” The question is whether that effort will be enough to help the Mean Green turn the corner against ULL, which has won its last two conference games. The Ragin’ Cajuns run has corresponded with a switch from a pro-style offense to an option-based attack. ULL is averaging 227 rushing yards a game, a total that ranks 10th nationally in addition to leading the Sun Belt. UNT is normally the top team in the Sun Belt when it comes to running the ball, but is facing a whole new set of circumstances this year. The most unfamiliar is trying to chase down two other teams in the Sun Belt standings. If the Mean Green are to complete the task, they will have to take the first step today in what could prove to be an elimination game for UNT. “We have made some progress here and there, but we have to make a big jump to compete with Lafayette and get back in the mix for the conference title,” UNT defensive end Jeremiah Chapman said. “This team is very capable. It comes down to executing.”

The very first thing WKU and it's local writers needs is a major attitude adjustment! They are borderline SMUesque in their high-horse-ness. Maybe that Big East offer will come for them....

I agree the overall goal must be to move toward joining a better conference. I am concerned however about the makeup of the Belt and it's quality (or not) in national reputuation and lack of could hinder us from that potential moveup. If the "Cream of the Belt" is only the best of the Bottom 8 teams in 1-A, what have we really achieved besides being #110?

I believe they received over 6,000 responses on the previous logo survey, 5999 of which wanted an interlocked NT logo version, except L. J., thus we didn't get one.

Was that the year we almost won the Big West Conference with a 3-8 record and went to a Bowl? I believe there were only 5 conference games and we finished like 3-2 and owned tiebreakers, until a fluke happened in another game? Sounds like this year.

Rankings are still an artificial winner. A playoff is the only true determiner of a championship.

First, if there are only 4 teams involved, either selected by computer and/or human poll, it is still not a true championship. It is popularity, not fact. Who says the 5th undefeated team couldn't have beaten them all? Invite all 1-A conference winners, plus at-large teams (that's where you can use the polls, computers, etc.) = 16 total. Then have a true playoff and determine the champ on the field. Equal access must be the key and with all conferences allowed at least one entry all teams then have access.