PlummMeanGreen

It's 9/11....God Bless America. On Topic: Shouldn't we really fix our own first and a good start for that would be this Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM.? SMU was once a great program we all (silently) or even publicly admired--maybe a bit envious, too, if we'd admit it?. They were in a conference many of us would have given our first born child (if I had one) to be part of. I can no longer laugh at someone elses hard times when I know we've had a few of our own and still do. I guess all this change from me comes from just getting older, probably a whole bunch being less stupid and just knowing by the age timeline so many of us just have fewer Mean Green rodeos that we'll be a part of. No, not time to sing Rock of Ages, but beginning to hear the chimes in the distant background. Who can ever know how distant, though? God Bless America...today is 9/11.

I see both points but still choose this: We need Marshall to win because whoever our standard bearer is this year needs to be a Top 25 ranked team who when we play them next Fall (2014) may still be hovering in or around as a Top 25 ranked program. What we seem to have made a multi-decades mountain of La Tech made a mole hill when their team was ranked inside a Top 25 poll for 2 or 3 weeks last Fall. I think Top 25 is exactly what Dan McCarney is shooting for with this Mean Green football program. Last year can you believe how in only his 2'nd year how close to a 6 win season his team became? Does anyone else think about these kind of things or just prefer all the other lagniape we get on this forum? We don't need a winning North Texas/CUSA football program only winning in our new conference because everyone else and their dogs in CUSA are having down seasons. We must get this Mean Green football program inside a NCAA Division 1 FBS level Top 25 poll again; after all, it has been awhile. GMG!

Wonder how many still had Ohio U penciled in as a loss the last 4 months but seem to not wanting to admit it now? This 2013 Mean Green football team must find its identity soon. Last year, we play a #15 ranked Kansas State admirably and then beat ULaLa (who would go to their 2'nd bowl game in a row 2 mos. after we beat them) and we beat those Rajun Cajuns on a nationally televised ESPN game from Apogee to boot. Then the other things happened in 2012 which caused a few losses that could have been wins. A 4 win season could have easily been a 6 win season in other words. So yes, we are still shy some key recruits or even undeveloped players now on campus that could turn all this the direction we all want ? GMG!

Remember the sad story of former OSU Cowboy and Redskin Dexter Manley? GMG!

Don't think we will have to be concerned with DJW losing his RS status because I feel he will be getting plenty of playing time the balance of this season. The BB thing still remains somewhat a mystery to me.

For a program that has had 8 losing seasons in a row, aren't we being way too cautious about too many things here? Too cautious? At Ohio U, perhaps we started out our offensive game plan a tad too cautious with more than an ounce of hesitancy,too? He who hesitates does what? Nevermind...that ones done. Where are the riverboat gambler types; you know, such as the one that got me hooked into all this Mean Green football business as a student then later as an alum in the first place back September, circa 1973? Haven't we seen some programs completely void at the QB position sometimes have to start a true freshmen? Seems Kenny Washington who played his Texas HS football at his dad's-pcoached Port Arthur Lincoln HS and brother of OU All American Joe Washington had that dubious honor at UNT in 1974. Yes, a 2 win season in '74 but the next season we found coast to coast nationally recognized gold at the end of our rainbow in Mean Green Country. Did you know that at the NCAA Winter's convention following the Mean Green's 1975 season that our alma mater was the talk of the town (or rather that particular convention) with our sudden rise among the NCAA Division 1 ranks)? And FWIW...what were all our former Sun Belt Conference-mates and most of our new CUSA mates doing in 1975; that is, during that particular time in their own respective college football histories? North Texas Ken Washington would also later perform a masterful QB's surgical performance on Southern Methodist University and help lead the way over the 'Stangs which as I recall was our first win over SMU in the modern era of the NCAA. No, don't throw em' out to the wolves if you don't have to, but we cannot forget that we have more than this season to be looking ahead to as well. GMG!

North Texas versus the Iowa Hawkeyes in Dallas for a bowl game? ' I mean.............yeah'uh?

Still shy a few key players or even upcoming and possible new recruits for our being able to be a Road Game juggernaut and I just hope none of us run those strategic talents away with too much fatalistic pessimism. We're already having those who know tell us that more potential recruits and present MG players read this board than many would ever want to believe. And no, we don't need Pollyanna in every post, either, and FWIW.....what NCAA school message board meets that criteria of always being sunshine, lollypops and rainbows? Plus....I think most would agree that it's also OK to be what some would call being constructively critical, but we have some who just want to keep burning down our Mean Green barn to kill what will probably one day (and soon) be considered to be a few mice of which burning the barn down for so few would be as counter-productive as you could get. I don't understand such non-stop "the Sky is Falling" with almost every one of their post. Wonder if they really think they are helping us to get new fans or border-liners off the fence with that all the time? If we beat Ball State this Saturday afternoon, North Texas will be 2 and 1 and so will Ball State (who some of you consider being better than Ohio U). Some prognosticators with good overall forecast records seem to not think that of BSU and thus a reason they are predicting a Mean Green win. HINT: Were we suppose to be competitive in that ESPN nationally televised game against the Rajun Cajuns last Fall; you know, the one that we, uh, won? Our defense needs to score a TD and start making more plays, ie, forcing or stripping the ball for fumbles, interceptions, sacking the QB,, etc, etc, for us to win this game IMHO. In fact, for us to reach .500 and over that will have to be the case most every game we play this Fall. La Tech had a terrible defense last year but their fabulous offense made up the difference. Again, our fans could really be the 12'th man at the Ball State U game. Did you ever play the game and notice how your adrenaline shot up when the hometown stadium was full and.............LOUD? . Apogee's acoustics affords us that possibility of being the 12'th man you know. It is a 3:00 PM kick-off and yes, TAMU plays the Crimson Tide about the same time but how many of us have a degree from either of those schools and what else could one possibly come up with which would keep us from supporting the team in green this Saturday? GMG!

I worry what such a positive prediction for a Mean Green win could do to a hardy handful on this board? Perhaps a mind-bender of a tail spin of biblical proportions for starters? Let's lay off DT#7 and lack of passes on first downs for at least 5 minutes and just start thread after thread on the "clueless"(?) prognosticators who made such a gol' darned from the far side forecast as "THAT" for dear ol' alma mater, right? Hey, if someone with an apparent good forecast record wants to predict a Mean Green win I am not going to sit around this board all day long & conjure up one reason after another why they're dumb, ignorant slut'esqe wrong for doing so. (Although really way out of place in the context of the previous sentence, I still loved that old Dan Akrowd description of Jane Curtain on the old SNL shows albeit a bit too chauvanistic and crude for my Southern gent' self). GMG! PS: A good crowd at Apogee this Saturday afternoon could really become the "12' th man" (sorry, Ags) for our team. Would that be a negative, too, Ned?

Why is the eternal and vaunted "pass on first down" such a panacea with so many on this board? I'd be happy with a few more passes on 2'nd down and if you really want to mess with their psyche's, mind-muck em' or whatever just punt the damn football on 3'rd down every once in a green moon to keep em' unsuspecting and downright honest. GMG!

Yes in deed, there is work to be done.

I think your post has given me some kind of religious experience. Keep on preaching, Sister, because our choir is much larger than you actually might believe at this point! We've all had our good & bad moments on this board, but I assure you I see most all of this group (positive and negative) all still standing and singing (or trying to sing) Glory To The Green when the Green Brigade strikes up the song. I can't wait till the Ball State game. Maybe their most famous alum, ie, David Lettermen will show up at Apogee? A double thumbs up for you!

I'd come out against Ball State with a riverboat gambler "what else do we have to lose" attitude, bring the coyote offense back for more plays...run and pass, but maybe mostly pass? We have to get Ball State completely off balance and not knowing what we do next. Maybe Coach Mac can use a few of Coach Fry's "exotic" plays, too. GMG!

Haven't we had decent success at Apogee Stadium? So with some of you do we just forfeit this game? My how things have changed in one week around here. I'm not ready to put Ball State at the Crimson Tide level, though. If Ball State is better than Ohio U weren't we a gnat's whisker of being better than those same Bobcats last night and thus most likey being competitive "at home" against Ball State? Anyone ever hear of the college football concept of " an upset?" Maybe a few Road Game breaks and a smile from Lady Luck last night and we don't go into terminal "the Sky is falling" mode here today? Will we give this defense more time to tweak itself and maybe even get better? Do we have some huge offensive linemen who played DL at HS of which its time to convert them back to the Mean Green defensive line? Actually, a decent home crowd could help a young, developing team like North Texas, but maybe I'm over-reacting with that ideal, too? GMG!

At least this thread gets some fans out of depressing themselves over getting beat by the projected MAC East Divisions champion and also their apparent Hiring Authority roles of wanting to fire Chico, eh? 1,500 bandsmen at Apogee don't have to necessarily sit in the Wing Zone. You could put them where UNT will seat many of its CUSA West traveling fans some of whom will bring more than 1,500 fans to future Apogee games. If the present MG Brigade Director is interested in this kind of music oriented and Game Day school promotion and decided to pursue this...it will happen; if he does not, then...it won't happen--simple as that. We do have room for the bandsmen at Apogee whether it be OOC or conference games if he decides to do it, though. As the Egyptians say: Where there's a wheel, there's a way. GMG! Just finished a 4 hour Itunes song set for today's wedding which I will DJ.. Now going to have a bit of R & R and get ready for another hot weekend day event. GMG.com as R & R? I know....get a life!

Are we going to give this team more than 2 games to improve in all the areas that we really knew they would need to improve merely 3 weeks ago? Injuries? Didn't Coach Solich have 9 years at the helm to make sure he had some back-ups which they for damn sure did not talk up before Game Day, yesterday? Come on, people, this guy has a program that has gone to 5 bowl games as I recollect. This team will go to a bowl game. Mark it! Dammit, I really gotta go now! This board is addictive. GMG!

Moving forward and moving on beyond Ohio U, folks which we should all do much sooner than later and................ just one more thing before I have to really get back to preparing for a Sunday afternoon wedding I'm DJ'ing today. Do we have room for almost 1,500 to 2,000 high school bandsmen most likely all sitting in Apogee's upper Wing Zone for any future home game? 'Twould have been nice to have such a group at our Rice U game on Halloween wouldn't it; albeit a week night game may have prevented such since some area HS's even play varsity games on Thursday nights, too. Anyone else like me hate those camera shots of a mostly empty Wing Zone in our highlight videos? I discussed this via PM with UNT Alumnus Association President KRAM1. Back I had submitted this thoroughly written Band Day idea to the UNT administration of that day (Hurley & Company), then Green Brigade Director Robert A. Winslow with what even many of you back then who were there on that Game Day called a successful 1'st Annual Bands Over Texas At UNT". Actually, some of you who were around in the 60's said Maurice McAdow used to have Band Days at North Texas every Fall. All this took place during the Corky Nelson era but problem was... .................Green Brigade Director Robert A. Winslow didn't want to do a 2'nd Annual Bands Over Texas. It just wasn't his kind of thing to he wanted to do. Fact is, many DFW area High School bands came to our very first one. For that Bands Over Texas @ UNT we had AM marching band competitions and guess who else came up to Denton town to take part in this 1'st annual event? Hows' bout' SMU's fine neighbor, ie, the Highland Park HS Marching Band who won their marching competitions level that day? UH does not have similar marching competitions but has all their area HS bands meet for a morning rehearsal to get ready for a mass bands show during a Game Day half time show. That would be the easiest way to have a Band Day these days. I was on the planning committee for the first one and even came up with the name "Bands Over Texas At UNT" which the late Robert A. Winslow and his fine Assistant Dennis Fisher seemed to like as far as this promotions name. Understandably most likely too late for this Fall for such an event, but if any school could pull this off but moreso now in a much different era than the Winslow era it would be this present group over at the UNTCOM starting with our superb GB Marching Band Director. Just a thought for a school of which music is one of our strongest points. HINT: Band Days are very much fan crowd-pleasers, too. UH once had one in the Astrodome in the mid 60's which drew over 13,000 bandsmen. I was at that one as a Band sponsor so I could have an excuse to watch my (then) favorite team, the Houston Cougars. Folks, the U of North Texas should own any Lone Star State-based Band Day event and promotion. That's all for now...gotta get back to wedding music planning.

Totally unrelated but... ...did our UNT/Idaho at fabulous Apogee Stadium actually outdraw Big 12 Baylor's game yesterday versus U of Buffalo at Floyd Casey Stadium? Did any of you see the camera shots of the Baylor crowd yesterday? I could not believe what I saw. And I'd bet UTSA outdrew TCU's game at ACS yesterday too; that is, actual butts in seats. GMG! PS: Now pardon me as I have a Sunday wedding to DJ this afternoon. Peace out? Can one still say that?

He who hesitates loses? We seemed so hesitant to be pro-active in the games early moments. Did we have the "on the road again" jitters? Had we believed the newspaper and online clippings a bit too much on last weeks slaughter of a lightly regarded Idaho Vandals team? 20/20 hindsight here, but with last week's offensive showing why in Cooter Brown's name did we choose to let the BobCats receive the kick-off? I'm a great 20/20 hindsights coach like a few others I know! Yet as a pre-game and kick-off time coach not quite as effective. Luv' Those Mean Green! Not one coach, player, alum or fan can un-do that and I'd bet we have a bandwagon full of similar fans just the same. In fact, I know we do and I'll get to have some great food, fun and fellowship with them beginning (for me) around 1 PM this Saturday. Lets learn the UNT Fight Song And Glory To The Green (then sing it ev'ry Game Day) no matter what and let especially let the Ball Staters hear it loud and clear. To you who know the Apogee graphics crew or maybe pass this on to the Green Brigade Marching Band Director; All but beg them to put Glory to the Green lyrics back on the jumbotron screen this Saturday and even the Fight Song for a bonus at the Green Brigade's pre-game show. Thanks in advance!

______________________________________________________ OK, bumping the above thoughts up just one more time and adding this... * We lost to a team that is supposed to win its MAC division. * The MAC was the "ONLY" G5 conference that had a bowl buster last Fall, ie, an Orange Bowl busting team. For whatever reason and IMHO, the MAC has become what seems the best conference in the G5 group thus far. * We know Coach Solich in his 9'th year at Ohio U has developed a good football program and is what Coach Mac wants UNT's to be and he "almost" started fulfilling that wish last night. I know we are tired of "almost" but we've had 8 years of not very successful football that still has us doing "almost." * Yes, it's time to get DJW and "?" more Game Day minutes on the field because we have to not only win more games the rest of this season, but we also need to get ready for 2014, too. * A win last night would have put DT/#7 into Mean Green hero status this morning. That was close to happening but still....no cigar. Do you feel this board can be sort of Roman mob'ish at times? Yes, 8 losing seasons in a row has probably created that, too. Still, a few seem to take pride in being just always damn negative--maybe they just like the attention? If we'd won last night, most of us would have been sickened with a few "Ned's" (if you will) posts this morning; that is, as they would have shown their obvious & superb propensity to be among America's greatest fickle fans because if we would have won ................their posts this AM would have had you believing they were behind DT/#7 and this Mean Green football program the whole damn time. Just darn funny how life can be sometimes, isnt' it?

Fat lady hasn't even started vocalising at this point.

Who has the skinny on Sarge McCoy of UNT? Offense needs to take their time, run clock and get TD. Refs all have those great Ohio accents, eh?

Fumble'itius!

Another Mean Green.............First Down!