HarringtonFishSmeller

The three teams we've played the most in our history are Texas State, New Mexico State, and SMU. I'd welcome an annual game with Texas State and an every other year with NMSU. I'm happy with the SMU series. If you can't admit that it gets your blood pumping more than the prospect of a match up with Old Dominion, you're.... I can't think of the proper derogatory word to insert there.

That's called defense. Defensive backs doing their job, defensive line doing their job. Linebacker plugging holes to stop the run game. It was an all-around effort by Wade's boys out there. Also...being a fellow Richardson Berkner grad, happy to see Talib win. I don't think a Ram has ever been on a Super Bowl winner before.

This is successful football - defense that disrupts an offense, over and over and over again. Many people (with small brains and penises) say last night's Super Bowl was ugly. To me, it was a thing of beauty. By the way, I'm not a Cam Hater. I pulled for Auburn versus Oregon in the 2011 national titles games. I just love defense more than I do offense. I think Cam will have a long NFL career because he is a guy who can stand in the pocket, not just pull the ball down and run around. Denver defense was just too much for him. He'll be back to the Super Bowl, no doubt. Happy to see Damarcus Ware and Wade Phillips win as well. Phillips took too much crap while he was coaching the Dallas Cowboys.

This. Unfortunately, their administrators and leaders were more politically savvy than ours back in the day. It paid off long term. We played lone wolf, and we are lone wolf. I realize it's really popular to ding RV, but our problems were way of out proportion long before he arrived. We f*cked up in the late 70s/early 80s, then slept in the 90s when all the deals were beginning to be done. Place the blame on the leader back then - presidents, boards, athletic directors.

The only sure win I see is Bethune-Cookman ... although, they did go 9-2 last season. Only upper level opponents was Miami, who beat them 45-0. Still, if we can't beat Bethune-Cookman, we don't really belong at even G5. I don't care who is on the roster or what was "left over" from the other coaching staff. If we can't compete, we can't compete. A loss here would be a gigantic leap backward. Game we should win: SMU, Rice, UTSA, Army, and UTEP. There is no reason to not have the same talent as these...and more. SMU, Rice, and Army all have more stringent academic requirements. UTSA and UTEP are just ... what they are: garbage. We go 2-3, 1-4, or 0-5 against those five and, again ... perhaps we're Southland Conference material after all. That's six wins. I don't see us having as much talent on the field or on the sidelines (depth as well as coaching experience) as the other six. Unlike many others, I feel we are at a point in time history-wise with the NCAA where we can't begin giving away "free seasons." Many have stated here already that 2016 is a "free pass" for Littrell. That kind of mindset is nauseating. And it is why our program is where it is. Look at the bright side: we'd have one of the best FCS stadiums in the country. And, the national title is played just up the road in Frisco. Home field advantage for us when North Dakota State rolls in to play for their 12th national title in a row.

If we can't win six games with this schedule, the P5s are right to leave schools like ours behind. Don't like that four of the last six are on the road, and with no bye, but.... To me, the die will be cast in the first month. If we can't beat SMU and Rice, it will be a long season. Coming out of September 1-3 would not be a good sign. If so, chalk up a 3 or 4 win season at best. We really need some injury breaks to fall our way in 2016 - as in, we can't have any key players injured because of our lack of depth. I don't want to say I hope other school's player get injured, but you look at the luck OU had the last three weeks of their season, facing Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma State without their starting QB...all in a row. That was a freaking Christmas Miracle come early for the Sooners. Perhaps, we get some luck this year.

Agree with all of it. Good on ya. My only caveat is, I don't care what type of offense they run, as long as we can score 30-40 a game. Passing. Running. Whatever. Just do it well enough to stop being a burden on the defense.

I'm not really sure how unfair my comments were. You have to be realistic and note that an FCS school came to our stadium and hung 60 points on us. Some of that was player-quit. But, let's be honest, much of it was lack of talent. Mainly: rosterful of QB who could complete more than 48% of their passes, and a defense that could rarely stop anyone - pass or run. You have to look at the absolute mess on defense and at quarterback the past two seasons and admit that it really was very ugly. It could not be 100% coaching because the same coaching staff led the school to a bowl game. And, prior to 2015, this staff had us winning four or more games per season for the first time since Dickey's early oughts run. So, it isn't as though the prior regime had no success at all. They had record setting performers on the offensive side of the ball, and had some player make NFL squads. The point, for me, is that when you go out and hire someone new and claim that this is better all the way around...well, isn't that how you judge things: comparing what you have now to what you had then? That is how you compare things. And, as far as recruiting goes, the results, frankly are not different than what we've been getting. And, this despite all of the talk of Littrell being a hot, young OC at a P5, and the hiring of two former Texas Tech players with very limited coaching resumes, but who were supposed to have "Texas ties" in recruiting up to their necks...we got the same type of player as we did when the old guy we complain about was here. Anyway, not to take anything away from what each player might bring to the table. But, starting at the same place the prior regime did as far as recruiting, there are many high hills to be climbed by this group of players and coaches. Like the rest of you, I hope Littrell can coach them at least as well as McCarney did and have us in a bowl game within three seasons. Because it took McCarney that long, that's about how long we should give Littrell, in my estimation.

You have to take into account that many players on the roster are not FBS-quality players. Mac signed plenty of them; and, unfortunately, so did Littrell. Again, I see no difference in this class and the ones signed prior to it. We're rolling the dice a lot...I realize it's because we "have to." But, other than the one-year stop gap at QB, we didn't get much different than before.

This is where I am. Gave C+ again. It's just what I expected. The splashiest things to happen were the transfers from Alabama and K-State. JUCOs? I'm long enough in the tooth to not celebrate their signings until they are actually eligible and on campus. Signing an LOI is one thing, keeping up academically for another three/four months is another with JUCO guys. To me, we got nothing at QB past the transfer. After he goes, we're in the same boat as before - no QB. And, yes...I fully understand that some of you believe Fine is a QB. That's...fine. I really, really have doubts, though, about guys who were barely getting FCS sniffs. D-II material all the way. Like McCarney and the DL, QB is a position where I expected Littrell and Harrell to be able to pull a kid out due to their supposed "connections" and their history with Texas Tech offenses, plus North Carolina's good season. The Texas Tech thing was obviously overblown (as are most Texas Tech things...but, that's a discussion for another day). And, most kids in these here parts probably couldn't find North Carolina on a map, much less tell you how their football team was doing. Alas, then, like McCarney's inability to land DTs, it looks as though these guy don't have the pull at a key position that everyone thought they would. Without QB...

Exactly. Which is why I don't know why anyone puts any stock at all in them. DaMarcus Smith had a sweet HUDL, right? But, once you stick him in a game, he's throwing the ball into the ground on passes five yards past the line of scrimmage and fumbling a ton. Coaches see more game film than HUDL. Again, that why some of these kids that people think should have scholarship offers do not have scholarship offers. If football was a game based solely on stats, Hal Mumme and Mike Leach would have dozens of championships between them. It's not that way. So, both sit without titles to the names. Stats mean little...almost as little as recruiting highlight films.

Okay, give me the laundry list of North Texas players with no offers or offers from only one FCS or D-II, as was the case with DT, who overachieved. I'll bet it's pretty short.

That "turd" of an offense churned out the most points since we rejoined A-I/FBS,and the only one for average over 30 points per game. But, yes...DT was head and shoulders above any QB on the roster at the time, and since. By the way, I was one who pooh-poohed DT when he was signed. He's the one guy, though, who through hard work and persistence, actually made something of himself as a player in spite of not being a highly regarded prospect. Yes. These were the Dajon worshipppers. Understood. And, Dajon was great against Nicholls State. Unfortunately, we don't play in the Southland Conference. So, Dajon high flying star fell to earth pretty quickly after that moonshot.

Yes, but who can forget the clamoring for that guy? Then, Dajon. The, Damarcus. None of whom are remotely talented - or, in the alternative, hardworking - enough to play FBS football.

Can't find anything on this kid except on HUDL. Any offers from anyone? D-II, even? This class is scary thin. The assumptions is that... ...never mind. It's the chicken and egg of defensive pass rushing/run stopping versus coverage ability - and, we have none of any of it. May as well throw this up against the wall to see if it sticks. Seems to be our modus operandi for the last (fill in the blank) years. Why expect Littrell to change that?

Post of the Year, bro! No, remember the next Manziel was the kid from Colorado who sat the last two years of his career on the bench at Northern Colorado. That kid should go into bench sales, considering the many benches as he sat on during his college career.

Getting the kid from K-State was kind of like getting a prep DT. But, I get your overall point. The lack of DT recruiting was one of the things that began to raise red flags for me RE: McCarney after 2012. The defensive line was supposed to be his bailiwick, having coached Florida's defensive line that shut down Oklahoma record-setting offense for 2008 national title. That's why I began to advocate going to a 3-3-5 or something similar to what Utah does. It is hard enough to find linemen for big schools. For us, it just seems like committing to a four man front is going to be a continuous gamble because of the dearth of quality DT that seep down to us. The depth isn't great either.

Ridiculous. Give me Thompson in a heartbeat over the messes in 2014 and 2015.

Agree. Short memories, I suppose, for those who pooh-pooh the 2011 class.

Amen, that. Agree.

Uh-huh...but like half of those you listed are just from the WR from Lawton, right? And, Nebraska wasn't fighting for the LB/DE when the rubber met the road. It's not like the kid said, "Hmmm...well, I've this got Nebraska offer on the one hand, the North Texas offer on the other, and UAB on the phone...hmmm. What to do, what to do?" The Nebraska offer was as gone as Augie Debiase's phantom Virginia Tech offer...that he'd supposedly pass up for the chance to go to a prep school. So, there's something there that their recruiting coordinator/assistants pick up on that we are willing to roll the dice on...usually, that means grades and test scores. Rice kid...a "smallacademic glitch" (I think that's how Vito termed it) magically made Rice think twice about a kid. I know, I know...we have to take these kind of gambles. This mindset will never change until we win and garner enough interest from kids that aren't borderline on the field or in the classroom.

I'll take a shot at it: (1) No offers were made...none by Indiana, none by Virginia Tech, and none by us. All talk coming from the family PR machine that appears to be Augie Debiase, Inc., - CEO, Dad. (2) Kid is already 19, he'll be 20 once he takes his babysitting year at the "prep school"...and, still having dad trying to pave the way for him. (3) Coaching staffs will still be confronted with dad after the prep school year as well. Honestly, I feel sorry for the kid. I really do. We see a sh*t ton of these types of dad around these here parts. Awful to because this kid really does seem to be a nice kid. The dad just can't seem to let go of him. Gotta wonder if it ever enters the kid's mind, the whole coaches not wanting to deal with the dad scenario. Coaches have enough to deal with already without having to put up with over involved dads. I can't even imagine the dads at that level. I coached my son's baseball team once when he was 8...and, it was a daily stream of e-mails from parents telling me how to coach their kids and where to play them...it's got to be a nightmare when the kids get older. Never. It surely is not helping Augie. May not be hurting, openly; but, it can't be helping.

Word to ya mutha! Okay, there's at least that...if this kid ends up in Denton, the game day gremlins can fire up Ice Ice Baby when he takes the field. And, from the looks of this kid's social media, seems like he'd roll with it in good humor.

And, you honestly see four or five out of this class that could get big playing time elsewhere? And, by elsewhere, I don't mean Austin Peay, Emporia State, Northern Iowa, Eastern Illinois, Abilene Christian and the other D-II and FCS schools Littrell is beating for these recruits. I mean other FBS schools. Yes. It will be impressive if the numerous JUCOs we're relying upon all qualify as well. Not always a gimme with JUCOs...and, Littrell's thrown our lot in with a good number of them right out of the chute.