stebo

I am confused. I thought that the 4th BCS bowl, the one that rotates each year - was to actually rotate each year at the site of the National Championship Game. This year the National Championship Game is at the Rose Bowl... so, any non-BCS auto-qualifier should be playing in the freaking Rose Bowl the week before the Natl Championship Game. Why are they predicting Hawaii in the Fiesta? The Fiesta had that rotating game last year - you know, the year that Boise busted the bubble and beat OU? What gives? Is the Rose Bowl too good to play by the rules? So they get both a real Rose Bowl and then a National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl? That f-ing bites. If Hawaii busts the bubble, they should be in the f-ing Rose Bowl, that is what we all "agreed" to.

I can't make it to Denton, but I am told that they have an open mike for these weekly radio shows for fans to ask questions. Any of the fans that are completely confused about sticking with the "Dan Wagon" over throwing Vizza in willing to go ask the tough questions (maybe bring the stats with them to show that some homework was done?) I would really like to hear why the coach is being so stubborn on this one. I liken this "QB controversy" to Bridges and Hall. Hall just got the whole team to play better. When Bridges was in, we looked terrible. Hall came in and "commanded" the field and both the offense and defense responded to that. I don't think it is Danny per say, he has just been "ruined" by hanging out with Dickey for too many years. It is time for new blood.

http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=73780

Like I said, I don't know why - but I just have a feeling about this game. I didn't have any type of expectation for OU, SMU, or even FAU. I don't feel good about Troy and I fear that Western Kentucky and FIU will be battles as well. BUT, I think that Arkansas will totally overlook us. If this game was in Little Rock, I would feel worse about it - because the piggies really seem to get up for those Little Rock games. Our fans are not expecting a thing, Dodge has a chip on his shoulder, and we now have a chance at playing our future QB. I think that the ball will bounce our way and we will squeak out an upset. I just have a feeling about it. If I am wrong, no big deal - but I rarely think that we will win a game like this.... and yet, playing loose with nothing to lose might be JUST the thing that this team and this coach need in order to start winning. This weekend could be the start of great things. Imagine the confidence they would walk out of there with. It could catapult us back into a bowl game this year. This could be the biggest game of the year for the Mean Green - and nobody is really even talking about it.

I agree with you 100%. I would rather lose in a fun and exciting fashion then be less then mediocre in the boring ass days of Dickey Ball. We would still have been 0-3 under Dickey but we would have had about 12K at the home opener and been embarassed by SMU. He probably would have been able to keep the OU game closer, but I really don't care about playing teams close - it is either to win or lose. If we are going to lose, I would like to be entertained and go down trying. Dodge is trying, and it is entertaining. Call me crazy; but I say that we win this week.

I don't know why, but I get the feeling that we will win this week. I think that Dodge is a fierce competitor and will have the team firing on all cylinders this weekend. Add a new QB to the game and I think that our missing ingredient is a true field general, a true leader - that "Scott Hall" type of guy... the one that can make anything happen. Vizza is going to be that guy. We are going to win this one. Look for North Texas to get a huge upset this weekend.

Seriously, is he even on the team anymore? I would have thought we would have seen him by now; but he must be gone (or never came here?)

Meager was a big part of why we lost yesterday. I don't think that anyone blamed anything else on him except the interceptions that lost the game. He is a big boy and can take it.

I was on SA when we voted to turn the name to SGA. I know a lot about campus politics and the vote even though I am an alumni 10 years removed. I will shoot you a PM with my number and we can talk.

Josh, I am really happy to have you as our SGA prez. Quick question... do you know the history of the last athletic fee vote? If so, how do you feel about a student initiative to get a new vote? I think that the BOR should just implement the fees needed for a new stadium, the same way that the Floridas have done; but what do I know?

The Florida schools have something that we don't - the right to use state funds to build and bond a stadium. FIU is building theirs right now, but it is only going to seat 20K next year. As far as costs go - UCF pitched a $45 million dollar stadium with 45K seats... the costs went WAY over and came in at $62 million; but they got their 45K seats. It was an unprecedented move, nobody had ever built an entire football stadium from a pre-fab kit - so costs were a big question mark. You can see that UCF hasn't really been able to spruce their stadium up so far, it is essentially a shell with a jumbotron. With more money, they can brick up some of that metal and make it look better. Since the bricks will just be cosmetic, it won't cost too much - they just couldn't go any more over budget then they already were. FAU spending $62 million on a 30K seat stadium from the same company will be every bit as nice as Ford is to SMU. They will have the money to do the cosmetic things that UCF couldn't afford. I would take the FAU approach. Sure, UCF filled it this one time for UT; but they will likely not touch the upper deck for many games for the rest of the year. I think that NT should really look into this type of stadium - with lots of cosmetic work done (much like the FU's have done). For now, we have a pig with a fresh coat of lipstick on it.... but the FU's didn't even have a pig to put lipstick on going into their last 4 seasons. For them it is a matter of need, they desperately need on campus stadiums. Dolphin Stadium is where FAU played Minnesota - about the as close to Boca Raton as Waco is to Dallas. Their other option is Lockwood Field, which was used for a military base or something at one time. It is supposedly an abandoned high school stadium. It is like 30 minutes from their campus - and is considered to be their "home" stadium for the moment. Uh yeah, I would say that FAU has a real need for a new stadium, their first stadium!

Hey Ramone, in all seriousness. Will JaMo be able to adapt to the Dodgeball style of offense? From what we have seen over the last two games is a running back that really acts as another blocker. One that has to constantly be blocking for the QB instead of actually running the ball. This gives the QB the time to effectively manage the Spread. My question is simple... since Jamario has never really had to block in a stationary position (all of his blocking was usually done down field or for him) - will he be a part of this line-up? Seriously, not joking here. Is this the end of the road for JaMo or will he be able to develop as a blocker for this new offense?

The way that the State of Florida work is pretty simple, they have to approve a plan by the State in order to get state funding. What the have over NT is the presumed research clause; which basically allows one University to use another's research and plans. So FAU will be using the same pre-fab type of stadium that UCF did. If not, they would have to start from scratch. This way they can use student fees to pay for the stadium, being self sufficient just means that it will pay for itself - even if the income is from student fees as well as corporate sponsorships. Of course, like all stadiums - you have to break ground and be ready to open before any corporation is going to give you any money. Anyways, here is the rendering for the FAU stadium... kind of like UCF's stadium... definitely a step up from Lockwood. Very similar to what FIU is building right now.

Jeez, how things can be taken out of context. Schnelly was asked what he thought about Dodge and he said that he was a very smart guy, probably smarter than half the coaches in the conference. I didn't take it to be a put down at all, in fact - I saw it as a little bit of damage control from his previous statements... and his previous statements were simply that he wasn't impressed with any coach's recruiting (in football - general) but what they did with those recruits once they got them to campus. Geez, there are some really sensitive Mean Green fans these days.

Uh, FAU beat us the last three times that we have played... I would say that the list is longer then just Tulsa and MTSU, lol. I know at least one of those FAU wins was in Denton if not two... Please revise,

Yes, much better. You have a chip on your shoulders about the FU's and I can see why... we are 0-3 against the Owls. If we played our home games in Waco, our attendance would be about the same.

That is a pic of the visitor side, I watched the game on the net and they did pan to crowd shots on the home side and it was much better. The place seats 77K, what do you expect?

It was the first win EVER from a Belt team against Minnesota. We were 0-10 (as a group against Minn) going into the game, now we are 1-10, baby steps. Basically, this comes down to the naysayers playing down our victories and the pro-Belters wanting to be proud of them. I think it is huge that Troy beat Okie State on National TV last night. I think it is huge that FAU, one of the newest IA teams in the country, beat a BCS team today. I think it is huge that ASU is beating SMU 21-0 right now. I think it is huge that I have been able to watch all three games on tv and the internet. None of these accomplishments have happened from the Belt teams inthe past, at least not all in a 24 hour period. Like it or not, the Belt is having a coming out party today.

FAU beating Minnesota 35-14 at the half. Minnesota is lucky to have 7 of those points due to a long return for a TD. FAU is for real now... just as I predicted after they beat the MUTS. I am going to predict that FAU wins the Belt or comes in second to Troy.

Are you going to teach him to block? Because if you aren't - JMo will be "injured" for the rest of the season. The offense is about the QB and the receivers and we need our RB to be blocking, plain and simple.

Dodge's offense is 90% blocking for the spread. We only get to put 11 people on the field and the running back has to be blocking full time to protect the QB if he isn't getting the ball. JaMo has really never had to block for anybody before. He was too busy running the ball. I would guess that JaMo was benched on Saturday to help protect Meager so that Danny could have more time to throw the ball. Sad, but true. JaMo has two choices - adapt and learn how to block pretty quickly, or choose to be a benchwarmer. Again, this is just my best guess after watching this new offense and watching our new RB on the passing plays. He is basically a linebacker when he isn't running the ball... and that gave Meager a lot more time to throw last Saturday. In this offense, the QB is the true leader and needs to be protected.

Actually, we are officially the Mean Green. Our mascot is Scrappy the Eagle. That was the first line of business that RV took care of when he got here. It has been that way for 9 years now - officially. It was even written into a bill for the SA (now called SGA), voted on, and passed. The only team that held onto the nickname of "Eagles" in any way were the Lady Eagles Basketball Team... they held ono Lady Eagles for 4 years but eventually decided to be the Mean Green, just like the rest of the teams... that was in 2004; they joined the other 16 sports by changing their official name to the Mean Green as well. We no longer have a team at North Texas named the Eagles. All of our teams are named the Mean Green. We have a mascot for the school named Scrappy the Eagle and we are represented by the Eagle in logo form - but the name "Eagles" does not exist in the athletic department's eyes anymore. If you go to the main site - www.meangreensports.com (not www.eaglesports.com) - you will read a lot about our teams... You will also see that not one team is named the Eagles and every single article refers to every single team as the Mean Green. The name has changed, there are just a few stubborn alumni that refuse to accept it. They also are proud of their heritage; but for some reason, they do not "get" that 77 other colleges use an Eagle or the name "Eagles" as their team names inthe U.S. - we simply want to be unique and not just another one of those "Eagles" schools. Our last AD tried to mix it up and call us Mean Green Eagles and that was just laughable. We are the Mean Green. Period.

The band was wearing polo shirts. Nice ones at that. The rainbow flags have got to go... those look great for a band competition but terrible at an actual football game. Also, why do we have a guy on both the flag corp? Actually, I think that there are two. It looks silly.

the quarterly bumpski

100% agree. I went into that game expecting to lose and the team really put on a great show for me. It is going to take awhile to get things just right but if you look at the adjustments from Game 1 to Game 2, WOW. Also, I was on the first row and the whole coaching clinic continued. Evertyime the kids would come off the field the coach in charge of that unit would pull them to the side and telt hem what they did great and wha they need to work on. So refreshing. We have defensive problems but we will be able to recruit to solve those. The false starts ar really getting annoying as well. Again, that can be coached (and was being coached) during the game and over the next two weeks. I went into the game thinking that we had a chance to win 2 games this year - WKU and FIU.. I came out thinking that we have a realistic chance of winning the Belt and going back to New Orleans. Hopefully we will be playing SMU and we can show them how much better we are from Week 2 to Week 13. That would be sweet and perfect justice.