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OK so keeping in mind I was extremely pleased with how hard the team played on Saturday here are a couple of the things that I would like to see improve: -- Our secondary has to get better at making plays on the ball. I think we are often times in position and just don't make a play on the ball. Whitfield catches a lot of the heat for this but you could apply it to every guy out there. If I am Ryan Walters I spend less time on getting into position and focus more time in practice on making plays on the ball in the air through technique and reading the wide receivers eyes etc. This type of issue will hurt you against less talented teams. Right now if I am a UNT opponent I go deep a lot and just have my QB throw up the ball in the air. 9 times out of 10 our DB will have his back turned and they will score a 99-yard TD... I just get no level of confidence that our DB's are lining up to own a receiver on every single play from scrimmage. --- I didn't like the coaching indecision in the second half, especially in the 4th quarter. It seemed like after we tied up the game the coaches moved back into that conservative offense which just isn't going to work against a team the likes of Georgia. One drive in particular - when we were deep on our side of the field - started with a run right up the middle and that CRAPPY wide receiver 2-step drop throw not to Brelan that NEVER works... you get the picture. Then later Mac goes for it on 4th down when we clearly weren't able to do ANYTHING on offense. Pick one strategy and stick to it -- I think they changed their minds too much yesterday and it hurt us on the scoreboard. -- Can DT please throw a decent pass to tight end Marcus Smith? It seems like everytime DT tries to hit Smith the pass is out of reach or behind him... that kid would have made a huge difference in the game and we just can't get him the ball! -- Our offensive line may be good against the pass but they are not very good in the running game right now. Anyone saying otherwise isn't watching the games. I will say this, I would give my left nut to have a running back hit the hole instead of this delay sidelines to sidelines crap they've been throwing out there. Just poor poor play from the running backs and if the line doesn't start making some improvement opening up holes then put another guy out there who is hungry. -- Is Darius Terrell in the doghouse? You would have thought he would be a great matchup for us yesterday and the guy barely makes the field?? Wassup with DT2? -- please --- the fake field goal pooch kick isn't going to fool anyone in that situation. -- I understand you want to get McNulty a chance to run some plays and let some of the guys get playing time in Athens but come on calling time outs versus running out the clock at end of the game was sort of bush league to me. Just run out the clock and shake hands. No need to recycle the pencil shavings!

ATHENS, GEORGIA -- Forget all that cupcake talk or thinking Saturdays game was merely a tune-up for next weeks showdown with No. 6 LSU. Georgia's season at one time looked dangerously close to being on the brink early in the third quarter against North Texas. Yes, North Texas. The Mean Green tied the No. 9 Bulldogs by recovering a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown 43 seconds into the third quarter, Georgias second major special teams disaster of the day. Georgia already had surrendered a 99-yard kickoff return for touchdown in the second quarter. The Bulldogs (2-1) survived all that on a rain-drenched day in Sanford Stadium when it had to work harder than expected to walk away with a 45-21 win. "We got ourselves into a fight", Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "It could have got really ugly, but it didn't. We continued to settle the game down by playing great defense and continuing to move the ball and get some points, and we were able to finish the game without some drama." North Texas (2-2) showed it wasnt content just to cash a $975,000 paycheck for the game. Read more: http://m.savannahnow...s-45-21-victory Click here to view the article

CB: Akron almost upset Michigan last weekend. Does that instill belief that a North Texas can beat Georgia, since we just saw a mid-major almost bring down a BCS program? TC: Nothing's impossible and this is the deepest, most talented team for UNT since its run of four straight bowl games in 2001 to 2004. But no, my best case scenario is to keep it competitive in the first half and to not lose by more than a couple touchdowns. Beating Georgia just doesn't seem probable. CB: North Texas joined Conference-USA this season. How well do you think North Texas will do in its new conference? TC: Conference USA is a huge step up from the Sun Belt, even if the increase in actual talent level isn't as much as people might think. UNT's not a powerhouse in the new conference, but they should be able to reach six wins and a bowl game this season. Read more: http://www.redandblack.com/sports/behind-enemy-bylines-north-texas/article_3cd1b2f2-2196-11e3-a21f-0019bb30f31a.html

https://twitter.com/xoxelliee/status/381529815880200192

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. 9 Georgia to a 45-21 victory over pesky North Texas on Saturday. Murray overcame an early interception in the end zone, hooking up with freshman Reggie Davis on a 98-yard TD — the longest pass play in school history. Arthur Lynch and Chris Conley also had touchdown catches for the Bulldogs (2-1). The Mean Green (2-2) came in as a 33-point underdog, but big plays on special teams helped make a game of it. Brelan Chancellor returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, and Zac Whitfield fell on a blocked punt in the end zone early in the second half to stunningly tie the game at 21. Murray made sure the Bulldogs avoided the upset. He scored on a 1-yard sneak and went to Conley on a 4-yard TD. Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/09/21/no-10-georgia-escapes-north-texas/2846993/

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ATHENS, Ga.----After being criticized often in No. 9 Georgia’s first two games the Bulldogs’ (2-1, 1-0 SEC) defense had a point to make in Saturday’s 45-21 defeat of North Texas. While the score may not reflect the Bulldogs defensive dominance a deeper look in the statistics shows how impressive Georgia was. The Bulldog D conceded just seven points while giving up only 245 yards including just seven yard rushing. The Bulldog also collected their first interception of the year when freshman safety Tray Matthews picked off Mean Green quarterback Derek Thompson in the third quarter. “Coach Richt and Coach Grantham preach to us about not taking any team lightly,” Matthews said. “We knew they were a good team. We knew we were in for a good fight. They started off well and we knew they were good.” Two of North Texas’ touchdowns came on special teams’ plays as it returned a kickoff for a touchdown and returned a blocked punt for a score. Of the 14 offensive possessions the Mean Green had, Georgia forced them to punt 10 times, forced two turnovers, and gave up one touchdown. The final North Texas possession saw the clock expire in the second half. Freshman outside linebacker Leonard Floyd recorded his first career sack in the first quarter before going on to double his career total later in the same quarter. Floyd finished with six total tackles, and the two sacks for a total of 17 lost yards. “It felt great,” Floyd said. “I just came in and at the first snap I just said ‘I’m going to go all out every play’ and I just happened to get two sacks and make some plays. It felt great. We’re coming in every week working hard and getting into the playbook and the performing on the field. We’re getting better every week.” This fact is born out in the improvements in both yardage and points given up by the Georgia defense. In Georgia’s season opener against Clemson, the Bulldogs gave up 38 points and 467 yard, in the SEC opening defeat of South Carolina, Georgia gave up 30 points and 454 yards of total offense. Saturday marks a stark improvement for defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s unit. Head coach Mark Richt praised the defensive side of the ball for its role in the Bulldogs victory. “I think the biggest key in the game was the defense and how well they played,” Richt said. “Overall the defense stepped up and played well. The Georgia defense will be tested when it welcomes No. 6 LSU into Sanford Stadium next Saturday. The game will kick-off at 3.30 and will be televised live on CBS. Read more: http://www.georgiadogs.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092113aae.html

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https://twitter.com/C_always_Wright/status/381482933539708928

We couldn't run the ball. Anyone hear what it was? Hope he's back by Tulane!

WOW what a great gutty performance from the Mean Green!!! We got a shot!!! GO MEAN GREEN!!

ATHENS, Ga. -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. 9 Georgia to a 45-21 victory over pesky North Texas on Saturday. Murray overcame an early interception in the end zone, hooking up with freshman Reggie Davis on a 98-yard TD -- the longest pass play in school history. Arthur Lynch and Chris Conley also had touchdown catches for the Bulldogs (2-1). The Mean Green (2-2) came in as 33-point underdogs, but big plays on special teams helped make a game of it. Brelan Chancellor returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, and Zac Whitfield fell on a blocked punt in the end zone early in the second half to stunningly tie the game at 21. Murray made sure the Bulldogs avoided the upset. He scored on a 1-yard sneak and went to Conley on a 4-yard TD. Georgia outgained North Texas by a staggering margin in total yards, 641-245, the fourth-most in school history. But the Bulldogs didn't put it away until the fourth quarter. Murray became only the second Southeastern Conference quarterback with 100 career scoring passes. The three TDs pushed his total to 102, trailing only 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel of Florida (114). Darnell Smith had North Texas' only non-special teams score, hauling in a 20-yard pass from Derek Thompson. But the Mean Green certainly didn't embarrass themselves on a rainy day between the hedges, collecting a hefty payout ($975,000) and ruining any hopes Georgia had to limit the playing time of its starters before an SEC showdown with No. 6 LSU next weekend. Read more: http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/gametracker/recap/NCAAF_20130921_NTEXAS@UGA/georgia-pulls-away-to-avoid-upset-vs-north-texas

Georgia's first game against an unranked opponent sure wasn't as easy as the final score made it appear. The ninth-ranked Bulldogs had last week off after opening the season with a loss to Clemson and a win over South Carolina, both top-10 programs, but it took a strong second half Saturday to pull away for a 45-21 win over North Texas at Sanford Stadium. The Bulldogs, possibly eyeing next week's showdown with LSU, led only 21-14 at the break. Things got worse almost immediately when Georgia went three-and-out to start the second half and the Mean Green tied the game with a blocked punt for a touchdown. Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/09/21/3510536/recap-georgia-vs-north-texas.html

I'l be taking up residence at East Side Social Club this Saturday to watch the game from as my planned trip to Athens was nixed by a dog going into surgery. If you or anyone else want to join me, let me know.

Do not the score fool you, I am a better player than Shirkey. Any run of the mill NCAA 14 player (Shirkey) can come in and beat a powerhouse competitor (Me) when he’s playing North Texas, which is ranked a 72 overall, while playing with Georgia who is a 91. Flashback to two weeks ago when we played with even teams and I romped Alec by a score of 56-35 with South Carolina, but I’m not here to dog on Shirkey (although it may be warranted). This week, I beat myself. Going up against the Georgia offense was nearly impossible with the Mean Green’s defensive players, and Aaron Murray tore my secondary apart, only missing on one throw. Besides on 60-yard run in the first quarter, I controlled Todd Gurley for the rest of the game, holding him to around 60 yards on 12 carries. On the offensive side of the ball, it was an up and down ride. Yes, I threw four interceptions, one being on a hail mary at the end of the first half, but I was still able to put up big numbers despite my inferior athletes. My quarterback Derek Thompson, who was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week in real life, put up 400 yards and a touchdown, hitting 19-of-30 throws. Wide out Lynrick Pleasant ran circles around Georgia’s secondary, catching four passes for 98 yards, adding to my 468 total yards. I could a similar score being up on the jumbotron at the end of Saturday’s matchup, but I don’t necessarily see Thompson throwing for 400 yards. Read more: http://www.redandblack.com/sports/player-likeness-georgia-trounces-north-texas-in-ncaa/article_6d05e1c4-2226-11e3-babf-001a4bcf6878.html

I’m about to head to the airport for an afternoon flight to Atlanta, which will be a nice change, getting to go in a day early. I used up most of the material I wanted to get in the paper or in the blog, but I will leave you with some final thoughts. Before we get to those thoughts, a quick note: The UNT soccer team’s game against Baylor has been rained out. UNT is 2-1 and is looking for the stunner and just the second upset of a ranked team in program history. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/09/parting-thoughts-on-the-way-to-the-airport-notes.html/

Over the course of his career, North Texas coach Dan McCarney pretty much has seen it all when it comes to the personalities and confidence levels of players. McCarney has coached quiet guys and loud guys, confident guys and guys who needed encouragement. Then there’s Darvin Kidsy. Even McCarney, who got into the coaching business in 1977, had never encountered anything quite like the UNT freshman receiver. “He’s really confident,” McCarney said. “He called me more than any of the signees did, and it continued once he got here and camp was going on. Most of the time it’s coaches calling student-athletes, reminding them of this or making sure that they are here on time for that. He wasn’t kissing my rear end. He wanted to tell me about how this could be one of our better freshman classes and how he could help us on the field.” The best part for UNT is that Kidsy has backed up all that bravado and worked his way toward the top of the Mean Green’s wide receivers rotation heading into a game at ninth-ranked Georgia on Saturday. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20130919-football-confident-kidsy-an-eager-learner-for-unt.ece

ATHENS — On an early-season schedule that is as rugged as any in college football, this is the one that has romp written it all over it for Georgia. Nobody will confuse North Texas with the top-10 teams the preceded it on the Bulldogs’ slate (Clemson and South Carolina) or will follow next week (LSU). The Mean Green is a 32½-point underdog. That’s actually less than the 37 points Michigan was favored to beat Akron by last week. The Zips nearly went all Appalachian-State-circa-2007 on the Wolverines, who thwarted a pass attempt at the end zone on the game’s last play to avoid a shocker like the one six years earlier. Richt brought up that Michigan game to reporters when game week started. “I don’t know what their mindset was going into the game, but I know what it was I’m sure when the game was over,” Richt said. “Everybody needs to line up and get ready to play ball.” That’s the same message he delivered early this week to his players when he used that game as an example. “I’ll probably mention it to them again before it’s over,” he said after practice Wednesday. Georgia had last weekend off, so there’s some sentiment just to get back on the field and pick up where it left off after the crucial win against South Carolina that avoided an 0-2 start to the season. “It’s hard having a bye week when you’re feeling good, so we’re excited to get back out there and play another game right now,” quarterback Aaron Murray said. “I could care less who we’re playing. We’re just excited to get out there and play.” Read more: http://savannahnow.com/sports/2013-09-19/heavily-favored-georgia-wary-underdog-north-texas#.Ujt6ehD4KXc

North Texas scored 95 points this year versus Idaho, Ohio and Ball State, but has been outscored 232-27 by LSU and Alabama over its last five games against ranked SEC opponents. The Mean Green are 1-43 all-time versus Top 25 schools, including 34 straight losses since defeating San Diego State in 1974. They overcame an 11-point halftime deficit at home to Ball State last Saturday by scoring 18 second-half points en route to a 34-27 victory. "There's a lot of grit on this team," coach Dan McCarney told the school's official website. "The seniors want to be remembered for turning this program around." Senior Derek Thompson is completing 70.9 percent of his passes to rank among the nation's leaders, throwing for 818 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He also scored the go-ahead TD on a 26-yard run with 9:47 remaining in the fourth quarter versus Ball State. Though the Mean Green are third in Conference USA at 465.0 yards per game, they are giving up an average of 435.7 to rank near the bottom of the league. Read more: http://espn.go.com/ncf/preview?id=332640061

We have a special guest with us today in Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald. Mark covers Georgia. You can find his stories that appear in the paper at the newspaper’s website, where you can also find links to his blog and Twitter feed. Mark agreed to stop by and answer a few questions about Saturday’s game: 1. How does Georgia approach this game? Given that Georgia just had a week off, I think they go out there Saturday wanting to be crisp on offense and show improvement on defense. Any hangover from the South Carolina win is probably gone by now and the team wants to build momentum for a top-10 LSU team next week. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/09/qa-with-mark-weiser-of-the-athens-banner-herald.html/