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Pretty exciting opportunity for Mason Link to Fine article

There is a lot of mystery at this point on who will be the Saskatchewan Roughriders starting quarterback when they begin the season on June 11 in Edmonton. Entering his third year with the Roughriders, Mason Fine is looking forward to competing for the position when the team begins training camp this May. The Riders quarterback was a guest on Tuesday’s edition of the SportsCage with Michael Ball. Fine said his goal entering the 2022 season was to build off his rookie campaign as he continued to make the transition to the professional game. At the beginning of his sophomore year with the Riders entrenched as the backup, the North Texas product was hoping to provide Saskatchewan with a solid backup plan at quarterback. He felt that he got off on the right foot. “I think I had a great training camp to start off the season and I really think I took some strides there with all of the reps that I got. ” Last season, Fine saw the majority of his action in three games. He came in relief for Cody Fajardo against the BC Lions on August 19 and was the team’s starting quarterback for their final two games of the season against the Calgary Stampeders. The QB ended the season with 690 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. The 25-year-old hopes to take his game to another new level in 2023. “I think I made great strides from 2021 to 2022, now I need to take a bigger step forward and get better overall as a quarterback.” read more: https://www.620ckrm.com/2023/01/25/308260/#.Y9Ge12lJczd.twitter

Heard a rumor from an unconfirmed source that Aune needs just 3 td passes to surpass Fine in the UNT football history books. Single season record, needs just two to tie and three to set the new record. GMG

Mason Fine can tell you about his place on this Saskatchewan Roughriders team. But on this National Indigenous People’s Day, he’s especially proud of his background. Fine is a member of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma. Growing up, Fine says he was well-supported by his community. It was when he entered college at the University of North Texas that he first realized how important his Indigenous identity was. “In college, I became aware of how unique and how awesome it was and that developed a passion into being a role model and being someone in the community who can represent the state of Texas and Oklahoma and my hometown and Cherokee Nation,” Fine said. “That’s when I became aware of how much of an impact I wanted to make in the future.” During his time in college, Fine received an overwhelming amount of support from the Cherokee Nation back in Oklahoma. They made and sold shirts, covered him in newspapers and praised him throughout social media. “They really brought more awareness towards the Indigenous community and culture which was awesome.” Fine says those college experiences prepared him for his time in Saskatchewan. Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/8938312/roughriders-quarterback-mason-fine-indigenous-roots/

Training camp started May 11. Excited to see what Mason can achieve in the Canadian League. https://www.riderville.com/schedule/

read more: https://3downnation.com/2021/06/23/insider-talk-cfl-revenue-sharing-player-retirements-riders-quarterbacks/

Mason Fine’s signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders came with a geography lesson. A former star quarterback with the University of North Texas Mean Green, Fine was looking to expand on his knowledge of the CFL and where he was headed after signing a three-year contract with the Roughriders. “I’m kind of a geography guy, so I wanted to see what type of geographical features were around me and stuff like that,” Fine said from his home in Peggs, Okla. “Then I Googled the Roughriders and I looked at the stadium. I also looked at the coaches, what players are there, the history of the Roughriders and the CFL as a whole.” Fine, however, already had some knowledge of the CFL while playing college football in Denton, Texas. “I’ve watched some of it on TV, so I know most of the teams up there,” said Fine, 23. “I know the CFL and I know it has been around a while. It was always something I was interested in if it came to be. I know there’s a bunch of different rules, the field is a little bit bigger and the football is shaped a little bit differently. I hope to become knowledgeable in that.” read more: https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/qb-mason-fine-looking-forward-to-making-jump-from-mean-green-to-green-and-white

Former North Texas quarterback Mason Fine wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, and he had his Pro Day workout canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, which he called “disappointing and frustrating." However, despite all of the obstacles in his way, Fine has been doing his best to show coaches around the league that he may be worthy of a draft selection. Fine threw for 12,505 yards and 93 touchdowns over four college seasons at North Texas. Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-draft-prospect-qb-mason-fine-trying-make-good-first-impression-with-teams

Fine is a dark horse in this year’s draft class, an unheralded prospect who might be picked in the final rounds if at all. That puts him in a similar boat to Florida International’s James Morgan, Hawaii’s Cole McDonald, and Colorado’s Steven Montez. What sets Fine apart from those other late-round prospects is his sky-high college production. He put the team on his shoulders at North Texas with over 1,000 pass attempts in four years, leaving school with a solid 62.8 completion percentage and with 93 touchdowns thrown against 34 interceptions (15 of those coming in 2017, his first full year as a starter). He’s shown he can handle a high volume of dropbacks, a responsibility some collegiate passers struggle with. Read more: https://saintswire.usatoday.com/2020/04/13/2020-nfl-draft-prospects-saints-mason-fine-north-texas-football-news/

DENTON, Texas — Full cost-of-attendance for out-of-state students at the University of North Texas runs about $36,000 a year. Mean Green quarterback Mason Fine has repaid the school for his scholarship several times over — even if it was the only scholarship offer he got. In 2015, when Fine was a record-setting high school quarterback at Locust Grove, Okla., North Texas averaged just 13,631 fans per home game. A total of 68,155 went through the turnstiles that year. In 2018, when Fine was winning his second consecutive Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year award, UNT brought in 23,355 fans per game, a total of 140,131 and a 71 percent increase in ticket sales. “For a long time, I think everybody looked at North Texas from the outside and said, ‘That’s a place that ought to be pretty good: great location, 40,000 students, a rapidly growing area of the country,’” UNT athletic director Wren Baker recently told Sporting News. “And Mason has been a key part in helping turn the program around, which in turn has had a huge influence on the university. Record-setting donations, not only in athletics but at the institution, (and) freshman enrollment is up like 15 percent this year. “Is he solely responsible for that? No. But has he played a big part in probably the No. 1 marketing tool of the university’s success? Yeah, he’s had a huge impact.” read more: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/godsend-mason-fine-has-helped-resurrect-north-texas-football-program-and-pride/wgowwwh9wju018mr3bapmd91k

DENTON – Senior quarterback Mason Fine has accomplished quite a bit during his three-plus years in Denton. His name is all over the Mean Green record book and several other key categories are in his sights. What else is left before Fine moves on to his next chapter? Winning his last game(s) North Texas has resurrected itself quickly from the 1-11 2015 season prior to head coach Seth Littrelland Fine's arrival. The Mean Green have reached three consecutive bowl games for only the second time in program history. Unfortunately, however, the team has fallen in all three – only one of which Fine was completely healthy for. He missed the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2016 due to injury as a true freshman and last season in the New Mexico Bowl suffered a leg injury in the first quarter that cost the Peggs, Oklahoma, native the remainder of the game, despite a gritty effort to fight through the pain. The Mean Green are positioned well again to compete for a conference championship and find success in bowl season. One of the only things left on Fine's sparkling UNT resume is a win in his last game. Wins in the final regular season game against defending Conference USA champion UAB, a conference championship game and then a bowl game are all realistic goals for this team, and Fine will be driving the bus. read more: https://meangreensports.com/news/2019/8/6/football-whats-left-for-fine-to-accomplish.aspx

So, The Texas Sports Hall of Fame, in Waco, is the first to receive the New Dave Campbell Texas Football. Now granted that we are non to happy of UT's Sam Ehlinger on the cover and not Our Mason Fine They do have us going 9-3 overall (7-1 conference) in the 2019 Season. In fact, Greg Tepper of Texasfootball.com ask "Can a Texas team finally break Through in Wide-open C-USA?" He goes on to say that "The Lone Star State's best hope appears to be North Texas." Small Breakdown: Mean Green Offense : QB's = A+ RB's = A OLine = B- Receivers = A Defense: D-line = C LB's = D+ D-backs = B Special Teams = C Game of the Year: Mean Green at Southern Miss Oct 12. that being the conference loss. Let the debating continue....

Dane Brugler just put out a way too early scouting rankings of senior QBs and had Mason Fine at 14th among senior QBs. This is as an NFL prospect, not a college QB. There weren't any notes on the reasoning, but I assume size is the main concern. Hopefully he won't get overlooked, but he will be a steal for someone if he does.

Who, in college football, has thrown for more yards than Mason Fine the past two seasons? No one. More than Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Ryan Finley, Will Grier, or Trace McSorley. Those five guys were all multi-year starters, all NFL draft picks, and all sit behind the rising senior quarterback from North Texas in yardage production. Mason Fine continues to rewrite the Mean Green record book. He’ll set the Mean Green TD mark this season, probably before the end of week two, and he’ll have done with roughly 40 fewer interceptions than the current leader Steve Ramsey. Fine is the reigning and two-time CUSA offensive player of the year. read more: https://swcroundup.com/news/2019/5/19/the-continued-development-of-mason-fine

#8 Mason Fine - North Texas A diminutive player who almost headed to Oklahoma State, the 5'11", 185-pound Mason Fine is doing great with North Texas. The gunslinger brought big-time passing talent to head coach Seth Littrell and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell's spread offense. He's already at 9,358 passing yards and 64 touchdowns with a completion rate of 63 percent through his first 36 games. Set to be a senior with the Mean Green in 2019, Fine may be set for his best year. His accuracy, yards per attempt and efficiency all increased in 2018. He cut his interceptions to five as well, honing his craft before the snap and understanding how a defender's leverage affects passing windows. He's really shined in his play under pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, Fine had an adjusted completion percentage of 79.9, threw for 898 yards under pressure and only had three turnover-worthy plays in such situations. Mix his dynamic downfield throwing with his composure, and he'll be a can't-miss watch. read more: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2809912-11-best-qbs-who-will-be-returning-to-college-football-in-2019#slide4

North Texas E.J. Ejiya, LB Ejiya followed a 108-tackle, 12-tackle-for-loss, seven-sack 2017 with 113 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, and nine sacks in his senior season for the Mean Green. More linearly explosive than he is twitchy when changing directions, Ejiya routinely attacks downhill with a lot of force, and because of that, is a good blitzer. His speed is his greatest strength on the football field, and at 6-2 and 230 pounds, he has NFL size for the linebacker spot. Eliya needs to get more tenacious shedding blocks, but right now has the game to potentially get drafted as a late-round pick. Mason Fine, QB Fine's prooobably going to stay at North Texas for his senior season, but he's been good enough in his first three years for the Mean Green that I feel compelled to write about him here. He completed 64.6 percent of his passes in 2018 at a respectable 8.2 yards-per-attempt average with 27 touchdowns to just five interceptions. The biggest problem with his pro projection is that he's listed at only 5-11. He's operated the offense of Seth Littrell -- a Mike Leach disciple -- marvelously. Fine has a quick delivery, good accuracy, and more arm strength than you'd expect for someone his size. read more: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/new-mexico-bowl-2019-nfl-draft-prospects-to-watch-in-utah-state-vs-north-texas-bowl-game/

DENTON - North Texas has accepted an invitation to play in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 15 at Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque against Mountain West foe Utah State. “Conference USA has had a great relationship with the New Mexico Bowl and we are honored to be representing the league, the entire UNT community and the North Texas region in a postseason bowl game,” North Texas Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “Coach Littrell, this coaching staff and these student-athletes have raised the level of expectations for this program. Playing in our third consecutive bowl game is something everyone associated with this university should take pride in.” The Mean Green continue their streak of consecutive bowl appearances under head coach Seth Littrell, posting a 9-3 regular season record. Littrell guided UNT to its second-ever back-to-back seasons with nine wins (1977-78) and the Mean Green have an opportunity to win 10 games for the third time in program history. This will be the 11th bowl game in North Texas history and third straight after playing in the 2017 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and the 2016 Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl. It will be the eighth bowl game for UNT in the last 18 years, and this is the Mean Green’s first trip to the New Mexico Bowl. “We are excited to be playing in the New Mexico Bowl against a very good opponent in Utah State,” Head Coach Seth Littrell Said. “Albuquerque is an easy travel destination for our fans and alumni and I know this team is excited to play in front of a national audience on ESPN in the very first bowl game of the season. It will be a tremendous challenge but we are excited to get to work.” North Texas was the only team in the Football Bowl Subdivision to never trail by more than one possession in 2018. The Mean Green had another banner year from their quarterback, junior Mason Fine, who has thrown for 3,734 yards with 27 touchdowns to only five interceptions, while also adding two more scores on the ground. The defense took a major step forward in 2018 for North Texas, as it improved its points-per-game allowance by 13.2 ppg and ranked fifth in the country in interceptions with 17. Offensively, The Mean Green are on pace to set a program record in points-per-game, at 36.4. The current record is 36.2, set in 1951. UNT also ranks within the top-25 nationally in 20 major team statistical categories heading into its bowl game. This marks the first time since 2002-2004 that North Texas will play in a bowl game in three consecutive seasons. In those years, North Texas concluded the four-year run in the New Orleans Bowl after winning four consecutive Sun Belt Conference championships. North Texas and Utah State have met seven times, with the Aggies holding a 4-3 edge. The last meeting was in 2004, when the Mean Green knocked off Utah State 31-23 in Logan, Utah. The Aggies finished the 2018 regular season with a 10-2 record and a 7-1 mark in Mountain West play. Following head coach Matt Wells’ departure to Texas Tech last week, the Aggies have tabbed Frank Maile as their interim head coach for the bowl. Bowl tickets are now on sale. For ticket prices and to purchase tickets online from the North Texas Ticket Office, visit MeanGreenPostseason.com. https://newmexicobowl.com/

Good thing we have the week off. He took a lot of nasty hits before and AFTER releasing the ball yesterday. We have to get these o-line issues addressed and quickly. Also C-USA refs need to cut this after play crap out or we are going to become a league full of injured QB's.