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1). Consistently competing in and winning football games. We got a taste of this in 2013. This will not happen overnight, but I do expect to see us have a much better 2016 season. 2). Getting a signature win. We had a good first half against Georgia in 2013, but truthfully - this program has not seen a signature win since the Tennessee win back in the Fry era. This has to happen at some point if we expect to jump start our fan following. 3). Fill Apogee. This is an albatross hanging over the neck of the program right now. If Littrell could make it happen it would be a defining moment in his career here. Scheduling some teams who bring fans would help. 4). Connect and reconnect with the fan base. Embrace them. Move away from the secret and select. Open up practices at least to media. Open up social media. With our numbers, social media is a strength that is extremely underutilized. Every person covering the program you can connect with could be spreading the gospel to the masses. Mac never got this and in the old days it was common to keep everything under wraps until game day. Now, there is too much competition for the entertainment dollar. 5). Take chances. What do you have to lose. Make the game entertaining. Mac's conservative nature led to frustrating and boring games. 6). reconnect with our former players. If we could get all of our former players to get engaged with the program again, we would easily sell out Apogee. This is not easy, but it can be done. I would consider creating a staff position focused on this job alone and pay them a bonus based on achievable goals. Let's hear more!

Hindsight is 20/20, but a recent discussion with a Mean Green fan reminded me of the flaw in Mac's definition of "Mean Green Football". "Mean Green Football" to Mac was relying on the other team to make more mistakes whether it be turnovers etc. His conservative offense played into this. His bend not break defense did as well. Frankly, the turnover battle is something every team in the country is aware of and prepares for. I look at the best teams, heck even that Portland State team that thrashed us, and I see AGGRESSIVE offense and ATTACKING defense. If you execute these properly, and get the right personnel you will win more than you lose. While turnovers are a key stat, I do not think you can build your entire program around that since it is something everyone pays a lot of attention to.

“Andrew McNulty is our starter,” McCarney said. “I was really disappointed in the consistency of DaMarcus Smith when we did give him an opportunity. He does have talent, but the attention to detail is something he needs to make major, major improvement on. If he does, then he has a chance to contend for the top spot. If he doesn’t, we will get what we saw the other night.” Smith made one of the biggest plays of the night for UNT when he hit Carlos Harris on a deep ball for 61 yards. The junior couldn’t build on that throw and finished the night 3-for-11 for 70 yards. Smith threw an interception in the end zone after hitting Harris on the deep ball. McCarney said he has no plans to play Smith this week. “He will make a play now and again, but there will be some issues and mistakes,” McCarney said. “He made far too many mistakes. What you saw in the game is what we see in practice. He is inconsistent and makes too many mistakes. He has talent, but he is not putting himself in position to be a No. 1 because of those things. He knows that. Andrew McNulty gives us the best chance to win right now.” read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20151005-football-mccarney-says-unts-sticking-with-mcnulty.ece

We are not alone!! Four FBS teams are 0-fer: Kansas, NMSU, Wyoming and UNT. The other good news is that historically almost no one goes 0-12. Also - Jeffery Wilson had another good game! Go Mean Green!

Look - we had some very disappointing losses the first three weeks of the 2015 season. No sugarcoating-- it sucks. No we weren't supposed to beat Iowa but we had hoped for a better showing (ala Georgia etc). It didn't happen. SMU and Rice were winnable. The "Go Mean Green" banner we flew over Ford is gathering dust and tattered in AAUNT's garage. People are unhappy on here and I can relate. Our fans are passionate -- they see the potential and want results. I get it. Back 5-10 years ago we had a different mentality and a much smaller conference and budget. As meanrob pointed out, times have changed and for the better. My point is this -- if you are unhappy about the situation we find ourselves in then by all means voice that opinion. It should be done in a respectful way and it should not involve individual players who are doing their best to represent us on the field of play. I would MUCH rather see anger, frustration and passion as opposed to apathy. It means we are starting to develop our expectations as a fanbase which is actually a very good thing. In terms of this season, keep in mind we have lost 3 games but we have only lost one in conference play. So the conference is in effect your second season. Not just here but throughout the country. Fans at Arkansas, Tennesee and Auburn are hurting as much or more than we are right now. However, it is absolutely not out of the realm of possibilities that we could go up and win that game in Hattiesburg Saturday night. Jeffery Wilson is special and he is back healthy. Mac has hinted that he may be more willing to give some of our other QB's a shot if things aren't going well. We have a young defense that should improve. Players like KiShawn McClain are starting to emerge. Things can change in mid season, if you don't believe that look at the 2001 season under Dickey. We were 0-5 and dead to rights after a loss to ULM on the road and they righted the ship and ended up in a bowl. Will that happen here? Perhaps not, but we have to let things play out. I wish them the best. In terms of if a change is needed, I see a lot of the same characters (*cough cough* UNTJim...UNT90 *cough*) stating that UNT will not step up and do what they have to to fix the situation. These fans base this opinion on history. And historically they may be right-- but let me say this is a new era in athletics for UNT. We don't have 5-7 million dollar budgets anymore. We don't play in Fouts field anymore. We are in a respectable conference and have a growing enrollment in a great town. We have donors giving very generous amounts to both athletics and the college in general. The accounting fiasco is behind us now. In many ways, other than athletics the wind is behind UNT's sails right now. So I am confident that we have the resources and support to do whatever it takes to get things on track when that opportunity presents itself. Let me also say that there is no advantage to making changes prior to the season playing out, certainly not after 3 games. Any coach worth their salt would not be available until after the season anyway. You would still have to pay out the contracts etc. So those calling for changes now need to keep that in mind. So - I for one have decided that I am going to see how things play out these next 4 games. As hard as it may be I am going to try and be patient. I will also be honest. I want to give this staff every opportunity to right things and get us where we need to be. I want to support the players and see them improve as the season progresses. I hope you will consider doing the same. I don't want you to check out. It is your absolute right to disagree and vent --- we just ask that you try to do it in a reasonable way. Humor is welcomed and encouraged. It is good to laugh at yourself and the situation in times like these. Just know that this site will remain a place where our fans can voice their true opinions freely no matter what transpires. GMG

Saturday Sep. 5 ---Open Date------Saturday Sep. 12at SMU Mustangs Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TXLost 31-13---Saturday Sep. 19Rice Owls Apogee Stadium, Denton, TXLost 38-24---Saturday Sep. 26at Iowa Hawkeyes Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA2:30pm CT ESPNUBuy TicketsSaturday Oct. 3at Southern Miss Golden Eagles M.M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS6:00pm CT FCSBuy TicketsSaturday Oct. 10Portland State Vikings (HC) Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX4:00pm CT CSLiveBuy TicketsThursday Oct. 15Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX6:30pm CT CBSSNBuy TicketsSaturday Oct. 24at Marshall Thundering Herd Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, WV2:30pm CT FCSBuy TicketsSaturday Oct. 31UTSA Roadrunners Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX6:00pm CT ASNBuy TicketsSaturday Nov. 7at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, LA2:30pm CT FCSBuy TicketsSaturday Nov. 14at Tennessee Volunteers Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TNTBABuy TicketsSaturday Nov. 21at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro, TN11:00am CT ASN---Saturday Nov. 28UTEP Miners Apogee Stadium, Denton, TXTimeTBA FS1/FSN/FCSBuy TicketsSaturday Dec. 5C-USA Championship Game Hosted by team with highest C-USA winning %Time TBA ESPN/ESPN2

UNT ranks 128th in defense on 3rd down. This means, we give up first downs on 3rd down more often than any other team in the country. UT ranks 127th. This per Dallas Morning News. The 3rd and 20 Rice conversion play sticks out in my mind from Saturday... but there have been WAY too many similar type plays this season. It appears that Cosh is moving into a semi-prevent on 3rd downs, often with a standard rush package. Perhaps we need to rethink this strategy?

Since UNT fell to SMU 31-13 on Saturday we have beaten the dead horse that is what ails the Mean Green’s offense and then beaten it some more. What we haven’t talked a whole lot about is the performance of UNT’s defense that was one of the bright spots of what transpired down at Ford Stadium. No one is in much of a mood to talk about what went well, but it is worth noting that the Mean Green showed some signs of potential on that side of the ball. UNT held SMU to three points on three trips inside the 5-yard line, posted a goal-line stand and generally looked pretty solid before collapsing late. SMU quarterback Matt Davis, who is as good as advertised, threw a late touchdown pass and broke free on two touchdown runs, including a 50- yard back-breaker. There were a number of positive moments for UNT … read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/09/one-overlooked-positive-unts-defense-looked-pretty-good.html/

I would love to know what our record, say in the last 10-20 years is in "opportunity" games. I define these as games where you can take a step forward as a program and move the chains in terms of fan support, recruiting and outside respectability. Saturday night was a great example of an "opportunity" game that could have really put some wind behind our sails. Games that have good UNT crowds are opportunity games. I think games that open up the season and set fan expectations whether at home or on the road are often opportunity games. UT last year was another opportunity game, not that I expected us to win but at least make a good showing against a sub par UT squad. UTSA back in 2013 was a game where we could have clenched the C-USA west crown. I know Mac makes a big deal about winning at home and rightfully so. But I think winning or competing in these opportunity games is important as well.

It seems as if the North Texas Mean Green football team lost sight of its talent last year. After finishing an astonishing 2013 season with a 9-4 record and reaching their first bowl game in almost 10 years under head coach Dan McCarney, the program plummeted in 2014. In ’13, the UNT football squad was laced with 22 seniors, a group of guys who impacted the Mean Green program with experience in all phases. McCarney, who will be going into his fourth season with North Texas, will be looking to do whatever it takes to make sure his inexperienced young talent is prepared with a winning attitude going into the 2015 season. In a detrimental ’14 campaign, the Mean Green saw their numbers degrade while finishing the season with a disappointing 4-8 record. But now that the UNT freshmen and sophomores, who couldn’t make key plays last season, have some much needed experience, the program could see some major improvements in ’15. North Texas standout and senior wide receiver Carlos Harris is one of the marquee players to watch this season. The Fred Biletnikoff Award is given annually to the most outstanding wide receiver in college football. A total of 48 players are named to the preseason watch list, and Harris is one of them. The 5’8” offensive weapon is also on the preseason Paul Hornung Award watch list, that presentation offered to the most outstanding skill player in college football. That sounds like a pretty big deal. read more: http://sportdfw.com/2015/09/06/unt-analyzing-mean-green-football-squad-2015/

DENTON — The temperature pushed up toward 100 degrees at Apogee Stadium this spring as Chris Cosh bounced around from drill to drill, watching the members of North Texas’ defense sweat through another workout. Cosh barked instructions while laying out the basic principles of his defense, clearly in his element heading into his first season as UNT’s defensive coordinator. “Coach Cosh is a character and is tough on you, but we need it,” UNT linebacker Fred Scott said. “He pushes us and knows what he’s doing. He’s been a lot of places and knows what he’s talking about.” The journey includes stops at Kansas State, Michigan State and Maryland with several twists and turns mixed in — perhaps none more intriguing than how a degenerative neck injury ushered Cosh into coaching in 1983. Back then, Cosh didn’t go by “coach.” He was known as “Crash,” a hard-hitting linebacker for Virginia Tech. Former Hokies assistant coach Lou Tepper still remembers Cosh taking on an Alabama tackle who towered over him. “Chris knocked him to his knees,” Tepper said. Eventually, all those hits added up and forced Cosh into coaching before his senior season. “I didn’t take to it right away,” Cosh said. “I was coaching the same guys I was playing with and didn’t see myself in that role. That fall we had some young linebackers that I worked with who ended up starting by the second game of the season because some other players got hurt. I took pride in that. “It’s what really got me going.” Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/unt-mean-green/20150828-new-unt-defensive-coordinator-brings-needed-crash-to-mean-green.ece

Sights and sounds from day 1 of fall camp. This is an example of the direction BTG will be heading in conjunction with GMG. The idea is to provide this type of video content and much, much more. On our most recent podcast we lined out the details, so if you haven't already, give it a listen. Hopefully everyone enjoys this clip and is eager to see more down the road. Don't forget that I will be in the chat room this evening (starting at 8:00 pm) to discuss the scrimmage and will also be able to answer any questions regarding the future of BTG. I should be posting another video tomorrow evening (spoiler alert: its from the scrimmage). GO MEAN GREEN

Is it just me or does the start of this season seem to be taking damn near forever to get here? Jees we still have 22 days before a game. That's 3 weeks for goodness sakes.

The senior came out of the scrimmage just like he went into it — UNT’s starter. “Every opportunity Andy Mac is getting right now, he keeps getting better and better,” McCarney said. “He’s going to be hard to beat out. Not impossible, but if he stays healthy and keeps executing like he has this first week he will be hard to beat because he is really sharp.” McCarney said he has been impressed with Smith’s athleticism but said he is way behind UNT’s other quarterbacks. Smith quickly moved up to share the third line on the depth chart with Connor Means, but he still has a long way to go with the clock ticking down before UNT’s opener. “We are not just going to throw him in there,” McCarney said. “He has only been here a week. We are not elevating anybody based on hopes or dreams or wishing or hoping or wanting. It’s going to be based on performance each day and consistency in fairness to the guys who have been here. He’s getting a lot of work. He would tell you that.” Smith wasn’t made available to the media following practice. read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20150815-football-mcnulty-shines-in-unt-s-first-scrimmage.ece

none have more than Texas. For 12 days, as teams nationwide dig into preseason drills, USA TODAY Sports’ college football reporters are traversing the state of Texas and visiting each of its one dozen FBS programs. AT&T presents Two Weeks in Texas … Day 6: North Texas DENTON, Texas — Mike Canales and Mike Simmonds came to visit Kaydon Kirby in the fall of 2011 with reams of information about North Texas, then in its first football season under Dan McCarney, but without the item Kirby wanted most: a scholarship offer. Instead, they brought honesty. We like you, they told Kirby, then a under-recruited senior at Flower Mound High School in this county; we just don’t have an offer. But you’re a player, they added, and you could come into our program and make an impact — as a walk-on, with the potential to earn a scholarship during the course of your college career. “They told me to take a chance, and I trusted them and took the chance,” Kirby said. “I earned my way the hard way. They just want players. No matter how you got here or what your journey was, as long as you’re there to play, then you’re there to play.” TWO WEEKS IN TEXAS: The series so far Four years later, Kirby enters his junior season as the Mean Green’s entrenched starting center, as an all-Conference USA selection and national-award candidate, and as the most shining example of what McCarney-led North Texas has done better — and more often — than any program in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Along a wall inside the football program’s offices is a display of 32 faces and names, all former or current North Texas players of varying success, from backup defensive backs through starting offensive linemen, each with a shared starting point: As a former walk-on who “through effort and dedication,” the display reads, was awarded a scholarship. read more: http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/north-texas-mean-green-football-walk-ons

https://www.periscope.tv/w/aJ0V6jYwNjcyMnw2MDY0NTM3MdKmN-nV8aA35tdHcJFj9aT68-dYspbkbnMCmDIPlDWs

Hear me out. We take care of business against SMU to start the season 1-0. Tough game, closer than last year but a W. Next we are able to beat Rice at home in front of a big opening day crowd at Apogee. Very tough game but we pull it out at the end. 2-0 We take on Iowa on the road and lose but we play them respectable...make it tough, make it a hard fought win. 2-1 Hit the road again for a win against Southern Miss, honestly a team we should have beaten last season. 3-1 Back home for an easy win against Portland State. 4-1 Oct 15th we have a Thursday game against WKU who are probably the best team in the league this year. I am not going to say if we win or lose this game. But, sitting at 4-1 heading into that game gives you a sense that a winning season seems much more feasible. We could have the wind at our backs. Dare I say the optimism we felt back in 2013 again. Will it happen? This is a young team. The road games scare me the most and of course the SMU game could be a jump the shark moment for either team.

- deepest condolences to Ratliff family at Charlotte - great summer grades, were phenomenal finishing up summer 2 session now. Academics is meaningful and we don't anticipate - Xavier Grindle did not make it academically - Florida LB took his spot - keep refreshing as I am updating as I can (Harry) - Lou Carrela did a great job in conditioning. Lou has team in best shape since I've been here. - can't wait to get it going. Very excited about this season. - Has been around the program more this summer than at any other time. Very pleased with the effort and development he has witnessed. - everyone is shoveling dirt on us in the rankings. We embrace that and take it as a challenge. - Andrew McNulty is the starting QB but bottomline is we will be better at QB this year. - everyone reported on time and healthy. Everyone is ready to go. - likes the offensive line. We have more offensive linemen able to help us and play this year. Bonogu is in great shape this year. I think we have a chance to be good up front. - over 500 kids showed up to Friday night lights tells you something about what we are doing at this place. - 35 of the 105 actives were originally or currently walk-ons. - wide receiver mentioned Thompson and Daniel Khan, Kidsey and the Carthage boys as potential impact guys. - 9 guys we have on dline this season played last season not including the transfers freshmen etc. you will see more guys playing this year starting at SMU. We trust more guys, more speed and athleticism. - liked what he saw of McNair weighed in at 250 pounds as a true freshman on the UNT scales. He and his mom hit a huge possum on the highway and had to drive back home and make repairs. He is here and is showing good leadership qualities early on.

Guy has not played a down in a game for us yet but, I have to say -- he has the look of a very good player for us. He is one of the bigger, stronger looking defensive backs physically I have seen at UNT and that puts him in some good company. He gets overshadowed by guys like DaMarcus Smith and others but he may be the one who could make the biggest impact, at least initially, since he will likely start. In last seasons loss against UTSA to end the season, we started Sheldon Wade and Laramie Lee. Obviously Lee was injured the entire year. I think we could look back and say that James Gray and Kishawn McClain playing together for 2 years may be one of the better combos we have had. It is going to take him some time to figure out the schemes and his role but man, this guy could really impact our defense in a positive way this season.