MGS: Top 5 Games In NT History...'75 Tennessee?

[FirefightnRick]

Hat tip to AGC of the Mean And Green board on this laugher.

http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/110314aaa.html

LOL!!! And our win over SMU back then is #4? That's some good comedy right there, that someone who more than likely wasn't there, and/or didnt even go to North Texas has decided that there are 4 other games greater than our late minute win over Tennessee in Knoxville? LOL!

According to some of our seasoned alumni who were there tells me that Fry did two things in that game that was either rare or unheard of that day. On offense we came out in an unbalanced line, and mostly, went No-Huddle. No one had seen a No-Huddle offense back then. Sears Woods told me when I met him a few years back that coach Fry told him before he left to take the field for that kickoff return that he "has to run it back". And of course, he did. Later that week I'm told that Sears was the feature AP player of the week and that his return was the CBS Network play of the week.

Anyways, if that's all true, and I have no reason to believe it isn't, then I can't wait to see what they consider as the 3rd, 2nd and 1st top games in our history cause it hasn't come close to happening in my 28 years of watching NT Football.

Rick

Edited November 4, 2014 by FirefightnRick

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

He's a buddy of mine and UNT student/former NTDaily editor/sports writer. Did he say that he was listing them in order of importance? The things you find to put people down about are really amazing to me. I think it's a cool concept and shows that he cares enough to do some research about the history of the program. Go pick on the kids who are me and the writers age that don't even know UNT had a football team back then.

[greenminer]

Criteria varies from person to person, but I am of the opinion that the '78 victory in Knoxville is not a big deal.

[Mean Green Matt]

I sure do miss the Mountain Valley Conference.

[CMJ]

I'd agree with everyone having different criteria. If we're talking purely from a statement, wow, factor the Tennessee game would probably be #2 (didn't we beat a ranked San Diego State squad the next season?). But, really any back and forth, down to the end game could be on this list if it were just best or most exciting.

Even though the game didn't mean anything, the last home game in 1997 (I wanna say Utah State, but I'm not 100% certain) was perhaps the most thrilling I've ever seen. There were something like five lead changes in the last 3 minutes and we won on the final play of the game in a walk off TD pass.

Doesn't get much better than that.

[MeanGreenTexan]

I'm gonna bet the two bowl wins are going to be higher.

[UNTcrazy727]

The fact a win over a 7-5 Tennessee team ranks in our top 5 wins all time really shows our lack of marquee victories....

[Mean Green 93-98]

Did he say that he was listing them in order of importance?

It says at the top of the article, "We are counting down the top five moments in the team's history." So yes, he did.

Good article. I love this kind of stuff.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Mean Green 93-98

[FirefightnRick]

He's a buddy of mine and UNT student/former NTDaily editor/sports writer. Did he say that he was listing them in order of importance? The things you find to put people down about are really amazing to me. I think it's a cool concept and shows that he cares enough to do some research about the history of the program. Go pick on the kids who are me and the writers age that don't even know UNT had a football team back then.

Yes.

And if he's a student then that's understandable although I don't know why his work is being put on MGS? Seems like a lack of oversight within our AD dept there to me but I applaud the effort.

But there's no comparison to this win over any other. The San Diego State game was big but that game was in Denton, not in front of 70K in historic Neyland Stadium. The Vol's play in the SEC and started the season ranked in the top ten and this game was played in late October. So them ending up out of the top 25 with a 7-5 final record was nothing to sneeze at.

No comparison!

Rick

Edited November 4, 2014 by FirefightnRick

[Censored by Laurie]

Yes.

And if he's a student then that's understandable although I don't know why his work is being put on MGS? Seems like a lack of oversight within our AD dept there to me but I applaud the effort.

But there's no comparison to this win over any other. The San Diego State game was big but that game was in Denton, not in front of 70K in historic Neyland Stadium. The Vol's play in the SEC and started the season ranked in the top ten and this game was played in late October. So them ending up out of the top 25 with a 7-5 final record was nothing to sneeze at.

No comparison!

Rick

I'm gonna guess the words "in no particular order" were added after the author read the indignant hissy response, but they're there.

Also...2006 vs FIU or GTFO.

[FirefightnRick]

I'm gonna guess the words "in no particular order" were added after the author read the indignant hissy response, but they're there.

Also...2006 vs FIU or GTFO.

Possibly one of the worst offensive-called games in the Dickmeister's tenure here. I beat a steel conicle trash can lid damn near flat by the end of that one.

Rick

[Mean Green 93-98]

I'm gonna guess the words "in no particular order" were added after the author read the indignant hissy response, but they're there.

Yes, that has replaced the "counting down" comment that was there previously.

[golfingomez]

I'm gonna guess the words "in no particular order" were added after the author read the indignant hissy response, but they're there.

Also...2006 vs FIU or GTFO.

on top of the overtime thing... i think that game has to have tied a record for most missed field goals in one game... two teams combined to score a total of 15 points in 7 OT's...

how is that possible? most games feature 15 points in 2 overtime periods!

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

Yes, that has replaced the "counting down" comment that was there previously.

It's really semantics anyways, you can count down and go in ascending order, I guess that is counting up which no one really says. Either way he clarified and MGS hires student assistants who do write a lot of material to answer Rick's question. They aren't going to hire full time staffers to write articles on there, that's silly. That's what we have a UNT beat writer for.

[meanJewGreen]

I think the most mind boggling part of overtime was when DD decided to go for a field goal on 2nd down.... my introduction to UNT football...

on top of the overtime thing... i think that game has to have tied a record for most missed field goals in one game... two teams combined to score a total of 15 points in 7 OT's...

how is that possible? most games feature 15 points in 2 overtime periods!

[kj86]

Even though the game didn't mean anything, the last home game in 1997 (I wanna say Utah State, but I'm not 100% certain) was perhaps the most thrilling I've ever seen. There were something like five lead changes in the last 3 minutes and we won on the final play of the game in a walk off TD pass.

Doesn't get much better than that.

I remember that. It was Utah State. The TD you speak of happened in the south/east endzone at Fouts. I was standing in the metal, erector-set seats in that endzone when that happened.

[wardly]

To my knowledge we have no marquee wins over a ranked team, so the win at Tennessee works for me as number one.I believe that Woods was "player of the week" for his performance .Fry used that victory to turn our program around, which peaked in our 77' top 20 ranking. I'm glad someone cares enough to rank our top 5 wins.

[Eagle1855]

The only thing I remember about Utah State was in the early 2000's when we ran up the score on them and celebrated with a grenade in the endzone.That's the kind of pizzazz you got with Dickey's teams. We knew how to rub it in when we were winning.

The best win in NT history is probably yet to come. We don't have any wins I'd feel comfortable getting too worked up about. The New Orleans Bowl win would probably be my favorite. The "miracle in the desert" against NMSU was one of the more significant.

[SilverEagle]

The fact a win over a 7-5 Tennessee team ranks in our top 5 wins all time really shows our lack of marquee victories....

In 1974 we beat San Diego State 14-0. At the time they were nationally ranked. It's our only win against a nationally ranked team.

[UNTexas]

I'd agree with everyone having different criteria. If we're talking purely from a statement, wow, factor the Tennessee game would probably be #2 (didn't we beat a ranked San Diego State squad the next season?). But, really any back and forth, down to the end game could be on this list if it were just best or most exciting.

Even though the game didn't mean anything, the last home game in 1997 (I wanna say Utah State, but I'm not 100% certain) was perhaps the most thrilling I've ever seen. There were something like five lead changes in the last 3 minutes and we won on the final play of the game in a walk off TD pass.

Doesn't get much better than that.

The Utah State game was the last game that year and was very exciting. However, beating Tech in Lubbock that same season felt pretty damn good. Both were great wins.

[oldguystudent]

Did UNT play football before 1975? If so, did it go O-fer for its first 60 years? No big wins? At all?

[Cerebus]

The only thing I remember about Utah State was in the early 2000's when we ran up the score on them and celebrated with a grenade in the endzone.That's the kind of pizzazz you got with Dickey's teams. We knew how to rub it in when we were winning.

That was Arkansas State. There was bad blood between the coaching staffs. It carried over to their players talking trash about our team to the local paper. It's also the same game Cody Spencer did the gorilla, and Patrick Cobbs did the Heisman in the endzone.

[Eagle1855]

That was Arkansas State. There was bad blood between the coaching staffs. It carried over to their players talking trash about our team to the local paper. It's also the same game Cody Spencer did the gorilla, and Patrick Cobbs did the Heisman in the endzone.

You're right. We won so many conference games back then, it was hard to keep them all straight in my mind.

From the ESPN Game recap:

North Texas, who was flagged 17 times for 183 yards, received three 15-yard penalties on one play in the fourth quarter.

Jeremy Pearl's 36-yard interception return for a touchdown was called back because of taunting during the return. North Texas was also flagged for orchestrating a touchdown celebration and unsportsmanlike conduct.

Edited November 5, 2014 by Eagle1855

[untjim1995]

Best wins in my opinion:

1.) beating Cincinnati in the NO Bowl--winning a bowl game as a conference championi was nice, but Cincy choking away a game earlier in the season at home against Ohio State (who went on to win the national championship) made the win even more impressive.

2.) beating Tennessee in Knoxville--The Vols are always going to be NCAA royalty, even when they aren't great, just because of their history, stadium, and conference.

3.) beating UNLV in the HoD Bowl---winning a game at the historic Cotton Bowl, on New Years Day, in front of 40k Mean Green fans was a dream come true for those of us who grew up in the area and remember that stadium always hosting SWC champions. First time in my life that UNT Football actually got some strong media attention in DFW.

4.) beating Texas Tech in 1997--it was our third year back as a Division 1-a team and we beat a Big XII team that was a SWC legacy program at their place on a last minute TD, causing George Dunham to exclaim, "Do You Believe in the Mean Green!!!!" , which still gets played on The Ticket when Georgio talks about UNT. The next week we gave A&M a pretty strong game for about 3 qtrs at Texas Stadium and we all thought we were on our way to winning the Big West. Then, we couldn't get up for any of the Big West teams and got beat by Idaho, Boise State, and Nevada and beat NWSU and USU to end the season at 4-7, which was very disappointing. But that Tech win had people talking about us as a promising program.

5.) crushing Baylor in 2003 at Fouts--all of the other games listed happened somewhere other than Denton, but this one, against another Big XII team and SWC legacy program, saw Fouts hold its biggest crowd ever. We let out a generation of built-up resentment toward those SWC bastards who rarely (as in almost never) played us in Denton. We beat those AQ leeches 52-14 and it could've been worse if we had stopped trying in the 4th quarter and let them score a TD. My favorite football game ever in Denton.

Some honorable mentions--Beating Tech in 1999, beating Tech in 1988, beating NMSU at Fouts to win the SBC in 2002, beating SDSU in Denton as our only win over a ranked team in our history, beating MUTS in 2001 to being a dominant stretch against the sbc for the next 4 years, beating Indiana in 2011 for our first win at Apogee and our first win against a Big Ten team, beating Rice in 2013 in a nationally televised game that featured The Stand, and, for pure fun, beating a ranked i-aa McNeese State in the rain at Fouts in front of 19k that basically put us in the drivers seat to win the SLC in our last year as a 1-aa team (punctuated with a fumble return for a TD that caused George Dunham to yell out "See 'Ya Later McNeese State!!"

Feel free to add to this list--I'm sure I missed a few along the way.

[wardly]

I think you got them all. Good Job!