DRC column: Tough season leaves Mac with issues to address

Brett Vito · December 1, 2014

How UNT's coach handles the Mean Green's issues could have long-lasting effect on future

http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/sports-headlines/20141130-brett-vito-disappointing-year-leaves-mccarney-with-questions.ece

Cerebus · December 1, 2014

UNT was also fried by Rice and axed by the UTEP Miners

Cerebus · December 1, 2014

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but is the job tougher than I thought it was going to be — and have I been in some really tough situations?” McCarney said earlier this year. “Hell, yes. No question.”

UNT90 · December 1, 2014

He has learned the art of excuse making from his AD.

At least he didn't blame the kids...

oldguystudent · December 1, 2014

VideoEagle · December 1, 2014

“It’s not good enough,” McCarney said of UNT’s performance in 2014. “I’m not getting any younger, and the older, I get the more I appreciate winning and hate losing. We have to do everything we can every day to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

I like the quote. Do something every day to make sure this doesn't happen again.

VideoEagle · December 1, 2014

Folks, McCarney didn't again say it was tough to recruit, Vito quoted him from weeks ago. It was also a comment he has backed away from every week since.

Harry · December 1, 2014

I'll address the elephant in the room -- it's recruiting. Address that and we will be just fine.

GOMG2013 · December 1, 2014

I'll address the elephant in the room -- it's recruiting. Address that and we will be just fine.

Theres more than one elephant in the room.

Recruiting is dependent on lots of things. Some fans just dont get it. Its easy to get on here and say recruit better. Look at school x in that state.

coaches matter. Style of play. How often you send mail and letters. How those letters look. What conference. Fanbase. How your school treats athletes and athletics. How the surrounding town and community treats its athletes and team. How many players go to the next level? TV exposure. Playing time.

theres a lot that needs fixing. Mac has control of some of the things. Not all.

FirefightnRick · December 1, 2014

Theres more than one elephant in the room.
Recruiting is dependent on lots of things. Some fans just dont get it. Its easy to get on here and say recruit better. Look at school x in that state.
coaches matter. Style of play. How often you send mail and letters. How those letters look. What conference. Fanbase. How your school treats athletes and athletics. How the surrounding town and community treats its athletes and team. How many players go to the next level? TV exposure. Playing time.
theres a lot that needs fixing. Mac has control of some of the things. Not all.

.

Dodge didn't control it all when he brought in Craig Robertson, Lance Dunbar, Zach Orr and Jamiez Olawale, Abbé, Chancelor, Thompson.

Dickie didnt control it all when he brought in Cobbs, Spencer, Thomas, Kassell, Awasome, Hurd, Brewster, Zuniga......etc

.......and every other coach that's gone out with FOUTS no less to recruit to,... and found talent.

Rick

Edited December 1, 2014 by FirefightnRick

GOMG2013 · December 1, 2014

.
.
Dodge didn't control it all when he brought in Craig Robertson, Lance Dunbar, Zach Orr and Jamiez Olawale, Abbé, Chancelor, Thompson.
Dickie didnt control it all when he brought in Cobbs, Spencer, Thomas, Kassell, Awasome, Hurd, Brewster, Zuniga......etc
.......and every other coach that's gone out with FOUTS no less to recruit to,... and found talent.
Rick

You really think finally catching up with a 30k stadium is enough? recruiting has changed dramatically in the last 10 years and the fans haven't realized that. Building that stadium did not close the gap. Mac (really his STAFF) could do a better job at recruiting though.

I know some fans know that the head coach is not directly involved in recruiting, but it seems as if some on here really thinks an old coach with health problems is going out on the road and evaluating talent. Especially at QB...CHICO is over the offense and recruiting of offensive players! And from what I have been reading, Mac did not pick him.

FirefightnRick · December 1, 2014

You really think finally catching up with a 30k stadium is enough? recruiting has changed dramatically in the last 10 years and the fans haven't realized that. Building that stadium did not close the gap. Mac (really his STAFF) could do a better job at recruiting though.
I know some fans know that the head coach is not directly involved in recruiting, but it seems as if some on here really thinks an old coach with health problems is going out on the road and evaluating talent. Especially at QB...CHICO is over the offense and recruiting of offensive players! And from what I have been reading, Mac did not pick him.

Anyone who doesn't understand the ENORMOUS advantage Mac has over every other coach who worked here prior to 2011 either wasn't here in the first place or is simply kidding themselves.

The Wednesday night prior to us hosting Army on November 21st, 2009, what would be the Golden Knights restroom serving their locker room at Fouts had three urinals in it that was leaking the flushed urine through a crack in the wall and into a drain in the middle of the room floor. I know because I made the phone call to RV to report to him about it to see if we could get it fixed before that Saturday.

I doubt recruiting has evolved like everything else but it contains nothing that isnt available that is available to all the other more Poorer, less fortunate programs who seem to be kicking our ass at it.

Rick

Edited December 1, 2014 by FirefightnRick

GOMG2013 · December 2, 2014

Anyone who doesn't understand the ENORMOUS advantage Mac has over every other coach who worked here prior to 2011 either wasn't here in the first place or is simply kidding themselves.
Rick

In the 10 or more years dickey and dodge were tearing it up in recruiting, what was the college football landscape like?

SMU, team in Dallas? They were horrible during those years. Baylor was terrible. Houston was horrible most of dickeys years. Rice was horrible. UTSA didn't exist. Texas State wasn't FBS. TCU wasnt big 12.

Anyone who understands recruiting realizes it's a competition and is relative to who you are competing against. I have listed 7 programs in state that Mac has to recruit against that his predecessors may have had an advantage over or equal footing. Even with fouts being horrible.

7 schools in Texas have upgraded since dickey and dodge. Much more competition. Seems like the adminstration and Mac has made the same mistake some of the fans on here have. They thought building a stadium would change everything. They thought it would bridge the gap with recruiting and bring in better opponents. Meanwhile, other schools were also upgrading facilities, money, coaches and conferences too. And most of these schools were also performing better on the field compared to the dodge and dickey years.

Some fans are guilty of the same miscalculation as the administration.