I don’t know how to feel.

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

Tonight felt weird. I feel like we played good but not so good at the same time. Maybe it was the rust, but I just don’t know what we’re about to see in the next 11 weeks.

SMU looked good tonight and really the rest of the conference is looking really solid. 

Fall camp made this team look really promising, mainly defense. I know that is deflated in many ways because it’s camp, but after tonight, with so many missed tackles open gaps etc, I feel deflated a bit.

Anyone else feel the same? Maybe it’s just the uncertainty we have upon us, but I think we have the pieces. No doubt we have the talent to win, and I would think we have the coaches too now, but can they turn It up for a big challenge next week?

Maybe things don’t change…

Edited September 5, 2021 by NorthTexasSportsNetwork

[Hunter Green]

Underwhelmed. In all three phases. All three had their moments, good and bad. I give Ruder a C÷. He's got a rocket arm. But his deep throws were consistently underthrown. Running game looks good, I guess. NWS sucks on defense too. I'm hoping this was the first game jitters where we get all the kinks ironed out for next week. We better, or it will be a long game.

[MeanGreen22]

You take a 30 point win every day of the week. Sure there’s things here and there to nitpick but overall.. solid win and move on to next week. 

[El Paso Eagle]

Worried about the outside containment speed for the defense. Overall I think we played everything very basic so it's hard to tell. Receivers need to do a better job hanging on to the ball

[BillySee58]

Yeah I feel very similar. This game felt almost exactly like the 2012 Texas Southern game. Solid rushing performance against an inferior team but very underwhelming passing performance. Both games we failed to complete 50% of our passes and had more INTs than TDs.

Playcalling felt pretty scared too. Ruder throws his 2nd INT and we pretty much stick to the ground from there on out. We should have been able to call any play we wanted and it didn’t feel that way. Gotta hope things look better after this.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/322520249

[All About UNT]

SMU is going to wax our ass next weekend.  Just in case some people need to hear that in advance. 

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

5 minutes ago, All About UNT said:

SMU is going to wax our ass next weekend.  Just in case some people need to hear that in advance. 

Paper bag over the season????

[Monkeypox]

32 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

Yeah I feel very similar. This game felt almost exactly like the 2012 Texas Southern game. Solid rushing performance against an inferior team but very underwhelming passing performance. Both games we failed to complete 50% of our passes and had more INTs than TDs.

Playcalling felt pretty scared too. Ruder throws his 2nd INT and we pretty much stick to the ground from there on out. We should have been able to call any play we wanted and it didn’t feel that way. Gotta hope things look better after this.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore/_/gameId/322520249

This game felt like a LOT of our FCS early games/openers. We look shaky in the pass game, our defense/ST gives up big plays so it’s way too close early. We grind them down with the run because we get behind the 8 ball and can’t afford to lose to and FCS school. 
 

You can see on the field that we are more talented than the opponent. But our execution just doesn’t live up to it. 

[BillySee58]

24 minutes ago, Monkeypox said:

This game felt like a LOT of our FCS early games/openers. We look shaky in the pass game, our defense/ST gives up big plays so it’s way too close early. We grind them down with the run because we get behind the 8 ball and can’t afford to lose to and FCS school. 
 

You can see on the field that we are more talented than the opponent. But our execution just doesn’t live up to it. 

We typically have a lot more success throwing the ball in this FCS games than we did tonight. And we should have tonight as well.

[PlummMeanGreen]

UPON FURTHER REVIEW.....THERE WILL BE NO MORE FURTHER UPDATES!  LOL!

We know what we had the last 2 years & we may have been expecting way too much for any opening game in 2021?  Thank God!  Last night I saw a Mean Green "D" that I think will be coached into a fine unit--not Monsters of the MIdway this year-- but a fine unit.  

Again, how long has it been since Jace Ruder played in any intercollegiate football game?  Honestly, I liked what he did tonight. He had zip on many of his throws when he needed zip.  Some QB’s never have accurate zip because they don’t have zip...period.  I got to see the NY Jets Joe Namath play the Houston Oilers back in the day & that guy truly had—zip. 

 I know many of us believe in the old adage that if a players touches the football he should catch the football.  We had several drops of Jace Ruder passes tonight when the receivers did touch the football.  Still to me Ruder’s pluses far outnumbers his minuses.  The naked (not being overly critical) eye should prove that. 

🟦SMUSMUSMU”always”SMU—🟥  In the next few weeks the Stangs will have to face the realization that they will never be in the Big 12 because the 4 who are projected to get invites will officially close its membership. Money offers by SMU won’t make a difference (except when you pay for some players who will shamefully accept it).  Even if one players accepts money then that team officially becomes a $emi-pro football team.  *** I really wish we'd replace SMU with Army because playing the Black Knights (and beating a "national team" as they are)  could mean Top 25 votes for the Mean Green from the eastern media. 

IMO, the SMU game will not make or break our season, either, although many posters on this “critique every little burp” in Denton will think it’s an ender if we lose at G. Ford this Saturday. 
 We always seem to have some kind of  SMU-Derangement Syndrome in these parts & I don’t completely know why.  (At times we've almost all had a touch of that syndrome, too). 

Full disclosure:  As a HS senior in metropolitan Danbury, Texas, I even went to an Astro-Bluebonnet game & pulled for Fry's SMU (who beat Chuck Fairbank's OU).  It was Chuck Hixon, Mike Richardson, Jerry Levias, etc     Even sadder was how North Texas in 1968 had a better team that had 2-3 NFL #1 draft choices:  Joe Greene, Cedrick Hardman, Ron Shanklin & 7 others who would be drafted off that Mean Green football team).  A great team no one except those in Denton & Denton County knew about.   Another full disclosure:  While in high school, I thought NTSU was located in Denison, Texas.  Hell, folks, the Houston Post & Chronicle did not cover the Missouri Valley Conference but only the SWC.  So it was like Mama said, "Jimmy, life is just not always fair."  😞 

THE RAMBLING CONTINUES:  Yet.......Why we continue to make a school who most “Big 12 Light” schools despise because they also know of SMU’s reputation as cheater$—anyhow,  why do we seem to make the University Park PonyUp$ our forever role model?🤔 A school that protectively stands at the gate of any conference we express an interest?   

SMU to me is a school with a big time identity crisis. Funny to me after all these years (even after an almost century stint in the SWC)  how they are still having to beg Dallas to follow their football product?  
And....the times we did beat SMU did it make that much difference for our football program?  Doesn’t seem it ever did except (maybe) it makes a difference at the office water cooler with competing alums “my daddy’s better than your daddy” chatter.  

🙂 FINALLY...I think this 2021 MG football team will take the 4’th or 5’th game of this season for it to mesh.  A 6 win season & a bowl game is within reach IMHO.  Folks, there is some talent on this Mean Green football team & you know it.  

We may not win CUSA just like we didn’t win it the season we played UNLV in a New Years Day Heart of Dallas Bowl game before a record-gathering of UNT fans that even the TCU play by play guy  was impressed & made a comment about on WBAP the following Monday morn.  That 2013 football season was  one of the most satisfying seasons most of us had ever seen in MG country. 
 

🦅

Edited September 5, 2021 by PlummMeanGreen

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

I feel like we always run very well against FCS, because the size is always in our favor. We don't exercise the pass like we normal would.. so with that said, I'm happy enough with Ruder. I think he only had three *bad* passes. Otherwise, he showed nice placement, good zip and good decisions. No real complaints. He looked composed and confident. 

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by SteaminWillieBeamin

[outoftown]

Its nice to get a win, and one should celebrate them whenever they come. But the game portends problems for the rest of the season.

46% pass completions against a mediocre FCS defense. Independent of whether that is on the QB or WRs or something else, that is super concerning. Some of the defenses coming up may well close the running lanes, and then this passing game has to look better than it did today against an FCS team, or the offense will be exposed.

All we can hope is that it looked this way because they did not want to put anything on film, but I fear that excuse is not really holding up.

Edited September 5, 2021 by outoftown

[Udomann]

Passing game definitely has me questioning the teams offensive viability against better teams.

Not making excuses on dropped passes, but so much depends on that relationship between QB and WR. It just seemed they aren't in sync yet. Hopefully with Ruder solidifying the starter role they can start getting a much stronger feel for each others styles and strengths.

[Tom McKrackin]

I think we will know exactly how to feel next game against SMUt. Violated!

[MeanGreenTexan]

The passing game was very shaky.  If Littrell can’t get the ball flying around, we’re in a bad way this season.  Where were Shorter & Simpson?  I feel like I barely saw them out there at all.

Torrey was awesome.  OL was moving those guys around… but that’s to be expected VS a FCS team.  I highly doubt moving SMUs (or anyone else’s) DLine comes as easily.  The fact we had to lean so heavily on the run game to pull away is concerning.

The defense is improved.  Still lots of kinks to work out, that’s for sure… especially getting to the sidelines on the quick passes & sweeps.  NWSt was consistently picking up 4-5yds/play working outside.  Love the multiple looks & pressure coming from all over.  Give this thing time to gel.

Looking at other CUSA scores… <gulp>.  We must get better than what we saw last night.

Go Mean Green!

[Felozano]

1 hour ago, Udomann said:It just seemed they aren't in sync yet. Hopefully with Ruder solidifying the starter role they can start getting a much stronger feel for each others styles and strengths.

The is what I was seeing, too. I think I got spoiled by Fine and Company. There were a few passes and lack of receiver adjustments that I was used to seeing from Bussey/Darden/Guyton etc. doing.  I know they’ll figure it out. This is going to be a fun team to watch this season. GMG!

[southsideguy]

I know this is no big deal but yet I think you can see coaching on the defense is improving.    When the backups came in the fourth quarter they did not look clueless and no big plays were given up.  In the past as soon they were on the field it looked like they have never been on field in their life.

Yeah I am concerned about the season because a lot of the teams we will play are doing well early in the season.  They seem to be ahead of us and we have a lot of catching up to do.  One other note a lot of teams that should have won big struggled in week one so lets hope we get a lot better.  We have an up hill battle the next four games.

[untjim1995]

That’s the problem for us scheduling these FCS spares. Where are program is right now, these opponents really tell you nothing about our team. Remember killing Nicholls State by 74 points, in the same season we murdered SMU? Well, it turned out that those two teams couldn’t figure out how to handle a trio of QBs that were just not FBS worthy. Lamar, Texas Southern, Bethune-Cookman, etc…they don’t tell you anything about your team’s true talent.

I know everyone else plays them, but for our program right now, I’d much rather play another MAC or SBC or low independent right now in OOC than the FCS spare game.

[DeepGreen]

Although I feel the same as many of you regarding our passing game, let’s not forget how spoiled we’ve been with Mason Fine lobbing those oh so beautiful pineapples into the waiting arms of Darden and others. Manic for four seasons.

Going forward, we have a lot to be concerned about. No team left on our schedule is FCS.  Many are going to ravage the Mean Green.  Gonna be a rough season. Hope I’m wrong.

[golfingomez]

I think has this game been different by 7 points, either one less big play given up, or unt scoring an earlier touchdown, everyone is happy about our team. But that is the thing, this stuff is never easy

[glick1980]

I wish our offense would start the game and give the QB a couple of easy throws to start the game.  A swing pass, bubble screen, etc., get the QB a couple of easy completions to get some rhythm.

[CMJ]

I think the defense definitely seems to be trending in the positive direction.  Whether that's gonna be enough to get many wins this year is another thing entirely.  We have a pretty brutal schedule the next several weeks.

[PlummMeanGreen]

Hey everybody...Let's just enjoy the win and enjoy the morning, right? 🙂 

(I know, what else would you expect from this baby-boomer than some Jim Ed & Helen)?  

 

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by PlummMeanGreen

[ScreamingEaglesFan]

11 hours ago, All About UNT said:

SMU is going to wax our ass next weekend.  Just in case some people need to hear that in advance. 

Here's the mighty ACU Wildcat stats for reference.

Edited September 5, 2021 by ScreamingEaglesFan

[wardly]

2 hours ago, southsideguy said:

I know this is no big deal but yet I think you can see coaching on the defense is improving.    When the backups came in the fourth quarter they did not look clueless and no big plays were given up.  In the past as soon they were on the field it looked like they have never been on field in their life.

Yeah I am concerned about the season because a lot of the teams we will play are doing well early in the season.  They seem to be ahead of us and we have a lot of catching up to do.  One other note a lot of teams that should have won big struggled in week one so lets hope we get a lot better.  We have an up hill battle the next four games.