What is this program missing?

NTSU52 · November 19

5 hours ago, Cougar King said:

Simple. UNT has never won the conference and doesn't have a signature win that captured the nation attention. No 2-10 Arkansas doesn't count.

This part of your argument is just not true. North Texas has claimed 25 conference championships in football all time, tied for 13th most in the FBS. I would say a “signature win” would be the win over undefeated #22 UTSA in 2021. Looking a little further back, are you forgetting about the season we beat Rice and Texas Tech on the road, and also nearly beat Texas at DKR?

Salsa_Verde · November 19

57 minutes ago, NTSU52 said:

This part of your argument is just not true. North Texas has claimed 25 conference championships in football all time, tied for 13th most in the FBS. I would say a “signature win” would be the win over undefeated #22 UTSA in 2021. Looking a little further back, are you forgetting about the season we beat Rice and Texas Tech on the road, and also nearly beat Texas at DKR?

I don’t agree with cougar king like ever but you got to call a spade a spade…signature win against a good power conference team maybe this century?…the last conference championship this program won is what 20 years ago? Last bowl win more than a decade ago? The fact you mention how North Texas “almost” won against Texas in like what…the 70s?!…also does not help your argument

Edited November 19 by Salsa_Verde

Cougar King · November 19

9 hours ago, NTSU52 said:

This part of your argument is just not true. North Texas has claimed 25 conference championships in football all time, tied for 13th most in the FBS. I would say a “signature win” would be the win over undefeated #22 UTSA in 2021. Looking a little further back, are you forgetting about the season we beat Rice and Texas Tech on the road, and also nearly beat Texas at DKR?

This is exactly the problem. UTSA? Really?

Beating Texas Tech was what? 30 years ago in a season where you went like 7-5.

Almost Beating UT? That's still a loss.

The fact that you have to go back several years and mention close losses drives my point home.

Edited November 19 by Cougar King

peanuts104 · November 19

13 hours ago, Cougar King said:

Simple. UNT has never won the conference and doesn't have a signature win that captured the nation attention. No 2-10 Arkansas doesn't count.

UNT also needs a Heisman Candidate to be the face of the team. It was ALMOST there with Mason Fine but it was squandered, opportunity after opportunity keep being missed.

Until UNT has a marketable face of the team, actually take down P4 opponents and win the conference, the same story will keep repeating itself.

UCF had Blake Bortles take them to the Fiesta Bowl and a big run followed by Milton McKenzie beating Auburn.

Boise had Kellen Moore, Jared Zanbranski and others followed with wins over Oregon, Georgia, Oklahoma, etc.

Cincinatti had a 14-0 run to the Sugar Bowl followed by back to back undefeated runs with Desmond Ridder.

Houston had a great 2011 run with Case Keenum where we beat UCLA and Penn State in a January Bowl Game. In 2009 we beat #5 Oklahoma State and Texas Tech back to back.

In 2015 with Greg Ward Jr, we went 13-1, beat Louisville, Vanderbilt, ranked Navy, ranked Memphis, ranked Temple in the AAC Championship and Florida State in the Peach Bowl

2016, we had Ward back and Ed Oliver and beat Top 5 Oklahoma and Top 5 Louisville on National TV.

kingsley shut up GIF

Cougar King · November 19

1 hour ago, peanuts104 said:

So in other words, you know I'm right and don't have anything intelligent to add. It's not my fault you'll most likely go your entire lifetime without ever seeing UNT win anything.

peanuts104 · November 19

1 hour ago, Cougar King said:

So in other words, you know I'm right and don't have anything intelligent to add. It's not my fault you'll most likely go your entire lifetime without ever seeing UNT win anything.

UNT could spend its entire time as a football program in mediocrity and it still wouldn't be as sad as you hanging around on another team's message board.

UNTLifer · November 19

3 hours ago, Cougar King said:

So in other words, you know I'm right and don't have anything intelligent to add. It's not my fault you'll most likely go your entire lifetime without ever seeing UNT win anything.

No. You're just the classic douchebag looking for attention. You are so disliked by your own that they removed you from their fan boards, so you found a place where the MOD's accept your dumbass.

meangreen2016 · November 19

We can hate on him but I do think he makes solid points. It is somewhat helpful to have an outside perspective that isn’t drinking the green kool-aid. (Although it crosses a line if that person starts kicking us while we’re down-which I don’t think he’s done in this post).

So this offseason/next year looks like the following:

-give morris another year to see what he can build

-hire a new defensive coordinator

-hopefully hang on to Chandler Morris and Sheffield

-pray for a healthy RB room

Anything I’m missing?

This year: Still think a bowl win gives the program some momentum going into next year. Maybe my expectations grew too large after that 5-1 start, but man there was a glaring need defensively that was not addressed. The offense has also just fallen off a cliff.

SilverEagle · November 19

6 hours ago, Cougar King said:

This is exactly the problem. UTSA? Really?

Beating Texas Tech was what? 30 years ago in a season where you went like 7-5.

Almost Beating UT? That's still a loss.

The fact that you have to go back several years and mention close losses drives my point home.

I hate to help you out in any way, but Houston had some pretty signature wins back in the 60's that got them noticed. They beat #3 Michigan State 37-7 in 1967, in 68 they tied #4 Texas and #7 Georgia, and beat Tulsa a NCAA record 100-6. Those were the days of Warren McVea and the veer.

Cougar King · November 19

7 minutes ago, SilverEagle said:

I hate to help you out in any way, but Houston had some pretty signature wins back in the 60's that got them noticed. They beat #3 Michigan State 37-7 in 1967, in 68 they tied #4 Texas and #7 Georgia, and beat Tulsa a NCAA record 100-6. Those were the days of Warren McVea and the veer.

Right but if we hadn't done anything since the 60s, we wouldn't have a football program today.

We were one vote away from dropping football 20 something years ago. Our adminstration basically told the Athletic Department that if the next guy didn't turn things around, that was it.

The next guy that was hired was Art Briles.

3_n_out · November 19

All I know is with all these AAC coaches being fired, we better be dipping our toes into recruiting some of their players. Could be a lot of movement going on…possibly inter conference even.

97and03 · November 19

4 hours ago, meangreen2016 said:

We can hate on him but I do think he makes solid points. It is somewhat helpful to have an outside perspective that isn’t drinking the green kool-aid. (Although it crosses a line if that person starts kicking us while we’re down-which I don’t think he’s done in this post).

So this offseason/next year looks like the following:

-give morris another year to see what he can build

-hire a new defensive coordinator

-hopefully hang on to Chandler Morris and Sheffield

-pray for a healthy RB room

Anything I’m missing?

This year: Still think a bowl win gives the program some momentum going into next year. Maybe my expectations grew too large after that 5-1 start, but man there was a glaring need defensively that was not addressed. The offense has also just fallen off a cliff.

OL should be a concern as well

Green Otaku · November 19

4 hours ago, meangreen2016 said:

We can hate on him but I do think he makes solid points. It is somewhat helpful to have an outside perspective that isn’t drinking the green kool-aid. (Although it crosses a line if that person starts kicking us while we’re down-which I don’t think he’s done in this post).

So this offseason/next year looks like the following:

-give morris another year to see what he can build

-hire a new defensive coordinator

-hopefully hang on to Chandler Morris and Sheffield

-pray for a healthy RB room

Anything I’m missing?

This year: Still think a bowl win gives the program some momentum going into next year. Maybe my expectations grew too large after that 5-1 start, but man there was a glaring need defensively that was not addressed. The offense has also just fallen off a cliff.

Size on both sides of the line, but that seems to be the most difficult area to recruit.

Wag Tag · November 24

There is only one solution. One of our female alumni needs to date Larry Ellison. Lucky Michigan.

FirefightnRick · November 24

You can wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which fills up first.

The way I see it we have three options we control.

1). Find that one coach who can do more with less, cause,…we’re always going to have less even though we have great facilities(the current NIL and Portal environment is COMPLETELY unsustainable for this program and you are a fool if you think otherwise). We must avoid the coach who approaches the “Square Peg Round Hole” mantra and is instead willing to go outside the box. There’s men out there like this; Coach Fry & Coach Nelson showed us this. Willie Fritz, Hughe Freeze, Bronco Mendenhall, come to mind. But these dudes are rare. And at NT, in this stupid environment they will always be under the greatest threats of losing staff and players to the P4 that we cannot counter monetarily.

2). Be the first FBS school to approach the remaining G5 and push to form a new league separate from the NCAA and structure a more affordable and common sense scholarship structure that includes non compete clauses and/or contract obligations for ALL athletes. Don’t tell me this can’t be done. Stanford now play’s Florida St in conference so anything is possible if we have the will to do it.

3). Move to the FCS and dominate. We would instantly be at the top of the recruiting chain with facilities and location, and be at a more sustainable level of NIL.

Anything less and we’ll continue to just chase our tails.

Rick

Edited November 24 by FirefightnRick

UNT78 · November 24

NIL, NIL, NIL…we are way behind the rest of the conference. It starts with the athletic director…he is the one that is responsible for the development of NIL! We have to get ahead of this and fast! Look at SMU, best players money can buy!

SUMG · November 24

2 minutes ago, UNT78 said:

NIL, NIL, NIL…we are way behind the rest of the conference. It starts with the athletic director…he is the one that is responsible for the development of NIL! We have to get ahead of this and fast! Look at SMU, best players money can buy!

Or you think that the NIL is horse crap....and that schools like us, are wasting our time "keeping up with the Joneses." It's past time for the dumbass ADs of the G5s to get together and break off from the big boys. That's what Moseley should be doing, IMHO.

Wanna know the difference? SMU put out word that they needed big $$. They had in about a week....four $10 million donors, thirty eight $1 million donors....and 80+ more that gave six figure donations.

We've been raising money for the AC for several years now....and finally have around $5 million raised so they can start on Phase 1 (now a $10 million project).

We'll never be in the CFP playoff. Ain't happening.

So either trying to get with the G5s and doing something sensible....or going down to FCS, makes much more sense than what we're doing right now.

FirefightnRick · November 24

4 minutes ago, SUMG said:

Or you think that the NIL is horse crap....and that schools like us, are wasting our time "keeping up with the Joneses." It's past time for the dumbass ADs of the G5s to get together and break off from the big boys. That's what Moseley should be doing, IMHO.

Wanna know the difference? SMU put out word that they needed big $$. They had in about a week....four $10 million donors, thirty eight $1 million donors....and 80+ more that gave six figure donations.

We've been raising money for the AC for several years now....and finally have around $5 million raised so they can start on Phase 1 (now a $10 million project).

We'll never be in the CFP playoff. Ain't happening.

So either trying to get with the G5s and doing something sensible....or going down to FCS, makes much more sense than what we're doing right now.

Our fanbase in general has no idea.

Rick

Collin1unt · November 24

Money.

BleedingGreen · November 24

On 11/18/2024 at 11:19 AM, meangreen2016 said:

It’s all just really depressing. I’m hurting for the players. I want us to be relevant but it just feels like there’s something missing every year we’re somewhat decent. The year we beat Arkansas I was thinking “finally- this is it. We’re gonna break through. Everyone will start taking us seriously. Here come the big recruits.” Then back to back heartbreaking losses. Is UNT football just doomed to be the low to mid tier punching bag for schools to beat up on?

This is my first post for multiple years in here and I’m just curious to know serious thoughts:

What are we missing? What is preventing this program from going on a Boise State/UTSA/Cincy/UCF run?
Is it just the complacency and history of losing?
Or is it more tangible like facilities/money towards recruits?

I’m afraid if we don’t figure it out we’re really going to get left in the dust with NIL taking off.
(Sorry for the long post, just processing what has turned into a disappointing season)

Money $$$&$ - more generous donors

BleedingGreen · November 24

Having said the above, there is a lot of apathy based on history so a bowl winning season is needed to boost donor trust .

Heck , they could have named it Apathy Stadium a few years ago.

TIgreen01 · November 24

We need an offensive coach who puts the defense first. All the teams mentioned (Boise, Tcu, Cincy, UCF) had badass defenses paired with high flying offenses. You CAN still play fundamentally sound defensive football but you can’t pair it with an offense that kids don’t want to play in (what doomed Mac). I actually think DD in 2024 would do both. So the answer is find the next Darrell Dickey.

HFC is tricky to hire. He’s got to be someone that can recruit assistants, first and foremost. Dickey had been around a long time and came from a football family (his Dad was KSU HFC) so he had ties everywhere. With a young coach you are betting that he, himself, is going to win games and account for a lack of a deep staff…or that other coaches see him as someone on the rise that they ride the ladder with. That’s what Littrell initially brought and his first staff was tremendous. Then as they started taking promotions he couldn’t replace them. I don’t know this for sure, but Morris doesn’t seem able to bring in enough experienced coaches, yet. His first staff was extremely underwhelming from a resume standpoint.

All the doom and gloom in this thread is tiring. UNT still funds the football program at a level that is competitive with the top of the g5. Maybe we need to bring up NIL, but overall, we’re not nearly as far off as some people would have you believe.

Edited November 24 by TIgreen01

wardly · November 24

On 11/18/2024 at 8:30 PM, UNT 90 Grad said:

Losing to Southland’s McNeese State?

Their coach was previously at LSU and was pushed out for NCAA infractions. He is a good very good coach and recruits well so I personally am not troubled by this road loss.

Green with Envy · November 24

4 hours ago, BleedingGreen said:

Money $$$&$ - more generous donors

I’m over simplifying here but our alumni base is filled with teachers and musicians. It’s unlikely they supported the athletics program in full force while students. Why would they financially as alumni? Sure, there are more than just those 2 groups but you get the point.

Doners that can and have supported, eventually, will stop throwing bad money away.