ESPN Sun Belt Wrapup

[MeanGreen61]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2250930

Sun Belt

MVP: Arkansas State RB Antonio Warren

Despite playing in only nine games, Warren led the New Orleans Bowl-bound Indians in rushing (1,046) and ranked second in scoring (36 points). He placed 13th nationally in rushing average (116.2 ypg) despite being the only player in the top 30 to have fewer than 170 carries. North Texas RB Patrick Cobbs (104.9 ypg) gets a mention, despite his team's poor finish.

Coach of the Year: Florida International's Don Strock

A preseason poll of league coaches picked the Panthers to finish last by a large margin, but FIU won five games and finished in fourth place. Strock's offense led the league in passing yards (2,595) and ranked third in scoring offense (23.4 ppg). FIU hardly looked like a provisional Division I-A member, upsetting Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 5. Arkansas State's Steve Roberts gets a mention here.

Newcomer of the Year: Louisiana-Lafayette RB Tyrell Fenroy

The freshman became the first Cajuns RB ever to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He finished the year with three consecutive 100-yard games and ranked second in the league in rushing touchdowns (12) and third in rushing average (95.7 ypg). Fenroy ranked fifth nationally among freshman in rushing.

Biggest Surprise: Arkansas State

Picked to finish sixth in the league before the season, Arkansas State won the league and earned its first bowl appearance. The Indians won four of their final five league games and will play in the postseason for the first time since 1987, when they reached the Division I-AA quarterfinals.

Biggest Disappointment: North Texas

Not surprisingly, North Texas was the preseason pick to win the league after claiming the title in each of the past four seasons. But the Mean Green tumbled into a last-place tie with Florida Atlantic after losing their final six games. Despite the efforts of RB Patrick Cobbs (1,154 yards), North Texas ranked last in the league in both scoring defense (31.5 ppg) and passing offense (129.3 ypg, 13 INTs).

[ipEAGLE]

What a nightmare of a season.

Edited December 8, 2005 by ipEAGLE

[ntsumck]

We actually have good receivers and finished last. Just goes to show you how important a decent QB is to your team.

[NCMeanGreen]

We actually have good receivers and finished last.  Just goes to show you how important a decent QB is to your team.

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OK...I am kind of getting red a## from hearing this sooo much! Do we really have such great receivers? This was another year where I saw A LOT of balls being dropped that should have been caught. THAT, alone, would have helped a young freshman QB with his confidence and getting things going.

No more comments about our GREAT receivers...

[ipEAGLE]

OK...I am kind of getting red a## from hearing this sooo much!  Do we really have such great receivers?  This was another year where I saw A LOT of balls being dropped that should have been caught.  THAT, alone, would have helped a young freshman QB with his confidence and getting things going.

No more comments about our GREAT receivers...

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I agree with that.

Seems like our talent level is actually decreasing.

[MeanMag]

OK...I am kind of getting red a## from hearing this sooo much!  Do we really have such great receivers?  This was another year where I saw A LOT of balls being dropped that should have been caught.  THAT, alone, would have helped a young freshman QB with his confidence and getting things going.

No more comments about our GREAT receivers...

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Besides Quinn and maybe Jackson, no, not really.

[Rudy]

We actually have good receivers and finished last.  Just goes to show you how important a decent QB is to your team.

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What good are recievers when you dont throw to them?

[PlummMeanGreen]

OK...I am kind of getting red a## from hearing this sooo much!  Do we really have such great receivers?  This was another year where I saw A LOT of balls being dropped that should have been caught.  THAT, alone, would have helped a young freshman QB with his confidence and getting things going.

No more comments about our GREAT receivers...

←

NCMG, I beg to differ with you on this. I believe most of us feel Mean Green receiver Johnny Quinn will play in the NFL. He has 4.4 speed and the best set of hands (if not the best) some of us have seen in Mean Green Country. He reminds me of a much faster Fred Bilitnikoff of decades past and if NT had an established QB coming into the 2006 season, he would undoubtedly be up for the annual award that honors Fred B; but JQuinn still might not get enough passes thrown his way to be considered. I am sure its tough as hell for NT to recruit skill position types out there, especially QB for the offense we run.

UNT has some good football players and 99% of us on the GMG.com have never said we didn't, we just don't have the volume required surrounding that group of NT talent to beat most on our football schedule anymore. Don't really know if we will in 2006, either.

Next football season will be very interesting and that's all I will say on that until our Mean Green recruiting season is officially finished this February. A truce has been signed between my typing fingers and keyboard on all that I've previously been harping about non-stop and to an ad nausem level, but after national signing day, that truce might very well come to an end!

Whoever finishes at the top of the SBC each Fall will very soon have to start getting Top 25 rankings for any of this to be worthwhile to us as a consortium of football schools. After all, those at the top of the MAC and WAC annually get such rankings. If we don't in the SBC, we will all continue to still be ranked 100 and lower in NCAA D1-A no matter whose ratings system it is.

I think at this time most in the Mean Green Nation will no longer accept merely being at the top of the SBC as our expectation or our version of an NCAA D1-A existence and we shouldn't, either; but if each and everyone of us on this forum and beyond don't let our UNT power brokers know this with letters and emails sent to them even today of what our expectations are from them and our school's athletic program, specifically its cash cow, ie, MG football, just who is out there (that "gives a damn") who will? (Whoops! I'll stop while I'm ahead).

GOD BLESS TEXAS!

Edited December 9, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

[TIgreen01]

OK...I am kind of getting red a## from hearing this sooo much!  Do we really have such great receivers?  This was another year where I saw A LOT of balls being dropped that should have been caught.  THAT, alone, would have helped a young freshman QB with his confidence and getting things going.

No more comments about our GREAT receivers...

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Amen!

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

What good are recievers when you don't throw to them?

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---The bigger problem seemed to be that the QB had very little time to find recievers and throw (ie. can't even try passing much). Everyone notices the QB when he is good or bad but his success is very tied to how well his line plays. The offensive line never gets the credit or blame they truly deserve. Peyton Manning would not look all that great either if he had the Houston Texan offensive line.

---You can have a good QB and great recievers but if the QB is getting tackled almost immediately, you can't even attempt passing plays.

Edited December 9, 2005 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66