My reflection of the '90 NT vs SMU game...

FirefightnRick · July 22, 2006

To try and pass the time to get me over the no-football-man's-land crisis and to help see the light at the end of the tunnel I got the old tapes out and rewatched the '90 SMU game. It's still one of the most gutsiest performances by any of our players of all time with the effort by Scott Davis.

SMU dropped their LB's back in coverage all night leaving a huge seam in the middle allowing for the dump off pass and clearing away secondary outside containment on the option plays. Davis ran nearly 30 times for 211 yards. Towards the end of the game he was limping severely, but kept turning it up field on the option plays. Merle Harmon and his partner who announced the game on channel 27 kept mentioning that they were certain that Davis would be drafted, but as a DB rather than a QB because of his throwing motion having a "HITCH" in it. It was funny to keep hearing them harp on how bad his throwing was considering that he only needed something like 100 yards passing to eclipse the 6,000 yard mark for his carreer, in which they mentioned that at the start of the game. You could certainly tell though that something was very wrong with Scotts' throwing arm that night. He had his right elbow wrapped and all of his passes fluttered terribly that night giving them the fuel to continue the throwing criticism. However, his running won them over.

Until last night, I never realized that for that game NT lost 3 defensive starters that week to suspension due to the players getting into a fight at a local night club earlier that week, plus I had forgotten that we lost reciever Tony Cook for the season the week before with a broken ankle. Overall NT had 3 or 4 players that got their first start ever against the ponies.

TRIVIA: Who blocked the field goal attempt at the end of the first half? The same player finished the game with the final interception that sealed the win for NT.

Another incredible night was played by linebacker Byron Gross who ended up diving to his left to pick off a crucial interception at our own goal line preventing SMU from taking the lead. I think Gross ended up leading the team in tackles that night.

The SMU QB was a guy named Romo who had a really strong arm. He had some critical passes dropped that night, one on one of the final plays for them. Down 14-7 with 40 seconds to go and the ball on the the SMU end of the field he threw a laser to a reciever who gets behind two NT defenders. If he catches the ball and keeps his feet that game ends up as a tie. But the reciever lost track of the ball from either poor timing or one of the NT defenders getting a finger on it, and the ball hits the reciever right in the helmet and bounces away.

More TRIVIA and something else I never realized until only recently: What local high school that has never been any kind of a powerhouse in football(I think they may have one district championship in 30 years or so it seems) had three ex players starting for the Mean Green that night?

I'll try and post some photos of this game later on. Anyone else have some memorable moments of this game?

Rick

Edited July 22, 2006 by FirefightnRick

Harry · July 22, 2006

I just remembered sitting there with a sold out crowd thinking man we really have something here! Of course this was post death penalty SMU but for a kid growing up in Houston, Texas I was a huge fan of of the Pony Express. They were still SMU and at that point the disasterous - and frankly unfair - effects of death penalty hadn't sunk in. My childhood idol was Craig James who played at Stratford High School in Houston in the same district I played in (17 5A). SMU was not Texas or A&M but they were damn good and our best athlete at Memorial chose to play there over UT and A&M.

I remember the fight at halftime and the euphoria after the win. I remember seeing fans watching from outside the stadium around the fences. They didn't have the stupid endzone seats there at that time and there was truly a "sold out" feel.

I was very proud to be a UNT student that night. It was a big game and we treated it that way both on the field and in the stands.

Great memories, thanks for stirring them back Rick!

July 22, 2006

I don't really remember but I'm going to guess Greg Matthews.

Only because you noticed it, I'm going to guess Burleson as the answer to Trivia #2;

Baby Arm! · July 22, 2006

It was the first time I had personally experienced a true college football 'experience' at a North Texas home game. All my previous home games were against D-1AA teams. I knew then that we had to get back to playing in division 1. For anybody that complains about the state of our game day experience today... they have no idea what it was like in the dark days of 1-AA football.

PONYEXPRESS · July 22, 2006

Howdy mean greeners! Let me introduce myself......... I am not an alum of SMU, but live in Dallas and have been a fan for a loooooooong time. I was at the game in Dallas in 89 (first year post death penalty) that SMU won 35-9. I was in Denton, (second year post dp) Meangreen won 14-7. That second season, SMU may have had 6 or 8 players on an all freshman and soph. team that received div. 1 offers. The SMU player that dropped the pass, with 40 seconds left was Andy Bergfield. My memories from that game as I sat on the pressbox side are............I was surprised, at how fired up North Texas fans and players were! It was kind of surreal, like it was a BIG bowl game or something. The feeling I had, was that the meangreen nation was capable of violence! LOL! Judging by the halftime brawl, my feelings were correct. I pulled out my media guide, and you guys have played SMU once more, 1992 in Dallas......with SMU winning 28-14. The attendance was 10,200. That's a pretty bad crowd! Romon Flannigan played as a freshman that day, and I remember him throwing a touchdown bomb to Brian Berry. Good luck against the horns! Oh by the way........I have a couple of good friends in their early forties, a couple of relatives in their late twenties and early thirties......and they all refer to the meangreen as NTS and UNT, so I think some of you guys are being a little paranoid about SMU posters using the NTS. I prefer SMU compared to Southern Methodist University. But what are ya gonna do! Right!

DallasGreen · July 22, 2006

Howdy mean greeners! Let me introduce myself......... I am not an alum of SMU, but live in Dallas and have been a fan for a loooooooong time. I was at the game in Dallas in 89 (first year post death penalty) that SMU won 35-9. I was in Denton, (second year post dp) Meangreen won 14-7. That second season, SMU may have had 6 or 8 players on an all freshman and soph. team that received div. 1 offers. The SMU player that dropped the pass, with 40 seconds left was Andy Bergfield. My memories from that game as I sat on the pressbox side are............I was surprised, at how fired up North Texas fans and players were! It was kind of surreal, like it was a BIG bowl game or something. The feeling I had, was that the meangreen nation was capable of violence! LOL! Judging by the halftime brawl, my feelings were correct. I pulled out my media guide, and you guys have played SMU once more, 1992 in Dallas......with SMU winning 28-14. The attendance was 10,200. That's a pretty bad crowd! Romon Flannigan played as a freshman that day, and I remember him throwing a touchdown bomb to Brian Berry. Good luck against the horns! Oh by the way........I have a couple of good friends in their early forties, a couple of relatives in their late twenties and early thirties......and they all refer to the meangreen as NTS and UNT, so I think some of you guys are being a little paranoid about SMU posters using the NTS. I prefer SMU compared to Southern Methodist University. But what are ya gonna do! Right!
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As I've said before ANYONE who uses NTSU instead of the correct name in place for nearing two decades, THE University of North Texas, is either: 1) VERY OLD or 2) EXTREMELY STUPID

PONYEXPRESS · July 22, 2006

Whoa! Thats pretty harsh! Because you would be insulting a lot of your fellow alums.

DallasGreen · July 22, 2006

Whoa! Thats pretty harsh! Because you would be insulting a lot of your fellow alums.
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Either way I stand by my statement!!

drex · July 22, 2006

I was proud to have been a part of the first and only sell out in school history. Here are few things that happened that the general public never knew about. First, I got in trouble with Doug Ray and Corky Nelson for a suggestion that I made to the Talons to stir up spirit during the game. I suggested that the Talons paint the SMU Mustang on the old urination wall located in the men's restroom...that way every guy would get a chance to urinate on the Mustangs....not very classy, but funny. They made me call the Talons and tell them not to do the 'wall.' Secondly, as I was down on the field about an hour before kickoff Steve Donnelly, the stadium manager, came over to me to advise me that they could not get the lights to come on...as you may remember this was a televised game on a local Dallas affiliate. Thirdly, as an error on someone's part, the SMU fan tickets were sold all throughout the West side of the stadium, not in a block...I wonder how that could have happened. Fourthly, the game might not have been a sellout without the promotional partners of Pizza Hut and Albertson's. We swapped general admission public tickets for huge ads by both companies in the Denton Record-Chronicle, plus radio spots. Anyway, it was fun and the good guys won and the seats that might have gone unsold probably bought Cokes and hot dogs and candy, etc.

FirefightnRick · July 23, 2006

I first must also mention how classy, and responsibly it was for Corky to sit on the ball at the 1 yard line to run the clock out, sealing the 14-7 win. It's true, this was only SMU's second season back, but they were not a collection of has beens by any chance and had several talented transfers to go with their recruits, who were by the way being coached by one of Football's greatest names of all time; 3 Time All American and Pro Football Hall of Fame Member Forest Gregg. I also remember the week earlier that the Ponies were up by 14 or 21 points if I remember correctly to TCU in the 4th quarter only to give up 2 or 3 late TD's to lose. And on this night (Oct 6, '90) that same TCU team routed Arkansas 54-26. Plus you have to keep in mind that NT was 1-AA still at the time and was playing not only without all the luxuries that all SWC members had at their disposal but was also playing with 20 less scholarships as well.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Kieth Wilkerson. Kieth had a good arguement for player of that game. He blocked that FG at the end of the first half, made some huge tackles and several pass break ups, and then intercepted the final Romo pass and took it down to the 1 yard line at the end of the game.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Granbury High School. Brad Allen was our kicker, Bart Helsley was our punter and J.D. Martinez played left tackle.

Rick

Edited July 23, 2006 by FirefightnRick

FirefightnRick · July 23, 2006

I don't really remember but I'm going to guess Greg Matthews.
Only because you noticed it, I'm going to guess Burleson as the answer to Trivia #2;
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Funny you mentioned Greg Methews, aka GMoney here on GMG.com. The very next week after our game with SMU we played SFA in Nachodoches and GMoney, as a true freshman got the start at wide reciever(possibly his first start ever?) and was NTTV's player of the game with several huge catches and, if I remember correctly the winning TD catch?

Rick

Edited July 23, 2006 by FirefightnRick

SilverEagle · July 23, 2006

Funny you mentioned Greg Methews, aka GMoney here on GMG.com. The very next week after our game with SMU we played SFA in Nachodoches and GMoney, as a true freshman got the start at wide reciever(possibly his first start ever?) and was NTTV's player of the game with several huge catches and, if I remember correctly the winning TD catch?
Rick
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Didn't he start the SMU game as well?

PONYEXPRESS · July 23, 2006

Firefightnrick.......... man I wrestled to dispute anything in your memory of what appears to be a great day in meangreen history. But I just got back from Church and I have to tell the truth. If you force me into it, I can dig out the recruiting ratings for those two years. It will be pretty ugly!LOL! Tranfers were Tre Giller from Richardson, Tx. He transferred back to SMU from OU, after being third team on their depth chart. And a friend of mine Michael Bowen, he was a 5-7 walk-on receiver at Georgia. That TCU game you referred to.........SMU played TCU close for a quarter, and then we were blown out by halftime. The quarterback Romo, had an offer from Rice until he tore up his knee his senior year in high school. Giller had several offers before he went to OU. Receiver Jason Wolf had several div. 1 offers, but he was injured, and I am not sure if he even played in this clash. And thats about it. The 1989 team that beat NT 35-9, had 15 redshirt freshman, and 25 true freshman players on scholarship. That team went 2-9, with it's other win coming against then division 2 U Conn. The 1990 team beat Vandy in the opener, then lost 10 straight! The next season, SMU went 1-10 as well. For years after the DP, SMU has been one of the WORST teams in America. But you were correct on the info on Forrest Gregg. I am NOT trying to stir the pot. Just passing on facts. Good luck against the horns!

FirefightnRick · July 24, 2006

Firefightnrick.......... man I wrestled to dispute anything in your memory of what appears to be a great day in meangreen history. But I just got back from Church and I have to tell the truth. If you force me into it, I can dig out the recruiting ratings for those two years. It will be pretty ugly!LOL! Tranfers were Tre Giller from Richardson, Tx. He transferred back to SMU from OU, after being third team on their depth chart. And a friend of mine Michael Bowen, he was a 5-7 walk-on receiver at Georgia. That TCU game you referred to.........SMU played TCU close for a quarter, and then we were blown out by halftime. The quarterback Romo, had an offer from Rice until he tore up his knee his senior year in high school. Giller had several offers before he went to OU. Receiver Jason Wolf had several div. 1 offers, but he was injured, and I am not sure if he even played in this clash. And thats about it. The 1989 team that beat NT 35-9, had 15 redshirt freshman, and 25 true freshman players on scholarship. That team went 2-9, with it's other win coming against then division 2 U Conn. The 1990 team beat Vandy in the opener, then lost 10 straight! The next season, SMU went 1-10 as well. For years after the DP, SMU has been one of the WORST teams in America. But you were correct on the info on Forrest Gregg. I am NOT trying to stir the pot. Just passing on facts. Good luck against the horns!
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Ummmm, no. That's not true at all PONYEXRESS. Excuse me, it's none of my business but what kind of church do you attend anyhow?

2535. The Dallas Morning News - September 30, 1990
TCU erupts, 42-21 Four TDs in fourth end SMU upset bid
UNIVERSITY PARK -- For three quarters, SMU and TCU played the type of football that made the matchup one of the better SWC rivalries. But TCU brought the rebuilding Mustangs back to the present by scoring four fourth-quarter touchdowns in 4:38 to defeat the Mustangs, 42-21, before 20,100 at Ownby Stadium (capacity 23,783) Saturday afternoon.. SMU, looking for its first Southwest Conference victory since 1986, was one quarter away from reaching that milestone.. It was the third consecutive...

The Dallas Morning News - October 1, 1990
Gregg blames turnovers on lack of concentration
UNIVERSITY PARK -- SMU continues to show it can be competitive with Division I teams but needs a near-perfect game to be victorious. The Mustangs had a chance to beat TCU when they took a 21-14 lead with 13:19 to play. But the Mustangs quickly showed their inexperience and made costly mistakes. Turnovers on offense and giving up big plays on defense allowed TCU to score 28 points in less than five minutes for a 42-21 victory.. Instead of celebrating their first Southwest Conference victory...

Don't bother digging out the recruiting ratings, North Texas has never outrecruited anyone according to the so called recruiting experts. You can also forget about the player to player comparisons as that doesn't hold much water either. Our own Clay Bode played center at 235 lbs etc etc so that is really moot on the subject. Overall, NT was 1-AA then with much less than SMU yet found a way to win that night over a team with (according to your information) 40 experienced guys on ship, and a walk-on program that unfortunately we are all too well aware of to ever forget.

Rick

Edited July 25, 2006 by FirefightnRick