Ark State has passed you by.....

[SouthernMissFan]

I was in northeast Arkansas on business this weekend and had an invite to the game tonight. Since USM has played UNT and Ark State the last two years in the N.O. Bowl, I was intrigued by the matchup.

Well, no doubt about it, ASU has a far better team than UNT does now. I was impressed with their overall team and their crowd was loud and into the game tonight.

UNT has fallen far since our N.O. Bowl matchup and ASU has improved.

What has happened in Denton? I would think UNT should have big advantages over ASU, but evidently not.

Edited October 22, 2006 by SouthernMissFan

[foutsrouts]

I was in northeast Arkansas on business this weekend and had an invite to the game tonight. Since USM has played UNT and Ark State the last two years in the N.O. Bowl, I was intrigued by the matchup.

Well, no doubt about it, ASU has a far better team than UNT does now. I was impressed with their overall team and their crowd was loud and into the game tonight.

UNT has fallen far since our N.O. Bowl matchup and ASU has improved.

What has happened in Denton? I would think UNT should have big advantages over ASU, but evidently not.

←

We should also have big advantages over S. Miss. but we obviously don't. I hope you won't be able to make that observation a couple years after our new coaching staff takes over.

[Texas Stranger]

ASU also appears to be the fortunate beneficiary of a big-time QB that apparently didn't want to play at a big-time school.

[NT03]

ASU also appears to be the fortunate beneficiary of a big-time QB that apparently didn't want to play at a big-time school.

←

Kinda like us have JMo

[El Paso Eagle]

With all due respect to ASU and the rest of the Belt - I'm not sure it's as much them passing us by as it is us lowering our level of performance.

[Arkstfan]

ASU also appears to be the fortunate beneficiary of a big-time QB that apparently didn't want to play at a big-time school.

←

Leonard was recruited by...

South Carolina, (staff fired before signing day)

Ole Miss, (staff fired before signing day)

Louisiana-Lafayette,

Louisiana-Monroe,

Tulane

Louisiana Tech

[gksmith]

So Leonard slipped by several program's hands.

He is good. Very fast. ASU made a great find in him. SBC will be chasing him for the next 4 years.

[res1dg16]

Kinda like us have JMo

←

His rushing title was 2 long years ago ... He's just an average running back now

[Seminole Indian]

Not much difference in both teams and both are not far away from being pretty good 1A teams. There are several other SBC teams in the same boat so, hopefully, next year there will not be a bad team in the SBC.

While I’ve fallen behind on knowing the quality of younger players at UNT, the talent of ASU’s team is going to improve considerably after this year. Even though the current two deep is young overall, the best players at ASU are the younger players, many who have not made it to the field as of yet. Hopefully the same is true at UNT.

Edited October 22, 2006 by Seminole Indian

[keith]

Not much difference in both teams and both are not far away from being pretty good 1A teams. There are several other SBC teams in the same boat so, hopefully, next year there will not be a bad team in the SBC.

While I’ve fallen behind on knowing the quality of younger players at UNT, the talent of ASU’s team is going to improve considerably after this year.  Even though the current two deep is young overall, the best players at ASU are the younger players, many who have not made it to the field as of yet. Hopefully the same is true at UNT.

←

That's what we were thinking/saying *last* year! Oops.

At some point if you keep saying that your best talent is on the sidelines, you have to ask "Why?" We may need to start planning on having players for 2 maybe 3 years, so we better start using them. Forget the redshirts. By the time we're ready to get them on the field and have them be productive (and we've invested 2 years in them....thinking Byerly here), they are lost.

Keith

[DeepGreen]

His rushing title was 2 long years ago ... He's just an average running back now

←

With a far below average line blocking for him. Make that trying to block for him.

[DeepGreen]

That's what we were thinking/saying *last* year!  Oops.

At some point if you keep saying that your best talent is on the sidelines, you have to ask "Why?"  We may need to start planning on having players for 2 maybe 3 years, so we better start using them.  Forget the redshirts.  By the time we're ready to get them on the field and have them be productive (and we've invested 2 years in them....thinking Byerly here), they are lost. 

Keith

←

Someone once said, you always play your very best players, even it they are true freshman.

[NT03]

His rushing title was 2 long years ago ... He's just an average running back now

←

You Put JMo behind say a UT line & he would be a 3rd team all-american at worst.

[ntmeangreen11]

Our offensive line is the worst in the country. I refuse to believe Lineberry is as good as advertised.

Too much blame is put on the defense. They aren't that bad, they're on the field too damn much.

Jamario is not the same back he was, he's just above average now.

We're still incredibly young, too young I would say, the senior and junior classes didn't pan out too well.

and last but least, Meager actually played well. He played real well in the first half. I think he should stay the starter next week.

[OsageJ]

With all due respect to ASU and the rest of the Belt - I'm not sure it's as much them passing us by as it is us lowering our level of performance.

←

If the Sun Belt is worse why have we won more OOC games than we have since the conference started. I am afraid you have been passed by. BTW you have been a part of that by blasting SMU. I am glad for that because they sure ambushed us.

[UNT_playmaker]

His rushing title was 2 long years ago ... He's just an average running back now

←

so very true

[UNTBill]

His rushing title was 2 long years ago ... He's just an average running back now

←

I have to respectfully disagree. Even without a reliable Oline, he seemed to run very well against ASU. He'd slide to the side, avoiding defenders and breaking tackles, very effectively. (from my perspective)

Give JMo decent blocking and he will perform as before!!!!!

[PerryG2480]

Give Jamario a break...he was juking and cutting into the secondary all night long. The only times he wasn't successful were when ASU had two or three guys in our backfield right after the hand off.

Lineberry is really good, but the rest of the line is below average. I remember one of the early run plays where Lineberry pulled and absolutely tossed a LB out of the play (and out of the camera shot).

As for the rest of the SBC passing us by...I will remind everybody that college football is for the most part very cyclical. Look at the fall off of Memphis, the rise and fall of UCF, the rise of Tulsa, etc. in C-USA. Okay, Southern Miss...you've been consistently decent, but even you are far removed from winning your conference titles.

The Sun Belt was probably the least cyclical conference for years. You can't be at the top forever. I do feel that we are very similar athletically to most of the teams in this conference. But when you can't even get a decent play call in AFTER A TIMEOUT, and the QB and center are tripping over each other in the 7th game of the season, something needs to be corrected.

Last thing, not that it mattered...but how can the officials explain late flags on two huge plays (one a TD) that seemed to be thrown a good 5 seconds after the play was over. Maybe the TV coverage made this seem worse than it was, but it was terrible. Then, ASU's QB throws the ball at least 2 yards past the line of scrimmage with no flag...they went on to score. Again, not that it mattered ultimately, but it was frustrating none the less.

[pollock]

I was in northeast Arkansas on business this weekend and had an invite to the game tonight. Since USM has played UNT and Ark State the last two years in the N.O. Bowl, I was intrigued by the matchup.

Well, no doubt about it, ASU has a far better team than UNT does now. I was impressed with their overall team and their crowd was loud and into the game tonight.

UNT has fallen far since our N.O. Bowl matchup and ASU has improved.

What has happened in Denton? I would think UNT should have big advantages over ASU, but evidently not.

←

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

[PerryG2480]

And by the way Southern Miss people, would it be polite for me to come over on your board and point out how many of the teams in your conference have "passed you by" ??? Because I'd actually have a point. You have your misery, we have ours.

[MeanMag]

Too much blame is put on the defense. They aren't that bad, they're on the field too damn much.

and last but least, Meager actually played well. He played real well in the first half. I think he should stay the starter next week.

←

I disagree with too much blame being put on the defense. Think, if you will, back to the days of Brandon Kennedy, Chris Hurd, Jonas Buckles, Don McGee, and Brad Kassell. These were all guys that had no problem laying a smack to somebody. Hell, they even got excited about it. Our defense is playing soo timid, not wanting to give up a big play, that they can't make big plays themselves. They are araid to hit people and are afraid to get caught out of position too much to play aggresive. The D-line is getting no pressure and yes, they are bad.

Do you remember those days? The days of being ranked in the top 10 in the nation consistently? I can't believe we didn't keep DeLoach, we should have made every effort to keep a man that had us tops in the nation in every statistical category he could control.

I remember in 2001 wanting the offense to get off the damn field and getting the defense back out there all game long because they,

1. Had more of a chance of scoring

2. Were just so much more fun to watch than the offense

As for Meager being a starter next week because he played well, it's BS. I'd rather someone get out there and not screw up, than have someone out there who can't manage clock, timeouts, and sometimes he just looks totally lost on what play they are running. Total lack of confidence.

The upside is on a couple of plays (2) there was a pocket for him to step up into and throw, and he did, and one play was completed and the other was horribly overthrown into a defender.

[gangrene]

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

←

I just read this thread (man, this board is having some awful IT problems lately) and those were exactly my thoughts.

I would say that USM has really dropped off since their NO Bowl appearances too, but with the current 4-3 record...I'd say you guys are right on target for another stellar 6-5 season. You should be proud!

[Arkstfan]

Got a reminder from a friend about Leonard's recruitment at ASU.

Leonard was at the ASU-Ole Miss game in 2004. ASU had led much of the game but used TD's resulting from two ASU picks to take a 28-21 lead and an ASU receiver drops a pass to set-up a tie. Really good effort from us. Leonard was there on an official visit. Ole Miss was projecting him as a defensive back. While watching ASU, he became convinced that he could play quarterback in ASU's offensive system and contacted our coaches on Monday after the game. Film is sent and our coaches agree and start recruiting him.

Two lessons.

#1 Luck is important.

#2. A non-conference road game when you are 1-3 is still important because it can impact your future.

[calvin]

Do you guys watch the same game that I watch ? To say JaMario is not even close to what he was is ridiculous. He is not far off from what he was. He had several great runs the other night, made people miss, broke tackles and looked good I thought. He had 2 15-20 yard runs called back that would have given him about 150 yards and that is not counting all the negative yards he got on plays he was hit in the backfield and that is on less than 20 carries. When he used to run for 250 he would have 35 carries. To me he is still the best back in the Belt. Also I still say if we get that first down on the first drive of the second half that we get across midfield, it is a very different game. They had not really stopped us until that point.

Why is everyone so hard on Meager, the 2 plays that he got tripped up were Rose's fault, he snapped the ball and took a step back both times and stepped on his foot. I am all for Woody starting but I didnt think Meager looked bad except for that one throw.

The most discouraging thing of the whole game was us not being able to stop them and not getting any turnovers. If we get any stops then we are in the game going into the 4th. Still need bigger, quicker guys on the front line, we dont stop the run and dont put pressure on the ball. We do have 10 guys coming back on defense though, so that is a good thing. Football is a game of inches, I may be wrong but wasnt it 16-10 when we overthrow Joel by a few inches? Instead that is a 14 point turn around.

[UNTLifer]

Why is everyone so hard on Meager, the 2 plays that he got tripped up were Rose's fault, he snapped the ball and took a step back both times and stepped on his foot. I am all for Woody starting but I didnt think Meager looked bad except for that one throw.

Meager burns up timeouts trying to figure out what play is called. He used two in the 1st quarter Saturday. He fumbles snaps. Please don't tell me you only think he looked bad on only one throw.

I've got nothing against Meager, Phillips or Wilson. I think their lack of development and confusion is the result of poor coaching. I've watched too many young QB's come into and master a system in their first year, especially systems that are much more complex than DD's run three times and punt system.