Spring Scrimmage

[GreenStreet]

Talk about Night and Day.

Let me just jump into this and say Nathan "Incomplete" Tune looked like last years team. He kept forcing the ball, and should he be first string QB, than let history repeat itself.

On the other hand, Derek Thompson go ahead and get your Jersey number at Voertman's cause I want it. Finally, we have a QB that can throw down field. Better yet, how about the line blocking for him. If he gets that much protection on Saturday's then he will be a huge Offense threat.

My biggest LIKE: is the size of the players. We have real guys with meat on their bones. The height and size of some of these guys should allow bigger gaps for the running game.

My biggest DISLIKE: The dormant running game. I want to see plan B, incase plan A does not work. Today, I did not see the up the middle or true usage of the RB.

All in all, big improvement from last years spring game.

Edited April 11, 2010 by GreenStreet

[MEANGREENMAN!]

Thompson looked very good early, especially whenever he got a chance to roll out and made some great throws on the run. He did miss a couple of wide open receivers, but only because he didn't look their way not because of errant throws.

I wouldn't worry too much about the running game. They ran the zone read A LOT and in this type of game where the play is dead when the QB is touched the only way the play would gain decent yardage was for the QB to give up the ball. There were a lot of different RBs that showed flashes. Brandin Byrd caught my eye among the masses.

Something I found interesting was that, almost without exception, whenever Rodge stepped onto the field the ball came his way.

I know it was just a spring game, but there were signs that I really liked. Not all of it may come together in 2010, but 2011 should be an exciting year.

[MeanGreen61]

Any attendance estimates ?

[Graddean]

Thompson looked very good early, especially whenever he got a chance to roll out and made some great throws on the run. He did miss a couple of wide open receivers, but only because he didn't look their way not because of errant throws.

I wouldn't worry too much about the running game. They ran the zone read A LOT and in this type of game where the play is dead when the QB is touched the only way the play would gain decent yardage was for the QB to give up the ball. There were a lot of different RBs that showed flashes. Brandin Byrd caught my eye among the masses.

Something I found interesting was that, almost without exception, whenever Rodge stepped onto the field the ball came his way.

I know it was just a spring game, but there were signs that I really liked. Not all of it may come together in 2010, but 2011 should be an exciting year.

I don't want to get into a Rodge discussion, but if his hands are as good as some have said with good speed, I would be looking for him if I were the QB.

[THOR]

i enjoyed the game very much today. both sides showed flashes and there has to be improvement.

side note....as the players were arriving to head into the stadium, my kids and i stood about 20 feet away from the main entrance and up comes some dude. he introduces himself to my kids as Chico Cananles. it was really cool that he did this. he went out of his way to come say hi to us. he did say that the scrimmage was going to be very vanilla today, but not to worry no other coach has ever gone out of his way to greet us and talk to us...very cool...he's a keeper!!!

Edited April 11, 2010 by radiogreen

[UNTflyer]

Any attendance estimates ?

Maybe 2500.

[MeanGreen61]

Maybe 2500.

Thanks. Athletic site article now up & sez 3,890

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=204926866&DB_OEM_ID=1800

[GreenStreet]

Thanks. Athletic site article now up & sez 3,890

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=204926866&DB_OEM_ID=1800

Almost 4,000 people enjoyed a great two-hour game today. I hope we are on our way to 20,000+ for the Rice game.

[EastTexasMG]

There were several of our 2010 signees in attendance (Bellazin, Hawkins, Olen, and few others). Bellazin definitely looks like a D1 DE.

[EagleMBA]

I was actually surprised by the amount of tailgating activity (I've seen less at some late-season games) and the crowd. It was definitely not overstated at 3,800+. Great experience and we do not have a quarterback problem.

[bstnsportsfan3]

Good Game

The RB Hamilton really caught my eye....i think he is going to be a great 1-2 punch with dunbar next season....thompson looked good...tune was solid also and had a nice pass to Tyler Stradford who looked excellent today...really excited about 2010! Go Mean Green!

[McKinneyMiner]

I agree that Hamilton looked really good in today's game...

He ran really hard and changed directions very well... He and Dunbar are going to be fine...

The sideline play to Tyler Stradford was also a standout... He caught the pass, turned outside and caught a serious extra gear to get about 15 more yards...

Tune made some big league throws, but also had some wheels off moments in the pocket...

Thompson seemed to have some trouble with his delivery at times... Low throws, etc...

All in all I thought it was very encouraging and I can't wait for September 11...

My son and I are officially season tickets holders as of today...

[GreenStreet]

Good Game

The RB Hamilton really caught my eye....i think he is going to be a great 1-2 punch with dunbar next season....thompson looked good...tune was solid also and had a nice pass to Tyler Stradford who looked excellent today...really excited about 2010! Go Mean Green!

Anyone Concerned about the size of Hamilton. I have flashbacks of J-Mo. If he gets hurt, he's done. Better hit the gym hard before Clemson and KSU.

Edited April 12, 2010 by GreenStreet

[eulessismore]

I found a lot more to like about this year's compared to last year's scrimmage. I like Riley's attitude and quickness, but his position change seems to have led to a much more focused approach from the others competing for the starter's role. I really liked the greater variety of targets also; last year, it seemed like it was mostly Riley throwing to Stradford(sp?). Overall, I thought the players looked more involved; last year, it seemed a little too obvious that some didn't want to be there, and I didn't notice any of that today.

[H-towngreen]

The sideline play to Tyler Stradford was also a standout... He caught the pass, turned outside and caught a serious extra gear to get about 15 more yards...

Agree with you on that! He has an extra gear that we haven't seen around here in a long time.

[Stan R]

Great to see the big crowd there today. Missed about half of the first half but what I did see for the rest of the game was encouraging. My two sons and I had a good time and enjoyed our $3.50 nachos and $3.00 water . Renewed our family's 7 season tickets and got a chance to see the stadium site in person as well. What really struck me was how much work has been done on the pond near the stadium. Getting really pumped about this season and next.

[GrayEagle]

I'm much more positive today than hearing of the earlier practices. The offense was pretty sharp but the defense was better than I expected it to be.

For the first half, I thought there wasn't going to be a quarterback competition because it was all going Thompson's way. That changed at the half though. Energized by Stradford's TD catch, Tune seemed to find more time to throw and was on the mark a lot. I still think that Thompson won the battle this day but it wasn't one-sided.

I don't worry about the running backs; Dunbar's a given and Hamilton showed that he will be a fine backup. And, I don't worry about his size. Also, I was glad to see Mosley get some carries near the end.

The offensive line was a little disappointing but with two starters missing and Drake playing with the second unit that's pretty understandable. No great concern here; it's still a strength of the team.

Carey and Jamaal Jackson each made a couple of nice plays as I expected but several of the receivers had their moments....especially Stradford, Jones, Breece Johnson, and Lott, who all had 20+ yard catches. Speaking of Bennie Jones; that young man deserves a scholarship.

I don't remember anyone that really stood out on defense but there were no glaring weaknesses. Some that caught my eye were Phillips, Robertson, Graham, McLeod, Atkinson, and Obi. A walkon, wearing #23, also made a couple of good plays. And, I was glad to see Dez Brigham come up with an interception.

With likely half of the starters not here or not playing in the spring scrimmage, and having a summer of conditioning and informal practice to improve, I'm really looking forward to this coming season.

[Side Show Joe]

I'm much more positive today than hearing of the earlier practices. The offense was pretty sharp but the defense was better than I expected it to be.

For the first half, I thought there wasn't going to be a quarterback competition because it was all going Thompson's way. That changed at the half though. Energized by Stradford's TD catch, Tune seemed to find more time to throw and was on the mark a lot. I still think that Thompson won the battle this day but it wasn't one-sided.

I don't worry about the running backs; Dunbar's a given and Hamilton showed that he will be a fine backup. And, I don't worry about his size. Also, I was glad to see Mosley get some carries near the end.

The offensive line was a little disappointing but with two starters missing and Drake playing with the second unit that's pretty understandable. No great concern here; it's still a strength of the team.

Carey and Jamaal Jackson each made a couple of nice plays as I expected but several of the receivers had their moments....especially Stradford, Jones, Breece Johnson, and Lott, who all had 20+ yard catches. Speaking of Bennie Jones; that young man deserves a scholarship.

I don't remember anyone that really stood out on defense but there were no glaring weaknesses. Some that caught my eye were Phillips, Robertson, Graham, McLeod, Atkinson, and Obi. A walkon, wearing #23, also made a couple of good plays. And, I was glad to see Dez Brigham come up with an interception.

With likely half of the starters not here or not playing in the spring scrimmage, and having a summer of conditioning and informal practice to improve, I'm really looking forward to this coming season.

Bennie Jones has been impressing me since last spring. I hope he sees the field this years.

I was disapointed Attaberry didn't kick any field goals today. He can really boom 'em.

[LoveMG]

I was disapointed Attaberry didn't kick any field goals today. He can really boom 'em.

field goal kicking was lame today. i hope the freshman kicker is as advertised.

[jdennis82]

any short yardage plays run from under center? i heard a goaline series on the radio that seemed to be from the gun.

[UNT Mean Green]

any short yardage plays run from under center? i heard a goaline series on the radio that seemed to be from the gun.

Didn't see any. However, I will say this offense seems to be much more effecient in short yardage situations and in the red zone. The 'under center' stuff is way over-done on this board. If you were out there yesterday, you saw that in short yardage there'd be at least 1 TE and mostly 2 TE's, a FB who went in motion, a RB who started 2 yards behind the QB (not pistol, but close) and they ran the simple "iso" or "lead" play off guard or tackle which worked well. It's not a lot different than being under center in an I formation. It is certainly different than Todd Ford's version of the 'short yardage' offense, and seems to be a lot more effecient.

Edited April 12, 2010 by UNT Mean Green

[adman]

Anyone Concerned about the size of Hamilton. I have flashbacks of J-Mo. If he gets hurt, he's done. Better hit the gym hard before Clemson and KSU.

No. (Darren Sproles anyone?)

[KRAM1]

It was a great afternoon at Fouts yesterday, and there were so many things to be excited about for 2010 that it would be hard to list them all here. The Mean Green will be just fine at QB...with either Tune or Thompson getting the starting nod. Thompson looked the better of the two earlier while Tune came on pretty strong in the "second half". Never saw any play from under center, but maybe I missed it. Seeing Micah at Tight End was interesting. Finding ways to get this kid on the field is a plus in my book. Good to see. I was not overly thrilled with the defense early, but they seemed to step up a bit as the day went on, and I saw many things to be happy about.

I know some folks were "happy" with the tailgate crowd and the size of the crowd attending the game itself. And, in some ways, so am I. But...why does UNT not make a big deal out of this spring event? It's an ideal time to sell season tickets, to get the Mean Green faithful "fired up", to push the stadium and contributions, etc., etc. It was mentioned to me by a couple of ladies in the tailgate area that there was not even one "porta potty" set up. I have been at games where a crowd of 3800 would have seemed good, but I was a bit disappointed in the crowd. However, due to the lack of any effort on the part of the Ath Dept to really publicize this event, I think it was a nice turnout. It was good to see my "seat pals" doing their tailgate thing, and to re-connect with some folks I had not seen since the end of last season. It really was fun, and the team showed me lots to be excited about for 2010.

Fun day to be at Fouts...lots of changes coming to this team in 2010, and from my seat yesterday, things are looking UP for the Mean Green. Can't wait to see the sets, coverages, etc. on day one of the 2010 season. I hope the Mean Green faithful will turn out and support the team and I hope the ath dept. finds a way to publicize the season, get the students more involved and really go after new season ticket buyers. It should be a great year to say good-bye to our old friend Fouts Field.

One thing RV mentioned at last Wednesday's event at Park Place Lexus was that UNT should stop thinking of itself as the "beer and pretzels" school and start looking at itself as the "champagne and scotch" university and athletic program. Well, yesterday would have been a good day to start that "champagne and scotch" thing...opportunity missed perhaps, but more will follow. It's Going To Be A Great Year to be a member of the Mean Green Nation.

Yesterday was a nice start....see you at Fouts. GO MEAN GREEN!

[Green P1]

Shame it had to be scheduled against Sunday at the Masters. Silly AD.

[KRAM1]

Shame it had to be scheduled against Sunday at the Masters. Silly AD.

I believe it was the head coach who moved the game to Sunday (in fact he made that comment at last Wednesday night's event). I do not believe the fact that the Masters was on had THAT much effect on crowd size. I do think the fact that it was not publicized nor any events planned around it for families, students, etc, may have had a significant effect on crowd size. But, if the Masters on TV is why one didn't attend, so be it. However, I did watch a bit of the Masters on a TV set up at a tailgate. There is always some competing event.