Is There Reason For Hope For Unt Football ?

[MeanGreen61]

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/

[Daddy Dumpsalot]

No.

let it rain

[UNT Mean Green]

There's hope for improvement in all areas. The schedule is tough, but I think the quality depth at many positions, and bona fide offensive playcalling will alleviate a lot of mistakes/close losses that happened last year. There's a silver lining, and I'm excited.

Keep it respectable at Clemson, hell upset them! Keep the fan base intrigued and morale positive.

Then come to Fouts and kick Rice's A$$ (hopefully)! If that happens many people will be drinking the kool-aid and there will be a buzz surrounding the program.

[EagleMBA]

This is the time of year when I am over the crying spells and start to mix up some green Kool-aid occasionally. The odds of slipping up on Clemson are somewhat improved IMO, for a few reasons. They don't have us on film because of the new OC; they can see our players on film and they can look at USF for tendencies, but they can't see our guys run the revised offense. We may be able to gash them before they make adjustments. I think the defense will be improved when all the walking wounded are back in the fall. The new talent, if well assimilated in August camp, will help both sides of the ball. QB may be a question mark but we have lots of offensive weapons that can be used to take the pressure off. Hey, I can visualize it...that is the first step.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I was in the Kool-Aid the minute Dodge said he was turning over game planning, quarterback coaching, and play calling to Canales. I'm 164% into the Kool-Aid this season! Join me!

I'm totally jacked up about Kansas State being the final game at Fouts. The reason is that Kansas State fans always point to their 1989 win over North Texas as inspiration to springboard them to higher heights.

At the time, they were on a 30 game winless streak dating back to October 18, 1986. They didn't win again until their September 30, 1989 game against us. They had tied Kansas 7-7 on November 7, 1987.

The 'Cats have memorialized the North Texas win in a DVD that they still sell: https://www.nmnathletics.com/sellnew/ViewItem.dbml?_IN_STORE_=YES&DB_OEM_ID=400&ITMID=321665&ITMCATID=0

It's bit much, in my opinion, because they went on to lose the remaining seven game that season to finish 1-10 on the year. Still, eaking out that 20-17 win versus our then I-AA squad has been a big deal to them.

I'd like for us to shut Kansas State down on Fouts' last day. I'd like for the UNT athletic department to then make that DVD available for the ages as well. Beating Bill Snyder, the architect of Kansas State's 1989 win versus us, would be icing on the cake.

So, dadgummit, jump in the Kool-Aid and lets get this thing going!

[UNT90]

I was in the Kool-Aid the minute Dodge said he was turning over game planning, quarterback coaching, and play calling to Canales. I'm 164% into the Kool-Aid this season! Join me!

Remind me how that has turned out for the defense the last 2 years? If Canales year 1 is anything like Deloach's was, this could be a 2 win season. Just sayin...

[mean green d]

Gotta believe in the Mean Green! I can see a turnaround happening. I don’t know how major, ]

but I can definitely see improvement coming.

[GreenN'walinsVet]

Remind me how that has turned out for the defense the last 2 years? If Canales year 1 is anything like Deloach's was, this could be a 2 win season. Just sayin...

One major difference though is what looks to be a large difference in the talent level of Canales's group versus what Deloach had to deal with. Plus Canales is taking over an offense that could at the very least put up points on the Div. 1 level, unlike Deloach that was taking over a defense that couldnt stop most 5A level offenses.

[Green Dozer]

One major difference though is what looks to be a large difference in the talent level of Canales's group versus what Deloach had to deal with. Plus Canales is taking over an offense that could at the very least put up points on the Div. 1 level, unlike Deloach that was taking over a defense that couldnt stop most 5A level offenses.

Completely agree!!! Great Post!!!!

[Green Dozer]

I was in the Kool-Aid the minute Dodge said he was turning over game planning, quarterback coaching, and play calling to Canales. I'm 164% into the Kool-Aid this season! Join me!

I'm totally jacked up about Kansas State being the final game at Fouts. The reason is that Kansas State fans always point to their 1989 win over North Texas as inspiration to springboard them to higher heights.

At the time, they were on a 30 game winless streak dating back to October 18, 1986. They didn't win again until their September 30, 1989 game against us. They had tied Kansas 7-7 on November 7, 1987.

The 'Cats have memorialized the North Texas win in a DVD that they still sell: https://www.nmnathletics.com/sellnew/ViewItem.dbml?_IN_STORE_=YES&DB_OEM_ID=400&ITMID=321665&ITMCATID=0

It's bit much, in my opinion, because they went on to lose the remaining seven game that season to finish 1-10 on the year. Still, eaking out that 20-17 win versus our then I-AA squad has been a big deal to them.

I'd like for us to shut Kansas State down on Fouts' last day. I'd like for the UNT athletic department to then make that DVD available for the ages as well. Beating Bill Snyder, the architect of Kansas State's 1989 win versus us, would be icing on the cake.

So, dadgummit, jump in the Kool-Aid and lets get this thing going!

TURNING OVER THE GAME PLANNING!!! Lonnie, you are not just drinking the kool-aid, you have gotten something mixed in.

[UNT90]

One major difference though is what looks to be a large difference in the talent level of Canales's group versus what Deloach had to deal with. Plus Canales is taking over an offense that could at the very least put up points on the Div. 1 level, unlike Deloach that was taking over a defense that couldnt stop most 5A level offenses.

So what was the defensive excuse last year?

My only point is the hiring of Canales and Dodge allowing him control of the offense doesn't guarantee a complete turn around. I know TFLF is excited to have all assistants with college experience, but doing a 180 on the team because of one hire smacks of outragous off season optimism.

I'll believe when we stay in a game with Clemson for a half, show that we can punt, kick extra points, kick field goals consistently without getting blocked, and produce a defense that is FBS respectable, none of which has yet to occur.

Expecting all of this to occur simultaneously is, well, highly optimistic.

But, I'll be there, cheering for this to happen.

[KRAM1]

So what was the defensive excuse last year?

My only point is the hiring of Canales and Dodge allowing him control of the offense doesn't guarantee a complete turn around. I know TFLF is excited to have all assistants with college experience, but doing a 180 on the team because of one hire smacks of outragous off season optimism.

I'll believe when we stay in a game with Clemson for a half, show that we can punt, kick extra points, kick field goals consistently without getting blocked, and produce a defense that is FBS respectable, none of which has yet to occur.

Expecting all of this to occur simultaneously is, well, highly optimistic.

But, I'll be there, cheering for this to happen.

Your last sentence says it all for me. We may disagree on the degree of "rebound" to positive results this next season, but "being there" and supporting the team is what matters in the end. The Mean Green Nation may disagree on many things when it comes to the current state of the football program, but support for the program is a must. Even if one cannot be in the stands in person on game day, they can support the program in school in so many other ways.

Appreciate the support, UNT90, now if I can only get you to drink more of that Green Kool-Aid!

[emmitt01]

Your last sentence says it all for me. We may disagree on the degree of "rebound" to positive results this next season, but "being there" and supporting the team is what matters in the end. The Mean Green Nation may disagree on many things when it comes to the current state of the football program, but support for the program is a must. Even if one cannot be in the stands in person on game day, they can support the program in school in so many other ways.

Appreciate the support, UNT90, now if I can only get you to drink more of that Green Kool-Aid!

What irks me, and what I can't fathom, is the "I'm gonna improve the program by refusing to attend games" attitude.

[KRAM1]

What irks me, and what I can't fathom, is the "I'm gonna improve the program by refusing to attend games" attitude.

Yep, that always works. I tend to think this sort of attitude is just a cover excuse for some other reason. It takes a pretty big ego to think one's not attending games would even be noticed at a time when attendance is actually on the upswing. Anyway, point is, if UNT is your school, then you support it through thick and thin the best way you can. Not everyone can attend games in person, but there are countless other ways to support UNT and the program through the Alumni Association, the Mean Green Club, your academic department, the UNT Foundation, the Office of Development and on and on and on. Heck, one can even designate their support, if it is of a financial nature, to a certain program like soccer or track and field or tennis, etc. if you are so down on the football program. But, I have never understood why one's support for their university is in any way tied to the won-loss record of the football, basketball or any other athletic program. That simply doesn't equate for me.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

One major difference though is what looks to be a large difference in the talent level of Canales's group versus what Deloach had to deal with. Plus Canales is taking over an offense that could at the very least put up points on the Div. 1 level, unlike Deloach that was taking over a defense that couldnt stop most 5A level offenses.

I wouldn't put it quite like that. I will say that the nine returning defensive starters in 2007 were wasted on a high school coach as coordinator and businessman as secondary coach (great hires).

The problems since then was that the defensive side of the ball was largely neglected in recruiting. It's one of the areas I think Dodge severely underestimated when he came up here. You need really good athletes on the defensive side of the ball at this level.

Dodge spent too much time signing receivers who never panned out his first two seasons when he should have been giving another scholarship or two to the defensive side of the ball - especially on the line.

That being said, I don't see how DeLoach doesn't continue the improvement. Dropping the points against by 11/12 point in 2009 was excellent. 2010 will show a full year under Charr Gahagan in strength and conditioning as well as a second full season of only college coaches on that side of the ball.

If one season with a full compliment of college coaches accounted for an 11/12 point drop, I suspect a second season, with the coaching stability, will lead to another tightening of the defense.

I also expect 10-15 more points per game on the offensive side of the ball when all is said and done. Any regular poster on here should recognize that I'm not historically a sunshine pumper. But, what I believe in and have preached - longtime college experience in the coaching staff - is here.

The rubber will meet the road one way or the other. I'll either be right about coaching playing the deciding part at this level, or I will not. And, again, the Sun Belt ain't the SEC or Big 12. So, the hole has never been as deep as some here have claimed it was. We can get out of it in short order; that parts are now in place.

Edited May 10, 2010 by The Fake Lonnie Finch