Thoughts on NT, Ohio, and Redemption

Mean Green Matt · September 4, 2013

September 12, 2009 was a dreary day in North Texas, but it was game day. The week before North Texas had opened the year with a surprising 20-10 road victory over Ball State to sit at 1-0 for the first time since 2005. It was pouring all day. A late morning Mean Green soccer game on a flooded field, one of the most bizarre games I've ever witnessed ended with a 1-0 PV A&M victory over a far superior NT side, but at least there was a football game that night, and for the first time in several years, true excitement through campus.

The game started off well. NT led after the 1st quarter. NT led at halftime. NT led after the third quarter. But in the fourth, a 69-yard interception return from Ohio turned the tables, and when NT was unable to punch in the winning touchdown inside the last minute and settled for a field goal, the game went to OT. After the teams traded field goals in the first OT, NT took a 7-point lead in the second, and had Ohio with something like a 4th and goal from the 16-yard line in the southern end of Fouts Field. After a completion for a touchdown and a roughing the passer penalty, Ohio went for two and won the game.

That moment for Ohio, as I've seen mentioned on their fan board, many feel to be one of the defining moments of the turnaround of the Bobcat football program. That moment, when Todd Dodge was so close to starting the year 2-0 in front of an announced crowd of over 16,000, and the actual was darn close, swung abruptly and agonizingly in the other direction away from NT. NT has won 14 games since that day. Ohio has won 35. Much like the last time NT was 1-0, in 2005, when our beloved Green lost 54-2 to Tulsa, the Mean Green Nation was gutted again.

This program has not won back to back football games since November 13th and 18th of 2004 with wins over Idaho and ASU, respectively. Let that sink in for a minute. NT has won 22 football games since beating ASU in 2004 (not including Idaho this year) and has lost by an average of 20.36 points the following game. Three times, all at home, NT has come within one point, FAU in 2005, ULL in 2010, and yes, Ohio in 2009.

Yet here is Ohio again. NT is 1-0 again. Campus is excited again, as a fresh new group of students, most of which never knew anything before Apogee Stadium have no reason to think anything other than "Why not North Texas?". A victory means being 2-0 for the first time since 1994 (before many of this year's freshmen were born) when the Eagles started the year with wins over Abilene Christian and Missouri State. A victory over Ohio is a chance to take back, 3 years and 360 days later the momentum they took from us on that rainy night in Fouts. Idaho was also the first win the last time NT won two games in a row.

For a program that has been through a seemingly endless college athletics version of a Shakespearean tragedy over nearly the past decade, I truly hope that such a poetic, and in some ways ironic story of redemption comes to pass on Saturday....and if it doesn't, I'll take wins over Ball State and Georgia.

Go Mean Green!

This post has been promoted to an article

UNTcrazy727 · September 4, 2013

Bravo, sir

eulessismore · September 4, 2013

September 12, 2009 was a dreary day in North Texas, but it was game day. The week before North Texas had opened the year with a surprising 20-10 road victory over Ball State to sit at 1-0 for the first time since 2005. It was pouring all day. A late morning Mean Green soccer game on a flooded field, one of the most bizarre games I've ever witnessed ended with a 1-0 PV A&M victory over a far superior NT side, but at least there was a football game that night, and for the first time in several years, true excitement through campus.

The game started off well. NT led after the 1st quarter. NT led at halftime. NT led after the third quarter. But in the fourth, a 69-yard interception return from Ohio turned the tables, and when NT was unable to punch in the winning touchdown inside the last minute and settled for a field goal, the game went to OT. After the teams traded field goals in the first OT, NT took a 7-point lead in the second, and had Ohio with something like a 4th and goal from the 16-yard line in the southern end of Fouts Field. After a completion for a touchdown and a roughing the passer penalty, Ohio went for two and won the game.

That moment for Ohio, as I've seen mentioned on their fan board, many feel to be one of the defining moments of the turnaround of the Bobcat football program. That moment, when Todd Dodge was so close to starting the year 2-0 in front of an announced crowd of over 16,000, and the actual was darn close, swung abruptly and agonizingly in the other direction away from NT. NT has won 14 games since that day. Ohio has won 35. Much like the last time NT was 1-0, in 2005, when our beloved Green lost 54-2 to Tulsa, the Mean Green Nation was gutted again.

This program has not won back to back football games since November 13th and 18th of 2004 with wins over Idaho and ASU, respectively. Let that sink in for a minute. NT has won 22 football games since beating ASU in 2004 (not including Idaho this year) and has lost by an average of 20.36 points the following game. Three times, all at home, NT has come within one point, FAU in 2005, ULL in 2010, and yes, Ohio in 2009.

Yet here is Ohio again. NT is 1-0 again. Campus is excited again, as a fresh new group of students, most of which never knew anything before Apogee Stadium have no reason to think anything other than "Why not North Texas?". A victory means being 2-0 for the first time since 1994 (before many of this year's freshmen were born) when the Eagles started the year with wins over Abilene Christian and Missouri State. A victory over Ohio is a chance to take back, 3 years and 360 days later the momentum they took from us on that rainy night in Fouts. Idaho was also the first win the last time NT won two games in a row.

For a program that has been through a seemingly endless college athletics version of a Shakespearean tragedy over nearly the past decade, I truly hope that such a poetic, and in some ways ironic story of redemption comes to pass on Saturday....and if it doesn't, I'll take wins over Ball State and Georgia.

Go Mean Green!

Yep. I hope we get in some solid work on our kicking game this week.

jdennis82 · September 4, 2013

Looks like Ohio will have the uniform momentum we enjoyed last week...

https://twitter.com/JasonAmessenger/status/375025853513863168

Ohio showed off black helmets today, going with all black (Vader look) Sat. night vs. North Texas

Of course, we know that sort of thing really gets them excited (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAOfNEBZbE4)

emmitt01 · September 4, 2013

Looks like Ohio will have the uniform momentum we enjoyed last week...

https://twitter.com/JasonAmessenger/status/375025853513863168

Ohio showed off black helmets today, going with all black (Vader look) Sat. night vs. North Texas

Of course, we know that sort of thing really gets them excited (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAOfNEBZbE4)

We're a lock to win now. RV will explain to the team that black uniforms are the work of "he who shall not be named...unless it's on a practice field" and Mac's boys will do the rest.

meangreener · September 4, 2013

If we lose to Ohio, no reason to hit the panic button. As long as we beat Ball State, we could be looking at 2-2 OOC which I'll take going into CUSA play any day.

That being said, I think we beat Ohio up badly.

Edited September 4, 2013 by meangreener

MeanGreenTexan · September 4, 2013

If we lose to Ohio, no reason to hit the panic button. As long as we beat Ball State, we could be looking at 2-2 OOC which I'll take going into CUSA play any day.
That being said, I think we beat Ohio up badly.

I'll definitely take 2-2. If we go into Ohio and win, 3-1 may not be out of the question. Beat Ohio & Ball St., I would start thinking about getting ready for a bowl trip... full-on chugging the Green Kool-aid.

Mean Green 93-98 · September 4, 2013

That being said, I think we beat Ohio up badly.

Badly? Wow. Did you read the original post, which gives a sobering reminder of our history? Did you know that Ohio beat ULM in their bowl game last year 45-14--the same ULM that went toe-to-toe with Baylor and 2 SEC teams, and whipped us 42-16--and that they return most of their key starters?

I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what we can do against them, and I think we've got a shot of beating them in Athens--but I just don't understand why anyone would chalk this up as an easy win before gameday.

MeanGreenMarine · September 4, 2013

That 2009 Ohio game still gives me nightmares. I say we go into Ohio with motivation from last weeks win, temperature in the low 80s, and beat them 34 to 17. The Fouts demons have had their way with us in the past but I think we have them beat. GMG

untjim1995 · September 4, 2013

I don't see it working out too well for us up there, but I just expect us to compete with Ohio for 4 quarters. They are where we want to be as an AQ program right now--one that is very competitive in their conference, goes to bowl games, and is not to be overlooked. Ohio made the decision that we eventually made with Coach Mac, to go and get a coach with skins on the wall as their head coach, instead of some unproven college assistant or, gulp, a high school coach. Their program is going in the right direction now and I pray ours will mirror theirs very soon.

I think the Ball State game at home will represent our best chance at getting a 2nd OOC win. I think we are ready to compete with a team like Ball State for 4 quarters at HOME. I'm not convinced that we are ready to do that against a quality opponent on the road.