1988: UNT @ UT

[7travis5]

How many of you alumni remember this game? My best friend's dad is a UNT alum, and he was at the game (supporting the Longhorns), and even though he's a UT fan, he swears that North Texas should have won this game. I wan't even alive at the time, but I often wonder what would have been had the officals ruled that pass incomplete...

This post has been promoted to an article

[houstonmeangreen]

http://youtu.be/fPcZN6adx7U

How many of you alumni remember this game? My best friend's dad is a UNT alum, and he was at the game (supporting the Longhorns), and even though he's a UT fan, he swears that North Texas should have won this game. I wan't even alive at the time, but I often wonder what would have been had the officals ruled that pass incomplete...

I was at the game and we were cheated..no doubt....ask the "american Statesman" Austin paper.

[Green P1]

Never heard of it.

[Censored by Laurie]

Never heard of it.

On 9/11, no less.

[cwb]

http://youtu.be/fPcZN6adx7U

How many of you alumni remember this game? My best friend's dad is a UNT alum, and he was at the game (supporting the Longhorns), and even though he's a UT fan, he swears that North Texas should have won this game. I wan't even alive at the time, but I often wonder what would have been had the officals ruled that pass incomplete...

We might have stopped them on the next play (I think that was third down) and won. We also might have stayed in dublay purgatory for several more years. We might have kept churning out alumni like your bf's dad. We might be creating 10 page threads with siblings of players. We might be...

[EAGLE83]

If we played with instant replay we would have won the game.

[Mean Green 93-98]

That wasn't the only terrible call in that game.

[Quoner]

One night a Mean Green fan had a dream.

He dreamed he was walking aross the track at DKR with Hayden Fry

Across the sky flashed scenes from Fouts and Apogee

For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand;

one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last play of the 1988 Longhorn game flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times during the blowout losses and near misses

there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest points in the program

This really bothered him and he questioned Coach Fry about it.

"Coach, you said that once I decided to buy tickets, join the MGC and build a new stadium, we’d finally start winning games

But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in our seasons,

there is only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you.

During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I wanted to just quickly duck out and check on Iowa and SMU.”

[DeepGreen]

After that 1988 game, the NCAA should have reviewed game film and fired the referees calling that game. Then, Texas should have forfeited that game. UNT was the clear winner.

[akriesman]

I was there. That was the day I started believing in biased SWC officials. We immediately got in the car and drove home from Austin in stunned silence. I did not expect a win. But, it was the worst way to lose.

There have been so many disappointments and gut-wrenching NT losses since then. So, the 88' UT game is now just another difficult loss to add to the list. But, things are looking up ? Right ?

[IslandEagle]

I was at the game and have it on tape and still watch it from time to time. Still bugs me!. I had a friend (unfortunately now deceased) who was first an attorney and later a judge, as well as a UT ex and a big supporter of the program (in fact he was with me at the game along with a couple of other NT fans). He told me that after the game, outside the UT locker room, a UT coach asked if Cash was really in when he scored and the ref. grinned and said he was in by this much, raising his hand and making the hook-em sign. Since my friend was one who simply did not confabulate (he was honest to a fault, if there is such a thing), I believe the story.

[UNT Alumni Lifer]

Those calls are hilarious! Kind of reminds me of Leslie Nielsen's umpiring in The Naked Gun. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more obvious "home field" call than that touchdown call.

[SilverEagle]

I don't know when Corkey offered this insight. But after the game (maybe a day or so later) he said "Oh well, if we had won the game Texas would have never played us again". The unsaid part of that statement was.....and we really need the income from those games. I'd say that was pretty good insight, since Tennessee has yet to play again since 1975.

Edited September 11, 2013 by SilverEagle

[El Paso Eagle]

I was there with my wife (fiancé at the time) who is Texas Ex. You would not believe how many of the die-hard Texas fans acknowledged that we got shafted and they did not deserve to win.

[FirefightnRick]

I was at the game and have it on tape and still watch it from time to time. Still bugs me!. I had a friend (unfortunately now deceased) who was first an attorney and later a judge, as well as a UT ex and a big supporter of the program (in fact he was with me at the game along with a couple of other NT fans). He told me that after the game, outside the UT locker room, a UT coach asked if Cash was really in when he scored and the ref. grinned and said he was in by this much, raising his hand and making the hook-em sign. Since my friend was one who simply did not confabulate (he was honest to a fault, if there is such a thing), I believe the story.

I was there, and it still pisses me off to this day. Then the Austin American Statesman all but admitted we got screwed three years later on the morning we returned for the rematch in '91,..which makes it that much worse. I still have that issue btw.

Dr. Rogers Redding was a SWC official and head of one of the departments here at the time. Anyways....it was his officiating crew who did the officiating crew for Necessary Roughness. In spending the several weeks out of the 14 weeks of filming along beside him he told us the exact same story as yours above.

That crew should have been dismissed for what they did and their repulsive behavior during the game.

Rick

Edited September 11, 2013 by FirefightnRick

[PlummMeanGreen]

Shoulda'....woulda'.......coulda'. It was tough leaving DKR Memorial that evening knowing what had just been done to our football team. And no, UT was not playing for an NCAA N.C. that Fall but still to have beaten the Horns would have been a milestone for North Texas and Mean Green football.

And your friends dad who was a UNT grad but a UT fan?

If we had all the UNT alums back who became front running UT fans back in the fold we might darn near fill our stadium this and any Apogee Game Day no matter who the hell we played.

Everyone loves a winner but I think most of us still prefer to stick with "OUR" school and that that future winner for us still be wearing Mean Green. (Those whose kids went to UT get a pass but they should still show up and support the football team from the school who granted them a degree sometimes).

Like Bill Yeoman once said about UH and it's lower place on the totem pole among other schools (particularly, UT & TAMU): "It's not easy being a Cougar fan" and I think we of North Texas can totally empathize with Coach Yeoman and know exactly where he was coming from saying that.

Edited September 11, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[Mo Green]

http://youtu.be/fPcZN6adx7U

How many of you alumni remember this game? My best friend's dad is a UNT alum, and he was at the game (supporting the Longhorns), and even though he's a UT fan, he swears that North Texas should have won this game. I wan't even alive at the time, but I often wonder what would have been had the officals ruled that pass incomplete...

The game started w/ UNT kicking off to UT- on the first series their FB lost the ball ( ie. he was never down) & we recovered BUT the ref's took the ball & said he was down (35 Yard Line). There were several play's like that we got screwed. Even with the big cash twins (ie. big receivers that were the receivers on two of the questionable plays) out of San Antonio had the Monday sports guys showing QUESTIONABLE PLAYS on the sports Monday after the game- they said that the passes were incomplete on SA TV!

They paid us to lose & the ref's were seeing that we did. So the passes were well after the fumble on their first series. The greenies' in the stands kinda' knew that it would be uggly after that... So beat the heck out of ball U!

[7travis5]

I find the difference of opinion interesting. I've talked to UT fans about this game, and they just laugh it off as some fluke game that they were lucky to win. But UNT fans feel the complete opposite. It seems to be a sore subject because it's just another example of the football program's history of losing tough games like that. I take the UNT side don't get me wrong, but I wonder if anything would be different now. It would have been a big deal for a Division 1-AA program at the time (if I understand correctly, that's what we were) to beat the Evil Orange Empire that is The University of Texas... I can't imagine the frustration of seeing it live.

Edited September 11, 2013 by 7travis5

[drex]

Should be interesting next year at Texas. They are not that good and we might just be good. Will we get the home hose job if we are very competitive? Time will tell. The 1988 team was not too shabby...beat Tech, beat Rice and beat Texas and then off to the national 1-AA playoffs. Scott Davis and Marcus Camper were on fire in Austin that year.

[JRock]

Despicable.

[forevereagle]

As if losing in the present is not enough for us, we must relive the losses of the past.

[NM Green]

I was there too and it was painful as UT d bags started throwing stuff at our crazy fan section. Getting out of there was not easy could you imagine if we had been awarded the win we earned.

I was in Austin watching volleyball this past weekend. My cousin is the labero for the nittany lions. I saw the horns raise their national championship banner and watched a heck of a match. There were over 4000 in attendance and it was number 1 penn state vs number 6 Texas. PSU was about to close out the match when the judge made a terrible call and called a serve out that was clearly in. It killed PSU's momentum and the horns stormed back to force another game. After Texas upset penn state I looked at my family that had driven up from San Antonio and Dallas and said "something always happens here." It was 1988 all over again and I still despise the orange. I did relish watching them getting stomped by BYU in a sixth street bar later that night. Friends had to calm my enthusiasm so I could make it to ball state this weekend;)

GMG

[FirefightnRick]

The game started w/ UNT kicking off to UT- on the first series their FB lost the ball ( ie. he was never down) & we recovered BUT the ref's took the ball & said he was down (35 Yard Line). There were several play's like that we got screwed. Even with the big cash twins (ie. big receivers that were the receivers on two of the questionable plays) out of San Antonio had the Monday sports guys showing QUESTIONABLE PLAYS on the sports Monday after the game- they said that the passes were incomplete on SA TV!

They paid us to lose & the ref's were seeing that we did. So the passes were well after the fumble on their first series. The greenies' in the stands kinda' knew that it would be uggly after that... So beat the heck out of ball U!

Mo... we were up 14-0 in the first quarter when that happened. If I remember correctly it was recovered by Sean Wash.

But you are correct, it was around their 35 yard line and they guy was standing up when he was stripped. Sean was nearly to the sidelines with the ball held high in hand when the ref decides to finally step over and point to the ground calling it down.

We would have had the ball on their 30-35 yard line with a chance to go up 21-0 in the first.

Rick

Edited September 12, 2013 by FirefightnRick

[GrayEagle]

I was also there. I had swapped seats with a lady so that she could sit with her husband as they couldn't get seats together. I was sitting right on the back of the end zone line and had a perfect angle for the play. There was absolutely no doubt that he was clearly out of the end zone when the reception was made. When I saw that the play was going to be allowed I turned and ran out of the stadium lest I did or said something that I might have regretted. At that point, I didn't care if we ever played Texas again.

The TV stations and the American Statesman acknowledged the wrong decision but generally said, "We got away with one!" with no disdain for the officials.

[UNTFan23]