A fun perspective on today's game

[JesseMartin]

Some of you may have noticed that I posted our watch party was in conjunction with Georgia's alumni in Phoenix. It was definitely an interesting outing. They were very receptive of our presence, and although my son and I were the only ones to show up, we had fun. They were pretty rowdy at the beginning, but by the time we pulled within 7 they were very quiet. Then when the game was tied, they were speechless for a while. One even asked me why I wasn't celebrating ("If I was you, I'd be raisin' hell right now!"), and I replied that I was cautiously optimistic...and would be progressively louder if it stayed close for a while. They seemed to think Thompson was more of a threat than he looked on the field, because a couple of times there was a missed or dropped pass, right when it looked like the reception would be made, a couple of them said, "OH! There's six!" So I think that definitely says a bit about fine-tuning...because 2 or 3 passes probably would have gone for TD's if they had been caught, and they all seemed to think (until they were back up by 2 scores) that they had lost the momentum and the game might go our way.

So though things could have gone a bit better (missed a couple TD opportunities including the interception with the end zone in sight but miscommunication about which direction to turn), we looked pretty good overall. Still need to capitalize on those turnovers and good field position opportunities, and there were a couple of times I really expected a FG attempt but those didn't happen. This was a really good Georgia team, but there were probably 3-4 plays that could easily have been touchdowns had the catch been made or had the pass been a little tighter. It was really cool to be in such a microcosmic environment to see that, until the last few minutes of the 4th quarter, the alumni of one of the nation's best teams thought they might not pull out the win. And I thought that last gratuitous touchdown could have been avoided because it looked to me like they expected GA to just run out the clock for the win.

[Harry]

Agree!

[KRAM1]

Jesse...thanks for the effort in trying to get UNT alums and fans out for the watch party. What you see here is what a lot of folks do not realize when they talk about "why" we don't have watch parties in every corner of the country. When we try, the results vary...as you see....and it takes a dedicated soul to keep trying. I applaud your efforts. And will do what I can to help you build a group in the Phoenix area. Hang in there. As you noted...you guys had a good time. I think your approach here is a good one. Team up with the opposing team fans for joint watch parties until enough UNT types are interested enough and learn about these events to make it a UNT only event.

Well done, and thanks so much. Good day for the Mean Green!

[UNT 90 Grad]

Jesse...thanks for the effort in trying to get UNT alums and fans out for the watch party. What you see here is what a lot of folks do not realize when they talk about "why" we don't have watch parties in every corner of the country. When we try, the results vary...as you see....and it takes a dedicated soul to keep trying. I applaud your efforts. And will do what I can to help you build a group in the Phoenix area. Hang in there. As you noted...you guys had a good time. I think your approach here is a good one. Team up with the opposing team fans for joint watch parties until enough UNT types are interested enough and learn about these events to make it a UNT only event.

Well done, and thanks so much. Good day for the Mean Green!

This! Don't ever get discouraged. Plan ahead. Lean on the Alumni Association and the Mean Green Club for help with ideas and communication. Gather contact info for people that show up so you can let them know if future events. Try to get ahold of some schwag to give away (posters, pens, etc.).

[Varsity]

... Then when the game was tied, they were speechless for a while. One even asked me why I wasn't celebrating ("If I was you, I'd be raisin' hell right now!"), and I replied that I was cautiously optimistic ...

A wise man never counts his chickens before they are hatched.

You are a wise man.

[JesseMartin]

Something else that was cool about yesterday was that I had the chance to talk to them about how they organize. They're even farther from their "college home" so I asked a lot of questions.

They've only been organized for about 10 years, and the reason they settled on their regular gathering spot is because it's in close proximity to where the people who show up live. They don't have people coming in from all over the state, so since all of the people who wanted to be actively involved live in the same part of the metro area, it's easy to retain a solid group. Also they mentioned that a lot of recent graduates tend to only stay for a couple of years and then move back to Georgia...so the best way to develop an active group is to keep hammering away at the people who have lived out here for a long time because they aren't as likely to run back home in any given year.

So if the trends are at all similar with our alums, then it's good to keep trying new venues until I find one where a bunch of people show up and tell me they live nearby, it's convenient, etc. It would be cool to grab alumni as soon as they move out here, though. Maybe the Alumni Association's new database has a function that can alert them whenever somebody changes their contact information to out-of-state? If so, then as soon as they get settled out here and update their info, we could stop by or call or email and welcome them to the area so it feels more like home.

I still have some UNT swag from the first event when Rob sent me the box...since then, the only problem has been finding more alums to give it to! But I think seeing event invitations regularly arrive in their inboxes will help keep their minds on North Texas so eventually they'll start showing up!

[JesseMartin]

Oh, and another cool upside to having joint events is the chance to spread awareness of UNT. Obviously the Georgia fans aren't going to run to Denton to apply for admission or anything, but they seemed genuinely interested when they asked about the Mean Green nickname, program history, etc. And they were a bit surprised when I told them how we were pretty decent through the 70's, Joe Greene, Hayden Fry, our enrollment, how the dip to 1-AA halted our momentum, who our rivals are(n't), etc. Spread the familiarity and they're likely to take at least a passing interest in our future games...and if they talk about it, they have some cool trivia for others who aren't familiar with us ("Hey, did you know Hayden Fry coached there before Iowa? They couldn't afford him so he grew Iowa's program instead...imagine if he'd stayed at North Texas...").

It's good to be up on our school's history, so you can work some cool UNT stories into the conversation. Everybody likes knowing more information than who they're talking to, so if it's a topic they like (in this case, football), they're likely to pay attention so they have that info in the back of their mind the next time they are watching ESPN with their buddies and we pop up.