The Conundrum of UNT Football and UTSA

[untjim1995]

I feel compelled to offer an apology to the board and to the university for comments I made earlier this year. Back before the season started, I picked us to go 5-7, with 4-8 as a real possibility. I felt that DT was not the QB to lead us forward. ANd I felt like the UTSA matchup was a perfect game for fans to really gauge if we are moving in the right direction. I voiced the opinion that rarely do fans get an opportunity to see clearly if we are wasting our time with the program or if there is something really to build on. I figured that if we lost to UTSA, it would be calamitous, because it was one of 2 games I had down as sure wins, along with Idaho. Losing to a 3rd year program at home would be the end of the line for me. But I never foresaw us being 7-3 and then losing to them, which would also give them 6 wins on the year. I expected UTSA to go 0-12 this year, I really did. Losing to UTSA, to me, would have meant we were 1-11 or 2-10, at best. Obviously, that was all wrong.

I feel kind of hypocritical for making those posts--the progress we have shown this year as a program is EXACTLY what I wanted to see. When McCarney originaly got hired, I believed that his third year would be the breakout year. But then when this year rolled around, I lost that confidence in the program being ready to move upward in his third year, thinking next year was his best chance to move us upward and get an extension. Now, I firmly believe Coach Mac deserves that extension, even if it just a year or two. In the end, losing to UTSA was understandable, while losing at Southern Miss would have been inexcusable--who saw that at the beginning of the year?

I give major props to Larry Coker and the Roadrunners of UTSA. They are going to be a power in this conference--I truly believe this. I actually always have, just didn't think it would be that way until about 2015 or later. Now, I'm not sure they aren't going to be the favorite next year to win CUSA West, with Rice. That is incredible and it really does speak to UTSA's vision for creating a football program that would be ready to run immediately. From hiring an experienced AQ coach to start the program, to connecting with the civic leaders in San Antonio to build a huge amount of momentum around the team, and to the amazing promotions that have introduced UTSA Football to so many SA residents, they are going to reap what they have sowed for several years ahead. I am now firmly in the camp of them being the next South Florida--taking advantage of a huge market without a college team. I look forward to seeing us play them in the years to come, but I firmly expect them to be very tough to beat as the years move forward.

Edited November 27, 2013 by untjim1995

[GangGreen]

I'd definitely rather be 7-4 with a loss to UTSA, than 1-10 with a win against UTSA.

[JRock]

I believe I picked us to go 8-4.

[NM Green]

I don't really see a conundrum in the sense there is not too much to be devastated about this season. Vying for a conference championship beyond mid-November was incredible. It did make the fall harder but it was from a higher expectation place.

I love CUSA. I have made every game in person except Georgia, Ohio and Tulsa this weekend. We have a month of bowl excitement to come and perhaps a New Years Day bowl game to play. This year has been a fun and exciting ride and we haven't even finished our run yet. I see at least one more win this season so lets continue having fun!

San Antonio is a great story and I was bummed by their meteoric rise but am now just going to enjoy the rivalry while we are conference mates. I don't know if they are with us for 2 years or 20 or if we go somewhere else first. They are a team I dislike more than any since our NTSU vs NLU days, and they beat that rivalry. This is what a rival should do - instill intense disdain and disgust to ever lose to them in anything. We will taste victory against them one day and it will be sweet. San Antonio will also have their down days - look at USF now. If they go American they don't take UTEP, Rice, Southern Miss and La Tech, places I have loved visiting and watching football games at. So I am going to enjoy the fight with the dirty birds now while we can.

UTSA reminds me of UNM. They are a city team which gets the backing of many more people than ever graduated from that school. They follow that team because of the city pride. UNT has a fan base of loyal alums and friends of the University. Two very different cultures. I love how UNT is built because the passion and pride is different. Once you go Mean you never go soft. I wish we had more fans but our base is a lot like SMU and TCU's hardcore - smaller but loyal. When we are good like now we will get bigger and then contract when we fall off. UTSA fans liked Apogee but were jokingly asking why we didn't build a dome. I don't want a dome. I want an on campus college stadium. We can compete with UTSA but our culture is different and frankly I wouldn't trade the experience, rather build upon it. UTSA fan has no idea what hard times are yet. They will eventually and become stronger for it. But they are riding an orange cloud right now. Good for them. We are like the Incredible Hulk after all the tough times people on this board have been through. As a trainer I tell young leaders to take the spiral staircase to the top, not the speed escalator. You see more, meet more, appreciate more all the way up.

Now since I won't be in Tulsa please go in droves MG Nation and root our guys onto 8! They love the fans that travel to away games and thank us for coming with high fives before leaving the feel. It's time to boot Tulsa to the American and make way for a Mean Green holiday season!

GMG

[Eastwood Eagle]

I have said it from the start. UTSA is a good school to have in our conference. Good fan support, fun city, and apparently a good football team. I think a rivalry will develop between UNT and UTSA over the coming years.

[MeanGreenRoadrunner]

UNTJim,

As a Roadrunner, thanks for the props. I would just say that a lot of what's happened at UTSA rests on the AD, Lynn Hickey. This is pretty much her vision come to fruition.

As for UNT, I see nothing but upward and onward as well. I think both McCarney and Coker have their teams moving in the right direction. Yeah, UTSA lead the entire way in this game, but UNT was charging in the end. Who knows, if they score at the end, a lot of the pain could be down in S.A. right now.

But, I would love to see both of my schools' football programs grow together. And I would like to see this game be scheduled regulary late in November/Thanksgiving. You gotta love a late-season game with heavy post-season implications riding on it. Why not make it all about the birds on Thanksgiving: Turkeys, Eagles, and Roadrunners.

LOL

[houstonmeangreen]

I don't really see a conundrum in the sense there is not too much to be devastated about this season. Vying for a conference championship beyond mid-November was incredible. It did make the fall harder but it was from a higher expectation place.

I love CUSA. I have made every game in person except Georgia, Ohio and Tulsa this weekend. We have a month of bowl excitement to come and perhaps a New Years Day bowl game to play. This year has been a fun and exciting ride and we haven't even finished our run yet. I see at least one more win this season so lets continue having fun!

San Antonio is a great story and I was bummed by their meteoric rise but am now just going to enjoy the rivalry while we are conference mates. I don't know if they are with us for 2 years or 20 or if we go somewhere else first. They are a team I dislike more than any since our NTSU vs NLU days, and they beat that rivalry. This is what a rival should do - instill intense disdain and disgust to ever lose to them in anything. We will taste victory against them one day and it will be sweet. San Antonio will also have their down days - look at USF now. If they go American they don't take UTEP, Rice, Southern Miss and La Tech, places I have loved visiting and watching football games at. So I am going to enjoy the fight with the dirty birds now while we can.

UTSA reminds me of UNM. They are a city team which gets the backing of many more people than ever graduated from that school. They follow that team because of the city pride. UNT has a fan base of loyal alums and friends of the University. Two very different cultures. I love how UNT is built because the passion and pride is different. Once you go Mean you never go soft. I wish we had more fans but our base is a lot like SMU and TCU's hardcore - smaller but loyal. When we are good like now we will get bigger and then contract when we fall off. UTSA fans liked Apogee but were jokingly asking why we didn't build a dome. I don't want a dome. I want an on campus college stadium. We can compete with UTSA but our culture is different and frankly I wouldn't trade the experience, rather build upon it. UTSA fan has no idea what hard times are yet. They will eventually and become stronger for it. But they are riding an orange cloud right now. Good for them. We are like the Incredible Hulk after all the tough times people on this board have been through. As a trainer I tell young leaders to take the spiral staircase to the top, not the speed escalator. You see more, meet more, appreciate more all the way up.

Now since I won't be in Tulsa please go in droves MG Nation and root our guys onto 8! They love the fans that travel to away games and thank us for coming with high fives before leaving the feel. It's time to boot Tulsa to the American and make way for a Mean Green holiday season!

GMG

Well...UTSA's rise in their program and our loss at the game boils down to 2 things (mostly) IMO...upper level school mgmt and game plan/offensive play calling.

[UNT90]

I believe I picked us to go 8-4.

For the last 3 years...

easy, easy. Just kidding.

[PlummMeanGreen]

Doesn't UTSA have to replace their starting QB Soza after this year, too?

Soza was strategic in UTSA's win over North Texas who still almost came back and tied it at games end and at the Apogee time clocks-confusing end. (Did the CUSA refs really ever figure all that out as far as how many seconds were actually supposed to have been added to the clock at the end)?

I myself am not ready to pronounce anyone in CUSA as the next Crimson Tide kind of a dynasty...just not that many of our schools that have that kind of year in and year out recruiting classes to make that happen.

I do absolutely love what Coach Mac is doing with his Senior and Junior Days at Apogee & the Mean Green Village, though--that is quite an important selling time for what he is trying to accomplish in Denton.

Adding the new luxury hotel and convention center adjacent to Apogee near "The Hill" will further enhance our entire Mean Green Village venue's package as well. That Southeast Conference official actually & probably was really impressed with what he saw with his tour of Apogee Stadium, the Super Pit and the entire Mean Green Village--present and future. These are assets for North Texas that I know others in CUSA cannot match.

Edited November 28, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[Mean Green Matt]

If we had a clone of soza playing for us we'd have won the game, plus Tulane and Ohio. I'm banking on Dajon Williams wiping his butt with UTSA in the alamodone next year.

[UNT90]

If we had a clone of soza playing for us we'd have won the game, plus Tulane and Ohio. I'm banking on Dajon Williams wiping his butt with UTSA in the alamodone next year.

Only if we had a clone of their OC and head coach on our sideline.

They were aggressive until the end. We aren't aggressive in the 1st quarter. HUGE difference.