North Texas coach recalls a painful moment — a loss to UTSA

Harry · July 24, 2014

IRVING — North Texas coach Dan McCarney on Wednesday discussed one of his most painful memories from last fall.

A home loss to UTSA.

The topic came up innocently enough at Conference USA media day when a reporter suggested that any one of six teams in the West could win the division this fall.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt,” McCarney said. ”Who was saying anything about North Texas last year? Except, ‘We can’t wait to play ‘em and kick their ass.’ Everybody (was saying that). It’s the way it was, and we won nine games.

“So, who knows who that next (upstart team) is going to be? We don’t want it at our expense, but as I mentioned earlier, the quality of the coaches in this conference … it’s a great lineup. So I think there’s going to be tremendous competition.”

Read more: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/utsa/2014/07/north-texas-mccarney-suggests-that-c-usa-west-race-is-wide-open/

BIG DAWG · July 24, 2014

HATE them

UNTDoubleAlum · July 24, 2014

I want that win, more than UT, more than SMU. I've got no personal hatred of any college team, but I watched more years of horrible Mean Green Football than UTSA has even been playing the game. I have always disliked it when new teams went to the head of the line and seem to skip over all the frustration I seem to have as the teams I like twirl their wheels in the mud for years.

UNT90 · July 24, 2014

So exactly where in that article does Mac say one thing about the Craphole loss?

I see Craphole and their media fans are still celebrating what was their bowl game last year...

untjim1995 · July 24, 2014

So exactly where in that article does Mac say one thing about the Craphole loss?
I see Craphole and their media fans are still celebrating what was their bowl game last year...

They should celebrate it--it was their signature win of their program, up to this point. Plus, if they do it again--and I figure they will since they play us at home in SA--its a huge advantage in recruiting for Coker and the Roadrunners. I hate them, too, but I knew this was going to turn into a rivalry the moment they moved up to CUSA with us, instead of moving to the SBC with Texas State.

UNT90 · July 24, 2014

They should celebrate it--it was their signature win of their program, up to this point. Plus, if they do it again--and I figure they will since they play us at home in SA--its a huge advantage in recruiting for Coker and the Roadrunners. I hate them, too, but I knew this was going to turn into a rivalry the moment they moved up to CUSA with us, instead of moving to the SBC with Texas State.

They are about as much a rival to us as we are to SMU.

I want our rivals to own a football stadium.

untjim1995 · July 24, 2014

They are about as much a rival to us as we are to SMU.
I want our rivals to own a football stadium.

I don't care if they own a stadium or play on a parking lot--if we have to play them every year and compete against them in recruiting, we need to beat them. SMU never played in a conference with us--they have ALWAYS been higher up the foodchain in college sports. UTSA and UNT have played in the same conference in all sports, except football, in the SLC fiasco years. Now, we play in the same conference--until they get invited away in the future to go to the AAC because SMU and UH want that presence in the state in a market that don't share or up to the MWC as part of another Texas move back out west with some combo of schools located in El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, and DFW.

We have been no rival to SMU or TCU because they have been able to largely ignore us for decades. UTSA is a whole other subject.

I know you hate them and don't respect them, so this is going nowhere. But to the rest of the GMG.com, I truly believe they are the in-state rivalry we have wanted for years. And they have so many more built-in advantages that we have never had, which really stacks the deck against us. From having their own media market that wants to cover them and prop them up, to having a civic pride angle that we have never had, and having no losing seasons and a complete apathy from the university's alumni and leaders to overcome, make no mistake, UTSA got to start this 100 yard dash about 25 yards ahead of where we did when we came back up from the i-aa purgatory years in 1995. That may irritate all of us that they got to start on second base and that they think they hit a double, but its really more of a reality check for us on how poorly North Texas treated athletics for decades and why we will be sitting left behind when the P5 separates here in the upcoming years.

Edited July 24, 2014 by untjim1995

DallasGreen · July 24, 2014

1994 was the first D-1 year back against Mizzou in Columbia. The opening kick off was run back for a TD but as luck would have it Mizzou got called for a clip. My wife and I were at the game .

GOMG2013 · July 24, 2014

This years team may be better equiped to beat UTSA. They really didnt beat us with big plays or dominant play from a particular player or unit. They are definetly beatable.

Thier three scores came off of runs. two from Sosa. They spread us out and that hurt us considering they were a quicker/faster team. That may not be the case this year.

They wont have a mobile qb so they will be relying on passing more. That plays to our strength. Quick, pass rushing dl, and an experienced secondary.

As far as our offense...just stop playing scared...

UNT90 · July 24, 2014

I don't care if they own a stadium or play on a parking lot--if we have to play them every year and compete against them in recruiting, we need to beat them. SMU never played in a conference with us--they have ALWAYS been hire up the foodchain in college sports. UTSA and UNT have played in the same conference in all sports, except football, in the SLC fiasco years. Now, we play in teh same conference--until they get invited away in the future to go to the AAC because SMU and UH want that presence in the state in a market that don't share or up to the MWC as part of another Texas move back out west with some combo of schools located in El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, and DFW.

We have been no rival to SMU or TCU because they have been able to largely ignore us for decades. UTSA is a whole other subject.

I know you hate them and don't respect them, so this is going nowhere. But to the rest of the GMG.com, I truly believe they are the in-state rivalry we have wanted for years. And they have so many more built-in advantages that we have never had, which really stacks the deck against us. From having their own media market that wants to cover them and prop them up, to having a civic pride angle that we have never had, and having no losing seasons and a complete apathy from the university's alumni and leaders to overcome, make no mistake, UTSA got to start this 100 yard dash about 25 yards ahead of where we did when we came back up from the i-aa purgatory years in 1995. That may irritate all of us that they got to start on second base and that they think they hit a double, but its really more of a reality check for us on how poorly North Texas treated athletics for decades and why we will be sitting left behind when the P5 separates here in the upcoming years.

Don't respect them? Yes.

Hate them? They aren't worth the time or effort.

And I agree with a lot of what you said in that post, just not that they are a rival.

SilverEagle · July 24, 2014

Don't respect them? Yes.
Hate them? They aren't worth the time or effort.
And I agree with a lot of what you said in that post, just not that they are a rival.

Well, who would you like to choose to be our rival then? SMU and Rice are not going to play. So who then?

And I'm not talking about a friendly rivalry either. I'm talking about a good old fashioned "I-hate-you-and-your-family-and-friends-and-your-little-dog-Toto-too"-type rivalry.

THOSE are the kind of rivalry's that put butts in the seats at the end of the year....regardless of how well or bad you've done up to then.

North Texas hasn't had that kind of a rivalry since we were in the same conference with East Texas State back in the 40's.

I'm not willing to wait for something better to come along when we have a perfectly viable conference mate to hate and play every year.

UNT90 · July 24, 2014

Well, who would you like to choose to be our rival then? SMU and Rice are not going to play. So who then?

And I'm not talking about a friendly rivalry either. I'm talking about a good old fashioned "I-hate-you-and-your-family-and-friends-and-your-little-dog-Toto-too"-type rivalry.

THOSE are the kind of rivalry's that put butts in the seats at the end of the year....regardless of how well or bad you've done up to then.

North Texas hasn't had that kind of a rivalry since we were in the same conference with East Texas State back in the 40's.

I'm not willing to wait for something better to come along when we have a perfectly viable conference mate to hate and play every year.

SMU would be my choice, but we need to beat then this year and next year to accomplish a true rivalry. We aren't rivals YET.

Unfortunately, we play SMU for the next 12 years, so the chance to build a rivalry is there.

I don't want to have a start up as a rival, especially a craphole start up that got into CUSA for ONE reason and ONE reason only, television market. Craphole illustrates everything that is wrong with college football today.

In conference, I think Rice is the much more viable rival. They actually have the academic advantage that D-bag SMU fans think they have over us. We have already beaten them once, and from my conversation with Christian Covington 2 days ago, it's pretty clear that their football team respects UNT football. Private vs public, "snobby high brows" vs "commuter school," has everything we need for a true rivalry.

Lets stop selling ourselves short by wanting some fictitious rivalry with craphole.

Edited July 24, 2014 by UNT90

GOMG2013 · July 24, 2014

UTSA, rice, and SMU can all become great rivalries in the upcoming years, but none of them are true rivalaries yet. Not enough recent history or games. if we compare all the teams on the schedule, utsa, rice, and smu may be the closest to being a rival, but as of right now, I would say UNT has no rival. Only potential and future rivals

Fans, proximity, recruiting, and meaningful games fuel rivalries. SMU has the proximity and uppity fan base, but are there enough smu football fans that will care once UNT starts beating SMU?

Rice has the close proximity, and the importance of in conference games, but thier fan base is nit strong at all. I look at the uh/rice rivalry, and its not much there, other than playing in the same city. Even when rice beats UH, the fanbase us not rabid enough to create a true rivalry.

UTSA will have enough fans and a media market to make a rivalry and keep it heated in my opinion. Gotta have fans to have a big rival.

untjim1995 · July 24, 2014

UTSA, rice, and SMU can all become great rivalries in the upcoming years, but none of them are true rivalaries yet. Not enough recent history or games. if we compare all the teams on the schedule, utsa, rice, and smu may be the closest to being a rival, but as of right now, I would say UNT has no rival. Only potential and future rivals
Fans, proximity, recruiting, and meaningful games fuel rivalries. SMU has the proximity and uppity fan base, but are there enough smu football fans that will care once UNT starts beating SMU?
Rice has the close proximity, and the importance of in conference games, but thier fan base is nit strong at all. I look at the uh/rice rivalry, and its not much there, other than playing in the same city. Even when rice beats UH, the fanbase us not rabid enough to create a true rivalry.
UTSA will have enough fans and a media market to make a rivalry and keep it heated in my opinion. Gotta have fans to have a big rival.

I think UTEP and La Tech have just as good a chance at being our rivals as UTSA and Rice do. It just depends on who is winning and who has fans that start to loathe the other school(s). Right now, UTSA is high on the loathe list, amongst conference foes. We all have SMU high on that list for a lot of reasons, but their fanbase doesn't care one iota about us right now--that changes if we start beating them in this upcoming series. I'm still not convinced that SMU won't buy this series out for down the road if they start losing to us and it costs them bowl bids, like it did back in 2006. I guess we'll see, but losses to us hurt them waaaayyyy more than they do the other way around, just from a local media and recruiting perspective. That SWC mentality still keeps the Ponies well-regarded in this area, even if its been almost 20 years since they last played an SWC game.

Edited July 24, 2014 by untjim1995

ColoradoEagle · July 24, 2014

I have a hard time seeing UTEP as a rival, because every single one of their fans I met last year or have seen post are so down to Earth and nice. La. Tech fans seem that way until they start winning a lot, and then they get obnoxious. 95% of UTSA fans are just unbearable one way or the other, and that loss last year really stings. I'd say they're on the fast track at the moment. It's the only away game I'll be making this year.

eagle2014 · July 24, 2014

SMU would be my choice, but we need to beat then this year and next year to accomplish a true rivalry. We aren't rivals YET.
Unfortunately, we play SMU for the next 12 years, so the chance to build a rivalry is there.
I don't want to have a start up as a rival, especially a craphole start up that got into CUSA for ONE reason and ONE reason only, television market. Craphole illustrates everything that is wrong with college football today.
In conference, I think Rice is the much more viable rival. They actually have the academic advantage that D-bag SMU fans think they have over us. We have already beaten them once, and from my conversation with Christian Covington 2 days ago, it's pretty clear that their football team respects UNT football. Private vs public, "snobby high brows" vs "commuter school," has everything we need for a true rivalry.
Lets stop selling ourselves short by wanting some fictitious rivalry with craphole.

You do realize we were only moved up for television market as well right? If not go look at the past performance in football.

GOMG2013 · July 24, 2014

We all have SMU high on that list for a lot of reasons, but their fanbase doesn't care one iota about us right now--that changes if we start beating them in this upcoming series..

I dont think the SMU fanbase cares about SMU football. Nothing to do with the opponent. I dont think they are even coming out when they play a big 12 Texas school. Its the fans from other schools that makes those games attendance look better.

UNT90 · July 24, 2014

You do realize we were only moved up for television market as well right? If not go look at the past performance in football.

We have facilities and history.

Craphole has 3 seasons and no facilities.

CUSA picked UTEP over us because of facilities in the early 2000s. We worked our ass off and built a lot of athletic facilities. Craphole comes along and has everything dropped in their lap without working for squat.

So, there is a lot more to our admittance than simply TV market. Craphole? Not so much.

oldguystudent · July 24, 2014

Coach from Miami. They'll get caught at dirty pool eventually and they won't have P5 status to get out of it.

GrandGreen · July 24, 2014

There is a lot of resentment toward UTSA because they have been able to move up so fast and seem unworthy of their fast start in college football. But in reality, the problem is not UTSA, ODU, South Florida, WKU and many others who have been able to quickly move up relatively successfully in division one football.

The real problem is how little progress NT has made in over 100 years of college football. It is very disheartening to see new programs equal or in some instances far surpass NT in very short periods of time. The reality is that it seems too easy for newcomers to quickly equal not only NT but most lower tier football programs.

North Texas is where it is because unlike the recent move ups, NT didn't until recently have an administration that truly supported college athletes. For example, NT's return to division 1a football could and should have been similar to some of the newcomers entry. Instead, NT did it in the cheapest way possible: aluminum bleachers, minimum budget, guarantee games and questionable coaching staff. I was very happy NT make the move but compare it to the Texas Twins entry. The highest student fees to support their programs, name coaches and much better development plans.

After Jitter Nolan's tenure, NT when through about 20 years of basically athletic indifference from their leadership. Things didn't change until Hurley's retirement and a much more athletic supportive BOR hired Pohl.

Progress has been slow, but at least there has been upward movement. However, NT can't generate the enthusiasm of a new program after decades of sports futility. It is going to take true success for NT to generate that level of excitement.

Ben Gooding · July 25, 2014

Consistently win more than we lose and knock off a P5 every now and then, everything will take care of itself.

UNTexas · July 25, 2014

That UTSA game was terrible. Nuff said. Terrible memory.

SilverEagle · July 25, 2014

There is a lot of resentment toward UTSA because they have been able to move up so fast and seem unworthy of their fast start in college football. But in reality, the problem is not UTSA, ODU, South Florida, WKU and many others who have been able to quickly move up relatively successfully in division one football.

The real problem is how little progress NT has made in over 100 years of college football. It is very disheartening to see new programs equal or in some instances far surpass NT in very short periods of time. The reality is that it seems too easy for newcomers to quickly equal not only NT but most lower tier football programs.

North Texas is where it is because unlike the recent move ups, NT didn't until recently have an administration that truly supported college athletes. For example, NT's return to division 1a football could and should have been similar to some of the newcomers entry. Instead, NT did it in the cheapest way possible: aluminum bleachers, minimum budget, guarantee games and questionable coaching staff. I was very happy NT make the move but compare it to the Texas Twins entry. The highest student fees to support their programs, name coaches and much better development plans.

After Jitter Nolan's tenure, NT when through about 20 years of basically athletic indifference from their leadership. Things didn't change until Hurley's retirement and a much more athletic supportive BOR hired Pohl.

Progress has been slow, but at least there has been upward movement. However, NT can't generate the enthusiasm of a new program after decades of sports futility. It is going to take true success for NT to generate that level of excitement.

I've said this for years, so here it goes again. We got left behind by many schools through our 100 year history because of our CULTURE. It has been that way for decades and decades. The finest example of what I'm talking about was Dr. J.C. Matthews. I'm told by reliable sources that the man discouraged ANY sort of giving to the school by the alumni. And this was especially so regarding fund raising by the athletic department. He saw North Texas as his little fiefdom, and his long standing goal was for North Texas to be the best little teachers college in America.......which we almost were.....but nothing more.

But fund raising for the school and fund raising for athletics would have resulted in monied alumni coming around and making suggestions about how to run things at NT. And he would not tolerate that.

Edited July 25, 2014 by SilverEagle

GrandGreen · July 26, 2014

I've said this for years, so here it goes again. We got left behind by many schools through our 100 year history because of our CULTURE. It has been that way for decades and decades. The finest example of what I'm talking about was Dr. J.C. Matthews. I'm told by reliable sources that the man discouraged ANY sort of giving to the school by the alumni. And this was especially so regarding fund raising by the athletic department. He saw North Texas as his little fiefdom, and his long standing goal was for North Texas to be the best little teachers college in America.......which we almost were.....but nothing more.

But fund raising for the school and fund raising for athletics would have resulted in monied alumni coming around and making suggestions about how to run things at NT. And he would not tolerate that.

I agree with your assessment, but in actuality both football and basketball were in as good shape as they ever have been when Mathews retired in 1968. Sports went downhill fast when Nolan left and NT went basically leaderless for several years counting the wasted short time Vandiver was here. Then came Hurley a nice guy who IMO coasted most of his career and NT fail behind academically as well as in athletics. So Mathews may have created the culture but Hurley didn't do much to change it.

Edited July 26, 2014 by GrandGreen

SilverEagle · July 26, 2014

I agree with your assessment, but in actuality both football and basketball were in as good shape as they ever have been when Mathews retired in 1968. Sports went downhill fast when Nolan left and NT went basically leaderless for several years counting the wasted short time Vandiver was here. Then came Hurley a nice guy who IMO coasted most of his career and NT fail behind academically as well as in athletics. So Mathews may have created the culture but Hurley didn't do much to change it.

As I said, Matthews was the best example of that culture, but he wasn't the first. The attitude goes back to our early days.

I believe we were in reasonably good shape in 68, because we offered ships to players of color and the SWC was just starting to do that. Once all of the teams in the SWC started recruiting in the black community they had a distinct advantage over us because they actually had a recruiting budget, a consistent TV presence, and we were probably still relying on (essentially) word of mouth for our recruitment.

Plus any talented assistant coaches we may have had were quickly hired away from us.