Leaderboard

Everybody thanks for the candid comments today.Here is what stood out to me. I was impressed with the defense today. I have not seen a more aggressive UNT defense then I saw today . A lot of blitzing and different defensive formations. I think there would of have been QB sacs today if it were a real live scrimmage. Shanbour showed his dual threat talent when he picked up the corner blitz and threw a strike on the run 15-20 yards on the sideline. I thought Morris ( 2 TDs) and Shanbour (3 TDs) looked the best . One is a prototypical Pro Style QB -- Morris--- and Shanbour being a pure Dual threat QB. Both of which can be utilized in an air raid offense. I also thought Chumley had some good passes--this is the best I have seen him throw. I would love to see how they move or perform in a real game situation ( when the QBs are not protected ) . I am also very impressed with the interaction between the coaches and players.

Stealing a quote from the brilliant Dez Bryant... Has anyone else noticed/been driven insane by the loose and flapping in the wind access panel on top of the I35 Apogee video board?? For at least the past 6-7 months it has been flapping in the wind. Rain or shine snow or sleet it sits up there flapping looking like a broken piece of trash. How hard would it be to rent a bucket truck and send a maintenance man up there to tighten down the two or three screws??? Maybe I'm just too anal and I'm the only one who's noticed it but... COME'ON MAN

Birmingham.

Really impressed with Littrell. Kids are going to want to play for him as well. As an outsider (ECU fan) I can say you guys got a very good one. He is bringing his version of the spread which will allow players to play without a huge playbpoker to learn. UNT is going to be fun to watch. Enjoy him while you can.

Keenan at 6'5" 295 lbs...now that's more like it. Rick

My two cents. All of the QBs have improved since last year. Chumley gets most improved award. Better stance, better form, better throw (rocket arm). But his passes are still wobbly, and he can only complete it to a receiver going in a straight line (outs and posts). Other routes over the middle were batted, way off, or INT'd. Team was rallying around him whenever he made a positive play after a mistake. Still the #4 qb out there, but boy he is a physical specimen. Hope they at least get to use his athleticism out there one day. Means still has some accuracy concerns, but in the intermediate range has a good arm. Daughter was being very distracting whenever he played so didn't get a fair assessment. Shanbour showed great form on a pass on the run. Decision making is too slow. Needs to speed up progression. Form is fine. Definitely looks small out there. Morris is the clear lead out there. Accurate and places the balls in the right spots. Won't add to what other folks have said. Bendy looks big out there and was making plays. Goree was doing his thing, but Bendy was looking really good in drills. Rutherford too. Glad they were seeing so much time and using it to their advantage. Goree was being the touted Goree. Thompson has good frame and good hands, really want to see more of him. TEs were strong over the middle. We got big receivers y'all, and I'm slobbery.

Just FYI...Turner Smiley's right hand was in a hard cast, that is supposed to come off next week...Guessing that will make fielding punts a lot easier!

19 was active in the secondary. Reffett and Ekler seem to like him. Secondary has the most quality and depth. Once Baulkman and Turner arrive, it gets better. Nickel appeared to rotate between 19 and 41; and this defense does a lot of pre snap movement so it can be hard to tell. 81 went unnoticed. WR is scary thin right now. 1, 2, 3, 11, 80 are it as far as having any talent. Need help here in a hurry. Topline analysis is that our first team will be solid come Sept 3, but the depth is horrendous. This walk on "system" touted under McCarney is becoming abundantly clear that it's nothing more than clear evidence that the staff was poor at evaluating and developing FBS talent.

That scrimmage was great. Lots of fun seeing how things are coming together. Morris and Shanbor looked good. DL must get depth. LBs were a pleasant surprise. Also, it is always fun to be the most tattooed man on a field of college football players.

Overall impression after watching the PRACTICE......with a little scrimmaging. -Lots, if not most, of the throws were over the middle. I only remember a few of the 5 yard out patterns that we've been seeing for most of the last five years. And most of the five yrd out's were to the RB's. It's clear that the passing game will be very aggressive.....and the receivers appear to like it that way.. -Ivory got a lot of balls thrown to him, and most of them were 20+ yards down field. None (or extremely few) of those "extended hand-off" throws. -wilson looked good....as usual. If I had any improvements to suggest for him, it would be "work on making defenders miss rather than physically challenge them so much". There's only so much pounding that any back can take playing D-1 football. Unless of course you are one of those freaks of nature @ Alabama. -Speaking of RB's Marcell Porter impressed me on one play. He didn't make any yards but no less than four defenders had a go at him and they were NOT able to get him to the ground. Not bad for a 5'7" X 177 RB. -The DB's and LB's are playing much closer on coverage and much more aggressive than last year. Many catches by receivers today were made with the receiver wearing a DB or LB. Several int's were made and #10 and #36 caught my eye more than once out there. Morris looks like the real deal alright. He looks every bit of the 233 lbs that he's listed as on the program. Hopefully he won't have to run for his life like the last "real deal" (GV #15 on your program) did back in the Dodge days. Speaking of moving. Shanbour demonstrated on one play that he is very mobile. He got away from an outside rush and hit a receiver 10-15 yards down field whilst throwing on the run. He also made a lot of nice throws over the middle. AND it should be noted that it was Morris that got one of his passes batted down today......not the much shorter Shanbour. Finally, I was standing next to and visiting with a gentleman who seemed to be a long time follower of the program. About half way through the PRACTICE he turned to me and said "that Shanbour sure has a quick release, Means and Chumley don't " . Chris Walker and I just smiled at that observation.. - the whole OL looked good. I just marveled at Jordan Murry's foot work. The first time I saw him last year the phrase "long time project" came to mind. Glad to be wrong about that.

East: 1. Marshall 2. MTSU 3. WKU 4. ODU 5. FIU 6. FAU 7. UNCC West: 1. USM 2. LA Tech 3. UTEP 4. Rice 5. UNT 6. UTSA

Well, at least we didn't lose.

Wow ... I'm just impressed with the Garo Yepremian reference!

I think our new OL coach is to thank for that. He really gives it to Murray in practice making each step be perfect before moving to the next rep. They know how huge he will be for the program.

I came and watched the second half from outside the fence; met a very nice gentleman, Anthony, father of A.J. Ezzard, who was there watching along with A.J.'s mother. Basically, I've come to agree with those who consider Shanbour to be the best of those competing for the backup quarterback role. And honestly, I didn't really know who I was watching when I came to that conclusion, just remembered his number. I did notice the quick release, and didn't see a bad looking pass from him.

That's disappointing to hear that about Means. I've been hoping he would turn a corner, but I believe this is his 3rd spring with the team. Great write-up, Harry--thanks!

I demand the right to +1 this post, Harry. Thanks. GMG

Vito has finally found a new love.

UNT didn't have a very good day, and finished the tournament in 4th. That is still a very good result though (8 teams at the inviatational were ranked among the top 50) that should improve its standing with respect to making the regionals.

This is so true. I won't speculate on what the last part of that sentence means. Bendy (at least for this practice/scrimmage) took on a more real look (as opposed to last year when you looked at him on the sideline and said "damn! who's that lanky guy?) and made some good catches. Glad to hear (from BV's article) that Rutherford is getting more comfortable with D-1 football. It looked that way yesterday. And to add something else about the passing game. It seems obvious from the live action part of the scrimmage that our current coaching staff is dedicated to having a very downfield passing game. You know all those games on TV in recent history when the QB throws it up for their tall, talented receivers to go after it and bring it down "Josh Doctson, Dez Bryant-style?" Well they are sending our tall receivers down on similar plays and looking to see who can fight for it upstairs and bring it down. Some of the basic QB drills address the same issue. At least two warm-up exercises have the QB's practicing their "touch" passes and/or throwing a fade pattern. One had them standing about 20-25 yards away from a plastic 55 gallon trash container and getting five shots per turn at lobbing it into the container. Morris and Shanbour did the best. They both just barely threw it over the container with Shanbour scraping the outside rim with two throws. Means and Chumley had a much harder time with that exercise. Two mystery receivers #84 and #40. Neither were on the list. #40 made a spectacular one handed grab of an over-the-shoulder sideline pass that (before he brought it down) looked like an over throw. Kahn (#81) was not out there, but Gavin Culberson (#83) was doing a pretty good imitation of him yesterday. He looks like a promising "possession" receiver. Back to the QB's and their warm-up exercises. I suppose every coach has their own pet warm-up exercise for their QB's, but I saw one that was interesting yesterday. All four QB divided up two on one side and two on the other with a WR by their side and then threw back and forth to the WR. It all looked pretty standard except that all the QB's had to hold one of those foam flotation noodles (cut to one foot lengths) under their left arm while throwing. addendum: Thaddeous Thompson (#11) also looked great out there yesterday. Another of our talented and tall (6'2") WR's.

I'm beginning to think this is typical of North Texas. What a shame. Very embarrassing.

Is this the first time 'whilst' has ever been used on this board?

I understand that several players had the flu this week. I could not find Avery Fortenberry and was wondering what if he was one of the flu victims.

I was told math wouldn't be required.

Thought everything on that side of the stadium was done to accent the wing,,,,no?

This was the biggest difference between the HoD team and every other team. Great point and hope to see the players develop some swagger.

Observations ENVIRONMENT: lots of energy from the staff, music playing the entire time, periods seem to be clearly mapped out, it appears players are settling into the new practice regimen QB: 5 is good, somewhat similar to Jeff Driskel; 19 is a good backup; after these two, it's clear that Means and Chumly are there for merely enough arms to practice RB: 26 is the best player on the field, and has a chance to have a big year in this offense; 29 is a solid complimentary back who can help in the passing game; not much depth after this; look for the freshman from Arlington Martin to provide immediate depth WR: 1 has a cast and was not effective; 2 had a good day, seems to be maturing; 3 is probably the best one of the bunch currently, looks similar to Josh Doctson of TCU, had several TD catches ; 11 looked solid inside catching several drag, slants, flats; 80 has upside; after this there's nothing in terms of quality; young recruits (Griffin, Bussey, Wilson) will easily make two deep OL: first group today is okay with exception of C; 64 plays hard; 67 is decent; 54 and 76 look completely overwhelmed and out of place; no depth here; signing of Cody Hayes is huge and may need another immediate impact guy to help this fall TE: while it looks like this staff wants use the TE, there's a lot of development needed to have any effectiveness; 86 is the best athlete but looks lost DE: 7 looked very good, dominating 67 routinely; 30 was solid; didn't notice 56; 94 is quick; 95 appears to have a chance to be best of group; 99 plays with a high intensity DT: 15 was okay; 34 is a difference maker; 44 wasn't good; 49 was solid; 98 was good LB: 10 was active; 17 seemed to make plays here and there; 32 was strong; 36 was okay; 37 made some plays; very thin position group that will benefit from addition of top recruits DB: this is the best group on the team; 16 and 19 made a lot of plays; 21 and 23 were solid; 31 was solid; 34 was good; 41 was a step slow

Do I support my University - Yes Am I happy with the state of Athletics - No Do I constantly put down my University to the point of obsession - No

Must. Temper. Optimism...

You know, now that you mention it, Google, why yes I WOULD like to mail order a Russian bride over 50.

Just went back through the football board from signing day to now. It was a quick scan, but not a single uniform thread, but plenty of locked ones started or ended by you, so that's gotta feel pretty good. Yeah. Impressed?

Everyone seems to forget that we have an engineering program that's been steadily growing and creating a solid alumni base in DFW. I would love to see UNT start marketing the STEM side of the university instead of just music/arts. UNT is in fact more than just a music school these days.

That's a good one! For the life of me, I have never understood this animosity towards our music program. Would someone please remind me where the largest gift ever made to UNT came from? Was it from a former football star,? You know, the window to our university? Maybe someone impressed with our business school? Now I remember...it was from someone would supported our College of Music.

god no. the whole "this is _____ country" thing needs to die a quick yet painful death

Back to back nice hires with Fritz and Dunleavy for Tulane IMO

Say what you want about these lower-tier postseason tournaments, but in the end ODU finished with at least some sort of championship that they can tout, 25 wins overall, and 3 more games against solid opponents to help prepare their returning players for next season. So sure, the tournament carries no real prestige (understandably), but overall it seems like it was a positive experience for their program.

ODU wins the inaugural Vegas 16 tournament, 68-67.

It also works because that's how many people are in attendance for this game.

And I'd ask CBL, where is Craig Helwig now? Did he go on to greater things as an AD of a najor program? Not so much, buddy...: http://www.neeley.tcu.edu/News_and_Events/Top_Stories/Articles/2015/Welcome_Craig_Helwig.aspx Notice how he barely notes his time at UNT in that bio? Also, Rick Villarreal has applied and been turned down for every AD job not associated with UNT in the last 10 years. Hell, even that craphole from which we stole the name craphole wouldn't hire him. I wonder why?... No, I don't.

Says the guy that sits on his ass, does nothing, and criticizes anyone who does because he's just too cool for school...

So you are saying your argument is infallible, because every coach that fails has nothing to do with the AD, got it. And here is a hint. When you result to personal insults, it's an indication you aren't winning the argument. But rage on, dude.

Just saw their add "prioritizing education" and then Syra & NC take the floor! What a pathetic joke!!!

it is amazing how unc hasn't been punished due to their fake classes and grades for athletes...i really don't get it...

You're right. Talent in the "role player" positions were superior in 2013. We had a big, nasty D tackle that just kind of went about his business and filled holes. We had a NFL LB. Maybe more importantly than all and still overlooked when talked about that team was a very good WLB in Will Wright. He hid a lot of mistakes on that defense with his athleticism. On O we had a work horse at RB in Byrd and a pure possession guy in Darnell. Those kind of players are always a taken for granted commodity. The common theme with all of those players though was swagger, specifically in the back end on D but they all had it and played with it. It was contagious. UT has a problem with it. They can recruit the players, but the confidence of a winner isn't there and hasn't been for 4-5 years.

The A & S on the North side of Apogee is also out. Right now we are University of North Tex. It comes as an expectation. Didn't really even bat an eye at it, until I read your post.

Do you insult people? - Yes Do you do it because it's trendy? -Yes Who Is really the ass?

How about ... UNT90 - Where being an ass is what I do

But they aren't locked because of me. Interesting, eh?!

It's the off season. Beats the hell out of whatever the politically correct term is for "gay uniform thread talk." Too bad their aren't more Aholes in the UNT fan base, especially among 17 of them.