Greenblood94

At long last, the other shoe falls. This shouldn't be a shocker to anyone who follows, or used to follow bike racing. This year's Tour was such a farce, it was easy to ignore it, something that would have been impossible to do during Lance Armstrong's heyday. The only issue still mildly interesting is whether or not they will name an actual winner for the '06 Tour, since Landis has to forfeit his title. And I'm pretty sure he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which is his last resort, so we may not be totally finished with this yet.

Here's my one complaint: the NT "fans" who left after Meager threw the INT that got run back, making it 45-31 with 3:39 left in the game. Someday, you will learn your lesson. I hope it isn't the hard way. As if the previous 56:21 hadn't shown you already, THIS IS NOT DD's OFFENSE!!! There was still PLENTY of time left in the game. But for a ridiculously high snap when NT was knocking on the door for yet another Mean Green TD, there would have been an onside kick and a better-than-average chance NT would have been able to get the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead. I know it didn't turn out that way, but how many of you who had left would have claimed to have been there if it had??? Considering this was the first game for many of you with this offense, I guess you can get a pass...just don't let it happen again...I would hate for any of you to break your ankles while turning back to your seats to watch a comeback you almost walked out of...

Here's one that has all NT results...and just about everyone else's for that matter... College Football Data Warehouse

As posted on a previous thread...it might cost you $10, so you have been warned. Mustang All-Access Link GAME TO BE BROADCAST ON MUSTANG ALL-ACCESS Mustang fans and Mean Green fans that aren't available to attend the game can watch it live on Mustang All-Access.

Actually, it's only $2.50 for a Day Pass, which you can purchase at any DART rail station. The Day Pass is good for any and all rail travel until 3 a.m. the next day. The SMU shuttle will pick you up at the station, so it's much easier to avoid traffic by taking the DART rail.

Unfortunately not.

Todd Dodge Press Conference Aired Live Today Courtesy: University of North Texas Release: 09/04/2007 DENTON, Tex. (9/4/07) –The Todd Dodge weekly press conference will also be aired live this afternoon at 12 p.m. on 88.1 FM KNTU. You can also listen to the press conference on the internet at www.kntu.com. A live video feed is also available at Meangreensports.com. http://www.meangreensports.com/liveEvents/...;DB_OEM_ID=1200

They will. Follow the link... GAME TO BE BROADCAST ON MUSTANG ALL-ACCESS Mustang fans and Mean Green fans that aren't available to attend the game can watch it live on Mustang All-Access.

While I did feel like we were back in I-AA while watching the last three quarters (yes, I watched the entire thing) of the OU game, I am confident in Coach Dodge's ability to turn the program around from the last couple of years. I know that in five years, we will look back on last Saturday's game, much like we look back on the 2001 UL-Monroe debacle and what happened for four years after that, and say, "See how far we've come from that disaster???"

The biggest improvement a college football team makes comes between their first and second games. Given this, and the huge drop in opponent's talent level for both schools from their last game to now, I am expecting a close, but high scoring game. Hopefully NT will do the things it needs to to come out on top.

In retrospect, the one where they allowed us on the field that day to play the game... All kidding aside, no matter how much you may want to, you can't change the results the refs make...I have belabored the '88 game against UT as much as anyone on the board, yet I know there isn't a thing we can do about it. Refs are human...to expect a totally objective game to be called by an officiating crew every single time is unrealistic. You can replace officials who make obvious errors, like the Oregon-OU game last year, but that's about all you can do.

The same reason our 1995 victory over Oregon State, a Pac-10 team, didn't make that big a splash. Both "upset" targets were crappy teams.

A personal foul penalty would be tacked on to the end of the return, unless it happened prior to the receiving team getting the ball, which is a highly unlikely occurrance. I still prefer getting the ball to start the second half, unless the wind is going to be a huge factor in the game. You put your defense in a position to make a statement at the beginning of the game, and you can change or continue momentum by getting the ball to start the second half. I don't think the extra five yards will make that big of a difference in the long run.

Ask and you shall receive... Coach Rig: Not much of a crowd. Coach Gennero: Well, at least we have the home field advantage. Coach Rig: The Alamo was the home field. Coach Gennero: Well, is it fatal? Doctor: Indigestion? Only in Mexico. [During an indoor practice, Popki's pass bounces off the rim of the basketball hoop] Coach Rig: How about that, he stinks at two sports. Coach Gennero: I can work with him, just butt out of my offense. Coach Rig: If you can build an offense around a guy who throws like Edward Scissorhands, we're gonna be playing a hell of a lot of defense. Chuck Niederman: The Blake man pitches to Sarge, The Sargester bumps into his own man. It's a fumble! FUMBLAYA! Sargie "Fumblina" Wilkerson fumbles the ball! Suzanne Carter: Up yours Phil. [walks away] Dean Elias: She called me Phil. Coach Rig: I don't wanna put any undue pressure on you guys, but Coach Gennero's last words were, win or I'll die. Chuck Neiderman: I hope you stay tuned as the Texas State marching band does its salute to gun racks and open beverage containers; which is only legal in Texas. Jarvis Edison: How many timeouts do we have left? Paul Blake: Three. Jarvis Edison: Can we take 'em all now? For one of my favorite movie quotes, I defer to my signature:

HD radio only affects the quality of the sound, not the distance of the signal.

Count me in...maybe with my 6-year-old son...the jury is still out on him, though.

I would love to see PC make the club, and I don't mean to rain on the parade, but the source of this "story" is a blog, albeit written by one of the beat reporters. There is a comment underneath the blog where the reporter's ability to read the depth chart correctly is challenged, so it is possible he is misreading it: You’ve been reading the depth chart wrong. This caused a bit of confusion with the first release. The spacing may look like there is only a first string, second string, and third string, but that is not how it should be read. You are meant to read the thing from left to right, then down to the next row, and from left to right again. Patrick Cobbs is, in actuality, the fourth string runningback. If you go to the following link, you can see it much more clearly: http://www.miamidolphins.com/newsite/team/depth_chart.asp The depth chart shown on the link lists Patrick as the fourth-string running back, although it is from 8/6/07, which was before last Saturday's game. Here's hoping Patrick can make a bigger impression on everyone in Thursday's game against the Chiefs.

Amen, brutha!!!

Just voted. PC is in last, with 11%.

Not to spoil it for you, but since he scored the winning TD and 2-point conversion, I'd say...yes.

My first NT game was the '88 debacle against UT. I had just found out I had been accepted to NT in the Spring of '89, so a trip to the Forty Acres was a no-brainer for me. BTW, not to stir anything up, but on the disputed, last-second TD, Cash lands on his thigh OUTSIDE the end zone...the replays confirmed it. The turf at Memorial Stadium had a grain to it back then, and anytime you went from north to south, you were going against the grain of the turf, which made it hard on the joints and easy to see where people landed. My first away game as a student was against Northwestern State in Natchitoches, LA. I followed FFR all the way there. There was a nice tribute area to Joe Delaney, the former Chiefs RB and Demons alum, who drowned while saving some children during the prime of his NFL career. I remember we lost the game, but I don't remember the score. BTW Talon90, that was Wayne Walker who put Darren Lewis' lights out...I still remember hearing the hit from across the field and halfway up the bleachers in Kyle Field...

Thomas in position to make difference for Mean Green By GABRIEL D. BROOKS Sunday, August 12, 2007 DENTON — Rushing for over 1,800 yards as a true freshman is a rare feat in college football. In fact, it's only happened three times in the sport's history. Five 200-yard games as a freshman had never happened — until Jamario Thomas took handoffs for North Texas. That was 2004, and Thomas was considered North Texas' best recruit in years among the top running backs in the state out of Spring Hill High School. When Patrick Cobbs went down with a season-ending injury two games into the season, Thomas got his chance. "Super Jamario," as he's called on campus, rushed for 247 yards in his first start against eventual Big 12 North champ Colorado. In 10 games, Thomas finished the year with 1,801 yards, 17 touchdowns and earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. He led the Mean Green to its fourth straight league title and appearance in the New Orleans Bowl. Three seasons, only five wins and a new head coach later, rumors swirl on fan message boards that junior college transfer Cam Montgomery could start ahead of Thomas, who has rushed for only 1,029 yards in his last two seasons. A nagging hamstring injury sabotaged his efforts in 2005, when Cobbs, now with the Miami Dolphins, came back after a medical redshirt to rush for over 1,000 yards. Thomas enters his senior season a few pounds lighter and with his ever-present smile intact. He's just wanting to have a good time. "I'm just looking to go out there and run wild and have fun with the guys," said Thomas, who ranks third on UNT's all-time rushing list. He needs 1,221 yards for first. Thomas isn't preoccupied with the thought of playing in the NFL. The 5-11, 210-pounder, who expresses interest in drug-and-alcohol or family counseling, just wants to fit in new coach Todd Dodge's spread offense. Personal accolades don't matter, either. "I'm just taking things as they come. I'm just out here trying to be a team player," Thomas said. "If we're getting Ws, it doesn't matter how many yards I'm getting." Acclimation to the new offense could be a challenge, though. Thomas came from a Spring Hill program that rode him as the workhorse. Former UNT coach Darrell Dickey was the same way. Dickey's offense personified the "three yards and a cloud of dust" approach, with the occasional play-action pass to keep defenses from putting nine guys in the box. Dodge, who won four Class 5A state championships with a 79-1 record in his last five seasons at Southlake Carroll, brings a shotgun, four-wideout, single-back set to North Texas. Thomas will no longer have a lead blocker. He will also be asked to catch passes out of the backfield, a virtual afterthought in Dickey's offense. "Coach Dodge is bringing a speed offense. This whole summer that's what I worked on," Thomas said. "Coach Dodge is a smart guy. He's going to put everybody in positions to make plays." Dodge said he has big plans for Thomas. Although Carroll's quarterbacks were the focal point of Dodge's attack - see Chase Wasson (Sam Houston State), Chase Daniel (Missouri) and Greg McElroy (Alabama) - running backs got their opportunities. Former Carroll running back Aaron Luna and current back Tre Newton, Nate's son, rushed for 1,500 yards or more each year under Dodge. Newton eclipsed the 2,000-yard plateau in 2006 and has 38 touchdowns over the last two years. "I tell my running back coach Shelton Gandy all the time, 'Make sure you remind Jamario that I know who our best offensive player is.' I think it's important that he knows that," Dodge said. "I think as the thing unfolds, Jamario Thomas is going to be one of the most excited people that there are about this offense. He (just) doesn't quite have the picture painted for him yet. "Jamario is going to be fabulous. The skills that he had in the offense that North Texas ran before are going to be just as evident in the offense we have here. We've done a lot of evaluating whether or not he can really catch the ball. We feel he's got good hands. He's athletic, so I'm thrilled to have a guy like him - a guy that's got that kind of experience, that kind of explosiveness. Look for him to have an outstanding year." Just like he says, Thomas is taking things as they come, joking about returning to his freshman form: "I've just accepted the fact that genetics kicked in." Thomas' final season at North Texas is all about enjoying himself and the company of his teammates. "(I'm trying to) have fun because this is my last year, but also try to end everything on a positive note," Thomas said. "It's my senior year, you know."

Edited to cancel a duplicate post from Adler just below.

Here's the text of the interview with TD... North Texas head football coach Todd Dodge Life at the next level is fun - so far, at least By Scott Boyter Editor The excitement level is through the roof in Denton as legendary high school football coach Todd Dodge takes over. You know about his incredible record at Southlake Carroll. Now find out how he plans on helping the North Texas program reach heights it's never before achieved. There is an unprecedented buzz surrounding North Texas football and you're the chief reason. How does that make you feel? I tell you, it makes me feel great because it's such a positive for our kids. It's really the reason I took this job. I always thought there was potential to do great things at North Texas. I had the chance to be up here in the early 90s and there were some tremendous memories, so I'm sold on the place. I'm excited that the students, fan base and alumni are excited. What do you do to, while not necessarily tempering the enthusiasm, caution people that just because you're the head coach at UNT that doesn't mean there's going to be an open pipeline of studs coming to Denton from Southlake Carroll? We're going to recruit the entire state of Texas, especially the Dallas-Fort Worth area. We can do a better job of getting more players from a 30-40 mile radius surrounding Denton. Southlake has a lot of good players, obviously, and yeah, we're going to recruit there just like anywhere else. We've got a couple of kids signed off of that team. The one thing about any player coming from Southlake, while we're going to make sure they're a Division 1 football player, we know they dang sure know how to win. What's the reception been for you around campus? It's been great. A lot of students come up to me and are really excited about the program. We've got great expectations for ourselves; our football team and football staff are not going to be afraid to go try to knock the top off of our potential. We've just got to decide what that is. I've never been one to say, 'well, if we win this many games we'll be all right.' We're part of a conference that has a championship, and that's what we'll go after. When we are on campus and people want to talk about Mean Green football, that's very exciting. And I hope it doesn't stop, because we're going to need their help. That's where it's got to start. I really plan on calling on our student body. We've got 33,000 students here, and we need them to stay in Denton on weekends and come support our football program. You're obviously shooting for the top as far as taking this program as far as you can go is concerned. Not only for a conference championship but true national prominence down the road. Are you comfortable with the facilities there? Do you think those facilities will help you reach whatever ultimate goal it is you have for this program? I definitely feel that the facilities that have come in here the last year and a half, the new locker rooms, weight facilities, new dining hall, the new dorm -- it's not a pure athletic dorm but it's right here by the practice field -- we don't want for much. There's also a plan for a new stadium. Fouts Field is what it is; it's an old, historic stadium -- it's our place and we're proud of it. But ultimately, that new stadium will help us. It'll be our last link from a facilities standpoint. I, being a former coach here, knew how we were lacking in facilities. To come back here 13, 14 years later, and for us to have the facilities we have, it's really helped us in recruiting. How important is a school's facilities to potential recruits? You can't turn a blind eye to it. It's very important. I mean, kids want good facilities. In terms of high school football just in the Metroplex there's a $25 million, $26 million, state-of-the-art stadium on every corner, it seems. You want kids to have better facilities than they have at the high school level. A lot of people talk about the difference in speed between college and pro football -- how it's a different world for somebody who's never experienced it. How drastic a difference is there between high school and college football? Anybody who steps to that next level, I don't care if it's a player going from junior varsity to varsity, or high school to college, or a coach stepping up from high school to college, it takes time to get caught up with the speed of the game. I can remember as a player your first week or two as a freshman you feel like you're in a blender. That's what's so unique about this game; it's one of those sports where you have to acclimate to the speed of the next level, then you let your skills take over. It's the same thing with a coach; there's a learning term regarding the players you have and the one's you're playing against. But coaching's coaching. Everybody's a little bigger and faster at this level, but it's all relative. We're confident with our plan. How young will your team be compared to others in the Sun Belt Conference? We're pretty veteran on defense. Our three linebackers have 52 starts between them. It's very junior and senior dominated. On offense we're very young, which is not all a bad thing when you're talking about bringing in a new system. Have you talked to any former high school coaches who have made the jump to college -- guys like you who had phenomenal success at the high school level -- to get a feel for how they've made the adjustment? Art Briles at the University of Houston (who won four state titles while at Stephenville) is a great friend of mine. His advice has always been, 'Don't deviate from your plan. You've got to tweak the plan, but don't think you have to get somebody else's ideas just because you're a college coach.' And we have a plan. It's not a high school plan, it's not a college plan, it's not an NFL plan. It's just a football plan. I think a good head coach is one who believes in his plan, but is flexible enough to make it fit whatever situation he's in. But you have to coach what you know, and you have to have people around you who believe in what you do. We're in the meat and potatoes of our fall practice, and I'm having more [fun] than the Lord allows coaching this team and seeing it come together. I don't really feel like I'm doing a whole lot different than when I was at Carroll.

That's okay...I wasn't too excited about doing it on a Friday night anyway...