GrandGreen

Overall bad defense and not a lot of energy on NT's part.

Considering NT's place in the final standings, NT did better than expected. Yes I do believe that Dunbar should have been the offensive POY if not conference POY, however Rainey also put up some big numbers. Rainey had a higher average yards per game out gaining Dunbar 137.4 to 129.4. However Dunbar averaged almost a yard more per carry at 5.7 to 4.8 and led Rainey slightly in all purpose yards. As noted above, it probably would not have been close other than Dunbar only had 11 carries against FIU and 12 against Army. Robertson was the leading tackle in the conference and probably should have gotten defensive POY, but those type awards seldom go to players on mediocre teams. Chancellor should led the conference in ko returns but doesn't have the name yet to compete with Jerrigan and Hilton. Olin also is IMO a better kicker than Gendreau kicking 13-15 field goals to his 10-12 and I believe being a better distance kicker. Olien missing two extra points may have been the difference. I also thought NT's defensive tackles deserves recognition but neither showed much via defensive stats. Special congrats to Gill, not only did he make first team but I don't remember one post this year lamenting his lack of size. Same to Santiago who got off to a slow start because of injury, but came on strong in the end.

Tuesday Update In a big time game, South Grand Prairie (10-2) lost to North Crowley (7-1) #7 in state at N, Crowley, 64-67; Trey Norris led all scorers with 26. Eastland (7-0) demonlished Coleman 59-21 with Forrest Robinson with 25 Audriana Simpson scored 10 in battle of hills, FW Western Hills (9-2) 65 FW Eastern Hills 46

Exactly, my thoughts; Rice and Tech may be as good or better but NT is playing SHSU away. I hope NT get some sweet revenge over last year's NCAA tournament seeding.

Too many transfers? I went to NT in the late sixties, almost all my friends had like me started out somewhere else. I only went to NT for two years and that has not dampened my interest. The facts are with tuition soaring a good segment of students are going to go through community colleges. NT's primary mission is education is it not? Commuters, older students working and going to school part time, graduate students and juco transfers are always going to represent a large percentage of NT's enrollment. The future looks like more and more on-line students, the ultimate in not involved. I would guess the the traditional four year student will be less and less of the total student population. My point all the student groups can be pulled in as NT fans for life with a good athletic program. Heck, the majority of UT fans for instance never entered one classroom at UT. Everyone normally gets fired up to some extent with every new head coach. Look at Dodge, how many posts did I read afraid that he was just using NT as a stepping stone and would soon move on to bigger things. The difference this time is that not only has NT upped the ante, and brought in a legitimate experienced head coach but it also has a lot more going for it. A new stadium, increased financing, and a pro-athletic administration. Add that to the advantages that NT has always had such as geography and size and there is a lot of reason for much higher expectations. It won't be easy and it won't happen overnight but it is going to happen, NT is going to move up substantially in the athletic world.

Kimball beat Skyline 73-54 with Jordan Williams with 14 Casper split their last two games, over Snow College 82-79, Lost big to Eastern Utah 59-76 Brandon Walton numbers through 12 games 13.6 pts, 4.3 rbs, 1.9 a, 36.4% FG, 34.9% 3's, 77.6% ft

Looking at players coming back, best guess: QB: Dodge, Thompson - Need two more QBS, I juco and 1 hs RB: Dunbar and Hamilton are both srs. Bird only underclassman: need 2 hs HB, TE Back Brown and Olawale who played with Hawkins and Fitzpatrick . Pior should go back to LB. Walk on Drew Miller looked good at times Look for 1 juco and 1 hs WR Stradford, Carey, Bynes, Chancellor, Lewis provide good nucleus but need numbers, at least 2 and probably 3 hs OL Freeley, Tomlinson, Fortenberry, Leppio, Johnson, Bean and Adidipe with unused Franklin, Noble, Y'Barbo, and Johnson returning: Look for 3 recruits including 1 juco DE Most back but no really outstanding players, Gaines, McCoy, Obi, Akpunku, Bellizan, look for 1 juco and 2hs DT Cantly back with White, Abbe, Boutwell, Anyiam. Don't thank Anyiam, Boutwell or White played much if at all White was a mystery last year, and I am not sure Anyiam is still on the team Don't remember him suited up Need imediate help 2 jc and 1 hs LB Another position that needs numbers Phillips, Orr, Johnson, Herron, and Prior Little beyond those although Graham could end up back at lb. At least 2 hs recruits CB Actually should be in good shape with HIll, McCord, Ford and Jackson Need some numbers 2 hs recruits S Shorter, Downing, Wright, Cook and maybe Graham making this a strong position 2 hs recruits k/P Atterberry, Olin and Deans all return, no ships Total projected: 6 jucos, 18 hs which might be more than the 22 ships estimated to be available. Of course this is all speculation not knowing all the factors, but I do look for NT to hit the jucos hard. Not anything like the last two years, but would not be surprised to see 6 to 8.

Sure the more sports the better change you have, but the offset is you have to fund all those sports. WKU has an advantage and they pay for it. Seems fair to me. The keys to victory in these all sports cups is have a very strong track program and use foreign athletes strategically.

Good find, Norris is a keeper, no doubt. Wonder if Chris Washburn has signed with anyone.

You know there is no way to back this up, but NT just might have been the best team in the Belt at the end of the year. I predicted very poorly that this team would win 8 and without the coaching situation and the unusual string of injuries, I am not sure this team couldn't have been there. Maybe green tinted,but I think NT had the experience and talent this year to have done much better in the down Belt.

Not awe inspiring but a win. Hogans really had a night. Is Holmen hitting a three a good thing? This is a better win than most will think.

Not good, but about what I expected. Hope they wake up in the second half.

Friday night games Kimball ove Galena Park North Shore 72-53 with Jordan Williams with 21 Lakeview Centiennal 79 Plano East 46, Chris Jones getting 21 South Grand Prairie 72 Waco Midway 57 led by Trey Norris with 16

What is not true? A redshirt year and a hardship waiver (sometimes referred to as a Medial Reshirt0 are not the same and are not interchangeable. If he gets a waiver, he will have 3 more years to play that is not counter to what I stated. He still lost a year by playing in one drive in 2010. I am certainly not an expert but here is my logic if you know better please cite your sources. The NCAA regs are hazy at best. Normally a football players has 5 years to play 4. This allows a player to have a redshirt year. The player cannot play one down and receive a redshirt year. The exception to the rule is under special circumstances a player can receive a "hardship waiver" in the case of injury it is often referred to as a medical redshirt. There are qualifications to receive this waiver including that the player cannot have played in the second half of the season or in more than 20% of the games and the injury has to be documented by medical evidence. With this waiver a player can have more than the 5 years to play 4. In the case of SMU QB and NT OC Flanigan, it seems to be unlimited. Applying this to Thompson. He played his freshman year and lost a year of eligibility that cannot be changed. So he is a sophomore with 4 years to play 3. He was injured in the third game of 2011 and thus should be eligible for a hardship waiver. He is not eligible for a redshirt because he played in a game. Again, I don't think he can get a hardship waiver until he has completed eligibility, but it really does not matter at this point. In the unlikely event he does not get a waiver he will have 3 years to play 2. If he gets the hardship waiver, he will get an extra year and have in effect 3 years to play 3. The point is that if Thompson had not played his freshman year and redshirted, he still could get a medical redshirt (hardship waiver). He would then still have 4 years to play. If that is true, how can anyone support the theory that playing his freshman year did not cost him a year of eligibility?

I guess I am looking for one, I will forgo that marketing101 that you recommended. However, I can already manage these earthshaking proposals; NT needs to increase donations and attendance. Anything above that may be the 200 course level. The fact is basketball attendance though improving is far from were it should be and I have no solutions. Do you, please share. I can almost guarantee you that any sane and doable things you come up with have already been tried multiple times. Do give aways, short term and hasn't worked. More advertising, payout has proven small in the past. Better schedule, yes that would work but it is very difficult to achieve. Concurrent events, been big failures in the past. Win, that is the best answer and its works although much slower than you would think. An aside, as we should all know that basketball has very little to do with moving up in conferences. See TCU and Kansas for examples. Football attendance has peaked, just maybe that has something to do with six straight mostly very bad years of football. It seems to me that the administration has done a lot to turn that around. There is a slight possibility that a new stadium and coaching staff may improve attendance. Yes, that is short term if NT doesn't start to win a lot more often. Back to winning, aren't we. As much as I enjoy this debate, you win particularly as you redefine your past statements with each new post.

I stated nothing about joining an AQ conference, actually I said the exact opposite that NT does not have to compete with schools at that level. I think for a badly losing school in the Belt, NT's football attendance stands up well. NT basketball attendance is certainly poor relative to the team's performance. Back to a not having a plan, what are you talking about? You don't think building all those facilities is a result of a plan. I think NT definitely has multiple plans and options for it's athletic program, a lot of which most of us are not privy too. Do you really think that NT isn't and hasn't got a strategy for moving up in conference affiliation? Yes I think your comments were bull not because the individual statements were not true, but the tone of your post was that NT just could not compete. I gave you rationale to why I think they can. You can agree or disagree but I find it amazing that anyone can not see the progress being made or chooses to complain about were the program is at a time that any NT fan should be excited about the future. I guarantee I can cite NT athletic deficiencies with the best of you, I have been called the most negative person on this board multiple times for stating what I thought was obvious. However, now NT is doing the right things and the future is the brightest it has been in my fairly long life time.

If he does get a medical redshirt, it has nothing to do with his freshman year? First, I don't think you get medical redshirts until your original elegiblity is up. So he will be a junior next year with the possibility of getting another year after his senior year. If he had not been used as freshman, he would be a sophomore next year with the possibility of getting another year after his senior year. In other words, he gets another year to replace his injury year, he still lost his first year for one drive.

They are going to pick the best QB for the job including IMO one or two new quarterbacks. Riley will be very hard to beat, he had a great year considering he started out as a WR and was very rusty at the beginning but got better has the year progressed. The only reason Riley didn't start this year is because they didn't think he had recovered from injuries. Tune looked very good this year and if he gets a medical redshirt, he will certainly be in the mix. Thompson played only slightly more than his wasted freshman year, remains basically an unknown.

Almost inexplicably, NT leads Belt on Phil Steele's All Conference team with 7 first team players, Troy has 6, FIU 3 http://www.fiusports...pdf8/726715.pdf

I can't believe anyone after going through this year would think that NT doesn't need more QB's. Assuming Dodge plays QB next year and Thompson comes back well, that gives NT two scholarship quarterbacks. Baine showed a lot of guts and proved to be adequate but he is not someone that is going to compete for a starting position. If Tune recovers and got a medical redshirt that would be great, but that has not happened. NT will get one and probably two QB recruits this year.

Tonights games Jordan Williams had 21 points and Jariion Henry 26 in a 89 to 46 victory over Little Cypress-Mauriceville Lakeview Centennial 94 Mount Pleasant 61 with Chris Jones with only 2 WBB signee Audrianna Simpson had 13 in a F. W. Western Hills 63-55 win over F. W. Boswell

A couple of observations about tonight's very ho hum game. Was disappointing that NT had to put out almost max effort against this team, all 5 starters had over 30 minutes. I was encouraged with Edwards who had an awful line, 9 minutes 2 points, 2 rebounds and five fouls. Despite an awful performance, he seems to move much better. Thompson was again spectacular but NT was out rebounded and seemed to generally sleep walk through this game. The rest of the six were ok but not particularly noteworthy. Holmen had only 6 minutes and only 2 missed shoots to show up in the statistics. Ben didn't look bad for Ben with four points against the scrubs. Never felt even though it got within 4 points that NT would lose, but it was another case of playing at the competition level. Texas Southern and Sam Houston on the road are not going to be easy games for this team.

Reading my posts requires a little interpretation.

Jason Williams last game was Monday night were he scored 29 in a Kimball win over Madison 79-68.

A lot of bull, the facts are that NT is not trying or has to compete with the AQ conference members, and should be very comparable with the majority of the non-AQ's around. Not that NT doesn't suffer from a lot of problems you listed, but so do most of the other members of the MAC, Belt, MWC and CUSA, In fact, just about every university can cry lack of resources other than UT and Ohio State. There is always someone with something better. Look at the regional non-AQ competition. SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, and Rice all have money although not as much as you might think for athletes but have relatively small followings despite being in a better regional conferences. UTEP has the following and maybe the resources but they have also been at the bottom of the football pile throughout most of their history. Houston has some major donors and also the advantage most of these teams have of playing in the old SWC but their overall support has never been particularly good. La Tech just should not be able to compete with NT based on resources and geography. TSSM and UTSA are start ups that are going to prove a lot before they are real competition. Yes the sleeping giant phrase has been overused and particularly at NT and NT does need more and better support. But you are blind if you don't see the progress that has been made at NT and hopefully will escalate from now on. New experienced coaching staff, new football stadium, and additional revenues from the student fees and stadium coming on stream. Plus the most important and rarest component NT, a pro athletic administration. These are tangible ingredients not pipe-dreams. There are a lot of politics involved in conference selections, so they are rarely just based on what an university can offer. But even in the back room policies involved with Rawlins, NT might just fare fairly well there too.