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I spent some time today working the phones and have come up with at least a working list of a few of the players coming in on official visits this weekend and picked up some information on a few of the guys in play for UNT at this point. One new name out there is Sergio Medina, a linebacker/running back from Hannahville in Louisiana. Hannahville head coach Lou Valdin confirmed that Medina is coming to UNT this weekend. He’s 5-10, 215, and is being recruited by several Sun Belt-level schools. He was the Offensive MVP of District 8-5A last season. “He’s very fast and very strong,” Valdin said. “He runs a 4.5 and is 215 pounds.” Valdin believes Medina could play either running back or linebacker in college, but UNT seems to be interested in him as a linebacker. Trinity Valley offensive lineman Shawn McKinney posted on his Twitter account that he is coming on a visit to UNT this weekend and is thinking about committing. I later confirmed that McKinney will visit with Trinity Valley head coach Brad Smiley. Read blog: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/12/thursday-afternoon-recruiting-notes.html/

I put an Freedom of Information Act request in for Tony Benford’s contract right after he signed on with UNT. After a longer wait than anticipated, I got a hold of it late last week. I will have a story on the deal in tomorrow’s paper, but here are the basics: Benford signed a five-year contract with UNT that will pay in excess of $350,000 in base salary and guaranteed incentives annually. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/12/tony-benford-contract-details-full-story-in-tomorrows-paper.html/

I mentioned on the blog yesterday that rumors were heating up that Middle Tennessee would end up following UNT to Conference USA. Adam Sparks, an old Sun Belt friend confirmed the news today MTSU will be a good addition for C-USA. It’s a good program in a good market. If I’m Mike Petersen, I’m kicking the nearest dog/inanimate object over the fact Rick Insell and the Lady Raiders are following me to a new league, but other than that, not a terrible deal for UNT. MTSU is a school UNT has a history of playing through the years. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/middle-is-coming-with-unt-to-c-usa.html/

There are a lot of UNT fans who are a little depressed today following what was generally considered a disappointing 4-8 season in the second year of the Dan McCarney era. But I do have good news. Four loyal blog readers/UNT fans hit the jackpot by being huge pessimists in a MGB tradition — the annual “Get Your Rear on the Record” contest. We had 66 people send in guesses this year, which is a pretty good amount considering we did away with anonymous comments on the blog. People put their names on their guesses this year, or at least their handle on GoMeanGreen.com, the invention of Harry, the mastermind behind hundreds of wasted work hours. And our winners are — Click here for more info: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/get-your-rear-on-the-record-winners-and-thoughts.html/

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/video-interviews-heading-into-wku-game.html/

I’ve made the trip back from Monroe and have had some time to sort through some thoughts on UNT being blasted 42-16 by the Warhawks. One comment after the game stuck with me. Dan McCarney mentioned that everyone seems to get healthy — like Kolton Browning did for ULM last night — right before they play UNT. Yep. This is what we like to call a post bowl era North Texas-ism. UNT has had no luck since the 2004 New Orleans Bowl, although the school created a lot of its own misery with one horrendous decision a few years ago. Browning wasn’t quite himself. The Texas native couldn’t run as well as he usually does, but did torch UNT for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Brent Leonard, a former walk-on from Keller, caught eight balls for 93 yards. There were two tough aspects to the game for UNT: First off, UNT is now officially headed for its eighth straight losing season and will have to beat Western Kentucky on the road to match its 5-7 mark from last year. Selling progress to recruits is going to be tougher this year. UNT can point to fancy facilities all it wants. A big part of what players are looking for in college is a chance to play for a winner. Secondly... Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/sunday-morning-thoughts.html/

That was what a game against a Division II opponent is supposed to look like for UNT. The Mean Green had five players finish in double figures and rolled to a 78-49 win over Cameron tonight in its home opener. Chris Jones had a terrific night, hitting eight of his nine shots from the field on his way to 16 points. Jacob Holmen also had a good night with 14 points. Tony Mitchell took just five shots, but had 11 points and seven rebounds. UNT got pretty much every shot it wanted in the flow of its offense. Tony Benford was pleased with the way UNT played defensively and rebounded. UNT still isn’t using Keith Coleman and Mitchell on the floor at the same time much, which is something it hopes to do once Sun Belt play starts. Holmen hit all but one of his 3-point attempts. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/unt-cameron-thoughts.html/

A few days ago, it looked like UNT was going to catch a huge break heading into its game against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. UNT head coach Dan McCarney said ULM quarterback Kolton Browning was playing better than anyone in the Sun Belt Conference before he went down with a foot injury and missed a couple of games, both of which the Warhawks lost. It would have been great timing for UNT to catch ULM right after Browning got hurt. But alas, our friend Tabby Soignier over at the News-Star reported yesterday that Browning will start tomorrow against UNT. UNT on the other hand will be without Brelan Chancellor and unless something unexpected happens Antoinne Jimmerson This is what we here on the blog like to call a post bowl-era “North Texas-ism” read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/tough-break-for-unt-browning-to-start.html/

I had a chance to ask Tony Benford and UNT’s players about their loss to Alabama-Huntsville today after they returned from the “Road Trip From You Know Where”' Not the most pleasant conversation I have had recently, but it was kind of enlightening. “It was a tough trip,” Benford said. “We knew Creighton was going to be a difficult game and Alabama-Huntsville, I give those guys credit. That was the worst loss I have been a part of in 21 years. That’s all on me. I will always be accountable. That is a game we should have won.” UNT’s players were upset about the loss as well. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/benford-players-address-huntsville-loss-et-cetera.html/

I ran spent some time running around today picking up material for my notebook that will run into tomorrow’s paper and have had more time to think over UNT’s stunning loss to Alabama-Huntsville. I’m not saying it’s an excuse, but Huntsville is supposed to be pretty good on the DII level this year. What I do wonder at this point is if UNT isn’t trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. Hear me out. UNT has been an open court, run the floor and score team for more than a decade and has had a lot of success with that style. When Tony Benford took over he talked a lot about improving the Mean Green’s performance defensively and getting the ball into the paint more often. That’s a solid way to play, one that has worked a lot of places for Benford and a lot of other coaches. What I wonder is if UNT has the guys to play that way. UNT recruited John Odoh to put next to Tony Mitchell so that he would be able to take advantage of his skills. Mitchell is a nightmare at the four because he can shoot, drive and post up smaller guys. Put him at the five and other team’s big guys lean on him and get him into foul trouble. UNT picked up Keith Coleman when Odoh declined to play for UNT after Johnny Jones and Shawn Forrest left for LSU, where Odoh eventually ended up. UNT signed up Keith Coleman to fill the same role. Benford said he played very well in the off-season and was the best player UNT had on the court at times. Now that the season has started, Coleman has gone MIA. He’s played an average of 10.0 minutes a game and is averaging 2.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/11/just-a-thought-is-unt-trying-to-pound-a-square-peg-in-a-round-hole.html/

There were a couple of good news tidbits to come out of today's Dan McCarney press conference. Here goes: – The big news that came out of left field is that backup quarterback Brent Osborn is going to graduate this year and will not be back next season. Osborn never played much at UNT, but he is the Mean Green's No. 2 guy with Andrew McNulty spending the year as a redshirt. To me this is just another sign that Brock Berglund is going to make a run at the starting job next year. read more: http://meangreenblog...e-notes-7.html/ This post has been promoted to an article

I had a ton of stuff to do today and got to thinking while plowing through it all — Could UNT’s win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Tuesday be the biggest of the Dan McCarney era? Hear me out. UNT has not really been at it that long under McCarney, but he has posted a few memorable wins during his short time in Denton. UNT beat Indiana for its first win at Apogee Stadium, its first win of the McCarney era and its first win over a BCS AQ school since the Mean Green beat Baylor in the height of the Glory Days back in 2003. That one was big, probably the biggest of them all so far, but Indiana finished 1-11 with its lone win coming over South Carolina … State. Not South Carolina of the SEC. UNT beat traditional Sun Belt power Troy last year, but that was in the midst of the Trojans worst season in years. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/10/was-that-the-biggest-win-of-the-mccarney-era.html/

HOUSTON — North Texas faced a couple of high-powered conventional offenses earlier this season in losses to LSU and Kansas State. The challenge Houston presented on Saturday night at Robertson Stadium was something entirely different. The Cougars and quarterback David Piland came out firing in their no-huddle spread attack and didn’t stop until they had run away for a 44-21 win over UNT, which came into the night looking for a milestone win in the second season of the Dan McCarney era. UNT (2-4) had a chance to pick up its first win since 2006 over a Texas school that competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision, not to mention end a string of 19 consecutive losses following a win. The Mean Green never had a shot at either landmark on a night when the Cougars (2-3) put up video game-like numbers in just UNT’s eighth game against another Texas school since 2006. Piland torched UNT’s secondary for 321 passing yards to lead Houston. Charles Sims did plenty of damage as well, running through the Mean Green for 210 yards and a touchdown. The pair helped the Cougars finish with a whopping 623 yards. Houston scored more points against UNT this season than anyone else, including LSU and Kansas State, a pair of teams ranked in the top 10. “It looked like we were playing in sand and they were playing on grass,” McCarney said. “Our fundamentals were poor. There are lots and lots of things we need to get fixed.” UNT’s defense seemed like it would be pretty far down on the to-do list after the Mean Green played well in a win last week over Florida Atlantic, the second straight opponent the Mean Green had held to 14 points. Houston had 14 points by the halfway point of the first quarter and jumped out to a 17-0 edge after scoring on each of its first three possessions. “We didn’t play Mean Green defense at all,” UNT linebacker Zach Orr said. “We had too many missed tackles.” read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20121007-football-chance-denied.ece

I talk about UNT focusing on the running game at the top of it. It’s something I mentioned briefly on the blog yesterday. I was really surprised that UNT didn’t run the ball better. FAU stacked the line of scrimmage all night and dared UNT to throw it. I thought McCarney’s comment on how teams will take that approach the rest of the season was telling. Outside of Brelan Chancellor, UNT’s passing game doesn’t strike a lot of fear in opponents. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/10/player-video-interviews-and-notes.html/

This stat on BC - and his importance - really blew me away.... http://meangreenblog...houghts-2.html/

Derek Thompson seemed like he couldn’t miss a week ago during North Texas’ loss to Kansas State. On Saturday, Thompson and the Mean Green moved the ball during their Sun Belt Conference opener against Troy at Apogee Stadium. UNT just couldn’t cash in when it mattered during a 14-7 loss. The Mean Green pushed the ball inside Troy’s 30-yard line six times but only cashed in once. UNT’s kicking game was the major problem. Zach Olen missed a pair of field goals and backup Zach Paul missed another. UNT’s offense didn’t help much either. “We moved the ball all over the place,” Thompson said. “Third down just killed us. Going 2-of-14 is unacceptable. We know that when we get into the red zone we need to score, and we just didn’t do it.” UNT went for it twice on fourth down deep in Troy territory in the fourth quarter and failed to convert both times. Thompson said he felt like he could have fit the ball in to wide receiver Ivan Delgado on fourth-and-11 from the Troy 17-yard line on the first of those opportunities. Thompson also couldn’t connect with Brelan Chancellor on fourth-and-16 from the Troy 30 on what turned out to be UNT’s final chance of the night. He missed Drew Miller in the end zone in the second quarter. “It was a TD,” Thompson said of the play when Miller broke free. “I just missed it. It won’t happen again, I guarantee it.” Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20120923-notebook-mean-green-fails-to-cash-in.ece

Today our series of Conference Conversations takes us to the Sun Belt. The Saturday Edge is very pleased to present an exclusive Sun Belt football Q & A session with Brett Vito of the Denton Record-Chronicle. Question # 1: According to oddsmakers, FIU is favored to win the Sun Belt (+240). Which team do you believe is going to win the Sun Belt this season and what other team(s) could realistically challenge for conference title? Why? My pick is Florida International. It’s just hard to not like what the Golden Panthers have coming back with 18 starters returning. Granted, two of the guys who left were maybe the best player in the Sun Belt in TY Hilton and starting quarterback Wes Carroll, but there are a whole lot of good players at other spots. FIU has 10 starters returning from a defense that allowed 19.5 points a game on the season. My only reason to second-guess that pick is that Arkansas State will also be pretty good this year. Read more: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/sports/ncaa-football/college-football-analysis-can-arkansas-state-or-troy-take-down-fiu-2012

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/video-interviews-with-tevinn-cantly-derek-thompson.html/

I was going to post some thoughts on UNT’s loss to Kansas State last night, but stayed in the one hotel left on the planet without wireless. UNT really did turn out a remarkable performance. The Mean Green hung with one of the top teams in the country until the Wildcats superior talent took over. UNT’s offensive line is everything it was billed to be heading into the season. The Mean Green’s top two running backs — Brandin Byrd and Antoinne Jimmerson — picked up 129 yards between them. Derek Thompson had his best night throwing the ball since last season, connecting on a remarkable 25 of his 28 attempts for 208 yards and a touchdown. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/sunday-afternoon-thoughts-on-a-good-showing-for-unt.html/

I spoke with Josh Friar for a few minutes this week for a story that will be in tomorrow’s paper. Friar is one of those high-risk, high reward prospects. His high school coach told me that he has a Big 12 frame 6-8 at and a Big 12 ceiling. He just doesn’t have Big 12-level skills yet. Friar played on the JV team at Kingwood as a freshman and sophomore, but didn’t play as a junior due some off-the-court issues that are now resolved. When it comes down to it, he just doesn’t have a lot of game experience and needs to develop his skills. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/some-additional-info-on-josh-friar.html/

In terms of actual games played, North Texas went just one date on its schedule without a win. Count up the number of days the Mean Green went between a season-ending shellacking of Middle Tennessee at the end of last season and its win over Texas Southern last week, and a lot of time had passed. UNT went through an entire spring, summer and fall two-a-days and finally received a reward for all that hard work when it knocked off TSU 34-7. That win did UNT a lot of good, especially considering it came in the Mean Green’s home opener. UNT hadn’t won its first game at home since 2006, before taking out the Tigers, and hadn’t won a game, period, since hammering the Blue Raiders 59-7 on Dec. 3 of last year. McCarney talked about how important reaching that milestone was after UNT evened its record at 1-1 on Saturday night. The impact of the win was even more evident by Monday morning. “It was very positive,” McCarney said during the Sun Belt Conference’s weekly coaches’ teleconference. “It’s always good to get a reward for everyone’s hard work. “When it’s a young team, it’s good to have something to build on. They understand that we are a long way away from where we need to be, but thank God we are not where we used to be.” The win was particularly important for UNT in a season in which it faces a tough schedule, one that will continue this week with a game at Kansas State. The Wildcats are ranked No. 15 and will be the second ranked team UNT has faced this season. The Mean Green lost to No. 3 LSU 41-14 to open the season. The Wildcats looked like they might not be as strong as they have been in previous seasons after using a 35-point fourth quarter to turn what was a close season-opening game against Missouri State into a 51-9 blowout. The Wildcats led just 16-9 before pulling away. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20120910-football-saturdays-win-good-for-unt-going-forward.ece

The talk of the Sun Belt Conference coaches teleconference this morning was Louisiana-Monroe’s win over Arkansas. Big shock. Just about every coach in the league was asked how big it was, and they all said it was huge. Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson mentioned that it was important for the league’s profile and went on to say that he was disappointed that ULM didn’t receive more votes in the Top 25 polls. ULM received 23 votes in the AP poll and one in the coaches’ poll. Media members are more likely to vote for a team that pulls an upset. Todd Berry, ULM’s head coach, talked about how important the win was for the program and how big it is for the Warhawks to follow up on it. If ULM is ever going to get to a bowl, this would seem to be the year. The Warhawks have a good quarterback in Kolton Browning and an experienced defense. Plus ULM has a win on the board with the entire Sun Belt schedule left, not to mention a game against Tulane. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/sbc-conference-call-notes.html/

Here is a Q&A I did with Ronnie Turner from the Houston Chronicle about UNT’s game against Texas Southern: 1. How much did that season-opening win do for Texas Southern? TSU’s 44-41 victory over rival Prairie View A&M provided a huge emotional lift for the program. The Tigers entered the game with a five-game losing streak to Prairie View and were coming off a 4-7 finish in the previous season. First-year coach Darrell Asberry had a successful regular-season debut and gave fans reason to be optimistic about the remainder of the year. The Tigers’ offense showed great promise, racking up 544 yards en route to helping TSU overcome a 20-7 first-quarter deficit. And a normally weak unit, special teams, was very solid, led by senior kicker Robert Hersh, who kicked a game-winning 47-yard field goal as time expired. The defense, however, had its hat handed to it by Prairie View’s potent offense, allowing 500 yards. Defensive coordinator Kevin Ramsey definitely has his work cut out. 2. Does this team look at a game with UNT as a chance to put itself on the map? For TSU, a game such as this provides the best test and opportunity to show the college football world how far the program has come. However, the Tigers are hardly at the strength they’ll need to contend against an FBS program, even one not quite as dominant as North Texas. Plus, TSU’s recent matchups against FBS teams haven’t been kind in the least bit. The Tigers are 0-4 against FBS teams since 2008, having been outscored 245-13 in those matchups. Connecticut was the last FBS team to put a beating on TSU, rolling to a 62-3 victory in 2010. The likely best-case scenario for TSU against North Texas is to keep the outcome respectable and to make sure key players leave Denton as healthy as they arrived. Read more:http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/09/7032.html/

BATON ROUGE - Each week, we'll throw a set of questions at a writer or other media member who covers LSU's opponent to get the a take "from the other sideline." Brett Vito This week, longtime North Texas beat writer Brett Vito of the Denton Record-Chronicle steps to the plate. 1. Now that the storm has passed and football is a go Saturday night, give us a quick synopsis on what the expectations are this season for North Texas in year two under Dan McCarney? "I don't think the expectations for McCarney are different than they are for any coach early in his tenure. People just want to see UNT continue to improve. The interesting question will be what constitutes improvement for this team in terms of its record at the end of the season. "UNT went 5-7 in McCarney's first season, which was pretty astounding when you think about it. UNT won five games the previous two seasons combined. "The immediate thought is, well, the target this year should be six or seven wins, and it is, but the schedule might make that unrealistic. UNT is at LSU, at Kansas State and at Houston this year. Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette are expected to be at the top of the Sun Belt this season, and UNT just lost its best player and all-time leading rusher Lance Dunbar to the Dallas Cowboys (at last check of the waiver wire). "Finishing 5-7 again might not sound all that great, but if UNT gets there and looks good doing it, that might be the low end of what would constitute a good year." Read more: http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2012/08/view_from_the_other_sideline_n.html

read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/08/unt-lsu-game-update.html/