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DENTON The football has never been in the air on Saturdays as much as it has been in todays college game. In 2000, just one college team passed for 4,000 yards and only 17 amassed as many as 3,000 yards. That was before the explosion of spread offenses. Teams now fan out three, four and five receivers across the formation and throw, throw, throw. There were 58 teams that passed for 3,000 yards in 2013, 14 of which passed for 4,000 yards and two that hit 5,000 yards. College football has become a game of finesse. Its become fast-break basketball on turf. But not at Michigan State. The Spartans major in physical football. They run it on offense and smash you in the mouth on defense. Despite finishing 82nd in the NCAA in passing, the Spartans won both a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl and claimed a No. 3 final ranking. Stanford also majors in physical football. The Cardinal run it on offense and smash you in the mouth on defense. Despite finishing 92nd in the NCAA in passing, Stanford won a Pac-12 title and claimed a No. 11 final ranking. Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/columnists/rick-gosselin/20140818-gosselin-old-school-approach-does-big-things-for-unt-aka-the-stanford-of-c-usa.ece

An Offer is Not an Offer Until the LOI is Signed It’s an instant-information, instant-gratification recruiting world we live in, and nothing has proven to be more ambiguous than the scholarship offer. Prospects get lost in coach-speak and half-hearted overtures, oftentimes confusing interest for a concrete, all-expenses-paid invitation to join the program. In taking steps to avoid misinterpretation, assistant coaches Mark Elder and Darrell Dickey say they try to be as crystal-clear as humanly possible. “We don’t deal in committable vs. non-committable,” Elder says. “We’re not offering someone that (we wouldn’t accept) on the same day. That’s not how we do business.” Dickey, the former head coach at North Texas, says he tried to avoid casting an overly-large net knowing he had only 25 spots to fill. “There’s places out there that have 150 offers out and only so many spots,” Dickey says. “I never felt very comfortable having thousands of offers out there and then all of a sudden you’ve got to tell kids you can’t take them.” There’s an important difference, however, between rescinding an offer and a prospect being misled. Unlike in basketball, where coaches can afford to ride out an elite-level prospect’s recruitment until the end due to smaller numbers on the roster, the task for college football coaches is more complex. Every year, there’s a (usually) set number of holes to fill. If a prospect waits too long and a school takes another player at the same position, it’s not that he was lied to about having an offer — he was simply beaten to the spot. “The offer is good at that moment,” Elder says. “But it may not be good all the way up to Signing Day, because we may offer, for example, a couple of other tight ends. It’s good until we fill up at that position.” - See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/13-things-you-need-know-about-college-football-recruiting#sthash.gU1xjArh.dpuf

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2014/01/10/fbs-college-football-report-card-2013/4404717/

Nuff said!! Great year, great finish....now when does 2014 kickoff?

Well my friends, I've had some time to process this and really think about what we witnessed on Saturday and count me in with the "happy" camp. Granted, I'm not planning any parade routes or anything ridiculous like that, but I am feeling overall "pretty decent" about what took place in Athens. And while I'm feeling pretty "not sucky" about the whole thing, there are definitely some areas for concern. Here are some things I took from that game. 1. Jub Jub can make one heck of a football call. Due to a family trip on the bride's side of the family that was planned several months ago, I listened live while cruising down I-20 towards East Texas. While I was disappointed that I couldn't see it as it happened, I knew George would not disappoint me with making me feel like I was there. His call of Brelan's kickoff return was greatness. The signal gave way moments after our blocked punt, which was kind of fitting since that's where our chances started to give way. 2. Brelan Chancellor is electric. If there's not one already, we need to get a nickname for this dude. Considering Apogee is an electricity provider, and we play at Apogee, something like "ABC" (Apogee Brelan Chancellor) or something like that might be nice. I dunno, I was never really good at the nickname thing. 3. We MUST get better man-to-man coverage. This was our glaring weakness. We keep leaving the corners alone on islands and they have to learn the first thing I learned as a defensive back -- WATCH FOR THE BALL!!!!!! (I realize this has been stated quite often around here, but what's one more time, right?) It was literally the first thing I learned as a young Jr. High DB -- if you turn and look for the ball, you can literally land on the receiver backwards and not get called. Why? Because if you position yourself right, you can actually make the receiver try to go over YOUR back. PLAY THE BALL. I know it's sometimes easier said than done, but if you see a receiver put his hands in the air, TURN AROUND!! 4. This team has guts. For that brief period of time after the blocked punt, I felt like we had a shot to take this thing. I'm not going to lie -- there was a bit of doubt there, too. But man, it felt really good to be playing meaningful football late in the third quarter against a top 10 team! And not one single time did they give up out there. I truly feel like they left it all on the field Saturday, and for that I am dang proud of our guys! I don't know how many heard the sideline reporter talking about Coach Mac's halftime speech, but it was exactly what the guys needed to hear. And out of the gate, it looked like they took it to heart. 5. We need depth. I believe this was another key difference Saturday. And in FBS football, it's typically what separates the big guys from the smaller guys. I believe in Coach Mac though, and think he'll get us there. Let him keep recruiting his kind of players and keep coaching them and I think we'll like what we see. 6. It's easy to over-react. As many have already said in the past 50-something hours, Saturday's performance meant nothing if we don't take care of business from here on out. "One game at a time" needs to be this team's mantra, and I think it will be. There's still a lot of football left. Some think that's a lot of opportunity to screw things up. Some think it's a lot of opportunity for good things. I believe in the latter. 7. I'm proud to be a Mean Green fan/student! That's all I've got to this point that hasn't already been said. I did get to watch this last night after we made it back home. I want to see that same energy in two weeks against Tulane. And then again here against MTSU . . . etc. I think they can do it. I think the good far outweighed the bad Saturday. Let's hope the boys in green prove me right from here on out!

With all of the rumors and high hopes surrounding the return of baseball to North Texas, it could be viewed as a little premature to start planning out the next athletic facility improvement. Obviously, most North Texas fans are thrilled about the prospect of adding a new baseball facility in the Eagle Village Athletic complex. And the fact that the athletic department - with big help from our sainted donor Ernie Kuehne - was able to build the new basketball practice facility in such short order - was a big feather in their cap. I was not one who thought an indoor football and athletic practice facility was a priority at North Texas. Sure, it would be a nice recruiting tool and knowing that Arkansas State is putting an 11 million dollar facility in place makes you think it must be pretty important to them. ASU is not a program that has a lot of T. Boone Pickens at their disposal. But is it really necessary to spend so much money on the convenience of having an indoor practice facility? I mean, maybe in the northwest where snow and inclimate weather was an issue you could make a case. But this is Texas. It seems to me that UNT Coach Dan McCarney does just fine even in the heat by scheduling practices early in the morning and late in the day. Read more:

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the first story in a three-part series on the 100th anniversary of the North Texas football program. Today’s story is an overview of the program’s past and its future. C. Dan Smith tucked away piece after piece of the North Texas memorabilia he collected over the years on a bookshelf across from the dark wooden desk in his Plano office. A football commemorating the 1959 Sun Bowl, which Smith played in, sits front and center with a Pittsburgh Steelers helmet signed by UNT legend “Mean” Joe Greene to the right. Just below rests another football commemorating UNT’s 2002 New Orleans Bowl win over Cincinnati. Those mementos — and 12 more that accompany them — represent a few of the great moments Smith has taken part in or witnessed over the more than 50 years he’s been associated with UNT’s athletic department. During that time, Smith has gone from being a player to the chairman of UNT’s Board of Regents to one of the school’s most influential athletic boosters. That experience gives Smith an unparalleled perspective on where UNT has been and where it’s heading as the program reaches a milestone with its 100th anniversary this fall. What excites and concerns Smith — and a lot of other UNT officials and boosters — is that the milestone coincides with circumstances that could make the next few years a tipping point in program history. “The progression over 100 years has been very slow,” Smith said. “As you start growing and things start happening, it’s good to continue that growth, but it has to be accelerated. Once you move up, there is more pressure to continue moving up and get better and better. We are in a position where we could make a tremendous leap in the next three to five years.” UNT made its long-anticipated switch to Conference USA from the Sun Belt earlier this month, a move that will provide the program with additional revenue and exposure. The 2013 campaign also is UNT’s third in Apogee Stadium, a 30,850-seat venue that came with a $79 million price tag, and its third under Dan McCarney, the most highly regarded coach the Mean Green has employed in decades. UNT’s football program has never been in a better position to succeed, or under more pressure to capitalize on the investment the school has made to give it a better foundation. Eight years have passed since the Mean Green last posted a winning record or played in a bowl game. UNT is tied with UAB for the sixth-longest bowl drought in the Football Bowl Subdivision. UNT’s attendance has risen and financial support for the program has increased over the last five years, but both figures lag behind many of the school’s new peers in C-USA. How the Mean Green fares in advancing, from the results on the field to the support the program generates from fans and boosters over the next few years, could impact UNT’s athletic program for decades. “The program has the potential to go two ways,” UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said. “With the investment we have made and the staff we have brought in, if we can get our fan base to come out and support this team in what is going to be a time of transition, I think we have the ability to be a program that is recognized nationally for success. “If we don’t support the program, we could become average.” Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/north-texas-headlines/20130727-football-a-critical-time.ece

For the first time since 1994, when North Texas was a member of the Southland Conference, the Mean Green is in a conference that includes other members from Texas. Texas-San Antonio, Rice and Texas-El Paso are in Conference USA with North Texas, which has spent time since '94 in the Sun Belt (2001-12), Big West (1996-00) and the independent ranks (1995). “Get some rivalries going,” said UNT coach Dan McCarney. “To this day, I still haven't found out who the rivalries really were at North Texas before I got there.” Read more: http://newsok.com/college-football-tulsas-trey-watts-has-more-than-one-memorable-play/article/3865493

IRVING, Texas -- Of the eight schools joining Conference USA, perhaps none is more excited than North Texas. "It's a tremendous opportunity," coach Dan McCarney said during Wednesday's C-USA Media Day. "When you sit there and talk about eight national television games for North Texas, six bowl opportunities from Hawaii to New Orleans... "I know this much, there's all types of schools in Division I that would like to be in our shoes." UNT begins its first season in C-USA along with returning member FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, UTSA and returning member Charlotte. Old Dominion will begin C-USA play in football in 2014 and Charlotte in 2015. They join holdovers East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB and UTEP for a 14-team league in 2013. North Texas received a boost with the opening of sparkling Apogee Stadium in 2011. The Mean Green were 4-8 in their last season in the Sun Belt, but C-USA's higher profile should help UNT better exploit the advantages it already has. "We didn't get this opportunity because of recent success in football," McCarney said. "It's because of potential, location, leadership on our campus, that's why we got this opportunity." North Texas will kick off its first year in C-USA with its first home opener in 12 years on Aug. 31 against Idaho. The Mean Green are also celebrating the 100th anniversary of the football program. "North Texas has been getting on a bus or a plane every year to start a season," McCarney said. "Rick Villarreal, my AD, and I worked together on this. I wanted a home opener for our fans. It's our 100-year celebration. We're honoring our all-century team at North Texas. We've got a home opener. "Now one small detail: Go win a football game." Read more: http://www.foxsportssouthwest.com/collegefootball/conference-usa/story/North-Texas-looks-to-take-flight-in-new-?blockID=923191&feedID=3799

I received this from a member here on the GoMeanGreen.com site earlier today and with his permission am able to share it with everyone: I just had to share what a good man Coach Mac is. My 15 year old son has been having some health problems, not life threatening but serious none the less. To lift his spirits, my wife & I offered to remodel his bedroom and let him pick out the colors, flooring, decorations,etc. He wanted his room painted Mean Green Green & White! I thought that maybe I could get an autographed football of this years team & make it the centerpiece of his room. I figured that I would just start at the top so I emailed Coach Mac and asked about the possibility of getting a ball signed. Imagine my surprise when none other than Coach Mac himself called me last Friday morning. He genuinely seemed concerned about my son and stated that not only could we get a ball signed but that we could come in and get a tour of the athletic facility and attend practice when camp starts. Mac said that whatever the Mean Green could do to make my son feel better, he would make sure it gets done! My wife's eyes filled with tears when I told her about the call later Friday evening. I don't like to put out a lot of personal information on the forum but I just had to share this. Coaches take a lot of flak and criticism, that's part of the job, but a lot of the good things that they do often go unnoticed. Coach Mac=Good Man!

This has not been the easiest last year or so for North Texas head football coach Dan McCarney. The man deserves a break. He suffered a stroke last year, and now recently was in the hospital for another surgery. North Texas said that McCarney had successful surgery last Friday, and is OK. A source said this procedure has nothing to do with the stroke and that McCarney, 59, is fine and back to work. McCarney does not want to be specific about the procedure. Read more: http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/mac-engel/2013/04/good-news-for-north-texas-football-coach.html Read more here: http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/mac-engel/2013/04/good-news-for-north-texas-football-coach.html#storylink=cpy

1. TEXAS LONGHORNS (3-0) 2. TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS (3-0) 3. TCU HORNED FROGS (2-0) 4. BAYLOR BEARS (2-0) 5. TEXAS A&M AGGIES (1-1) 6. UTSA ROADRUNNERS (3-0) 7. TEXAS STATE BOBCATS (1-1) 8. NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN (1-2) 9. RICE OWLS (1-2) 10. SMU MUSTANGS (1-2) 11. UTEP MINERS (1-2) 12. HOUSTON COUGARS (0-3) The 1-2 North Texas Mean Green gave the Kansas State Wildcats all they could handle last Saturday in Manhattan, falling 35-21, but putting up a strong effort in the process. After other non-conference battles against the LSU Tigers and Texas Southern, the Mean Green could be poised to make some noise in their final year as a Sun Belt Conference member as they take on the Troy Trojans this Saturday at Apogee Stadium in Denton. Read more: http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-football/2012/09/20/nation-of-texas-college-football-rankings-week-four/

If only Kansas State could play Miami every week. Just a week removed from scoring at will in the rout over the Hurricanes, offense suddenly became difficult for the Wildcats on Saturday, needing just about every break to come away with a 35-21 victory over North Texas at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. "If you don't prepare yourself well, about anything can happen," K-State coach Bill Snyder said. "And we weren't prepared well…There probably isn't anything we don't need vast improvement on — and that's on both sides of the ball." The 15th-ranked Wildcats improved to 3-0 to close out nonconference play, but the win didn't come easy against a pesky Mean Green team playing on the road against its second top-15 opponent in three weeks. "That's why you play the game," K-State quarterback Collin Klein said. "Everybody can beat you. Hats off to (North Texas) — they're a tough team. They're going to do some good things…We would have liked to execute a little better, but we got it done." K-STATE 35, N. TEXAS 21 North Texas 7 0 6 8 — 21 Kansas State 7 7 7 14 — 35 Scoring Summary First quarter NT — Chancellor 6 run (Olen kick), 4:00 KS — Lockett 96 kickoff return (Cantele kick), 3:47 Second quarter KS — Thompson 38 pass from Klein (Cantele kick), 2:24 Third quarter NT — Jimmerson 1 run (PAT failed), 7:03 KS — Thompson 21 pass from Klein (Cantele kick), 3:15 Fourth quarter KS — Hubert 6 run (Cantele kick), 13:20 KS — Klein 1 run (Cantele kick), 6:44 NT — Chancellor 19 pass from Thompson (PAT Thompson to Byrd), 2:31 UNT KSU First downs 21 21 Rushes-yards 40-145 28-143 Passing 208 230 Comp-Att-Int 25-28-0 15-20-1 Return yards 87 119 Punts-average 5-34 2-41 Fumbles-Lost 2-1 2-1 Penalties-yards 3-35 1-15 Time of poss 37:04 22:56 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — North Texas, Jimmerson 8-68, Byrd 19-61, Chancellor 5-24, Brown 4-0, Thompson 4-( 8). K-State, Hubert 12-38, Klein 11-85, Sams 4-19, Wilson 1-1. PASSING — North Texas, Thompson 25-28-0 208. K-State, Klein 15-20-1 230. RECEIVING — North Texas, Delgado 9-86, Chancellor 5-33, Byrd 4-23, Jimmerson 2-28, Byrnes 2-21, Power 2-10, Smith 1-7. K-State, Thompson 5-102, Harper 5-78, Sexton 2-8, Wilson 1-23, Tannahill 1-13, Lockett 1-6. Read More: http://www.themercury.com/K-StateSports/article.aspx?articleId=dedbdb23e113423c820f4372596466b7

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Collin Klein stood near a wall, a young man at ease and perhaps unaware of his own abilities. Not at the point in which Klein, the Kansas State quarterback, could understand the magnitude of his effect — on a game, a season, on people. Then again, who could truly digest words like this: “Collin makes everything possible,” Wildcats linebacker Tre Walker said. Indeed, Klein was so good in Saturday’s 52-13 whooping of the University of Miami — 71 yards rushing, 210 yards passing and four total touchdowns — that it occasionally defied words. So it’s perfectly normal, after watching a performance like that, to do what Klein did: scoff, roll your eyes and just savor the moment. The thing is, though, with Klein and a promising defense and coach Bill Snyder’s usual magic, anything truly is possible. The Wildcats are far better than their No. 21 ranking, and after Saturday it will be neither unpopular nor inappropriate to ponder the heights K-State might reach in 2012. Miami isn’t the Miami of a dozen years ago, but it hung 41 points on Boston College a week earlier and remains a magnet for some of the nation’s best recruits. The Hurricanes are young and flawed, and K-State did what good teams are supposed to do to young and flawed teams. The true heights of this season will ride with Klein’s ability to do what he did Saturday — and, of course, to stay healthy. He takes big hits and doesn’t slide. That doesn’t appear to be a consideration, and every crashing blow he absorbs could, in theory, turn the tide of K-State’s season. But this is the Wildcats’ offense, and a change isn’t in consideration, either. But Klein is a senior who seemingly can be counted out of nothing. This is a young man who didn’t even play football until he was in ninth grade, and probably faced better odds of being an impact basketball player when he was deciding on a college than being a contributor in football. Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/08/3803936/klein-is-the-reason-wildcats-can.html Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/09/08/3803936/klein-is-the-reason-wildcats-can.html#storylink=cpy

2012 UNT two-deep OFFENSE WR 10 Ivan Delgado 6-2, 205 Sr. Killeen 14 Chaz Sampson 6-5, 183 Fr-RS Mansfield LT 71 Antonio Johnson 6-6, 285 So. Diboll 64 LaChris Anyiam 6-4, 292 Jr. Allen LG 57 Mason Y'Barbo 6-2, 312 So. Sulphur Springs 74 Cam Feldt 6-5, 308 So. Pilot Point C 60 Aaron Fortenberry 6-4, 300 Sr. Era 63 Nick Summerfield 6-1, 268 Sr. Killeen RG 62 Cyril Lemon 6-3, 313 So. Marble Falls 77 Travis Ellard 6-3, 282 Fr-RS Deer Park RT 70 Coleman Feeley 6-5, 305 Sr. Austin 65 Micah Thompson 6-4, 307 Fr-RS Jones, OK WR 3 Brelan Chancellor 5-9, 177 Jr. Copperas Cove 16 Derrick Teegarden 6-0, 187 So. Odessa WR 81 Chris Bynes 6-1, 220 Sr. Lauderdale Lakes, FL 17 Lynrick Plesant 6-2, 205 Jr. Mesquite TE 1 Andrew Power 6-5, 258 Sr. Myrtle Beach, S.C. 86 Drew Miller 6-1, 253 So. Prosper RB 24 Brandin Byrd 5-10, 211 Jr. Copperas Cove 20 Jeremy Brown 5-8, 183 Sr. Whitewright QB 7 Derek Thompson 6-4, 220 Jr. Glen Rose 11 Brent Osborn 6-4, 215 Jr. Valley, AL DEFENSE DT 97 Richard Abbe 6-4, 319 Jr. Lubbock 96 Tevinn Cantly 6-4, 311 Sr. Arlington DT 90 Ryan Boutwell 6-3, 261 Jr. China Spring 95 Alexander Lincoln 6-2, 249 So. Cibolo DE 93 Brandon McCoy 6-2, 270 Jr. Carrollton 49 Daryl Mason 6-3, 209 So. Garland DE 48 K.C. Obi 6-2, 249 Sr. Mission Hills, CA 44 Aaron Bellazin 6-2, 255 So. Everman MLB 35 Zachary Orr 6-1, 231 Jr. DeSoto 52 Derek Akunne 6-0, 250 So. Garland OLB 45 Jeremy Phillips 6-3, 215 Sr. Waller 42 Chad Polk 6-0, 203 Fr-RS Dallas OLB 11 Will Wright 6-2, 217 Jr. Garland 53 Kendall Washington 6-2, 197 Fr-RS Mansfield CB 21 Freddie Warner 5-10, 176 So. Dallas 17 Kevin Maduka 5-10, 170 Sr. Carrollton CB 6 Hilbert Jackson 6-1, 183 Jr. Rowlett 2 D.Q. Johnson 5-11, 185 Jr. Des Moines, IA S 8 Marcus Trice 5-8, 190 Jr. Mesquite 31 Kenny Buyers 5-11, 175 Fr. Hurst S 27 Lairamie Lee 5-10, 183 So. Tyler 15 Mike Marshall 6-0, 196 So. Grand Prairie SPECIAL TEAMS PK 37 Zach Olen 5-9, 221 Jr. Richardson P 41 Will Atterberry 5-11, 199 Sr. Lewisville 37 Zach Olen 5-9, 221 Jr. Richardson

After opening the past two seasons with big ticket matchups against No. 18 North Carolina and No. 3 Oregon, respectively, the Tigers say they aren't sleeping on obvious underdog North Texas. "Our coaches have been preaching to prepare exactly how we prepared for Oregon and the team has responded," said junior defensive lineman Barkevious Mingo. "You can never underestimate an opponent because they're going to give you their best shot, whoever it may be." Sixth-year senior offensive lineman Josh Dworaczyk said LSU is already going over the game plan for the Mean Green, but aren't hurrying things too much. "It's still early on," Dworaczyk said. "You give us two weeks, we're going to take two weeks." Read more: http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2012/08/lsu_football_team_not_overlook.html

In this episode, Evan and Harry visit with UNT Athletic Director Rick Villareal as well as catch up with UNT beat writer for the DRC Brett Vito. Direct Link Itunes Link *should be available 8/16/2012 This post has been promoted to an article

Read more: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8043332/bigger-better-college-football-support-staffs

Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2012/05/thinking-about-unts-window-of-opportunity.html/

Read more: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1184987-college-football-playoff-5-changes-to-level-playing-field-for-qualification