Comments On Unt Football Schedule

[Harry]

http://meangreen.beloblog.com/

[UNTflyer]

The real kick to the shorts is playing Arkansas State at home the weekend after Thanksgiving. Most students will be gone and UNT could be out of the race for the Sun Belt Conference title by that point.

Way to be positive, Vito.

[GreenAlums]

Way to be positive, Vito.

I'm developing a huge man crush for Vito, wish I could crush him.

[forevereagle]

Nice to know that he has high expectations.

[UNTflyer]

I know we should have realistic expectations after last year's miserable season, but you know what they say... You're never out of the Sun Belt.

[untbowler]

Way to be positive, Vito.

And Vito and other wonder why the Startlegram is able to break stories behind his back.

[KingDL1]

Well all that said Vito is still right about the game being scheduled the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

[BIG DAWG]

Way to be positive, Vito.

Would you rather him blow green smoke up our collective arses???

Understand this, no one is going to pick us to do a whole lot this year. This rebuilding job is going to be a process, not an overnight fix. Don't put too much money on the fact that just because we got DeLoach back, and I couldn't be happoer, that we are going to contend for the title right away. We have several big holes to fill.

I am glad Vito doesn't pump any more BS around the program...we have enough of that with some of our fans that are expecting us to go 11-1 next season.

I will take a realist over BS'er any day of the week. Don't bust the guy's balls because he isn't going to jump on a wagon that thinks we are going to go 8-4 or some crazy crap like that.

The guy has a job to do, and it isn't to go behind every NT fan and blow magic green smoke up our butts.

Keep up the GREAT work Vito!

Edited March 13, 2008 by BIG DAWG

[BonfireBrian]

The guy has a job to do, and it isn't to go behind every NT fan and blow magic green smoke up our butts.

But it feels so good!

[greenminer]

We're 2-10 and people are standing outside the fences clapping their hands at practice because we have 3 receivers running the correct routes on the same snap.

Until we raise expectations by winning, this type of comment doesn't surprise me.

Edited March 14, 2008 by greenminer

[Monkeypox]

He doesn't have to blow smoke to simply REFRAIN from making a negative comment.

I don't believe we'll be in position to win the Sun Belt, but it's pretty silly to talk about how likely it is we'll be out of the race by that point, since it's still only spring. It's not any real prognosticating. He doesn't really have the juevos to make it as a real prediction, but every chance he gets he puts things like that out there.

A GOOD journalist would simply say that "most students will be gone and the Sun Belt Conference title could already be decided by then." That's how you play it objectively. It's not hard. Would you say it's blowing smoke to not make a prediction about our potential standing in a Conference Race that won't even START for 6 months?

He doesn't need to say "and North Texas might be overlooking ASU as they pack their bag for New Orleans." He just needs to quit being such a turd.

[NT80]

He doesn't have to blow smoke to simply REFRAIN from making a negative comment.

I don't believe we'll be in position to win the Sun Belt, but it's pretty silly to talk about how likely it is we'll be out of the race by that point, since it's still only spring. It's not any real prognosticating. He doesn't really have the juevos to make it as a real prediction, but every chance he gets he puts things like that out there.

A GOOD journalist would simply say that "most students will be gone and the Sun Belt Conference title could already be decided by then." That's how you play it objectively. It's not hard. Would you say it's blowing smoke to not make a prediction about our potential standing in a Conference Race that won't even START for 6 months?

He doesn't need to say "and North Texas might be overlooking ASU as they pack their bag for New Orleans." He just needs to quit being such a turd.

Agree, there are other ways to word things. That game could be very important to NT and the conference race, and many fans are now writing it off as Vito says "nobody will be there / not important".

[untphd]

Agree, there are other ways to word things. That game could be very important to NT and the conference race, and many fans are now writing it off as Vito says "nobody will be there / not important".

I like the schedule except for the LSU game. We could look at the big ten and other conferences for some games. He really needs to write his story and rewrite it the next day.

[BIG DAWG]

Would you say it's blowing smoke to not make a prediction about our potential standing in a Conference Race that won't even START for 6 months?

People do this all the time...and there is a real possibility we will be out of it early.

[eulessismore]

I guess he has to forecast the SBC winner at some point, but considering last year's results, why should he be taken all that seriously? Unless he came out in the 2007 preseason predicting FAU as conference champ. Stupid me, I thought Troy would win.

[jimmyjames_99]

I thought WKU was interim D1 last year and would be D1 this year playing as a SunBelt team. Why are they listed as an out of conference game?

[flyeater]

I thought WKU was interim D1 last year and would be D1 this year playing as a SunBelt team. Why are they listed as an out of conference game?

I believe provisional status is a 2-year arrangement.

[DallasGreen]

Why do we blindly project that there will be no crowd for the ASU game? Sure the date is not the greatest, but Thanksgiving is over by then. Other than going malling for Christmas gifts, what are our student body, faculty, and Denton nestors doing on that day?? Football fans will be there just as they are at every other major university. Assuming the no crowd date is BS unless we want to self prothicise, just please don't make it a late Nov. night game again!!!

[foutsrouts]

I veto that blog also. I think he's being a little too critical in his assessment at this point in time. Looking at the schedule, I think it's entirely possible that we could be 5-2 going into the Troy homecoming game. If we are, no telling what that kind of momentum could do for us. It's just too early to tell.

[emmitt01]

Having stood next to and conversed with Vito several times last season I have always been of the impression that he views NT as "just lil' ol North Texas." Almost as if it's not really necessary to get too excited about anything that goes on around here, good or bad, because in the grand scheme of things it's "just lil' ol' North Texas." Combine this with the stand outside the gates and wait for us to walk by for interviews treatment and you get what amounts to a breeding ground for taking your pot shots when you can...and make no mistake, given our record from last season the opportunities are there.

I have never thought that spinning things down the middle was "blowing smoke" or "being a homer." The way he writes things up is no more necessary, or helpful, though than the way our own athletic department puts things forth though. Just wait, there will be an article soon about how "North Texas also has an exciting road game against the LSU Tigers! Last time the two teams played North Texas lost 4,000 to 0!!!"

[untphd]

given our record from last season the opportunities are there.

Last time the two teams played North Texas lost 4,000 to 0!!!"

What's up with this.\?

[FirefightnRick]

What's up with this.\?

The Promo for the 2007 opening game

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle...;ATCLID=1178782

DENTON, Texas (8/27/07) – The North Texas football team begins the 2007 season in Norman, Okla., against the No. 8-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, Saturday, Sept. 1. The game will be televised nationally on FOX Sports Net and will also be carried on the Mean Green Radio Network. Kickoff is set for 6:10 p.m.

North Texas is coming off a disappointing 3-9 season in 2006, but has high hopes for 2007 as the Todd Dodge era begins. The Mean Green returns a solid nucleus on defense with nine starters back. The offense features the return of a former national rushing champion in Jamario Thomas. Oklahoma was 11-3 in 2006 but finished the season by dropping a heartbreaker to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl 43-42. The Sooners return 14 offensive players who have been part-time starters and 11 who have started on the defense.

Oklahoma is 6-0 in the series with North Texas that dates back to 1987. The Sooners have scored exactly 37 points in the last three games against North Texas, winning 37-9 in 1998, 37-10 in 2001 and 37-3 in 2003.

North Texas is 36-52-3 all-time in season-opening games. The Mean Green has won just one season-opener in the last 10 years, a 14-7 win at Middle Tennessee in 2005. This will be the eighth time since 1998 that North Texas has opened up against a member of the Big XII Conference and the third time during that same time that it opened up against Oklahoma. This will be the fifth time in the last six years that North Texas has opened the season against a top 10 opponent.

North Texas has played at least one top 10 opponent every year since 2000. This week’s match-up against No. 8 Oklahoma is actually the lowest-ranked top 10 opponent North Texas has faced during that time. In 2000 the Mean Green faced No. 4 Kansas State, followed by No. 3 Oklahoma in 2001; No. 2 Texas in 2002; No. 1 Oklahoma in 2003; No. 7 Texas in 2004; No. 7 LSU in 2005 and No. 2 Texas in 2006. North Texas has never defeated a top 10 foe, going 0-13 in those games.

Doesn't really excite the senses to travel for opening day.

Rick

Edited March 15, 2008 by FirefightnRick

[SilverEagle]

Having stood next to and conversed with Vito several times last season I have always been of the impression that he views NT as "just lil' ol North Texas." Almost as if it's not really necessary to get too excited about anything that goes on around here, good or bad, because in the grand scheme of things it's "just lil' ol' North Texas." Combine this with the stand outside the gates and wait for us to walk by for interviews treatment and you get what amounts to a breeding ground for taking your pot shots when you can...and make no mistake, given our record from last season the opportunities are there.

I have never thought that spinning things down the middle was "blowing smoke" or "being a homer." The way he writes things up is no more necessary, or helpful, though than the way our own athletic department puts things forth though. Just wait, there will be an article soon about how "North Texas also has an exciting road game against the LSU Tigers! Last time the two teams played North Texas lost 4,000 to 0!!!"

I've stood outside the fence and talked with him too. I didn't think he had a "lil' ol' North Texas" attitude, but if he did, who could blame him for presenting us that way, when our own administration has had the same attitude for DECADES. And there is no more evidence of that than our BOR's reluctance to impose an additional athletic fee. Schools who took themselves seriously haven't hesitated to do this, yet our administration keeps projecting the "lil ol' North Texas" image every time it passes up the opportunity to take the next step forward.

I'm going to say this for what seems to be the 157th time. Vito is a professional reporter, not a spin doctor for the athletic department.

[untphd]

The Promo for the 2007 opening game

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle...;ATCLID=1178782

Doesn't really excite the senses to travel for opening day.

Rick

Thanks

[hickoryhouse]

The Promo for the 2007 opening game

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle...;ATCLID=1178782

Doesn't really excite the senses to travel for opening day.

Rick

No it really doesn't, but is it an honest recounting of our history in that series and our recent opening day struggles? If it is then I say it is fair game. I didn't see anything blatently negative in that article, just the facts, Joe Friday would be proud.