Mean Green Nation

We win, get some pub and get dissed?

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:45:00 +0000

We win: Meangreensports

Get some pub: ESPNDallas

and get kinda dissed. JJT

Be sure to check out MGNation.ning.com. It may be the future home of this crappy site!

March Madness is Coming

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:35:00 +0000

Have you checked your calendar, friend? Kind of hard to believe it is already February 23rd huh? I know it . You know what it means, right?

Yep.

Basketball.

That's right. If you're like most of the country, you don't give a crap about December games, or big match-ups going on in early January. No, no. It wasn't time yet.

Now?

Not quite...

... but its close.

Don't feel bad. The players know it. They know they have to wait their turn. They know to put on a great show once their number comes up, too. They don't disappoint. Haven't for as long as I can remember.

And you, friend? You have a special role, yes you do.

You have to believe, yes you do. What? What to believe in? Oh, dear! Don't you know? Yes. You have the most special of circumstances. You are in a most fortunate position, friend. Fortunate, indeed, yes you are!

What? You need me to explain it to you? Ha! You know me too well, friend. I would love to:

You know them big-name schools? You know their fans? Well, you are in a better place then them. Yes you are. Look at Texas. Overflowing with money, talent, fans, support and .... expectations. Yep.

What? Oh, I'm sure you had some hopes and whatnot, but we'll forget about that now. Keep it between us two, k? Yep. See, the thing is that no one expects a whole lot from our MG. Nope. That's what makes it fun! Everything they get is Gravy. On. Top.

All you have to do is believe. The more you believe, the more you hope, the more you scream and stomp and yell, well, the sweeter it will be if they win.

It is risky, sure. You may get hurt. Ah, but its okay. That is all part of the fun. Trust me. I'm your friend.

Links:

BBall has a better chance of winning a NC

Sunbelt BBall Tourney in Hot Springs

Uh This. MG Hoops

Run N' Shoot.

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Thing of beauty

SmartFootball

Awesome. Times have not changed so much. Lots of teams run these same plays but more out of shotgun. Hell, some of this stuff is what the Saints and Colts used this year.

Innovative Defense

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:34:00 +0000

I'll admit right now that I don't know how to coach a defense. My only experience was as a high school defensive back -- for a very short period of time. So with that said, I probably learned more about schemes and the such from our mutual friend the Internet than anywhere else (but that isn't that odd is it?)

Now then, let's get to the topic of the day:

Let's. Get. Innovative. /Darkwing Duck Theme Voice

I talked at length yesterday about offensive schemes etc. Again, I don't really think that a scheme makes a team. Or an offense. Or a defense. There is a balance between talent and philosophy that must be achieved. The best coaches know how to use the talent they have and put them in the best positions to maximize said talent, limited as it may be.

So what is the big deal about running our 4-3 defense?

Nothing. It is fine. Plenty of teams have used it and had lots of success. USC runs a 4-3 Under. So does Florida. Pretty much says it all huh?

So why is it not good enough for wil' ol' UNT?

Well, its not that it isn't good enough but that it isn't interesting enough. It is not different enough.

I'll have to revisit yesterday's topic real fast-like. Although schemes don't make all the difference, they are important. It's is why teams disguise coverages or play fake, pump fake, run double moves, or run counter-treys. It is easier to do than trying to run over the guy in front of you for sixty plays. The battle of brains is one of the reasons I love football. The battle to outwit the other guy is a fascinating one to watch.

This is why smaller schools are typically the testing ground for new ideas. Urban Meyer developed his version of the spread option while an assistant (after learning it from, among others, Rich Rodgriguez) and tested it at Bowling Green, where he took his Falcons to unprecedented success. That led him to Utah and an undefeated season and well, eventually to failure.

Pictured: Failure

At Nowhere U (enrollment 5000) you can't just try to out-muscle the other guy. That is why balance is imperative. If you focus too much on talent you get outschemed (see: Northwestern versus Michigan) if you lean too much toward scheme you get out-talented (see: Notre Dame-Charlie Weis era)*

*Tenuous. Just wanted to make a Weis joke, mostly.

It's much harder to innovate on defense where speed size and strength are more important than on offense. The offense has the advantage and the defense has to be able to cover ground quickly to make up for the time delay. Great coaching shortens the time gap. Nicky Saban emphasizes pattern reading (nothing new-- lots of coaches do it) and playing the ball. The finished product is a defense that smothers and is seemingly in the other teams huddle. But none of that matters if the offensive line is blowing their counterparts off the ball and the back doesn't get touched for the first ten yards. Again: balance.

This is why I want to see a little 4-2-5 by us. Maybe some 3-5-3. Of course that would require that we went out and got someone who knows the ins-and-outs of that kind of D. That is beside the point however. If we are going to go down, I want to go down swinging. I really don't care. I'd love to be Blitz U. That'd be the greatest part of all this. In this business you have to have an angle. What is ours right now defensively? 'Come be apart of the team that doesn't put pressure on the QB!'

I figure that we'd give up a huge number of big plays if we gambled and brought five or six guys every down. I don't have anything against sound, solid defense. I expect that from the Cowboys who can seek out the most talented and pay them the requisite fee for doing so. I don't think we have the resources or the clout or the time to develop 2-star guys into defensive stalwarts consistently enough to have sustained success, however.

Again: it is not impossible to have a Sunbelt school with a stout defense. I just don't think it happens often enough here. We just can't get the talent to have it for a long period of time.

So let's be innovative on defense. I matters not if we implement a certain defensive scheme just that we try to be different. Let's do on defense what the spread did for offense ya know?

Next: I figure I'll have to think of something to talk about. Probably more rehashing. Woo!

UNT on the lookout for a new OC

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:05:00 +0000

I learned of this via the DRC. You can read the Austin-American Statesman's account here. This pretty much means that nothing is changing very much. Well, that is if you believe that Todd Dodge is the true offensive coordinator. Whether or not PapaDodge is doing the play calling on gameday or not is really kind of irrelevant. This is Todd Dodge's offense. Todd Ford ran Todd Dodge's offense. If Ford has a similar one --which is very likely after being part of it for the last six years or so-- it is because PapaDodge taught him.

So, although Dodge wants to 'look outside', we are not going to see a radical difference in offensive philosophy unless the guy that comes in here has a crapload of credibility like Paul Johnson. Notice he is looking for 'spread guys' from 'program[s] like us?'

I really don't like to get hung up on schemes although I've always liked the AirRaid because it was different, interesting and I think when its run well it is probably the most exciting offense in football. I've argued somewhat ineloquently--as I am wont to do-- that being different would be an advantage for UNT. In the last five years the spread offense is not very different at all. In fact, it has become very mainstream. Texas Tech had the first mover advantage and I would argue that that is what made them competitive, if only once every few years. We probably cannot duplicate that kind of success just by putting four and five wideouts on the field every down and think we are going to get favorable matchups all game. If you want to read what is probably one of the best pieces on Tech and Leach's role there, read this. My favorite part:

College football fans cared about him -- and by extension Texas Tech -- because he was completely different than anyone we'd ever seen coaching before. Sure, his teams were successful, but not that successful. There are plenty of top 15 programs that nobody cares about. I'll watch Oklahoma State play Oklahoma, but otherwise, they're not on my radar. But Texas Tech? People will watch, solely because they know that Mike Leach and his offense will make things interesting. He had the people all across the country talking about Texas Tech.

And in the end, that's his job. It's not to win the Big 12 or win National Championships like Mack Brown or Bob Stoops. Those would be great, but from the administration's standpoint, the goal is to enhance the overall profile of the school. That's why they hired Bobby Knight after multiple instances of abusive behavior, the likes of which make Mike Leach's shed seem tame. But it wasn't Knight that got the whole country talking; it was this quirky, weird looking ex-lawyer that nobody really understood, but everyone loved.

I like that. I figure if I was a better writer I could have expressed this very same thought like I wanted to back when I was trying to make the case for giving Dodge another year or two.

So, as I was saying, I don't really like to get caught up in schemes and offensive playcalling. At best an offense should use its players to the best of their abilities within the overall team philosophy. You are only limited by the talents of your players. So you need some kind of balance between your philosophy-- whether its triple option, west coast, spread option or airraid-- and the ability of your players to run said system. The best example of this is probably Bill Walsh. He ran the Don Coryell offense which required lots of 15 yard ins/outs. To run that thing you need a quarterback with a cannon arm. (The Cardinals, Mike Martz' Rams and Dennis Erickson run/ran a modern form of this system.) Well the guy on the Niners with a cannon arm got hurt so he had to stick Joe Montana in there. Joe was smart but didn't really have the arm to make the kinds of throws Walsh needed. So he modified the system to suit his new quarterback.*

*There is a whole lot more he did, too. Making the routes shorter was one of the many innovative things he did. Quick summary: he passed on first down, scripted the first 15 plays, and practiced the shit out of each play.

So that is why when fans start saying that the key to winning for us is a Tight End or more under-center plays I roll my eyes. Sure lots of teams have success with that. Sure its an effective way to run things. However, it doesn't necessarily fit with our system and our players. Unfortunately you don't get the same kind of talent at our type of school as at Texas. Look at their TE's this last decade: all in the NFL*. David Thomas, Jermichael Finley (who someone called probably the most athletic tightend in pro football) and Bo Scaife.

*Seems like it even if maybe its not completely true. Prolly missed a dude or two.

Without knowing Todd Dodge or how he works or how he coaches on a daily basis, I'd venture to say that he knows what the hell he is doing football wise. His baby: that spread offense scores, and moves the ball. They don't look completely inept out there. They make mistakes and turn the ball over etc, but so does every team in the nation. Having said all that, what separates good coaches from bad ones, and winning coaches from losing ones is the ability to transfer knowlege. Its getting all your guys to buy into what your selling (that philosophy previously mentioned.) I heard Keith Brooking on the radio twice yesterday. He talked on and on defending Wade Phillips and how everyone in the locker room bought into the system and how he (Brooking) believes in it, along with the rest of the defense.

That part of Todd Dodge's coaching is the one I wonder about. There will always be people who don't completely buy in to the program. Look around your workplace. The trick is to get most of the guys to do it. Most of the whole and all of the ones who matter.

Next: After talking about how schemes don't matter a whole lot I will babble on about why we should change our defensive scheme. Doubletalk for the win!

Notes: read smartfootball's discussion on the tight end.

SMU kicks Nevada's ass

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:51:00 +0000

The thing about SMU becoming relevant again is that it means that there is more competition for us Mean Green faithful. Competition of course being a nice way of putting it. We suck.

What disappoints me most is that we had a twenty year window in which to make some headway into the metropolis of bandwagon-dwellers that is the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

As TCU has become increasingly awesome this last decade, I have watched people still not really give a damn. I find it harder to believe that there is a chance for a tight-money school like North Texas to achieve acceptance and an even small part of the love that is reserved for the Blue Star in this area. Hell, we cannot even get Denton to really give a shit about us. *

*I have a theory on this. Maybe I'll share it sometime. I has to do with resentment of the populace.

To be honest however. I have always silently rooted for SMU. I only manufacture my hate because I only joined this rivalry when I enrolled at North Texas back in 2005. I always root for an underdog and wanted SMU to rise again. So, the traitor part of me is happy that SMU hired my second favorite coach and is making its way back into the college football party.

Nice to see you again Formerly Storied Program. (Please don't tell my soon to be alma mater)

The Future of Todd Dodge at North Texas

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:35:00 +0000

5-31. It is the rallying cry of many fans looking to replace the head coach. Really, despite all his better qualities, the most important thing he can do is win. Winning helps everything. You need more funds for the athletic department? How about after a ten-win season capped with a bowl victory? Now we have twenty people lined up for box seats next year. Oh wait. You only won two games? Eh. Maybe they'll buy a hot dog and a t-shirt when they come for homecoming. Maybe.

I'd really like the head coach of North Texas to be an awesome guy that makes everyone around him like him. . . . if he wins. Unfortunately, being a nice guy isn't a top qualification for being a head coach.

A look back:

Probably the most lasting poor decision made by PapaDodge was to come in with his high school staff. I really don't blame him for wanting to be loyal. It smacked of arrogance at the time and proved to be folly. Having staff fresh out of high school is not dumb. People have had success doing so. Generally they come in one-at-a-time though. The experience of the college staff helps with the transition. Unfortunately for our staff it was a harsh transition. Ron Mendoza was out-schemed and out-classed at this level. Aside from the obvious on-field ramifications, it affected the moral of the squad (had to right?) the moral of the fan-base and probably recruiting ("Hey, kid on our staff we have guys that know what they are doing.")

During a period and at a place where any mistake, regardless of size, has tremendous consequences Dodge made rookie head coach errors. This, perhaps was the thing everyone should have thought of at the time. Although we like to talk up how this is a pivotal point in UNT's history. I would argue that that 2006 season was equally, if not more important. Coming off a recent winning period, we weren't a complete laughing stock yet. We have lost any momentum from that time.

I respect a calculated gamble. You have to risk some things if you want to get a big payoff. Hiring the hottest high school name in Texas was a very risky play with potential for a big payoff. It didn't work. We did salvage some things from it. Apparently Dodge was a big help in getting the stadium built. Whether or not some other guy that could have came in here would have piled up wins and accomplished the same thing is left to the imagination.

What to do

We as a school, a fanbase, a support group do not have the means (or wherewithal , some say) to hire and fire coaches at a whim. We need to take calculated gambles. I side more with the thinking that firing Dodge, although justifiable, is not feasible. Instead, we should focus on hiring quality assistant coaches. They are reasonably priced, and do all the things we need. Sure, an army is nothing without a leader, and Dodge's ability to lead a staff may be in question. That means the search for quality assistant coaches should lean toward those who may be qualified to take the big job too, for a nice even transition when and if it comes time to sack Mr. Southlake.

A decidedly unsexy option to be sure, but to my outsider eyes perhaps the most effective given our situation.

In any case,

GMG

Eerily Accurate Predictions

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:14:00 +0000

I went back and took a look at the Dynasty I started on NCAA 10 with the Mean Green. I finished 4-7 (3-5).

I wish I would have put up the season stats now that I look back on it. I know I threw something like 29 picks with Rodge. I had no offensive line protection. (Its a ncaa 10 problem). I had to abandon the running game early in games to be competitive. I suppose the biggest similarity was the offensive prowess. Instead of KiDodge being the record breaker, its Dunbar ( who in my Dynasty, had a breakout season his senior year--he was on the bench the first year).

Sheck it out. Its actually kind of entertaining. (If I say so myself)

Hey, New Stadium on the way

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:15:00 +0000

Denton RC

Finally. I totally agree with Vito's piece. We have been suckyville. A lot of people have complained, and a lot of people decided to bail instead of fixing it. We are on the way to fixing it.

For the people who ask why Denton sucks as a college town and wonder why we are always second rate, this is your answer. We have had third rate facilities and fourth rate performances. You can't get people exciting about suckiness.

I wish I could see the stadium as a student rather than an alumnus. Eh. Doesn't really matter I suppose. I will be there opening day if it kills me.

Can't wait.

NT 40 FAU 44

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:21:00 +0000

The cries for the backup quarterback have begun!

... and I think they are unfounded. But, lets rate them anyway!

Riley Dodge:

Good: Last night KiDodge went 4/7 for 117 yards. Most of those (69) coming of a bubble screen to Jamaal Jackson. No interceptions and he avoided pressure and turned it into some yardage.

Bad: He missed wide open receivers. I mean he didn't see them. I know its easier for me, sitting on the fifty to see guys running open, but still. There was a play action pass (at 1:05:00 on espn360) that he threw to the outside guy running a double move. Seemingly just an overthrow (who says he don't have an arm? Oh wait, the broadcast dudes said that) but what you cannot tell from the replays is that Carey was running free over the middle. The PA drew the linebackers up and the safety was playing deep coverage. All he had to do was drop it in there for at least a 20 yard gain.

There was one more where he was scrambling right and saw Outlaw on the sidelines. He tried to lead him up the field but missed him because of miscommunication. I put that on him. As a receiver, you're standing there and you don't know where the QB is going to throw it. You can try moving up field but the pass could be where you used to be. If he wants to lead him up the field he should have put it on his upfield shoulder. It makes all the difference. He can catch it and and run that way in one motion.

Tune:

Good: He went 13/17 129 yards and a score.

Bad: More missed receivers. I get the feeling that Tune, for all his cool-under-pressure-praise (he is a junior-he should be cool under pressure) he leans on his first option and doesn't come off it until its too late or just dumps it off after it isn't open.

Look at that last drive for an example. Big moment. On third and seven he forces it to Outlaw who is blanketed by the defender. He does a mechanically unsound falling back throw. There was no pressure. No need to hurry the throw. If he would have come off that read and looked to the guy running across the middle, he would have probably had a big gain.

Eh.

Although there are lots of doubts about the coaching staff. Whatever your feelings on those guys you have to allow the fact that they know what they want their quarterback to do and have decided, based off of lots of practice reps, that Riley does those things better.

From what I've seen, Riley can throw those long passes. He isn't seeing the field as well as even Tune is because he is a freshman. He lacks experience. Rarely in high school do you have to go throw all your reads. The biggest knock on him is that he is not living up to our lofty expectations. Looking at his performance I think we can say that he is doing a pretty damn good job for a redshirt freshman.

Don't compare him to Colt McCoy who had a national championship team around him. Don't compare him to Gio Vizza either, because this is a different schedule and different team than three years ago.

So yeah.

The Bye Week

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Oh to be as awsome and all powerful as ESPN. They got themselves as new internet site, didnt they? Local coverage is what they want to get into now. Durn conglomerates. Anyway, here is the link to the UNT home page.

I think what I hate most about them is that they are so damn good that there is no doubt that they will do a much better job than the local papers and news media. Dammit! Look at that- up to date-ness.

No, seriously the biggest and only problem I have with espndallas, boston, chicago and the others to come is that they have no competition. If this was happening while newspapers were still standing on two (financial) feet than I would be rooting for the usurper taking down the juggernauts. In that case the newspapers-with their iron grip of information flow locally would actually have to compete with someone. I love me some competition.

In this case however, how well can the newspapers compete? I dunno. They might have to do something radical and gasp! compete.

With that said, the internet is largely secondary information. Without newpapers sending their beat writers out to listen to another boring press conference (isn't press a little outdated?) bloggers wouldn't be able to regurgitate quotes from the head coach.

Such is life.

Coming this week: A look ahead.

Stop Gap Post

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:33:00 +0000

Is it me or does Middle have the worst uniforms? Why do they look purple in this picture? I always have hated that KSU-metallic-grayish helmet color and that helmet style doesn't even match their Northwestern-jockin' unis. That logo looks like it was made for a USFL team.

Meh.

Middle Tennesee State Blue Raiders V North Texas Mean Green (Eagles)

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:03:00 +0000

Tony Franklin sure knows how to make a buck.

Learning his offense from Hal Mumme with Mike Leach at Kentucky (HM learned it from LaVell Edwards) in the late 90s, he has successfully sold its principles and practice methods and made some decent cashola off of it.

As far as I know, old Hal and Mike just make most of their money coaching the offense.

The thing is, the dude is good. Whatever criticisms people have about the spread- and especially passing spreads- they have to admit that it is pretty successful. Even though Hal Mumme has had losing records, it isn't because his offense is impotent. Mike Leach's teams pretty much reserve a spot at the top of the passing stats lists every year. And Tony Franklin's teams put up yards and points.

Unfortunately I am not intimately familiar with it. I don't know if it is similar to PapaDodge's (supposed) balanced attack or like Air Raid Mike Leach.

*Looking at the stats, it seems like its a nice little balance historically. The MUTS are a little skewed towards passing yardage this year though.

He turned around Troy's horrible offense in '07 and now he has his new squad putting up some decent yardage. To me this is the real story. Our newly stout defense against The System.

If I were PapaDodge I would be kind of jealous of the success had by his rivals. I mean Tulsa came in here and dominated (Guz Malzahn OC). Troy has come in here with Mr. System and put up huge numbers with that squad against TD.

Although I am happy he came in here and turned a horrible offense to a semi-decent-at-times one, I am starting to think that maybe there were other spread coaches out there that could have done more with our less.

* Another thing I was thinking as I watched football this weekend was this: If I were an offensive minded head coach (or vice versa) I would find me a hell of a coach to head up the other side of the ball. I mean that is just common sense good business right? Why did Dodge-y wait a couple of years to do that?

Again, I am not hatin on our head guy here. I am just starting to wonder how much of Southlake Carroll's success was the overall advantage of playing in a community that fully supports the team with first class facilities and lots of money for private coaching and not the just offense.

So, that is what I'll be watching this weekend. Sure, Mid Tenn is pretty talented, and did beat up on a CUSA opponent and squeaked by an ACC one last week. UNT is home in good ol' Denton with its lukewarm support (burn!) and getting its starting son--er--QB back. The two teams are not so far apart in talent that we get pushed around like we did v da' Crimson Tide.

I really expect the offense to pull out all the stops. There really is no reason to hold anything back. They shouldn't be trying to protect anyone's shoulder ( cuz if it was vulnerable they should be on the sideline) and this is a conference game, ya'll ergo it matters now.

Now that the defense has figure out the controllers (vg reference!) its time to see the offense put up 30 points per game. The solid run game makes up for the slight inexperience at wideout. The system quarterback makes up for the fact that KiDodge is a RS Frosh. Gimme 30.

NT v Alabama: 53-7

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:58:00 +0000

Well, that was embarassing, huh?

It was very apparent that we had no business being on the field with those guys. It is foolish to think we had a chance at an upset huh? I don't think anyone can make a decent argument that there was anything that we could do better that would have made us competitive. The horrible truth is that the guys on 'Bama are bigger, faster, and stronger than we are. It was evident in the way they shoved both lineman around and brushed off would-be tacklers while sprinting away from the rest.

They seriously didn't look like they broke a sweat. How horrible.

Quotes from other people:

"We look like kids, they look like men."

"How sad"

"We suck"

"They don't look like they even have to try"

I say next time we want to schedule a money game we schedule a Big Ten team. The little guys at least win against those dudes. (Central Mich, N Ill, App St, N Iowa had a chance, N Dakota St, )

So, now that our required shellacking is over-with, we can look to conference play. Mid Tennesee is looking decent with that win over Maryland. We get KiDodge back.

The best news is that we can actually compete physically with the opponent.

In Other News:

There was no recap of Ohio because MGN has been busy doing school related things. Also no MGN v Competition because of the same reason. I did play some dude NT v Bama and got beat 38-7 though. Eh.

This week:

MTSU preview.

Why there is NOT going to be a QB controversy ( you doob)

MGN v the Competition: Blue Raiders

MGN Takes on the Competition: Ohio and Wins!

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Here is the game:

MGN Takes on the Competition: Ohio

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:33:00 +0000

Hey everyone! Remember me? Well ~~tonight~~ friday night at 6pm I will be taking on Budweiser_5 from the bobcatattack board!

Links: Stickam.com

UPDATE:

Figured alot of people are watching opening night right now.

Good Guys Win: Mean Green 20 - Ball St 10

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:16:00 +0000

So? That North Texas: Aren't they 1-0?

Hell. Yes.

First off, your humble MGN scribe turned 24 yesterday. Being a loyal but practical kind of guy I planned to watch the game until it became unwatchable (like I said, practical) and then proceed to my birthday festivities. Turns out the only unwatchable parts were the awful Campus Connection spots. Thankfully, I couldn't hear them very well over the cheers.

It was awesome. After taking most of the day to soak it all in, I think I can say with relative certainty that a collective weight has been lifted. One that we didn't know we were carrying.

The cynic in me says: 'dude that was one game.' This is an inarguable point. Yes, it was one game, but it wasn't just one game. Let me explain:

Any of you remember starting class in elementary or middle/junior high school without knowing if any of your friends were going to have the same teacher? Maybe it was a new-school type thing for you. In any case, this season is like that. Many of us walked into the classroom with trepidation and dread. Then we sat down and met a cool ass kid and then things suddenly looked up. You think that maybe this year isn't going to suck like you thought it might've.

If you don't believe me just look at all the reactions all over the internets. GMG.com, the alumni on the Ticket, twitter, the newspapers and so on. Proving that point is not my goal here so I won't clutter your time with examples that support that thought. Just go with me here.

Last night tweeted: ' its like we are a real life football team.'

I thought I was being original in that thought. I wasn't.

I think that statement just about sums up fan reaction.

We all feel this way because, like many are saying*, it wasn't a fluke-y win. We kicked their ass with that ground game, had explosive plays, and had a hard-hitting, stingy defense -with a little hard hitting kick coverage unit thrown in for good measure.

In all the ways that we sucked last year- tackling, being explosive, coverage, grit, clutchness, etc -we were better. I think there is no better way than to sum it up. We are actually competitive. Whowouldathunk?

The thing that most inspires the fan base right now is not even the performance but the attitude behind it. Its been talked about throughout the preseason. Everyone was saying how the team looked tougher and more together and how the attitude was so different from last year. I didn't watch preseason practice. I couldn't say one way or another if this was true.

For me the thing that made me believe that this wasn't an aberration wasn't the statistical and physical dominance (we should have scored those 13 points we let get away btw). George Dunham interviewed Riley after the game. The guy just sounded like he had been the starting QB for the last 4 years. He said all the right things, giving credit to the defense, both lines, his backs and receivers, reassuring the fan base that there was more of this to come and even threw up the Eagle Claw to the fans in the stands.

It made me think, This Riley guy is a cool ass dude. Maybe this year isn't gonna be that bad after all.

Other Things:

Conversions:

I suppose the mini MG fever sweeping the metroplex may have something to do with the fact that we beat a MAC team, let alone one coming off a 12 win-nationally talked about season. I did do my part in converting a non-fan. After taking him to the watching party -and forcing him to deck out in Mean Green- his Facebook status the next day:

Had my first UNT football game watching experience and it didn't suck. They won and I really wasn't expecting that. No body was. Kinda weird. Am I a fan now?... Go mean green?

Lucky Gear:

Everyone has their lucky gear they don for the games. I think I have my new one(s):

I lose. MGN Takes on Ball St and loses

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:41:00 +0000

Part 1

part 2

Stickam LInk

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:35:00 +0000

http://stickam.com/aztecskin

MGN vs Ball State!

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:44:00 +0000

Don't forget that tomorrow evening MGN will take on Ball State Guy in NCAA 10.

Streamed live on Stickam!

Woo!

Countdown to Kickoff: Two Days

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:04:00 +0000

This isn't a preview issue. I think practice and player profiles have been combed through and analyzed enough to get an idea of what we think will happen. Fact is that none of that matters on game day.

That is a great thing about college football. Passion can beat talent given the right set of circumstances.

In these circumstances I don't think Can Company U is a whole lot more talented than we are. So I guess the thing to ask is this: Will BSU, playing at home with last year's banner year and the bandwaggoners it brings fresh on everyone's mind, play with more heart than UNT, on the road and ready to turn the program around?

MGN Takes on Ball State er Can Company U

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:13:00 +0000

Lol. Are you serious? Here at the Nation, we realize that our beloved alma mater has trouble picking a name and sticking to it. At least we didn't name ourselves after a canning company. Granted, its named after the guys who founded Ball Company .... but it still makes me chuckle.

Ball St? Who goes to Ball St?

Well, my friends at Wikipedia tell me alumni include:

-Dave Letterman
-Jim Davis (garfield)
-Boom Goes the Dynamite Guy
-Blaine Bishop
-Bernie Parmalee

and others.

Now I can't hate on BS University that much because I can't think of any UNT-produced sports casts. Either its on but it sucks and no one talks about it, or we don't have one because we suck and no one talks about it. Both options are not good and fall short of BS University in that respect.

I blame the discrepancy on the the D Letterman Communications and Media Center. I mean, if we had something like that we could be producing ESPN producers and fumbling Waco reporters. We do get points for our mascots moving on to bigger and better things.

So I promise to donate something when I get rich and famous and etc.

Call it the NTMescan Computer for Blogging Studies.

Pictured: Artists Rendering

So we have about two weeks to go until Papa and Kid Dodge get to hang 40 on Can Company U. *

*Ed note: May be skewed by homerism.

For now, I'll leave you with this:

MGN Takes on the Competition

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:41:00 +0000

Starting September 2nd yours truly will take on an opposing fan in NCAA 10. It will be streamed online for your viewing pleasure.

Stay tuned for more details. The first game will be september 2nd vs a BSUinsider writer.

Fall Camp Update -- Third Hand Info

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:59:00 +0000

So my sources tell me that UNT is not looking so good on defense at camp. (NT03's post on GMG.com).

It got me to thinking about what Howard Griffith said on the Big Ten Network today about Michigan State's scrimmage

'You want some sleepless nights? Have the offense run through your defense in two-a-days'

Eek.

For those not so knowlegeable about the Way Things Are: early in the season, the defense is usually ahead of the offense. This happens because offense is usually more timing-based. Even a power running attack requires the coordination of the big uglies up front to be effective. Defense is more read-and-react.

So if our defense is getting beat routinely by the offense?

Sounds like there are some sleepless coaches in the Nation.

New Forum!

admin@ntmescan.com (AztecSkin) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:28:00 +0000

MGN is excited to present: the forum. Right now it has a horrible url. I am in the process of fixing that.

It also has a horrible defaut logo. Fixing that too. That involves coming up with a logo and I have been extremely busy so that has been put off.