Mean Green

Felix Jones just broke free when he seemed to trapped on the sideline and ran 71 yards for a touchdown that has Arkansas up 38-0 in the second quarter.

North Texas' defense finally came up with a stop in its game against Arkansas. The Razorbacks went for the first down on fourth-and-2, but came up short on an incomplete pass. Arkansas had scored on its first five drives

North Texas has changed quarterbacks in the second quarter of its game against Arkansas. Daniel Meager started the game, but has been pulled in favor of freshman Giovanni Vizza.

Vizza completed two passes on his first drive, which stalled after just five plays.

UNT has just 39 yards of offense with 12:45 left in the first half.

Wide receiver B.J. Lewis caught an 11-yard pass on UNT's fourth possession, equalling the Mean Green's total offensive output from its first three possessions. UNT was unable to capitalize, though, running just three more plays on the drive before punting.

UNT is struggling offensively against Arkansas. The Mean Green has gone three-and-out on its third straight possession to start the game.

UNT is down 14-0 after London Crawford beat the Mean Green deep for a 61-yard touchdown. Crawford appeared to get behind UNT cornerback Dominique Green when he slipped on the turf.

UNT was just penalized for illegal participation on a punt afer stopping Arkansas near midfield. The Razorbacks picked up a first down and scored two plays later.

It didn't take long to answer one of the big questions heading into UNT's game against Arkansas. Razorbacks running back Darren McFadden -- who some thought might not play -- was in on the kickoff

I just received word that North Texas defensive tackle Isaac Thomas will not start against Arkansas because of the flu. He is expected to play. Joseph Miller will take Thomas' place in the starting lineup.

Losing Thomas will take nearly 15 pounds out of the Mean Green's defensive front, which could prove to be a problem against Arkansas' huge offensive line and powerful running game.

North Texas is warming up for its game against Arkansas and once again the Denton Record-Chronicle is here to bring you the latest.

I will try to blog as much as I can throughout the game, right up until I have to head to the field with 5 minutes or so left to go the post game press conference.

Now to the good stuff.

Rumors have run rampant all week that Arkansas running back Darren McFadden will not play today. McFadden is dressed out and warming up on the field. McFadden might be the best player the Mean Green faces this season.

It's been a little light on questions this week, but I did receive one inquiry about head coach Todd Dodge's plans when it comes to playing any additional freshmen this season.

Dodge actually addressed that very topic yesterday.

Unless something unforeseen happens, quarterback Giovanni Vizza, linebacker A.J. Penson, cornerback Kevin Ealey, wide receivers Sam Dibrell, Breece Johnson and B.J. Lewis and running back Micah Mosely will be the Mean Green's freshmen who will play this season.

I have received a lot of questions about the rest of the freshman receivers and their status. At this point, it does not look like Marcus King, Sam Roberson or Evan Walker will play.

North Texas junior cornerback Dominique Green has come a long way since the beginning of fall practice when he was buried so far down the depth chart that one wondered if he would ever be heard from again.

Green actually started against Florida Atlantic last week and was playing well until he was beaten on a double move for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown in UNT's loss to the Owls.

Green has always been a standup guy and today was no different when he spoke to me about his comeback from the depths of the depth chart and the bitter end to what was otherwise a pretty solid night against FAU. I had a sidebar on Green nearly finished when Cortez Gent beat him for the touchdown that turned the tables on UNT.

That's the way football goes, though. It can turn at any moment.

To read what Green had to say, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Just about everyone who knows anything about the Sun Belt Conference and the bottom levels of Division I football saw this coming a mile away, but this week it became official.

North Texas is in ESPN's Bottom 10, David Duffey's list of the nation's struggling programs. The Mean Green checks in at No. 9.

UNT has been in the Bottom 10 before, as has just about every other team in the Sun Belt Conference. This week the Sun Belt has three teams on the list, including No. 1 Florida International.

It's hard to argue with UNT being on the list considering the Mean Green is 0-3 and is ranked dead last nationally in scoring defense. Considering UNT travels to Arkansas this week, it could be an extended stay.

I know UNT fans hate to see their team in ESPN's crosshairs, but one has to give Duffy his due. The list is one of the funniest columns going. And it isn't easy to be funny in print.

Backup quarterback Giovanni Vizza is going to see playing time sometime soon, UNT head coach Todd Dodge said during his Tuesday press conference. Maybe this week at Arkansas.

Vizza lost the battle for the starting job to junior Daniel Meager and hasn't played since the Mean Green's season-opening blowout loss at Oklahoma.

Dodge said the plan was to play Vizza this season and he will get back to that plan soon.

For more on Vizza, see tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

North Texas head coach Todd Dodge had a few interesting things to say on the Sun Belt Conference's Monday conference call.

The full rundown will be in tomorrow's Denton Record-Chronicle, but here are a few highlights:

Dodge attributed the Mean Green's second-half meltdown against Florida Atlantic to a number of factors, including the team still learning how to win. UNT has now lost five straight games dating to last season heading into this weekend's game at Arkansas. One of my friends in the Sun Belt media circle, Adam Sparks of the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, Tenn., has started keeping track of the nation's longest losing streaks. UNT checks in at No. 7 on a top-10 list with four Sun Belt teams.

Longest current losing streaks
(In Football Bowl Subdivision)
School Losses
1. Florida International 16
2 (t). Utah State 10
2 (t). Colorado State 10
4 (t). MTSU 7
4 (t).Temple 7
6. Notre Dame 6
7 (t). Louisiana-Lafayette 5
7 (t). Marshall 5
7 (t). North Texas 5
7 (t). Rice 5

Dodge mentioned UNT's struggles with protecting punter Truman Spencer during his coach's show Monday, but for those of you who didn't catch it, he also addressed those problems during his conference call. He said UNT's blocked punts were the result of missed blocking assignments.

FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger -- a favorite among UNT fans. OK, not really -- said he didn't see anything about the Mean Green on film before the game that indicated a weakness he could exploit on UNT's punt team. The Owls did spend a big chunk of practice time on special teams last week, though, which seemed to pay off.

The Sun Belt announced its players of the week during the call. FAU linebacker Cergile Sincere was named the Defensive Player of the Week for posting 15 tackles against the Mean Green.

First, Florida Atlantic quarterback Rusty Smith threw a 74-yard bomb down the right sideline for a touchdown to Gent Cortez to take a 23-20 lead, the Owls' first lead of the game.

Then Florida Atlantic came up with its second blocked punt of the night and converted on fourth-and-one inside the Mean Green 10-yard line before DiIvory Edgecome scored on a 7-yard touchdown.

The Mean Green trail 30-20 with 3:36 left in the game.

Daniel Meager's third interception, and his second in the end zone, led to another Florida Atlantic field goal as UNT's lead continues to dwindle.

The Mean Green is up 20-16 with eight minutes remaining. UNT is lining up for a punt.

We're going into the fourth quarter here at Fouts Field, and despite the Mean Green's solid play, it's still a one-score game against Florida Atlantic with the score still 20-13.

The Mean Green defense has played exceptionally well against FAU quarterback Rusty Smith, who is coming off a career game against Minnesota last week. That bodes well for UNT, but it will have to continue that to win.
-- Jeff Andrews

The Mean Green are seemingly dominating this game, but Florida Atlantic isn't going away.

The Owls picked off a Daniel Meager pass to give FAU a short field. Florida Atlantic kicked a 27-yard field goal to keep the Owls within a score, 20-13.
-- Jeff Andrews

North Texas put together another scoring drive to open the second half, leading to a 37-yard field goal from Thomas Moreland.

North Texas leads 20-10 with 6:41 left in the third quarter.
-- Jeff Andrews

UNT is up 17-10 heading into the second half of its game agianst FAU, but could be up by an even bigger margin.

The Mean Green 313-190 advantage in total yards.

A blocked punt and an interception in the end zone proved costly for the Mean Green in the first half

After spending my entire college career watching games at an empty Fouts Field, it appears things are changing for the better.

The crowd is not only big, but excited, verbally reacting to even the most insignificant plays.

Now I'm sitting back, listening to the Green Brigade entertain the crowd at halftime where it's 17-10 North Texas. I marched with the Green Brigade for two years while still a music major and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. The band, in short, is amazing, and listening to them tonight, it seems it is only getting better.

Green Brigade director Nick Williams, who took over after I left the music department, is one of the brightest young minds in marching band in the state, and it shows in his band's performances.

Nick is a personal friend of a number of my old friends from the music department, and I know he's a stand-up guy as well. Come to Fouts Field this year for "Dodge Ball," but make sure you get a load of this band as well.

When I was in the band, they sat me and the other saxophone players right behind the UNT dancers during their segment of the show. It. was. phenomenal.

Alright, that's my music rant for the night. Next blog, read about my thoughts on how Miles Davis' adventures in fusion actually hurt jazz's progression into the 21st century.
-- Jeff Andrews

North Texas' streak of 33 games without having a punt block came to an end in a costly manner.

Florida Atlantic's Tavoris Hill got a piece of a Mean Green punt, giving the Owls the ball on the Mean Green 18. Four plays later, Charles Pierre scored from 9-yards out on fourth-and-two.

North Texas leads 17-10 with under three minutes in the first half.
-- Jeff Andrews

Is it 2004 right now?

Jamario Thomas, 2004's national rushing champion, just popped off a run reminiscent of his freshman year. He found a seem up the middle and bounced to the left sideline for a 42-yard touchdown. It was his first score since Week 4 of 2006 and the longest run since his freshman year.

North Texas is quickly taking control of this one as it leads 17-3 with 11:26 left in the second quarter.
-- Jeff Andrews

North Texas has been unstoppable on third down, converting four of five attempts so far.

The Mean Green's first failed attempt came on the FAU 20-yard line and North Texas kicker Thomas Moreland nailed a 37-yard field goal.

North Texas leads 10-3 with 12:49 left in the second quarter.
-- Jeff Andrews

The Mean Green defense is showing a great deal of improvement over its first two games of the season.

North Texas stuffed the Owls on third-and-one on their first drive and the Mean Green held Florida Atlantic out of the end zone on its second.

The Owls had a first and goal after converting a fourth-and-five and getting a pass interference call that put the ball at the Mean Green 5-yard line. UNT didn't give the Owls any room and FAU settled for a field goal.

North Texas leads 7-3 after the first quarter.
-- Jeff Andrews

Daniel Meager has redeemed himself after throwing an interception in the end zone on the Mean Green's first drive. Meager completed a pass in the end zone to one of his own players on the second drive, hitting Korey Washington for a 15-yard score.
-- Jeff Andrews

North Texas and FAU both came up empty on their first drives. The Mean Green opened with the ball and drove deep into Owl territory before Daniel Meager threw a ball into the end zone that was picked off by Taheem Acevedo.

FAU also moved the ball into UNT territory, but the Mean Green stuffed Willie Rose on a third-and-one attempt.
-- Jeff ANdrews

We are under way at a packed Fouts Field for Southlake North's, er, I mean North Texas', Sun Belt and home opener against Florida Atlantic.

Having been to a few of these before, it's easy to tell this is a big crowd for UNT. The student section in front of me is pretty full, more full than it was when I was student.

And the home section is certainly more full than it has been in the past. There isn't an area of the bleachers that isn't crowded. I'll give you attendance numbers as soon as they come in.
-- Jeff Andrews

Well here's something I haven't done in awhile -- cover a UNT football game.

I covered UNT for the school newspaper, the North Texas Daily, in 2004 when Jamario Thomas won the national rushing title. How times have changed. Thomas is on the bench, I'm a bona fide sports writer and I think I heard something about some guy from Southlake being the Mean Green's coach now.

One thing that hasn't changed -- this run-down stadium. UNT really should just play at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex. The press box is a 1,000 times better. It's so cramped in here I turn my head around and my face hits the back wall. Nobody really has room to do anything. Hopefully the university isn't just blowing wind up our skirts when it says UNT is closer to getting a stadium than they can let on.
-- Jeff Andrews

Welcome, North Texas fans to game day on the Mean Green Blog.

As usual, we will try to provide updates, notes and a few observations from today's UNT game against Florida Atlantic.

Joining me today on the blog will be DRC Ryan beat writer and UNT grad Jeff Andrews.

Feel free to post your comments on the blog throughout the night.

One of the guys over in the North Texas sports information office dropped me a line earlier today to let me know who to give credit to for inventing the "Dan-Wagon" nickname for the tenure of Mean Green starting quarterback Daniel Meager.

Drum roll please...

The party responsible is Brad Sheffield, an intern with the UNT athletic department.

His reward? The undying love of the Mean Green Nation.

Well, at least I thought it was pretty clever.

I stopped by the North Texas athletic department yesterday and found out that someone came up with a new saying for Mean Green fans:

"It's time to jump on the Dan-Wagon."

As they say in those beer commercials -- "BRILLANT!"

I haven't heard a phrase that catchy since Jamario Thomas was dubbed "Super Jamario" a few years ago. Unfortunately, no one has yet come forward to take credit for inventing the "Dan-Wagon" phrase.

On a serious note, it will be interesting to see if Daniel Meager -- UNT''s much maligned quarterback and origin of the "Dan-Wagon" phrase -- can keep it up after his big game against SMU two weeks ago on Saturday against Florida Atlantic. Meager was great for most of the night against SMU. He didn't make many mistakes against Oklahoma in UNT's opener, but he didn't make many plays either.

UNT is hoping the Meager it saw against SMU is the Meager it will have for the rest of the season.

It certainly wouldn't hurt the Mean Green's cause to have the "Dan-Wagon" roll at a rapid pace against FAU. The Owls are coming off a win over Minnesota and Rusty Smith is looking more and more like the real deal as the Owls quarterback. Smith threw for 463 yards and five touchdowns against the Gophers.

It could be a shootout when UNT and FAU face off at Fouts. Let the good times -- and the "Dan-Wagon" -- roll.

North Texas is going to receive a whole lot of additional money for making a switch in its schedule for the 2008 football season. The full details are in tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle, but here is the bottom line -- UNT will make up to $250,000 more for playing LSU than Miami.

Not a bad trade if you ask me, especially considering UNT will also spend a lot less on traveling to Baton Rouge, La.