Flying to Victory: North Texas Football (NCAA11)

[TigerRag]

Only lost by three? Wow, you put up a good fight against my tigers. In my dynasty we blew NT out, obviously. Everything looks really good man. I'll be following.

[dickey1331]

Looks good man.

[Getty51]

Wow, nice game against Clemson, never good when you lose the turnover margin, just for some reason seems to lead to a loss, I am sure without those we are looking at a different score.

[Perfect Zero]

Quote: Originally Posted by TigerRag

Only lost by three? Wow, you put up a good fight against my tigers. In my dynasty we blew NT out, obviously. Everything looks really good man. I'll be following.

The problem with the game is that North Texas has a better defense than they should. I also got really lucky with the game because it was basically a punt it back and forth game. Update tomorrow

[Perfect Zero]

THE STRUGGLES CONTINUE AT HOME
RICE STAYS ON TO RUIN THE MEAN GREEN'S OPENER

Denton, Texas- The North Texas Mean Green held on until the very end in Saturday night's home opener, but ultimately fell to the Rice Owls 28-26. The Mean Green fall to 0-2 on the season, where they are now on the bottom looking up at the rest of the Sun Belt. The Rice Owls improve to 1-1 on the season.

The start of the game looked promising for the Eagles. On the opening drive, Halfback Lance Dunbar left the game due to back spasms. Backup Halfback Jeremi Mathis would pick up the slack, running 48 yards for the opening touchdown. The luck would not continue however, as the Mean Green could not hold on to the ball on a muffed punt which resulted in a touchdown for Rice. In the second quarter, Nathan Tune would carry his offense down-field where he would connect with an 8 yard pass with Darius Carey. The Owls would shoot right back with an endless drive from the Owls that would end the half with Rice on top 21-14.

The back spasms that kept Dunbar out of the first quarter sidelined him again for the third quarter as both teams condended with interceptions and other turnovers. In the fourth, the Mean Green defense showed up and produced a safety. On the safety punt, the Mean Green would drive down-field again only to end up with three points on a field goal. The next drive for Rice would help them win the game as they took a number of seconds off the clock to take the lead at 28-16. In the last seconds of the game, Tune fired the ball to the endzone for ironman Cornerback Steven Ford for the final score to end the game.

"The touchdown was nice, but we wanted to win the game," said Ford. "I couldn't score nine points on that touchdown to make the game go any longer."

For the Owls, they head home to take on the Northwestern Wildcats. The Mean Green however travel to West Point, New York, where they will face the United States Military Academy. The Mean Green are looking to escape from New York with their first victory of the year.

"It would be nice for us to win that game," Coach Todd Dodge said. "We feel that we can beat them on their own turf. That doesn't mean that we are going to take it easy though."

NCAA Scoreboard - Rice (1-1) at North Texas (0-2)

September 4, 2010 1 2 3 4 F Rice 14 7 0 7 28 North Texas 7 7 0 12 26 Top Performers Rice - Stats QB Nick Fanuzzi (22 Attempts - 12 Completions - 170 Yards - 1 Touchdown) Wide Receiver Pierre Beasley (4 Receptions - 64 Yards - 1 Touchdown) North Texas - Stats Halfback Lance Dunbar (13 Attempts - 152 Yards - 1 Touchdown) Defensive Lineman Brandon Akpunku (4 Tackles - 1 Safety - 1 Deflection)

Team Stats Comparison RICE NTX First Downs 10 11 3rd Down Efficiency 0-8 (0%) 5-11 (45%) 4th Down Efficiency 2-2 (100%) 1-1 (100%) Total Yards 335 478 Passing Yards 183 176 Rushing Yards 56 201 Penalties-Penalty Yards 1-5 2-7 Turnovers 1 4 Time of Possession 9:48 16:07

Scoring Summary First Quarter RICE NTX NTX 4:10 Touchdown North Texas: Jeremi Mathis, 48 yard run (Trent Deans kick) 0 7 RICE 2:31 Touchdown Rice: Phillip Gains, returned fumble 36 yards (Chris Boswell kick) 7 7 RICE 1:10 Touchdown Rice: Pierre Beasley, 21 yard pass from Nick Fanuzzi (Chris Boswell kick) 14 7 Second Quarter RICE NTX NTX 5:05 Touchdown North Texas: Darius Carey, 8 yard pass from Nathan Tune (Trent Deans kick) 14 14 RICE 0:37 Touchdown Rice: Sam McGuffie, 3 yard run (Chris Boswell kick) 21 14 Fourth Quarter RICE NTX NTX 5:31 Safety Rice: North Texas wins possession 21 16 NTX 2:01 Field Goal North Texas: Trent Deans, 31 yard field goal 21 19 RICE 1:11 Touchdown Rice: John Gioffre, returned interception 16 yards (Chris Boswell kick) 28 19 NTX 0:00 Touchdown North Texas: Steven Ford 81 yard pass from Nathan Tune (Trent Deans kick) 28 26

OperationSports.com

In other news:

• South Florida knocks off Florida at the Swamp in overtime
• Oregon leaves Tennessee with a loss
• Notre Dame wins against Michigan 34-20
• Penn State is thumped by Alabama; 55-34
• Oklahoma holds their claim against Florida State; 37-20

[rebelins313]

I'll be following, I'm playing a NT in an Online Dynasty my friend and I are doing. We just finished the regular season, I'm now waiting to play my bowl game. Good luck with the Mean Green.

[Perfect Zero]

FLYING HIGH AT WEST POINT
MEAN GREEN SHOOT DOWN ARMY IN SHUTOUT

West Point, New York- Picking up their first win of the season, North Texas blew out the United States Military Academy 25-0. The first win of the season for the Mean Green comes near the end of non- conference play as the defense stepped up for a showdown against Army.

The game started on a fast pace for the Mean Green. After receiving the football on an opening drive fumble, Halfback Lance Dunbar opened an outside lane to take advantage of the Black Knights in the first half. Punter Will Atterberry used his precision leg to peg the Black Knights deep on their one yard line in the second quarter, where Sam Owusu-Hemeng would sack the Army Quarterback Chip Bowden in the endzone for a safety.

The game would not get any easier for the Black Knights, as they were once again held on their one yard line to start their drive in the second half. Ironman Riley Dodge would sack Bowden again in the endzone to take an 18-0 lead. On the next drive, Eagles Quarterback Nathan Tune would lead his team to the endzone again to make the game 25-0.

"We wanted to win against Clemson and Rice so bad," Tune said after the game. "To finally get that monkey off of our backs is a relief."

The Black Knights go to (1-2) on the season, where they will take on the undefeated Duke Blue Devils in North Carolina. North Texas improves to (1-2) on the season, and they will continue their travels to southern Florida where they will take on the Florida Atlantic Owls (0-2). While the game may look easy on paper, the Mean Green will fight to the end for this match-up.

"We aren't in a position to relax," Coach Todd Dodge said. "We looked good against Army, but we have a long way to go, and (Florida Atlantic) is hungry for their first win. It'll be a battle."

NCAA Scoreboard - North Texas (NTX) at Army (ARMY)

September 11, 2010 1 2 3 4 F North Texas 7 9 9 0 25 Army 0 0 0 0 0 Top Performers North Texas - Stats HB Lance Dunbar (5 Rushes - 78 Yards - 2 Touchdowns) DL Sam Owusu-Hemeng (3 Tackles (2 for loss) - 1 Sack - 1 Safety) Army - Stats SS Luke Shumacher (6 Tackles (2 for loss) - 3 Deflections) WR Mark Allen (2 Receptions - 43 Yards)

Team Stats Comparison NTX ARMY First Downs 7 6 3rd Down Efficiency 4-11 (36%) 2-10 (20%) 4th Down Efficiency N/A 0-1 (0%) Total Yards 210 188 Passing Yards 116 97 Rushing Yards 58 9 Penalties-Penalty Yards 4-35 1-10 Turnovers 0 3 Time of Possession 13:28 14:50

Scoring Summary First Quarter NTX ARMY NTX 1:52 Touchdown North Texas: Lance Dunbar, 40 yard run (Trent Deans kick) 7 0 Second Quarter NTX ARMY NTX 4:30 Safety Army: Team Safety 9 0 NTX 2:28 Touchdown North Texas: Lance Dunbar, 12 yard run (Trent Deans kick) 16 0 Third Quarter NTX ARMY NTX 1:37 Safety Army: Team Safety 18 0 NTX 0:00 Touchdown North Texas: Royce Hill, returned interception 28 yards (Trent Deans kick) 25 0

OperationSports.com

In other news:

• Texas Tech stuns Texas in Lubbock 63-49
• Southern Miss crushes Kansas 31-14
• TCU moves to #4 and gets a first place vote
• Oklahoma Halfback DeMarco Murray becomes a candidate for the Heisman
• Florida keeps falling after loss to Tennessee

[Perfect Zero]

NORTH TEXAS OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY ON TOP
IN A SLOPPY GAME, EAGLES BEAT OWLS 37-34

Boca Raton, Florida- What looked to be an easy rout for North Texas turned into a nail-biter as the Eagles limped away with a 37-34 win over Florida Atlantic. The game was not only notable for the wild finish, but for the injury sustained to Halfback Lance Dunbar in the opening drive.

The Mean Green took to the field ready to play against the Owls, scoring on their opening drive. The second play of the drive however was marked with a hard hit on Lance Dunbar, who fumbled only to have the ball picked up by Guard Kelvin Drake. Dunbar was slow to get up, and it was later reviled to be a back strain, one that will land him on the bench for the next four weeks.

"We're looking at the injury and taking it a step at a time," Coach Todd Dodge said after the victory. "Lance is a big part of our team on the field, but that means that we need to rest him so he plays to full strength."

Even with the injury, the Mean Green had an answer for the position. Former Arlington Martin Halfback Jeremi Mathis picked up the slack and rushed for 96 yards with an average of 6 yards per carry. Quarterback Nathan Tune passed for 225 yards and made helped to lead the team while the captain was being treated for his injuries.

"Lance is a great leader," said Tune. "He [has] worked really hard this year, and to see him down is a real heartbreak."

Dunbar has had back problems all year. In the opener against Clemson, he was given shots in his back to relieve pain after a devastating hit. Dunbar was also removed twice in the game against Army, where he would sit out for three different drives.

"I want to be out there; I want to play," said Dunbar after the game. "I want the team to win, but I want to be out there leading them to that win."

The game itself had two different faces. After cruising to a 20-7 lead at the half, the Mean Green started to coast while the Owls turned on the afterburners. Two fumbles by Outlaw and Mathis helped Florida Atlantic to gain 21 points in the fourth quarter and to send the game into overtime.

"[North Texas] was starting to rest on their lead," Coach Howard Schnellenberger said. "We wanted to attack them hard and make them pay for it. We wanted to ensure that they went back to Texas with a bruised pride."

In overtime, Florida Atlantic's no huddle started to wear thin, and two sacks on Owls Quarterback Jeff Van Camp forced the team to kick a field goal. On the first offensive play of overtime for North Texas, Tune was hit hard and had the wind taken out of him. He elected to stay in the game, and Mathis would run all 25 yards to take the win away from FAU.

"We found out later in the game that [FAU] weren't lining up correctly," Mathis said. "When we went on the field, Coach Dodge told us to run out of the goal line formation, and we went all the way down to the endzone with it."

Florida Atlantic leaves with their third loss of the season, and without a win to boot. North Texas comes back to Denton with a 2-2 record, with one win in conference play. They will play Louisiana- Lafayette who have yet to win a game (0-3, 0-2)

NCAA Scoreboard - North Texas (2-2) at Florida Atlantic (0-3)

September 18, 2010 1 2 3 4 OT F North Texas 17 3 3 8 6 37 Florida Atlantic 0 7 3 21 3 34 Top Performers North Texas - Stats LE Brandon Akpunku (6 Tackels (3 for loss) - 2 Sacks - 1 Forced Fumble) HB Jeremi Mathis (96 Yards - 6 Yard Average - 2 Touchdowns) Florida Atlantic - Stats WR Jamal Davis (5 Receptions - 138 Yards - 27 YAC) QB Jeff Van Camp (16-30 - 251 Yards - 2 Touchdowns)

Team Stats Comparison NTX FAU First Downs 11 14 3rd Down Efficiency 3-9 (33%) 1-12 (33%) 4th Down Efficiency N/A N/A Total Yards 447 444 Passing Yards 225 251 Rushing Yards 97 69 Penalties-Penalty Yards 0-0 2-10 Turnovers 2 1 Time of Possession 15;50 11:17

Scoring Summary First Quarter NTX FAU NTX 3:05 Field Goal North Texas: Trent Deans, 46 yard Field Goal 3 0 NTX 2:06 Touchdown North Texas: J. Phillips, returned fumble 25 yards (Trent Deans kick) 10 0 NTX 0:26 Touchdown North Texas: Jeremi Mathis, 22 yard run (Trent Deans kick) 17 0 Second Quarter NTX FAU FAU 2:57 Touchdown Florida Atlantic: A. Wood, 18 yard pass from Jeff Van Camp (R. Gornall kick) 17 7 NTX 0:07 Field Goal North Texas: Trent Deans, 26 yard Field Goal 20 7 Third Quarter NTX FAU FAU 2:20 Field Goal Florida Atlantic: R. Gornall, 30 yard Field Goal 20 10 NTX 0:00 Field Goal North Texas: Trent Deans, 44 yard field goal 23 10 Fourth Quarter NTX FAU FAU 4:11 Touchdown Florida Atlantic: A. Morris, 1 yard run (R. Gornell kick) 23 17 FAU 2:35 Touchdown Florida Atlantic: W. Floyd, 8 yard run (R. Gornell kick) 23 24 NTX 1:47 Touchdown North Texas: Michael Outlaw, 43 yard pass from Nathan Tune (2pt good) 31 24 FAU 1:09 Touchdown Florida Atlantic: A. Holley, 16 yard pass from Jeff Van Camp (R. Gornall kick) 31 31 Overtime NTX FAU FAU - - - Field Goal Florida Atlantic: R. Gornall, 21 yard Field Goal 31 34 NTX - - - Touchdown North Texas: Jeremi Mathis, 8 yard run 37 34

OperationSports.com

In other news:

• LSU can't buy a win; drop to 0-4 after loss to #22 West Virginia
• HB DeMarco Murry of Oklahoma considered favorite to win Heisman
• #6 Iowa to host #20 Penn State on ABC Saturday Night Football
• Alabama still #1 team in the nation, followed by Ohio State, Boise State