The Book: 2007 Football

[NewsCopy]

The sheer numbers are frightening. North Texas is last among the nation's 119 Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A) schools in total defense and scoring defense, allowing 580.3 yards and 55 points per game. UNT is also last nationally in sacks and next to last in tackles for losses. The Mean Green improves all the way to 117th in pass defense, 114th in rushing defense and 113th in rushing offense - even though a former national rushing champion is in the offensive backfield. There's little wonder that UNT is 0-4 heading into Saturday's 6 p.m. contest with likewise-winless UL at Cajun Field. Right now, it ain't easy being green. But first-year coach Todd Dodge isn't deterred. "The fun thing right now is we're not near as good as we're going to be," Dodge said during his team's preparations for the Cajuns. "There's so much room for improvement. We've got a nice completion percentage, and we've got to accentuate the things we do well and continue to do that." The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

College football teams are paying increasingly large sums of money to entice non-conference visiting opponents. 2007 Sept. 1 Richmond at Vanderbilt Result: Vanderbilt 41, Richmond 17 Vanderbilt paid $300,000-350,000 Sept. 6 MTSU at Louisville Result: Louisville 58, MTSU 42 MTSU earned $200,000 Sept. 8 Southern Miss at Tennessee Result: Tennessee 39, Southern Miss 19 Tennessee paid $600,000 Sept. 13 MTSU at LSU Result: LSU 44, MTSU 0 MTSU earned $450,000 Sept. 20 Western Kentucky at MTSU Result: Western Kentucky 20, MTSU 17 MTSU paid $50,000 Sept. 22 Arkansas State at Tennessee Result: Tennessee 48, Arkansas State 27 Tennessee paid $625,000 Oct. 6 Virginia at MTSU Result: Upcoming MTSU paid $200,000 Oct. 13 MTSU at Memphis Result: Upcoming MTSU earned $150,000 Nov. 3 La.-Lafayette at Tennessee Result: Upcoming Tennessee paid $750,000 2006 Sept. 2 Vanderbilt at Michigan Result: Michigan 27, Vanderbilt 7 Vanderbilt earned $650,000 Sept. 9 MTSU at Maryland Result: Maryland 24, MTSU 10 MTSU earned $500,000 Air Force at Tennessee Result: Tennessee 31, Air Force 30 Tennessee paid $850,000 Sept. 23 MTSU at Oklahoma Result: Oklahoma 59, MTSU 0 MTSU earned $600,000 Tennessee State at Vanderbilt Result: Vanderbilt 38, Tennessee State 9 Vanderbilt paid $225,000 Sept. 30 Marshall at Tennessee Result: Tennessee 33, Marshall 7 Tennessee paid $550,000 Oct. 6 Louisville vs. MTSU (LP Field in Nashville) Result: Louisville 44, MTSU 17 MTSU paid $200,000 Nov. 18 MTSU at South Carolina Result: South Carolina 52, MTSU 7 MTSU earned $600,000 The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

Virginia isn't just doing MTSU a favor by bringing its football team to Murfreesboro for a historical matchup Saturday. In becoming the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to play the Blue Raiders at Floyd Stadium, the Cavaliers will pick up a check for $200,000. Saturday's game is a bit of a role reversal for MTSU, which has usually been in the 'pay to the order of' line of those checks since moving to NCAA Division I-A during the mid-1990s. The Blue Raiders took home nearly a half-million dollars for traveling to LSU earlier this season, and cleared $1.5 million for visits to Maryland, Oklahoma and South Carolina last year. As more and more Bowl Championship Series teams look to fill out their home schedules following the advent of the 12-game regular season, mid-level D-I programs have become more attractive opponents — and if the BCS teams are going to benefit on the field and in the seats, the lower-profile schools want to at least be compensated for it. According to MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro, his program's take over the last couple of years is just the tip of the gridiron financial iceberg. "The amounts paid are starting to really climb, and it depends on where you're going," Massaro said. "I've heard offers around $650,000 or $700,000 and I've heard of some as high as $900,000. The rest of the story By MAURICE PATTON Gannett Tennessee

[Turbine]

Great move by MTSU

I suggested before here and on the radio that UL should take ANY extra 1 time money it finds and instead of putting it into the regular budget, save it for a buy in game.

For the right amount of money UL could get a lot of schools to come play here. Another option might be a 2 for 1 plus a payment to come here.

I could name a dozen reasons why this would be a good investment.

jmo

[ShowDog]

_ I read the article in today's Advertiser about how many freshmen and sophmores we are playing and how many redshirts we have, which is what Bustle has been trying to do since he got here. We are extremely young and are making a lot of mistakes. We still need to improve recruiting, but it seems like Bustle is building this brick by brick. We pay now for the dividends we will get later. We also have new Coordinators who are not only bringing changes, but should improve recruiting.

The best thing this town can do for this football team is to show up en masse for Saturday's game. Wouldn't it be great to see 25,000+ as a show of support for these kids. And, we win the game. That would propel us through the meat of our conference schedule. We have some tough games coming up after UNT, so this is a must win.

We are letting our basketball coach build from the ground up and quit using the quick fix of JC transfers. While we have had uncharacteristic losing seasons, we will soon see all of this pay off for years to come. Why is football any different? I want to win as much as anyone and I am tired of excuses, especially when we see teams like Troy seemingly pass us by. And, I am extremely disappointed that we are 0-5 at this point and particularly that we lost to McNeese State. But, it is what it is. If Bustle is truly building our program the right way, things will improve. It is hard to be patient as we keep hearing the same thing year after year. For once, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not an on-coming train. Sometimes you have to be patient with a coach who is building a program. Although this is Bustle's 6th year, we are not yet an experienced team. We are young and building a solid base. Bustle still has 2 years left on his contract. I think next year will be the telling year for him, not this year.

Sometimes, if you stick with something and give them what they need and a show of confidence, things have a way of coming together. We have a new Asst. AD with a true vision for athletics, a new President coming on board next year who will hopefully provide the support for athletics we have been hoping for, improving facililties, and things are finally starting to come together at UL in all areas. All of this will have a profound impact on football which drives everything. I, for one, will be patient with Bustle because neither he nor his predecessors have had what is about to happen to UL in the coming year. Let's give him a chance to be successful when all of this actually comes together. _

Wish my company gave me 6 years to produce.

[AstroCajun]

As long as NT doesn't fire their coach before kickoff, we'll be fine.

[anhil8tor]

RAGIN CAJUNS GO UL

[anhil8tor]

I agree totally.


I can remember UMass coming here to play basketball when they were #1 in the country. ULL needs to get bigger named opponents if not every other year... every third year.

[RCAJUN90]

Between the Cajuns and the Saints I've been a football funk. I was wishing the season would get over ASAP! There is still a lot of football to be played. Perhaps both teams can get it going. However this weekend is the time. I would hate to come up goose eggs again this Monday. Cajuns you guys have the people and the potential to be up on UNT. Go out and do it!

[BTG]

Kyle blew out a knee in practice, may be out of football from what I'm told. Pretty bad ligament damage. Bad news for Kyle...best of luck to this young man.

[CharlieK]

If it helps...remember every time you watch Fenroy carry the ball you are watching the greatest running back in school history.

Hey, it's something!

[CharlieK]

BAD news......

Hope he is able to recover.....