ark st much better at home (9-4 s/u under current coach) and 18 departing seniors will have especially strong revenge motivation as a result of humilliating defeat in denton last year. no way indians will compete in a shootout so expect a controlled defensive game with plenty of hard hitting. also, n tex superfrosh back thomas questionable with hamstring injury and will most likely be slowed if he does play. article from jonesboro paper below. glta
ark st and under
- Thread starter loophole
- Start date
Indians close against Mean Green
By Matthew V. Roberson
Sun sports writer
North Texas has been the cream of the crop in the Sun Belt Conference ever since the league formed.
The Mean Green?s resume is impressive.
North Texas has won 24 straight league games dating to Oct. 6, 2001. Overall, the Mean Green is 24-1 in conference play, with its only loss coming in its first league game at Louisiana-Monroe.
UNT has been to the New Orleans Bowl all three times since its inception, defeating Conference USA co-champion Cincinnati in 2002. And, Mean Green head coach Darrell Dickey has been named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year three straight seasons.
It would be fair to say North Texas has dominated its league constituents. And, no matter what happens this evening, the Mean Green will again head to New Orleans in December for their fourth straight New Orleans Bowl appearance as the Sun Belt champion.
But none of those factors seem enough to deter Arkansas State. The Indians are plenty motivated for tonight?s season finale.
Kickoff is 6:05 p.m. at Indian Stadium.
For many of Arkansas State?s seniors, this is the last chance to show what they are made of.
?This is a big opportunity for us and we?re looking forward to it,? ASU senior wide receiver Chuck Walker said. ?This is like a bowl game for us. It?s our chance to knock off the conference champion and show everyone what we are capable of. The seniors are really charged up. This is our opportunity to go out and do something that hasn?t been done in three or four years.?
Arkansas State (3-7 overall, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) has lost three straight to the Mean Green. But ASU has been tough at home, where it is 2-1 this season with its only loss a 47-35 defeat to Memphis as the Tigers scored three touchdowns in the final four minutes to rally for an unlikely victory.
Last year, North Texas torched ASU 58-14 as the Mean Green rolled up 522 yards offense and then rubbed some salt in the wound. UNT was flagged three times for personal fouls, five times for unsportsmanlike conduct and celebrated at ASU?s expense in what was a humiliating turn of events.
UNT tailback Patrick Cobbs, who rushed for 228 yards and four touchdowns, simulated the Heisman Trophy pose after one of his scores. Another UNT touchdown was punctuated with an ?orchestrated celebration? according to one of the game officials.
Each drew unsportsmanlike penalties.
All left some bitter feelings on the ASU sideline, which now serves as motivation.
?There are a lot of things that happened last year that I haven?t forgotten,? ASU senior strong safety Alex Peoples said. ?I?m sure a lot of players on the team haven?t forgotten either. They showed absolutely no class. It was very disrespectful. They showed no character at all, so we?re looking forward to playing them. I think it will motivate the team a little bit knowing how those guys acted last year.?
By Matthew V. Roberson
Sun sports writer
North Texas has been the cream of the crop in the Sun Belt Conference ever since the league formed.
The Mean Green?s resume is impressive.
North Texas has won 24 straight league games dating to Oct. 6, 2001. Overall, the Mean Green is 24-1 in conference play, with its only loss coming in its first league game at Louisiana-Monroe.
UNT has been to the New Orleans Bowl all three times since its inception, defeating Conference USA co-champion Cincinnati in 2002. And, Mean Green head coach Darrell Dickey has been named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year three straight seasons.
It would be fair to say North Texas has dominated its league constituents. And, no matter what happens this evening, the Mean Green will again head to New Orleans in December for their fourth straight New Orleans Bowl appearance as the Sun Belt champion.
But none of those factors seem enough to deter Arkansas State. The Indians are plenty motivated for tonight?s season finale.
Kickoff is 6:05 p.m. at Indian Stadium.
For many of Arkansas State?s seniors, this is the last chance to show what they are made of.
?This is a big opportunity for us and we?re looking forward to it,? ASU senior wide receiver Chuck Walker said. ?This is like a bowl game for us. It?s our chance to knock off the conference champion and show everyone what we are capable of. The seniors are really charged up. This is our opportunity to go out and do something that hasn?t been done in three or four years.?
Arkansas State (3-7 overall, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) has lost three straight to the Mean Green. But ASU has been tough at home, where it is 2-1 this season with its only loss a 47-35 defeat to Memphis as the Tigers scored three touchdowns in the final four minutes to rally for an unlikely victory.
Last year, North Texas torched ASU 58-14 as the Mean Green rolled up 522 yards offense and then rubbed some salt in the wound. UNT was flagged three times for personal fouls, five times for unsportsmanlike conduct and celebrated at ASU?s expense in what was a humiliating turn of events.
UNT tailback Patrick Cobbs, who rushed for 228 yards and four touchdowns, simulated the Heisman Trophy pose after one of his scores. Another UNT touchdown was punctuated with an ?orchestrated celebration? according to one of the game officials.
Each drew unsportsmanlike penalties.
All left some bitter feelings on the ASU sideline, which now serves as motivation.
?There are a lot of things that happened last year that I haven?t forgotten,? ASU senior strong safety Alex Peoples said. ?I?m sure a lot of players on the team haven?t forgotten either. They showed absolutely no class. It was very disrespectful. They showed no character at all, so we?re looking forward to playing them. I think it will motivate the team a little bit knowing how those guys acted last year.?
No matter how much motivation or what the motivation is, Arkansas State will have its hands full with the Mean Green. North Texas (6-4, 6-0) has won six straight after opening the season with four consecutive losses.
UNT is powered by freshman tailback Jamario Thomas, who replaced Cobbs after the second game of the season when Cobbs was injured. In nine games, Thomas has plowed through and run away from opponents at a pace unparalleled by any other running back in the country.
Thomas, whose status has been uncertain this week because of a hamstring pull, leads the nation with 1,708 yards, averaging 6.7 a carry. He has run for over 200 yards in five straight games ? an NCAA record ? including a school-record 291 yards last week in a 51-29 victory over Idaho. He has broken UNT?s single-game rushing record three times this season.
ASU coach Steve Roberts compared Thomas? running style to Memphis tailback DeAngelo Williams. Roberts knows the Indians will have to slow Thomas down if he plays, but isn?t sure how.
?We?ve got some things planned and hopefully they will work,? Roberts said. ?We want to force them to do some things that maybe they don?t want to do. We don?t want them to sit there and hand him the ball 40 times and be successful. ... He is like a good scorer in basketball, he is going to get his points. You just have to make sure he doesn?t get completely unleashed on you.?
UNT quarterback Scott Hall has passed for 1,484 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing just 2 interceptions. Hall?s favorite target is 6-foot sophomore Johnny Quinn, who has 33 catches for 629 yards and 6 TDs.
Roberts said although Thomas is the Mean Green?s workhorse, North Texas has other options, including pass plays to its tight ends and quarterback sprint-outs.
?They are not a one-dimensional team,? Roberts said. ?Their quarterback, Scott Hall, has really played well. They don?t drop-back pass a lot but they do pass the football very effectively out of play-action and the bootlegs.?
The Mean Green appear more vulnerable defensively this year than in the past. UNT has one of the lowest-rated defenses in the conference, allowing a league-worst 433 yards a game, including 255 through the air.
North Texas is allowing 32 points a game, but leads the Sun Belt in scoring at 26.8 points a game. UNT?s numbers are somewhat skewed by a 65-0 loss at Texas and a 52-21 defeat at Colorado.
ASU junior tailback Antonio Warren needs 8 yards tonight to reach 1,000 yards rushing this season. He has 1,930 yards for his career to rank No. 10 among the Indians? career rushing leaders.
For Arkansas State?s seniors, this will be their final game at Indian Stadium. ASU is 9-4 on its home field under Roberts the past three seasons, 10-5 when playing in its home state.
Emotions are mixed among Indian players as their careers come to an end.
?It?s a weird feeling, knowing this is the last game,? senior offensive tackle Matt Roth said. ?I haven?t tried to think about it too much because football is a big part of my life right now. I?m just trying to concentrate on these last couple of days of practice and get us a win.?
Peoples said he?s seen the ASU program change course in his four years of playing for the Indians. Peoples originally signed with Arkansas State when Joe Hollis was the football coach.
?When Coach Roberts got here, the attitude of the players got a lot better,? he explained. ?People started wanting to come out and play football. It seemed like when Coach Hollis was here, it was more of people going out there and going through the motions. Coach Hollis wasn?t really involved with the players and when Coach Roberts came here and interacted with the players I think it helped the chemistry of the team.?
The only chemistry that matters right now, though, is what the Indians can mix up this evening against North Texas according to senior defensive end Courtney Todd.
?We know that North Texas has a long winning streak. We look at it like it?s an opportunity for us to grow as a program. We know they will come hard and play hard every down. We have to come hard and play hard, too. When I walk off the field, I?m going to know that I gave it my all, my best, that I gave ASU all that I could give all four years here,? Todd said.
UNT is powered by freshman tailback Jamario Thomas, who replaced Cobbs after the second game of the season when Cobbs was injured. In nine games, Thomas has plowed through and run away from opponents at a pace unparalleled by any other running back in the country.
Thomas, whose status has been uncertain this week because of a hamstring pull, leads the nation with 1,708 yards, averaging 6.7 a carry. He has run for over 200 yards in five straight games ? an NCAA record ? including a school-record 291 yards last week in a 51-29 victory over Idaho. He has broken UNT?s single-game rushing record three times this season.
ASU coach Steve Roberts compared Thomas? running style to Memphis tailback DeAngelo Williams. Roberts knows the Indians will have to slow Thomas down if he plays, but isn?t sure how.
?We?ve got some things planned and hopefully they will work,? Roberts said. ?We want to force them to do some things that maybe they don?t want to do. We don?t want them to sit there and hand him the ball 40 times and be successful. ... He is like a good scorer in basketball, he is going to get his points. You just have to make sure he doesn?t get completely unleashed on you.?
UNT quarterback Scott Hall has passed for 1,484 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing just 2 interceptions. Hall?s favorite target is 6-foot sophomore Johnny Quinn, who has 33 catches for 629 yards and 6 TDs.
Roberts said although Thomas is the Mean Green?s workhorse, North Texas has other options, including pass plays to its tight ends and quarterback sprint-outs.
?They are not a one-dimensional team,? Roberts said. ?Their quarterback, Scott Hall, has really played well. They don?t drop-back pass a lot but they do pass the football very effectively out of play-action and the bootlegs.?
The Mean Green appear more vulnerable defensively this year than in the past. UNT has one of the lowest-rated defenses in the conference, allowing a league-worst 433 yards a game, including 255 through the air.
North Texas is allowing 32 points a game, but leads the Sun Belt in scoring at 26.8 points a game. UNT?s numbers are somewhat skewed by a 65-0 loss at Texas and a 52-21 defeat at Colorado.
ASU junior tailback Antonio Warren needs 8 yards tonight to reach 1,000 yards rushing this season. He has 1,930 yards for his career to rank No. 10 among the Indians? career rushing leaders.
For Arkansas State?s seniors, this will be their final game at Indian Stadium. ASU is 9-4 on its home field under Roberts the past three seasons, 10-5 when playing in its home state.
Emotions are mixed among Indian players as their careers come to an end.
?It?s a weird feeling, knowing this is the last game,? senior offensive tackle Matt Roth said. ?I haven?t tried to think about it too much because football is a big part of my life right now. I?m just trying to concentrate on these last couple of days of practice and get us a win.?
Peoples said he?s seen the ASU program change course in his four years of playing for the Indians. Peoples originally signed with Arkansas State when Joe Hollis was the football coach.
?When Coach Roberts got here, the attitude of the players got a lot better,? he explained. ?People started wanting to come out and play football. It seemed like when Coach Hollis was here, it was more of people going out there and going through the motions. Coach Hollis wasn?t really involved with the players and when Coach Roberts came here and interacted with the players I think it helped the chemistry of the team.?
The only chemistry that matters right now, though, is what the Indians can mix up this evening against North Texas according to senior defensive end Courtney Todd.
?We know that North Texas has a long winning streak. We look at it like it?s an opportunity for us to grow as a program. We know they will come hard and play hard every down. We have to come hard and play hard, too. When I walk off the field, I?m going to know that I gave it my all, my best, that I gave ASU all that I could give all four years here,? Todd said.
"Counselor, you've presented your case. I'm going to retire to my chambers and I'll return with my decision. Court will take a 10 minute recess."
btw, thomas needs 155 yards to break ron dayne's div 1a record for total rushing yards by a freshman, a very reasonable number considering he has six 200+ yard games this season. assuming thomas plays, look for the often-maligned indian rush defense to focus on holding thomas under this number.
loophole like the underwish I would of got it @ 56' will take it @ 54' see score around 45-46 total gl. Thanks for the info.
Forgot to ask. Whats your thoughts on the total of the va. tech game also leaning towards the under. thanks
"Court is now in session. On count one, home dog getting 5, the court rules in favor of the plaintiff Ark State. Court documents reveal the home dog in this matchup has proven itself worthy of behavior at home. On count two, regarding the current total of 55, court documents also show of the three games played in Jonesboro, two of those three have been under the total and the court believes this trend will continue tonight. Judgment in favor of under 55. This court is now adjourned."
"Bailiff, give a buck on the Indians and a buck on the under."
"Bailiff, give a buck on the Indians and a buck on the under."
buddy,
"your honor your honor," bill murray, 'caddyshack'
mover,
also lean to the under but imo it's a rare college game where playing under 40 is justified. i do it from time to time, but not tonight.
"your honor your honor," bill murray, 'caddyshack'
mover,
also lean to the under but imo it's a rare college game where playing under 40 is justified. i do it from time to time, but not tonight.
loop.....i see that each team is giving up around 420 ypg.....but,n.texas has played some toughies early on...skews that stat a bit.....and arky st seems to be much nastier at home...even though they give up around 200 ypg on the ground...
still,a good argument you`ve made..n.texas` doesn`t seem to have any real motivational edge here...while arky st has 18 sr.`s and i can see them being goosed in their last home game vs the bully boys of the conference....maybe i`ll play a small teaser with arky+11 and under 60.....
btw.....any feeling on the n.c./duke game?...
i see that`s your neighborhood...
g.l.,bud.... and nice post...
still,a good argument you`ve made..n.texas` doesn`t seem to have any real motivational edge here...while arky st has 18 sr.`s and i can see them being goosed in their last home game vs the bully boys of the conference....maybe i`ll play a small teaser with arky+11 and under 60.....
btw.....any feeling on the n.c./duke game?...
i see that`s your neighborhood...
g.l.,bud.... and nice post...
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gardenweasel,
my inclination is that unc easily covers but i'll probaby stay away from the game - haven't really decided yet. carolina has really improved with the gelling of their offensive line and inproved linebacker play on defense. but i have a lot a respect for duke coach roof, and the devils are capable of playing well at home, clemson will testify to that. again, probably a pass for me.
my inclination is that unc easily covers but i'll probaby stay away from the game - haven't really decided yet. carolina has really improved with the gelling of their offensive line and inproved linebacker play on defense. but i have a lot a respect for duke coach roof, and the devils are capable of playing well at home, clemson will testify to that. again, probably a pass for me.
I'm along for the ride 2 small plays. They look solid, I figure worst I can do is split'em...
Thanks Loop,
kneifl
Thanks Loop,
kneifl
got a moment to elaborate on this play. unit play is an individual thing, but i'll be playing a little more on ark state than the under. most of the computer models i have confidence in project this game score between 60 and 70 points. computer models can't really adjust for key injuries and situations, which are what what i think justify the under play here, but they will rein me in a bit on the total.
as for the game, as you can tell a little from the newspaoer article above, last year's game in denton was ugly, replete with rough play, numerous unsportsmanlike penalties, and ejections. mean green ran up a 51-7 lead and tried to pour on more, but fumbled twice on their last two fourth quarter possessions. one of nt's unsportmanlike penalties was for what the officials labeled an "orchestrated celebration," where the scoring player threw the ball up in the air in the end zone as all his teammated gathered around and all fell flat when the ball landed, you know, the old "bomb" routine. anyway, you get the drift.
now, any of you madjackers out there that ever played any kind of sport and were ever on the wrong side of that scene knows what kind of taste that leaves in your mouth. i read the text of ark st coach robert's weekly press conference, and it was all about n tex and how good a team they are and more coachspeak and blah blah. not a single word or reference to last year which, to me, was a significant omission. there are 18 indian seniors tonight that were all at that game, and tonight the game is at their house. i'm gonna bet they all remember.
finally, although i expect thomas to play tonight, having experienced a hamstring pull i have a hard time believing that he could possibly be at full speed a week later. couple that with the fact that i believe the indian d is going to be all about stopping thomas tonight and i think they hold him short of the 155 yards he needs to break the freshman record. also of note, n tex is not that much of a passing team, using very little traditional dropback passing but throwing off the play action or rollout, basicly throwing to support the run. slow down thomas and i think the mean green machine may wind down also.
anyway, that's how i see it, but then again, i could be wrong.
as for the game, as you can tell a little from the newspaoer article above, last year's game in denton was ugly, replete with rough play, numerous unsportsmanlike penalties, and ejections. mean green ran up a 51-7 lead and tried to pour on more, but fumbled twice on their last two fourth quarter possessions. one of nt's unsportmanlike penalties was for what the officials labeled an "orchestrated celebration," where the scoring player threw the ball up in the air in the end zone as all his teammated gathered around and all fell flat when the ball landed, you know, the old "bomb" routine. anyway, you get the drift.
now, any of you madjackers out there that ever played any kind of sport and were ever on the wrong side of that scene knows what kind of taste that leaves in your mouth. i read the text of ark st coach robert's weekly press conference, and it was all about n tex and how good a team they are and more coachspeak and blah blah. not a single word or reference to last year which, to me, was a significant omission. there are 18 indian seniors tonight that were all at that game, and tonight the game is at their house. i'm gonna bet they all remember.
finally, although i expect thomas to play tonight, having experienced a hamstring pull i have a hard time believing that he could possibly be at full speed a week later. couple that with the fact that i believe the indian d is going to be all about stopping thomas tonight and i think they hold him short of the 155 yards he needs to break the freshman record. also of note, n tex is not that much of a passing team, using very little traditional dropback passing but throwing off the play action or rollout, basicly throwing to support the run. slow down thomas and i think the mean green machine may wind down also.
anyway, that's how i see it, but then again, i could be wrong.
loophole said:
They did it again last week vs. Idaho. I watched that entire game and could not bet the under based on the defense I saw against the Vandals. (Please no one start up about how Harrington is a decent QB)
Ark St. has an average offense - more so by Sun Belt standards. This game is all about motivation and desire - two things I no longer have any inclination to handicap.
Put a gun to my head and make me choose - Id be playing the over.
for total players,
rain continues in jonesboro so field should be pretty soggy. not so good for a rb with a sore hammy either.
g/l
rain continues in jonesboro so field should be pretty soggy. not so good for a rb with a sore hammy either.
g/l
Hands down UNT is the better team. Whether Thomas plays or not I think the Mean Green covers pretty easy. After watching Ark St. struggle against a pathetic Utah St. team at home last week I see no reason to lay money on the Indians.
Lay the points with confidence on UNT.
Lay the points with confidence on UNT.
With you on the under with the field being very wet the footing will be horrible.
I wish I had read the closing argument before taking my homies. Sometimes your heart gets in the way.
GLTA (on the under)
Bill
I wish I had read the closing argument before taking my homies. Sometimes your heart gets in the way.
GLTA (on the under)
Bill
my man just gave me ark st +7. i take that as a clear indicator that thomas looks fine in pregame. g/l everyone, i'm off for drinks and dinner.
Loop good to see you Watch Kent St Tue nov 23 at Central Fla.Martin said 3 games ago he will play to win next 4 games he will play seniors and will not think about next year now. Did all of that. Be looking at this one. Good luck on the the new place.
