NT Football to Play Texas A&M

Texas A&M vs. North Texas (NTSU at the time) in 1986

The North Texas football team is wrapping up a deal to play at Texas A&M sometime in the 2020 season.

When I first read this on Vito's blog I thought it was a pretty big deal. To face A&M -- who has been a surging team since Kevin Sumlin stepped onto campus -- and a school that a lot of the North Texas students have friends that attend is pretty cool.

Remember the Mean Green played at Texas this past season for the first time since 2006. That was a game that had a whole lot of hope with the Longhorns on a slide, a new head coach in Charlie Strong, and North Texas coming off its best season in a decade.

Of course -- during that game we learned the offensive line couldn't give Josh Greer two seconds to find a receiver, and Texas is still Texas.

The Mean Green has played A&M seven times -- five of which were when both teams played in Division I-A. North Texas has lost every time, with the closest game being the latest one -- a 28-9 loss at Kyle Field.

A&M vs. NTSU in 1986

The squads first went toe-to-toe in the 1946 opener -- A&M 47, NT 0.

This game won't be played until 2020, so for the current students and me it's really not that exciting. I mean, who knows where the heck I'll be in five years? Sure, it would be great to go to Kyle Field for this one, but it is difficult to get hyped for a game five years away.

The college kids who will be playing in this game just passed the eighth grade STAAR test.

So, with that in mind, let's look at some of the future North Texas schedules.

2016 

vs. SMU, @ Florida, @ Army, vs. Liberty

Once again the tradition of playing a cupcake continues with Liberty (has anyone even heard of this school?). Apparently, Liberty is a school in Virginia. Former Kansas coach Turner Gill is the head coach, their nickname is the Flames, and they have a pretty bad ass stadium, too. They've been dominating the Big South over the past seven or eight years and are trying to reach Division I football status. (And, to be fair, Liberty will play at Baylor in 2017).

Liberty's Williams Field holds more than 19,000

The North Texas-SMU "rivalry" series continues with year three, and it'll be the first time for new Pony coach Chad Morris to come up to Denton.

But, follow up that game up with a trip to Florida the next week. It's another homecoming for Coach Dan McCarney of sorts (after playing at Iowa in 2015). Mac helped the Gators win a national championship by coaching the defensive line. Almost everywhere I have seen him, he is wearing his title ring from Florida. It's also one of the last places Mac could see with both eyes. Florida primes up for the Mean Green with a home date against UMass.

A six-year set against Army also kicks off in 2016 -- and this game will be in mid-October at West Point.

2017

@ SMU, @ Iowa, vs. Army, vs. Lamar

Iowa's Kinnick Stadium

Much of the same formula in 2017 -- with the two long-term series against SMU and Army continuing, a hopeful powderpuff opponent in Lamar and another homecoming trip to Iowa for McCarney -- seriously, is this the Coach Mac farewell tour? -- that's assuming he's still in Denton in two seasons. Iowa will be at rival Iowa State the week prior to taking on the Mean Green. Also, for the second year in-a-row Army is scheduled to play an FCS school the week before facing North Texas.

2018

vs. SMU, @ Army, vs. Incarnate Word, @ Arkansas

Army's Michie Stadium

Are you beginning to notice a pattern, yet? This could be a milestone year in the way that this will be the fifth year of the SMU series, a good gauge of how one class of players has gone through four games. The Mustangs are set to the Mean Green's opener for the second straight year -- and SMU will have a busy September with games at Michigan and vs. TCU also in the month. Speaking of Michigan, Arkansas will open the season in Wolverine country.

2019

@ SMU, vs. Army, vs. Abilene Christian

This is the closest opening North Texas has to its non-conference schedule (as long as another program doesn't bail out of C-USA), but you better believe it will be filled with a road game to a Power 5 conference opponent. 

2020

vs. SMU, @ Army, @ Texas A&M

The projected look of Kyle Field after renovations

Keep in mind the match versus the Aggies isn't set in stone, and something could happen that blows it all up. But for now, we're looking at the next available home non-con game in 2020. That is -- as long as North Texas doesn't play five home games like they will this season. 

Is Something Wrong in Denton?

Both quarterback Dajon Williams and outfielder Taylor Schoblocher, arguably the two best athletes at North Texas, have left their respective teams a few days apart. 

Summer is usually quiet around the Mean Green sports front. Once the softball season is over, there really isn't much going on until fall football practice starts up. But after the bombshell dropped of Taylor Schoblocher leaving, another, somewhat smaller explosive, unloaded on campus when it was revealed Dajon Williams is exiting North Texas.

I went in-depth on Scho's departure, but I figured instead of doing the same with Dajon I would look at both of their exits together.

Here's the thing. There is nothing wrong in Denton. There is nothing that is just repelling great athletes away from North Texas. These are just two cases -- unrelated and separate -- that hinge on things that aren't mutually exclusive to North Texas.

Scho left because of differences with the coaching staff -- mainly with hitting coach Natalie Kozlowski. Trust me, head-butting between players and coaches is not something that only happens at North Texas.

Head softball coach Tracey Kee has a no-nonsense approach. And if a player isn't giving maximum effort at all times, then her talent level doesn't really matter. Kee is an equal opportunity bencher. She benched Scho against Oklahoma State, and she's done it to fringe players, too.

With Dajon -- the situation is a bit muddier. A lot of people are trying to throw out theories about why Dajon is gone now. And did he get dismissed from the team or did he leave?

QB Dajon Williams

I'm not going to share what I've heard, but I think it's safe to say Dajon was always going to be a story of 'What If'?

What if he didn't have to be concerned with taking care and raising his young daughter? What if he could have spent more time committed to Quarterback 101? What if he and the coaches got along a bit better? What if he didn't have four turnovers against UAB?

During spring practice Dajon lost the starting job (Did he ever have it coming out of the regular season?) to senior Andrew McNulty, and even dropped behind Josh Greer.

Senior QB Andrew McNulty

And with DaMarcus Smith becoming eligible for summer workouts it only means more competition on a team that has about 17 quarterbacks on the roster.

Yes -- Dajon had a great game against a terribly equipped Nicholls defense that had three different head coaches in the span of six days leading up to gameday. But, he also had a so-so game against Indiana and a really poor one at UAB that led to him getting the hook.

Dajon leaving North Texas isn't really all that surprising. I remember towards the end of the last season, people around the football team were talking about how they expected either Dajon or Greer -- or maybe both -- to not be around during spring practice.

Well, both were around, but one didn't last long after.

There's nothing wrong in Denton. The sky isn't falling just because two great athletes won't be suiting up in the green and white anymore. Will the teams suffer? Yeah, probably, but in the long-run this will be just another speed bump on the way to something better. Hopefully.