Adam Grosbard says running back KeMon Freeman has improved as much as any SMU player since a year ago (photo by Patrick Kleineberg).

PonyFans.com is proud to announce a new partnership with the Dallas Morning News. Throughout the season, we — the webmasters and readers of PonyFans.com — will pose questions weekly to Adam Grosbard, the SMU beat writer for the DMN, and he will do the same to us, and then we will publish the results in each outlet.

All PonyFans are invited to submit questions to be asked to Adam, either on the message board or through a private message on this site to Webmaster or PonyPride. We will select a few each week and submit them to Adam, so be sure to check back each week to see if yours is selected.

Make sure to follow Adam on Twitter @AdamGrosbard!

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PonyFans.com: Apart from getting some players healthy, what is the biggest adjustment needed, or the area that needs to be cleaned up?

Adam Grosbard: Tackling, tackling and then more tackling. That area was a concern against UConn, and then a serious problem against Houston. There were too many attempts to tackle without wrapping up. The team looked helpless if it was in a one-on-one situation in space. I would think that this was a major area of focus for the defense during the bye week, hopefully with open-field and Oklahoma drills or even just basic tackling fundamental reminders. SMU will hopefully show progress in this area on Saturday against Cincinnati or the Mustangs could be in for a long last six games of the season.

PonyFans.com: Last year’s Mustangs averaged 27.7 points per game. This year’s team is averaging 43.8 points per game. What do you see as the biggest differences?

Grosbard: The biggest thing is the depth at the skill positions. Last year it was Courtland Sutton, Braeden West and that was about it. Now, Sutton is the second-leading receiver as LSU transfer Trey Quinn has emerged. West is the third-leading rusher with Xavier Jones back to his pre-injury form and Ke'Mon Freeman taking a step forward as a sophomore. The offensive line, despite its remaining flaws, is better than it was a year ago and Hicks has improved even if he still needs to develop. You'd like to see SMU get more from its tight ends and use more of its receiving corps than just Sutton, Quinn and James Proché. But the depth around the field is the biggest factor for me when explaining the improvements of the offense.

PonyFans.com: It’s not surprising that Courtland Sutton draws major attention from opposing defenses, and the main beneficiary of that defense is Trey Quinn, who leads the Mustangs with 54 receptions (Sutton is next with 31). If Quinn keeps up that pace, do you expect defenses to pay more attention to him as the season goes along, or will Sutton always be the center of defensive game plans?

Grosbard: I would expect that Sutton continues to get all the attention from defenses this season. The biggest reason is that he is a bigger downfield threat than Quinn. Quinn can pick up 10-15 yards per catch easily, but Sutton has the ability to break any reception for a big gain with his combination of strength and speed. He has earned respect the last two seasons while teams only have six games of film on Quinn. Will Quinn get some similar attention as Sutton next season, especially if Sutton leaves for the draft? Yes, absolutely. But as long as he's here, teams are going to try to take Sutton away and make SMU beat them with other guys.

PonyFans.com: Who do you think has shown the most improvement since last year?

Grosbard: On offense, Ke'Mon Freeman. The sophomore running back took a big step forward this season to become SMU's second rusher, surpassing West. Freeman has always been big and physical but he's turned that combination into a scary back for opposing defenses to try to tackle. You know if he gets hit he's going to fall forward. He doesn't stop moving his feet after contact. He's just turned into a really solid back. I wouldn't be surprised if he surpasses Jones and West next season to become the starter for SMU.