Monday's DMN: Two SMU Articles!

[Mustangs35SMU]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 5d7d2.html

SMU rides on recruiting's dark horses
UNIVERSITY PARK – To get a good idea of what SMU football can become, look at junior defensive end Justin Rogers.

He is the prototype.

Rogers is from Commerce High School. Coach Phil Bennett has stressed regional recruiting since he took the job in December 2001.

Rogers was an athletic but skinny kid at 6-4 and 205 pounds coming out of high school. The SMU staff envisioned that Rogers could fill out his frame with muscle.

Rogers was a redshirt in his first year on the Hilltop, giving him time to get used to college life and dive into the weight room.

Rogers started two games as a redshirt freshman in 2003 and the first nine games last season before being injured.

Pushed in the weight room by fellow end Don Ieremia-Stansbury, the calorie-gulping Rogers is up to 260 pounds. He is carrying the extra weight without losing speed and quickness.

If SMU's defense improves from last year's dismal showing, Rogers will be a central figure.

"You talk about maturing," Bennett said. "Justin is a very good Division I-A football player. He is just now progressed to where we anticipated him being."

That is how it must happen for football to work again at SMU.

Forget about canvassing the nation for players: Redshirt freshmen, then gradually increase their playing time as they develop.

Most of all, recruit with a sharp eye.

It's simple to recruit at powers such as Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. They go after the easily identifiable top-rung players.

SMU must be smarter. Bennett and his staff must be able to look at a high school player and see what he will be in three or four years.

Is he a young senior who has not physically matured? Can he handle a position switch? Will he work at it?

Make the correct call on enough of those questions, and SMU gets hidden gems such as Rogers. That means recruiting for SMU is more than sweet talk. Bennett and his staff must do their homework.

There are promising players out there not included on the "Top 100" lists. It is up to SMU to scour the area and find them.

Bennett and his staff are willing to dig rather than concede.

"We're not always going to match up and beat Texas and Texas A&M on a blue-chip player," Bennett said. "One of the things we have to do is project kids. To me, Justin Rogers is one of the kids we project."

Last season, Rogers was fifth on the team in tackles for loss with 5 ½ and tied for the team lead in sacks with 2 ½. It was a good learning experience.

Those are not shattering achievements until put in the context of the defense's overall performance. In a word, SMU's defense last season was horrible.

The Mustangs ranked among the bottom 15 in the four major defensive statistical categories: scoring defense with 38.2 points allowed per game; total defense with 467.3 yards per game; passing defense at 258.1 yards per game and rushing defense at 209.2 yards per game.

The schedule was difficult. All three nonconference opponents – Texas Tech, TCU and Oklahoma State – ranked among the top 17 in scoring offense. The Western Athletic Conference schedule included three teams among the top 11 in scoring: Boise State, Fresno State and UT-El Paso. Those six teams averaged 44.5 points against SMU.

The Mustangs finished last season by winning two of their last three games. The defense, as it should, remembers the earlier beatings. Those memories can be a powerful motivation.

"We want to carry over what we did at the end of the season and get momentum from that," Rogers said. "But we also should remember what happened before. You don't want to think about the negative, but those games showed us what we have to do to get better."

Bennett, whose roots are as a defensive coordinator, admitted the defensive performance made last season "maybe my most disappointing year." Speed offers the chance of improvement.

Outside linebackers Wilton McCray and Alvin Nnabuife can be playmakers because of their exceptional speed. Rolando Humphrey is a good cover cornerback. Ieremia-Stansbury brings linebacker speed to end.

If the defense improves as Bennett anticipates, it will not be a sudden development. This started four years ago, when a skinny kid who also played basketball and baseball while participating in track at Commerce caught the eye of SMU coaches who could look into the future.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 650ed.html

SMU's Haywood moving into starting role
UNIVERSITY PARK – Junior college transfer Adrian Haywood (Mesquite) is playing so well that coach Phil Bennett has him as the starter at nose guard. Haywood, at 6-3, 275 pounds, had eight sacks and 25 tackles for loss at Tyler Junior College last season. Haywood has showed good strength, footwork and the ability to get to the ball in camp.

Briefly ...
UNIVERSITY PARK – Phil Bennett called freshman quarterback Justin Willis (Denton Ryan) "a smooth operator" after two weeks of practice. ... The SMU coaches are impressed with freshman running back James Mapps' speed and burst through holes. ... There was only one turnover in Saturday night's scrimmage, an interception by cornerback Brandon Jones (Arlington Martin). ... Bennett was upset at the sloppy tackling and the defense's lack of urgency to get set against the no-huddle offense. ... RB Richuel Massey, DE Charlie Berry (Highland Park) and quarterbacks Tony Eckert and Jerad Romo impressed the coaches in the scrimmage.

[oakley]

the first article is from the day before

[BUS]

Over the past few days I have read a lot of stories in the DMN about SMU. To add to that, they have been positive and with no mention of ??$%@$%@$*@@%. you know.

Have we gotten over the hump? Is Gerry Frailey or new writer?

NOW, can we win some games? Beat Baylot

[SMU Football Blog]

the first article is from the day before

No it isn't. Unless the DMN has a 11PM edition of the Sunday paper I don't know about. The DMN dates everything by when it is put online, not the day it appears in the paper.

It is Fraley's column in the Monday paper.

[Hoop Fan]

damn glad to hear about Heywood. Its about time somebody stepped in and won a job and made a difference. Gotta use transfers and jucos to your advantage at SMU. The one thing we've had to offer for years now is playing time.

[Horseshoe]

Over the past few days I have read a lot of stories in the DMN about SMU. To add to that, they have been positive and with no mention of ??$%@$%@$*@@%. you know.

Have we gotten over the hump? Is Gerry Frailey or new writer? ....

Nope -- Calvin Watkins was at practice when I was there last week. At least I think it was Calvin, so I assume he's still covering the team.

[SWC2010]

Over the past few days I have read a lot of stories in the DMN about SMU. To add to that, they have been positive and with no mention of ??$%@$%@$*@@%. you know.

Have we gotten over the hump? Is Gerry Frailey or new writer? ....

Nope -- Calvin Watkins was at practice when I was there last week. At least I think it was Calvin, so I assume he's still covering the team.

Whoever is covering-- thanks. Let's hope for more soon.

[SMU Football Blog]

Calvin Watkins is doing a fine job. He's always done a fine job. He's got a tough beat, IMO.

[BUS]

Yes sir you are correct.

SMU needs to WIN!