Daily Oklahoman on SMU

[No Quarter]

This article says SMU had the 45th ranked recruiting class in 2003 - is that more or less agreed as the ranking nowadays?

Also, comment on JUCOs versus freshmen.


<A HREF="http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=1079823&TP=getcowboys" TARGET=_blank>http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=1079823&TP=getcowboys</A>

[GoRedGoBlue]

You have to register...so here it is:

Some coaches rely on junior-college transfers to revive a struggling program. SMU coach Phil Bennett is committed to a youth movement.

• News and notes | Scouting SMU

The Mustangs have enjoyed little success since the late 1980s, when the program was disbanded for two years by an NCAA-imposed “death penalty” for major infractions. Bennett’s hope is that a fertile recruiting base will eventually pay dividends. The Mustangs have 79 scholarship players and 41 are freshmen.

“When you inherit a new program it takes some time,” Bennett said. “We’re recruiting well. I think our freshman class, if I didn’t have to play them this year, I wouldn’t do it. But we have immediate needs.”

Of the 41 freshmen, 17 are on the two-deep roster and play meaningful roles. Freshmen, even talented ones, can be overwhelmed. Bennett’s view is the Mustangs will gain valuable experience this season, be competitive in the Western Athletic Conference and be much improved in years to come.

“I want to get this program to where we have a number of four- and five-year players,” Bennett said. “Obviously this program hasn’t been in a good situation for years. The only way we’re going to get out of it is to recruit good players.”

The Ponies have produced only one winning season since football was revived in 1989. SMU was 3-9 in Bennett’s first season and is 0-2 this year.

But there are signs Bennett’s plan has a chance to succeed. Last year, 20 of 24 freshmen redshirted. SMU’s most recent recruiting class was ranked first in the WAC by some publications and was ranked as high as 45th nationally.

“As everyone knows, a year’s experience is worth its weight in gold,” Bennett said. “The feel of the game. The speed of the game. When you’re feeling your way through things you’re not playing at full speed sometimes no matter what kind of talent you have.

“But, yes, I do feel we have guys we can win with. Time will tell.”

The biggest difference between this SMU team and the one Oklahoma State throttled 52-16 last season is that these Mustangs are more balanced on offense.

Tailback Keylon Kincade rushed for 1,279 yards last season on 327 carries. That’s 72 more carries than the previous school record set by Eric Dickerson.

“No one respected us enough to play nickel defense against us all year,” Bennett said. “What we’re doing is sound. But we’ve struggled offensively when we’ve had opportunities. We’ve got to sustain some drives and be good in the red zone.”

Kincade, a senior, is SMU’s top threat, but the Mustangs are throwing it more. Richard Bartel, a former pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds’ system, emerged as the starting quarterback late last season.

Bartel, 6-foot-5, threw for 1,078 yards, completed 60.1 percent of his passes and led SMU to all three wins. But Bartel, a redshirt sophomore, has been inconsistent in road losses against Texas Tech and Baylor.

“We just haven’t made plays,” Bennett said. “We had two very wide open plays against Baylor. We’ve either dropped balls or didn’t throw it in the right place. Our execution has just been poor. We’ve got to keep working to get better.”

The same could be said for many young players who are gaining experience. Despite recent struggles, SMU could be competitive in the WAC. They were 3-5 last year in league play.

“I really think we’ll be a better football team as we go along,” Bennett said. “The one thing I’ve liked about this job is within a 300-mile radius it’s a great area to recruit. If we continue to recruit good players and work hard we can win in our conference.”

[PonyTales]

There's a coach who has the big picture in perspective.

[Stallion]

to answer your question I know of no service that ranked SMU at No. 41 in recruiting. Rivals had us about No. 60 and the Insiders had us ranked considerably higher as in worse. But the Rivals rating would place SMU among the top 4-5 non-BCS schools.