SMU v UConn game thread

[lollaperuna]

How can anyone complain about coaching and QB when we are 4-1 with the only loss being the game everyone knew we would lose?

Seriously, I expected some of the 4 wins to be nail biters and we've had nothing but blowouts. There is absolutely NOTHING to complain about except the attendance. Baby steps......

[gostangs]

We beat Houston and we will start getting the attention of the Dallas sports fan , plus our own less awake fans will start to wake up. Everyone loves a winner.

We don't need that many in the big scheme of things.

[Wild Mustang]

People continue to ask why continue to complain about our coaching and our QB when we are 4-1...

If we were really being honest our schedule could be one of the easiest schedules through 5 games minus TCU
SFA, North Texas, Arkansas State, UCONN... I mean seriously. It is time to raise the bar with your expectations for this program. If for some reason that you did not think that we would put up points against these teams you are dilusional.

It is time to wake up. Our QB is bad. Our play calling is way too inconsistent. Compare the Arkansas State first half vs second half. Compare the UCONN first half vs second half. Compare the TCU first half vs second half. Hey Coach, let's throw one more bubble screen to Courland Sutton. Hey coach next time you put Gillens in the game let's have him keep the ball and run up the middle.

Hicks is just flat out bad. Yes he threw 4 TDs and had 0 Interceptions. Big deal. I guess that is better than the alternative. Time to raise the bar. Watch the game. He was not in control of our offense. Why do you think that we run the ball so much? Why do you think Gillens got the opportunity to play as many plays as he did? It was not because we were blowing out UCONN. Could it be that CM recognized that the Offense was lost with Hicks running the show? Hicks is no leader. Hicks is not a talented QB. Give any QB three NFL caliber receivers and something tells me they might very well do a better job than Hicks. Hicks needs to learn to put the ball in the hands of his playmakers and literally let them make plays. Saw Hicks make once checkdown to a running back that went for maybe 10-15 yards. Many on this board will point to that and say that Hicks is making progress. That was one play! Hicks misses way too many open receivers. How many times do we need to say Hicks just missed Sutton, Hicks just missed Proche, Hicks just missed Quinn. I am not sure why Chad Morris keeps going with Ben Hicks. I would like to think that most other coaches would not tolerate his inconsistency and poor decisions. I want Hicks to be good, but unfortunately he is just not.

[mrydel]

I think we found Cargogunki’s new PF name.

[HubbaHubba]

I'm no football genius but it seemed like we played the first 3 quarters in a prevent defense mode. Huge cushions on the receivers like we're trying to prevent a hail Mary (and we don't do that well anyway). In the 4th quarter, when U Conn needed to throw it deep, we were playing tight on the receivers and played much better. Was that how the defense was called or were the d-backs just timid the first 3 quarters?

[peruna81]

Some observations from the bleacher seats...

-Hicks played in typical utilitarian fashion. He isn't what we all want, but he got the job done. He misses open receivers. He overthrows receivers. He also doesn't turn the ball over, and he hit big plays. Unless Ricky Wesson or Ramon Flanigan has any eligibility left, we will have to wait until a player like them wears our colors...just as long as he can play with 4 TDs AND no picks while being a dual-threat...those guys are hard to find. I'll take Hicks performance and stats for the rest of the season.

-When was the last time SMU legitimately had a chance to be "overconfident" against a conference opponent?
We came out flat, and virtually nothing woke the team up until Sutton and others used their athleticism to make a play. We were more talented. We were faster...and UCONN played with passion and kept it close. That is unnerving, but our guys didn't unravel.

-We played poorly, and won. That isn't the norm for us. We are going to have to learn how to win. This was a step.

-I know our DBs are not there yet, but press coverage works when you have a decent D-line. UCONN made a living off of soft coverage. That needs to be corrected.

-We are not where we need to be yet. But thank God we are not where we were the last few years.

[lollaperuna]

This is the year of the spare bowl in our rebuilding process. If you let your expectations get ahead of where this team is on the road to winning football then you will be disappointed. Our schedule is perfect for where we are in the process and I for one am enjoying the ride. Good news is we have a legit shot at winning the next 3 and that is amazing.

I bet the complainers are the same ones that were screaming last year for Chad to go for every 4th down.

[mrydel]

The players were not the only ones who did not take the game seriously enough. Coach Morris indicated both Tedora and Wyatt could have played. You can bet they would have if they had believed they were needed to win.

Bottom line, we won a game we would not have won a couple of years ago. We turned it on when needed. For the gamblers we beat the spread for the fifth time out of five games, and we are 2 games away from bowl eligibility. I am happy.

[mustangxc]

Possible to beat Houston or UCF? Impossible to beat Memphis or Navy? Glad your sport wasn't football. Every one of those teams is very beatable by this SMU team.

Navy and Memphis have had our number and are road games. Houston is a rivalry game so I think we bring our A game. UCF is a home game so that is why I think we have a chance.

Got you down for 0-4 against those four teams.

How did you manage to graduate from SMU?

[One Trick Pony]

[quote="ponyboy"]Possible to beat Houston or UCF? Impossible to beat Memphis or Navy? Glad your sport wasn't football. Every one of those teams is very beatable by this SMU team.

Navy and Memphis have had our number and are road games. Houston is a rivalry game so I think we bring our A game. UCF is a home game so that is why I think we have a chance.

Got you down for 0-4 against those four teams.

How did you manage to graduate from SMU?[/quote]


Ouch

[JasonB]

People continue to ask why continue to complain about our coaching and our QB when we are 4-1...

If we were really being honest our schedule could be one of the easiest schedules through 5 games minus TCU
SFA, North Texas, Arkansas State, UCONN... I mean seriously. It is time to raise the bar with your expectations for this program. If for some reason that you did not think that we would put up points against these teams you are dilusional.

It is time to wake up. Our QB is bad. Our play calling is way too inconsistent. Compare the Arkansas State first half vs second half. Compare the UCONN first half vs second half. Compare the TCU first half vs second half. Hey Coach, let's throw one more bubble screen to Courland Sutton. Hey coach next time you put Gillens in the game let's have him keep the ball and run up the middle.

Hicks is just flat out bad. Yes he through 4 TDs and had 0 Interceptions. Big deal. I guess that is better than the alternative. Time to raise the bar. Watch the game. He was not in control of our offense. Why do you think that we run the ball so much? Why do you think Gillens got the opportunity to play as many plays as he did? It was not because we were blowing out UCONN. Could it be that CM recognized that the Offense was lost with Hicks running the show? Hicks is no leader. Hicks is not a talented QB. Give any QB three NFL caliber receivers and something tells me they might very well do a better job than Hicks. Hicks needs to learn to put the ball in the hands of his playmakers and literally let them make plays. Saw Hicks make once checkdown to a running back that went for maybe 10-15 yards. Many on this board will point to that and say that Hicks is making progress. That was one play! Hicks misses way too many open receivers. How many times do we need to say Hicks just missed Sutton, Hicks just missed Proche, Hicks just missed Quinn. I am not sure why Chad Morris keeps going with Ben Hicks. I would like to think that most other coaches would not tolerate his inconsistency and poor decisions. I want Hicks to be good, but unfortunately he is just not.

Holy cow.

Arkansas State will most likely win the sun belt. UNT will compete for CUSA. 5 years ago, even when we were going bowling under June, we *snuck* by those teams. We didn't beat those types of teams by 20+. This team is way better than any of the June teams, especially offensively.

Our offense will end up having THE BEST performance against the TCU defense this season. Not bad.

When the coaching staff was pissed at Hicks, and everyone in the crowd (myself included) was ready to pull him for Peavey, he steps up and hits a TD pass to Quinn and 3 TDs in the 4th quarter. That TD pass to Quinn, I was begging him to check down to the open RB in the middle of the field, but he had patience and waited the longer route out. Credit to him, when things weren't going his way, for pushing the team forward.

We had multiple NFL receivers on the roster when June was here and NEVER, EVER averaged 48 points per game. So Hicks isn't "bad". And the staff isn't "bad". We played a vanilla game plan on offense and defense, rested a couple of really important banged up starters, and still won by 21.

We have two road games coming up against teams that are very beatable. Let's wait and see the results of those games before we rain the doom clouds down on a team that is 4-1, scoring almost 50 points per game, and winning by over 20 points per game.

[SoCal_Pony]

This is the year of the spare bowl in our rebuilding process. If you let your expectations get ahead of where this team is on the road to winning football then you will be disappointed. Our schedule is perfect for where we are in the process and I for one am enjoying the ride. Good news is we have a legit shot at winning the next 3 and that is amazing.

I bet the complainers are the same ones that were screaming last year for Chad to go for every 4th down.

I agree if we can go spare bowling this year it will be a success.

My issue is who will be the QB to take us to the next level?

I would argue he is not on this roster, nor has he committed to SMU yet. That is the 1 glaring CM recruiting failure which is surprising.

Next 6 games will be interesting. I hope me and other Hicks doubters are proven wrong. I think we can all agree he is one tough kid.

[Wild Mustang]

mrydel, weren't you the one talking as if Rafe Peavy was something really special when he transferred to SMU. Help me undertand why he is 3rd string behind Hicks and Gillens. Is this a coaching thing, a bad coaching decision, or is Peavy really just that bad? It cannot be that difficult to beat out a run only QB in Gillens and a QB who is inconsistent in Hicks. I still find it hard to believe that we do not have a better starting QB leading our powerhouse offense.

[Wild Mustang]

Can someone please tell me why OL Kadarius Smith has not played at down at SMU? The kid redshirts last season with high expectations for this season. Is he still on the roster? Hard to believe that he is not better than Pursley, Tadora, or Wilds.

[mustangxc]

mrydel has already said that Peavy is probably our most talented QB but apparently has difficulty learning the playbook and probably the reason that keeps him from starting.