I am sure that many fans were disappointed in the opening game of the June Jones era. I didn't watch the game on television Friday but just finished watching the first three quarters on tape. I was very impressed by the play of Bo Levi Mitchell in his first start. There are a few general things to keep in mind when reviewing the quarterback play and the offensive output.

Despite the final score, Flanigan says Bo Levi Mitchell threw to the right receiver most of the time last week against Rice (photo by Webmaster).

First, Mitchell started as a true freshman in the city that he grew up in facing an experienced conference foe. SMU also started a left tackle, Kelvin Beachum, Jr., who was making his first collegiate start. The tackles are the most important parts of the offensive line in the Run-and-Shoot system. They will be matched up against the defense’s best pass rusher, who knows that the offense will be passing the football a majority of the time.

The outside receivers were absolutely breathtaking! This game was a great example of seeing the Run-and-Shoot offense versus a spread offense. The Rice offense used quarterback runs and play-action to open up its passing game. The Run-and-Shoot is efficient when the ball is distributed at an efficient rate to all receivers in all of the different zones.

The game did not turn out the way we wanted, but there were many encouraging things that happened during the game. I will point out some specific things that happened during the game and some things to look for in the upcoming weeks from the offense.

The quarterback threw the ball to the right receiver a very high percentage of the time.

The interception that was returned late in the third quarter and set up the score that got the game out of hand was a perfect example of how the quarterback will get blamed for things that the offense as a whole contributed to. On that play, Beachum, who was making his first start, and the left guard failed to switch off a twist stunt (two defensive linemen exchanging pass rush lanes), which resulted in Mitchell getting hit as he threw the ball. The encouraging thing about this is that twist stunts are very tough to pick up for an experienced lineman, much less a young man making his first start on national television. Another thing that was encouraging on that play is that even though Beachum didn’t switch the man that he was blocking with the man the left guard was blocking, he totally manhandled the man that he was blocking.

Assignment errors can be fixed and with the capable coaching staff that we have, I am sure that they will be. Having a lack of talent is another thing, but based on the young players that I saw on film, this team is as talented as any in the Conference USA and will get better with game experience and time spent being coached by the staff. Another play that stuck out in my mind is the big hit that ended up on SportsCenter. The route that was thrown was the exact same route that was thrown in the first drive that was tipped and caught by another receiver near the SMU sideline. Both passes were catchable passes and not bad choices by the quarterback. However, the coaches will show him on film that the better throw would be to the next receiver, who was running the same route next to the receiver that the ball was thrown to. The player who almost picked off the first-quarter throw, and who made the big hit in the third quarter, is the player that the quarterback is reading. The coaches will tell the players in meetings that if the player who you are reading makes a big hit, that means that he could not have properly covered the other receiver in the progression. I will try to get some of these routes drawn up for you so that you can see what the quarterback sees and what makes him make the choices that he makes.

The formation that you need to look for as a fan is the formation in which SMU has three receivers to one side and one receiver isolated alone, usually into the boundary (short side of the field). This formation is known as “Trips.” Look for SMU to throw individual cuts to the very good outside receivers. There will not be many corners who can cover these athletes one-on-one. The thing to look for out of this formation is whether or not the defense has a safety on the side of the single receiver. If there is no safety on that side, then the outside receivers will have big games. When the defense does have a safety to the side of the single receiver side, look for the inside receivers to catch a lot of balls inside the hashes and up the seams. The best look for an SMU fan is to see the quarterback roll slightly to the single receiver side and throw an out, slant or fade route to the outside receiver if there is not a safety to his side. If there is a safety to the side of the single receiver, look for the quarterback to roll slightly to the single receiver side and then snap his head back to the middle of the field and throw dig routes against linebackers in the middle of the field.

I would also look for a quicker running back to find a role in the offensive system. DeMyron Martin is a great running back, but because he is a long-striding runner, it takes him a little longer to reach top speed, which does not allow him to maximize the small spaces that he is required to navigate and change direction quickly.

I am excited about witnessing the electric atmosphere that will surround the home opener, and I hope to see many of you PonyFans at the game!