DMN Blog - News flash: SMU isn't a lost cause

[ponydawg]

Per Keith Whitmire:

I've been hearing a lot of pundits - both amateurs on local blogs and professional media - talk about SMU football as if every season is a 1-7 nightmare. They paint the picture that SMU has no hope of ever winning. It's simply not true.

SMU won six games last year. If they could have scored from first-and-goal at the Rice one yard line, they would have gone to a bowl game in 2006. As it was, 6-6 would have gotten SMU into a bowl if C-USA had one more bowl agreement last year.

This year's team is 1-7, but it's not getting blown out every game. Every game except Texas Tech, and maybe Arkansas State, has been at least semi-competitive. Two losses were in overtime and SMU led Tulsa until the final minute. SMU has the talent on offense to compete, it's the defense that is lacking this season.

You have to remember when you talk about SMU being competitive, you're talking about doing it at a C-USA level. You can't judge SMU by Big 12 standards, which is the mistake I think a lot of people are making. SMU just needs to start winning more games in its own conference, and that's doable. Yes, there are obstacles at SMU, and who knows how the team will respond from here on out. But in terms of being able to turn around the program and win immediately, SMU isn't as far off as many "experts" would have you believe.

[smupony94]

Good points

[SMUer]

Totally on-point

[Pony94]

But in terms of being able to turn around the program and win immediately, SMU isn't as far off as many "experts" would have you believe.

He has definitely been reading him some Pony Fans!

[jkflamebo]

phil mentioned it in the press conference about being so close to a bowl game these past two years. in 2005, the marshall road game should have been a win. the referees decided not to call a holding penalty on a marshall offensive lineman for tackling j rogers from behind, that was a horrendous miss call. we win that game we finish 6-5 in 2005. and of course last year if were able to convert a couple 4th and 1's against rice, we're bowl eligible. the bottom line is that a couple more plays go our way, things would have finished a lot differently. who knows where we'd be today if we went to bowls the past two years

[mr. pony]

THANK YOU, Keith.

Finally, a voice of reason. There ARE a lot of idiot pundits out there who don't know a thing about SMU. I'm talking about you, Norm Hitzges, Mike Rhyner and Corby Davidson of The Ticket.

[cs09viking]

Corby and Rhyner (I mean Mike) are clueless.

They know nothing about sports.

In fact, about a month ago, Rhyner said that USC should fire Carroll. Rhyner is dumb and looks like a clown.

BTW, where's Greggo in all of this? Is he still poppin pills?

[Pony81]

Keith Whitmire is absolutely correct. Beware of conventional wisdom and the bandwagon. It is human nature to project the current situation into more of the same in the future.

Why is it different this time?
1. TCU is exhibit A of a school that has vastly improved student recruitment and endowment on the back of a successful football program. Being next door and a traditional rival shows the impact of investing in the football program.
2. Steve Orsini. SMU finally went out and got an up and coming AD who knows talent and takes educated risks. Hiring a retread like Copeland was ridiculous.
3. The board allowed Orsini to get hired which I'm sure cost a lot more than Copeland. I see this as a sign that they are on board with using the football / basketball programs as marketing mediums to bring in students / donations.
4. Facilities. Crum, golf, upgrades to the football program. All expensive and board approved. The board allowed these improvements PRIOR to funding. Which means SMU is willing to invest its own money and not rely solely on near term donations.
5. Weak conference. CUSA is ridiculous. SMU should dominate it. To lose like we do is just pathetic. A good coach can spin this thing around on a dime like Graham did at Rice.
We just need a good coach who will stick around 5 years to get this thing on track.
I'm betting we will get such a guy. I see good things coming.

[DiamondM75]

Where are my shades. But I so hope you are correct.

[EastStang]

Being at the Marshall game, it was even more of a robbery. Instead of calling a fumble when Justin Rogers recovered the ball, they blew it dead as an incomplete pass which was not reviewable that year (I think that rule has changed). Marshall then scored to get close enough to tie. Had we been awarded the fumble, we could have bled out the clock to win. But we lost and the fact is that to win on the road, you have to really beat the opponent badly. Close calls will almost always go against you. Same with the ECU game last year. We get a safety, not called. Run back a punt late holding flag way up field. We're close, but not there yet. We also should have lost the UAB game, but for the miracle catch.

[The PonyGrad]

5. Weak conference. CUSA is ridiculous. SMU should dominate it. To lose like we do is just pathetic. A good coach can spin this thing around on a dime like Graham did at Rice.
We just need a good coach who will stick around 5 years to get this thing on track.

I basically agree with you but which is it, turn on a dime or wait five years?

[The PonyGrad]

Per Keith Whitmire:

SMU has the talent on offense to compete, it's the defense that is lacking this season.

I think the defense is coming on, especially vs. Tulsa and with a bunch of secondary replacements. The DL is really getting there, even without Muse, and Damon Hurst at MLB, wow.

The offense, on the other hand, struggled much of the time.

Keith seems to have a limited knowlegde of SMU.

[ponyboy]

In CUSA, we're #6 in total offense and #10 in total defense. I find it very telling, though, that we're last in CUSA in red zone offense.

[Pony81]

WIth a good coach we can be 5-7 year one and a bowl year 2.

We have the talent to compete in CUSA. With a good coach we could get the talent to compete with the lower tier Big 12 teams (not win but compete).

[bigdaddy08091]

But in terms of being able to turn around the program and win immediately, SMU isn't as far off as many "experts" would have you believe.

He has definitely been reading him some Pony Fans!

Thank you, because he is another idiot posting on this board, or should I say a political correct idiot!