The worst performance I've seen out of SMU in years.

[Topper]

Bad special teams play is usually a result of lack of depth in talent. JJ has very frankly stated that our big weakness is lack of depth and I think special teams, with the exception of our field goal kicking and Hunt's kick blocking epertise, reflect that. Navy is a prime example of our problem: For two years in a row we have lost a two touchdown lead. Navy wore us down and we don't have the defensive depth to play at full speed in the second half.

Kyle had a bad game yesterday, but Navy wouldn't let him have the ball, and our defense didnt seem to have the speed to deal with Houston. That worries me more than Kyle. I think he is still adjusting to JJ's offense and really learining to handle it for the first time this season. Hopefully JJ's decent recruiting classes will start filling in the gaps next year. In the mean time, we can beat anyone on the schedule and still go to a bowl. I'm cheering for them loudly to do so.

[RGV Pony]

Bad special teams play is usually a result of lack of depth in talent. JJ has very frankly stated that our big weakness is lack of depth and I think special teams, with the exception of our field goal kicking and Hunt's kick blocking epertise, reflect that. Navy is a prime example of our problem: For two years in a row we have lost a two touchdown lead. Navy wore us down and we don't have the defensive depth to play at full speed in the second half.

Kyle had a bad game yesterday, but Navy wouldn't let him have the ball, and our defense didnt seem to have the speed to deal with Houston. That worries me more than Kyle. I think he is still adjusting to JJ's offense and really learining to handle it for the first time this season. Hopefully JJ's decent recruiting classes will start filling in the gaps next year. In the mean time, we can beat anyone on the schedule and still go to a bowl. I'm cheering for them loudly to do so.

Navy let us have the ball for a couple of three and outs in the 3 q and at the end of the game with a chance to drive for the winning score. Also before half w a chance to go up 17 or 21-0.

[EastStang]

Expect teams with a running game to run at us mercilously. Navy and UH showed that we have trouble against a good running team and if we load up too much to stop the run, we're exposed at our thin corners. The problem is probably more in the offense. JJ teams cannot win unless they score 30-40 points per game. Historically, defense is what you do on a JJ team to give the offense a breather. Unfortunately, one thing that could make life tougher on opponents and Padron is not ready for it yet, is the no huddle offense which JJ has run on occasion. It would be nice to see KP get enough confidence to do this one game. At the very least, it could allow our defense to make other teams take forever to score and then allow lightening to strike on offense.

[Pony in SA]

For those of us season ticket holders since 1990, this is no where near the worst over the years. We have witnessed much worse football (just think first Navy game under Bennett).

This was not good at all, but not the worst. We still are in a better position and getting better than we were under other staffs.

[Pony in SA]

For those of us season ticket holders since 1990, this is no where near the worst over the years. We have witnessed much worse football (just think first Navy game under Bennett).

This was not good at all, but not the worst. We still are in a better position and getting better than we were under other staffs.

[Harry0569]

The long rain delay killed it my friends. The Vard was absolutely slammed with people, and everyone I was with [a majority of which were casual fans] were all PUMPED about the game.

I sat in Ford for an hour, and realized that the rain would not let up, so I trekked over to Barley House, which was packed with SMU people.

It was a bad weekend all around, but hopefully we go take care of business in N.O. next weekend.

[Get_Some_Ponies]

Totally agree that it has been MUCH worse. Not saying it's fine that we're having a hard time now, but we are for sure on the rise. And I do think it's part of the problem when the "best" and most "supportive" fans start jumping ship when the team struggles.

[RednBlue11]

the worst game i have seen since 2008...did anyone forget we went 2-22 in 07/08? yeah we had worse losses than this...anyone remember the collapse against utep on family weekend '07?

[rich59]

People should quit fretting about small crowds having an impact on the football team. It would be nice to have a full stadium for every game but it took years of neglect by the administration to tear down fan support and it will take years of good W-L records to build fan support back. TCU had to field good teams at Amon Carter for a long time to begin to see their stadium start to fill up in the pro sports loving environment of Dallas-Fort Worth.

I wonder if the poor tackling in the Houston game might be partly the result of the emphasis that JJ seemed to have placed on getting turnovers after the Navy game. Just as you see in the NFL, when tacklers focus on ripping the ball away from the carrier, poor tackling seems to result. I would rather see good solid licks being put on the runner than grabbing for the ball.

Just as I posted in another thread, I wonder if the efficacy of the Run and Shoot is not being challenged by the fact that teams are increasingly using defenses tailored to stop the pass. Many of the spread offenses which are successful feature a QB who can run as well as pass which gives the offense another dimension.

[Stallion]

In fact SMU attendance is considerably below TCU's attendance during the years TCU turned its program around especially when you subtract the TCU crowd they brought this year. SMU has a systematic problem with the support it receives from its alumni, family and friends that predates Ford, predates the Death Penalty and predates the Pony Express. We have too many fans who simply don't support the program by putting their [deleted] in a seat. We are getting less than 50% of the fans TCU is getting in June Jones third year after a breakout season and SMU hasn't had TCU like attendance from its own base since the 1950s.

[rich59]

In fact, TCU still had trouble filling their stadium until the last couple of years. The fan base for college football has been adversely impacted by the Cowboys, more in Dallas than in Fort Worth but still in both cities. Another factor is that SMU is seen in Dallas as an elitist school for rich kids where TCU has a little more of a blue collar image.

[RednBlue11]

they play on diff days, inaccurate to assign blame to the cowboys for pour attendance

[rich59]

Any college playing in a city with a pro football franchise, much less one as successful as the Cowboys will have problems with attendance. Even the University of Miami, with it's national championships has problems filling it's stadium. Whether they play on the same day or not has nothing to do with it. Prior to the emergence of the Cowboys as a perennial power in the NFL, SMU generally played before large crowds in the Cotton Bowl. However, as the Cowboys grew powerful, interest in SMU waned and the news media quit covering SMU as it once had. Even in the 1950s when SMU began to have trouble competing in the SWC, there were two newspapers in Dallas and each had a beat writer who wrote about SMU every day during the season and spring practise.

In the first half of the 1980s, SMU won more games than any college team in the US and they could not fill Texas Stadium except when teams with a large fan base came to town, Ark., TU, A&M. When playing Baylor, TCU, etc. it was hard to get more than 30000 to 45000 ticket purchasing fans in the seats.

TCU has had similar problems even with a winning program. I could not get all the attendance numbers for TCU but here is an example.
Average attendance at Amon Carter in 2006 was 31926 and that included a sell out for Texas Tech.
Their W-L records leading up to and including 2006.
2006-11-2
2005-11-1
2004-5-6
2003-11-2
2002-10-2
2001-6-6
2000-10-2
1999-8-4
1998-7-5
One can see that success on the field does not quickly lead to full stadiums for TCU and SMU will have the same problem if the program becomes successful. Part of the problem is the small alumni base for both schools. Part of the problem is that when playing schools like BYU, etc. or Marshall, etc. there are few fans of those schools in the area. There is no doubt though that pro football in a city plays a big role in the disinterest in college football.

[Charleston Pony]

small private schools competing in a NFL city have not, in fact, fared well attendance wise. I doubt SMU ever draws 50k plus on our own, but a sustained successful program should be able to generate consistent crowds that will look good in Ford Stadium. I'm talking about 20k plus of our own fans...students, alumni and some earned "local" college football fans

[RednBlue11]

for one, we can't draw 50k