DMN: Game Day Story on SMU v. OSU

[MrMustang1965]

UNIVERSITY PARK – There's an audition in progress at Ford Stadium and also at the practice field next door, and SMU coach Phil Bennett is the director whom players must impress to get on the field or maintain their spots.

Bennett has used the first few weeks of the regular season as an extended training camp to see who can play and who should be redshirted. The goal is to field a team that is better than the 0-12 unit of last season and one that will be competitive in conference play.

"We didn't take the first two games lightly or this one against Oklahoma State," junior cornerback Rolando Humphrey said. "Our second season starts with conference play. I know the importance of the second season."

SMU (0-2) has been outscored 71-13 and faces another difficult nonconference game today when it plays at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have outscored the Mustangs 104-22 the last two games.

Bennett said he isn't too worried about the scores at this point and is looking for progress from a young team. SMU has 86 underclassmen on its 113-man roster.

"I don't want them to take lumps, I want them to win," Bennett said. "They haven't developed a drill for experience."

Chris Phillips is the starter at quarterback, but he struggled in the first two games. He completed 42.9 percent of his passes and led the Mustangs to only six points. Tony Eckert played strong in the late stages of training camp to earn the No. 2 job. Eckert has a stronger arm and is given more chances than Phillips to throw downfield.

Third-stringer Jerad Romo is mobile and has a strong arm, but he hasn't received any time on the field. Bennett said there's a slight chance Romo would play today. Said Bennett: "We're not set in stone at anything at that position."

Devin Lowery and Blake Warren started the first two games, but 11 receivers have caught passes. Lowery leads with seven receptions for 52 yards. But his biggest moment came last week at TCU, when he dropped a potential touchdown pass in the first half with the Horned Frogs leading, 14-0.

"I haven't forgotten that one," said Lowery, a freshman from Grand Prairie. "I feel like a lot of people are counting on me."

The defense has been hampered by the loss of two starting middle linebackers. Reggie Carrington, the incoming starter, was lost before the season with a torn pectoral muscle, and D.D. Lee – who took over – was lost for the season to elbow and knee injuries.

Defensive coordinator Jim Gush has mixed and matched the defensive personnel. Bennett, a former defensive coordinator, implemented a speed package with more cornerbacks and faster linebackers, but the absence of Lee and linebacker Rico Harris (hamstring) means SMU can't use it. A hamstring injury to safety Alvin Nnabuife also limits Bennett's ability to use five defensive backs.

SMU hopes to find the right pieces by the time it plays San Jose State in its WAC opener next Saturday. The Mustangs have lost a school-record 14 straight games.

"We want to improve against [OSU today]," Gush said. "But we're geared toward conference."

[Hoofprint]

The coaches are right to make the WAC games the focal point.

One thing: the story says we can't run those speed packages without Rico Harris and DD Lee. My question is: why not? Is Lee really that fast? How much of the speed package relies on Lee? He's a strong LB, to be sure but can't Zach Hall fill the same role? He moves pretty well, from what I've seen in practice. If Rico's back for SJSU, can't we get back to that speed package?