Conference Champs? Time to Pony Up

[ThadFilms]

It’s time for SMU to show the WAC what were made of. It’s time to do Doak proud. Pony Up boys, it’s the final conference season.

I, for one, am glad to be exiting the Worst Athletic Conference. But I don’t want to leave slinking out the back door. Now is the time for a championship. I give us 1 chance in 300 of winning the WAC. (“So you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance!”) Do I believe it will happen – absolutely not.

But it can. And it all starts Saturday night.

I’m not an idiot. I know the only other “winnable” game this year is vs. Nevada, and we play at Boise and at Fresno (both of which are better than our non-conference opponents), so a conference championship is truly and impossible dream. Heck, I think there’s a chance we might lose to SJSU, but Coach Bennett and the ‘Stangs need not to worry about what I think about our chances.

I love Coach Bennett (even if he was an Aggie), I really do, but I just have one bone to pick; too often he coaches games not to lose. Case in point: This year’s game against Tech. Time is expiring at the end of the first half, we are only down by 3, and we’re inside Tech territory. What does Bennett do? He allows the clock to run and run and run. Please, Coach, I’m begging you, throw to the endzone. I know there’s a chance of it getting picked off – and how demoralizing would a 100 yard pick 6 be? Very. But take a chance, please. Or at the beginning of the second half – fourth and inches inside the redzone – Tech hadn’t stopped Phillips on a QB sneak all game. Again how disappointing would coming up empty be? Very. But go for the jugular, put the pedal to the floor (“I got mine, but I want more”). How huge would that have been? A 17 – 6 lead over Tech three minutes into the second half? Very. I don’t completely fault Coach Bennett’s conservative strategy (tied at six early in the second half), but this team needs a win badly. I saw the same conservative strategy last year at Baylor. No way we should have lost that game. How much different would have last year’s season been had we won that game? Very. How much different will a win on Saturday make this season? I don’t need to tell you. This team needs to re-learn how to win. Just one win, a win against anyone, just might turn the tide.

“You play to win the game! Hello?”

What I’ll be looking for: Eckert and Lowery getting their mojo working. Devin Lowery has been hugely disappointing (Devin, you are making Stallion look bad) – now’s the time for him to Pony Up. And Foy Munlin? Where has he been? He looked better last year standing on the sidelines in his khakis. Screens and draws, screens and draws, and bone-crunching runs. Pony Up, Foy. Lastly – I cannot hammer this point enough – we need aggressive play calling. Pony Up, Phil.

1 chance in 300. It all starts under the Saturday night lights.

[MrMustang1965]

Wow! I thought I was the only one who thought like this!

[Sam I Am]

1 in 300 or more is aobut right for begin the champs. For now it would be nice to avoid being the conference chumps, which is what we will be if we lose to SJSU. Our record in the WAC will always be remembered as losers. Hopefully, we can begin to build for the CUSA.

[Pony4Life]

I'm with you, PE83! Let's win today. Then, when we check the standings, we'll see we're tied for first place. Then let's worry about going up to Boise and shocking the hell out of some folks. (OK, let's start with beating San Jose.)

GO PONIES!!!!!!

[EastStang]

Let's start by beating SJS. One win at a time. I want these guys so hungry and so focused that on the first snap there are 11 dead Spartans on the field. Okay, that might be a bit over the top. How about 11 prone Spartans on the field. Anyway, let's beat SJS, then we can dream about cranking up the Bandwagon.

[DallasDiehard]

Lot of good points in this thread - starting with the need to win TODAY.

Some individual players need to step up:

Foy Munlin - no more dancing while looking for a hole. If there's no gap there, lower your shoulder and flatten someone. Do that enough times, and you wear SJSU down. Then you break one. Play agressive. Make the Spartans gang-tackle to bring you down. You're too strong to go down on a single hit. Wrap up the ball with both arms. Knock people silly. NO one-player tackles today!

Quarterbacks - be smart. You don't have to throw for 1,000 yards. Don't try to force silly passes. Take what the defense gives you. If nobody's open, take off, throw it away or even take the sack -- don't force the ball into double- and triple-coverage. Make your reads and get rid of the ball quickly. And feed Ryan Kennedy until they prove he can be stopped. They know he's a primary weapon, but he's a huge, mobile target who can cause headaches for defensive coordinators. Make the Spartan defensive coaches pop a bunch of aspirin today by featuring No. 89.

Devin Lowery - you're extremely talented, but the time for caution is over. Every ball that's thrown your way is YOURS. No more short-arming like the shoulda-been TD in Fort Worth. Don't run like you're avoiding the defense - run hard and make THEM chase YOU. The QBs need you today.

Defensive line - SJSU's offensive line is huge, but not too mobile. The DTs need to shoot through gaps and foul up SJSU's blocking schemes. Rogers and Karrington (starting) need to hold strong against the run and get pressure off the edge. And in addition to stuffing the run, the DLs need to hit the QB and hit him hard. Make him feel it. Force errant throws.

Linebackers - wrap up tackles. No arm tackles. And when the ball comes your way, make the INT. Avery Cleveland and Rico Harris have hands and speed. LBs will make an INT today! And strip the ball - create fumbles.

Offensive line - Nothing fancy. Straight power. Line up and drive the SJSU line straight back. Keep a solid base and get a good punch. NO PENALTIES (not a complaint - they've been good in this area, but need to continue). Give Eckert/Romo time to throw.

Rolando Humphrey/Charles Akinyemi/Brandon Jones: - stay within your technique. The CBs played really well against TT, so we know you have it in you. The speed/athleticism/talent is there. Time to come up big. 2 picks today.

All Mustangs - Beat San Jose!

[ThadFilms]

Excellent, this is exactly the type of response I was hoping for... Look, I know that absolutely none of us on this board (with the possible exception of Mustangs35SMU) believe we will win the WAC this year, all I'm saying is let's give 'em hell.

(Don't get me wrong, we all appreciate Mustangs35SMU's unflappable enthusiasm... he reminds me of me, circa 10 years ago.)

Again, it doesn't matter what we think the team will do, it only matters what the team knows they can do. I look at the field and I see some talented players and solid coaches. All of them, every single one of them needs a win. They need it more than we do.

Once we get that win, honestly, it will show in every facet. We hung in their with Tech - if this "same" team came into that game off a winning season, I think we win that one. We need this one today and our "young" team will mature real quick.

All right, that's all the positive emotion I can muster. Time to hit the showers and head to the Boulevard. I'll see all of you at the PonyFans tent.