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I've been hesitant to buy into the notion that we should in fact expect to take lumps week in and week out on a level greater than most because we're so young. Now, we heard about Boise State's young roster; another was discussed today on ESPN.

Of USC's 2-deep offense, 16 of 22 are true freshmen (most) or sophomores (a couple). On defense, 8 of 22. That makes 24 of 44 true freshmen or sophs. The spot talked about how Carroll's big recruiting pitch to them was to come to SC, and they'd play. And they're producing. Seems like that would've/should've/could've been our pitch, and I can't imagine the pitch saying, "come to SMU, but we'll be young, so even though we expect you to have the opportunity to be on the field right away, we expect ya'll to take your lumps."

Interesting.

I agree, Bennett is not a head coach! He seems like a genuinely good guy and he has been an effective recruiter, however his teams have been poorly coached for three long years! He needs to step down for the good of the program!! bring in a name coach Look at whats going on at UTEP!

Bring in rick Neuheisel NOW! And Make a Commitment to winning and at the very least playing College Football!

I still believe in Bennett...If he doesnt have us winning by next season then Ill take your side but before then no way

Not to mention...We're 1-6 yes...but We've had the the injury bug hit us all season...and when you got over 80 freshman and sophomores Woo that just aint working.

We're a rebuilding team playing teams that just constantly go to bowl games...We're much better than our record shows. We shouldve won atleast 5 games last year but we dont have the experience to do it yet.

Nice dose of reality there, M35S. Stay the course, keep the faith. As these kids grow up, Coach Bennett will have us winning again - I firmly believe that. Hope the players have used the off-week to heal up, and come out ready to shock Fresno next week!

I really really do believe in Bennett. I think he can take this program back to the 80s (ok not like well you National Title chance but you get my point)

Our guys work as hard as they can *atleast most the time* and we dont have the experience to compete with teams right now

I mean look at who we've faced!

#24 Texas Tech, Ok now TCU that was just sad Im sorry but Ill never get over that game, #17 Oklahoma State, #19 *I think not sure they are ranked I know that* Boise State, SJSU *who comes whenever they want to*, Rice *who still played a very good Texas team very good and comes whenever they want to also and Ill never get over this game either*, A Very good Louisiana Tech team no matter what you think

We have still got early ranked Fresno at their place, Then we got Tulsa and Nevada at home then we go to a very improved UTEP team.

Yes we might end up 3-9 or worse but this team is improved no matter what anybody says about us. They have shown what they can do and when they want to they do it. We have our starting QB gone..We have to medical redshirt 4 or 5 players...I mean come on! We were 0-12 last season and when you are full of over 80 fish and sophs and plus injuries a one win season right now Im happy about

Hey, we might wind up 1-10 this year (I see Nevada beat Tulsa 55-48 last night and I don't see us scoring enough points to beat those offenses), but I do believe the youth factor is more significant at SMU than any BCS program anyone wants to talk about. Gotta remember at USC those freshman were some of the most sought after players in the country. Our guys as seniors are not likely to become the players most of those guys were coming out of H.S.

Keep in mind that with few exceptions, SMU and most other "non-BCS" programs are recruiting guys who weren't quite high enough on the list of their "facorite" BCS school to have been offered a scholarship, and that's why we got them. We have more guys that need 2-3 years of development to compete effectively at this level.

I'm still optimistic we have several guys on this current roster who will make a difference in turning this program around before they graduate. I'm absolutely buying into the "we're still young" excuse...but that excuse expires in 2006. That's the year Bennett's effectiveness as a head coach should be judged .

What's the deal with a youthful roster if they do not get any experience? does a player no good to sit the bench if his better than some that are playing in front of him and are getting their butts toasted. it's time to let the young guys take the lumps playing, at least they might have some better results instead of the same old thing that's going on!!!

Excuses, excuses, excuses, excuses....

I'm sick of the "youth" excuse...many of our posters have pointed to other teams with young players and new coaches that either have, will or would have kicked the crap out of SMU...

I'm afraid the real excuse is that SMU is headed in the wrong direction with the wrong person at the helm...

Again, answer this: Would SMU have hired Bennett 3 years ago had we all known that they would be 1-19 at this point in his tenure?? I dare you to say "yes." There is NO excuse for this pathetic showing of incompetency.

With 3 wins this season, Bennett could legitimately make the argument that his philosophy and strategy is working. I might not agree, but, at least he could argue it. But so far, we've looked worse than last year, being BLOWN OUT by teams that stink...it hasn't even been close like last year.

The team is regressing, not improving...and either the players just don't care (and aren't motivated to play for Bennett) or they are just no good...either way, Bennett (the man who recruited them) should be held accountable.

No BCS school would give a coach the slack Bennett has gotten for his performance. If Bennett were at LSU, he would have been gone in the middle of last season. That's a fact! Furthermore, you wouldn't have these posters who live in a world of perpetual sunshine making excuses...EVERYONE would be calling for "coach's" head...this board cracks me up some times.

That said, I hope we can pull it together and beat Tulsa and Nevada and at least get 3 wins out this season...if that doesn't happen, Bennett should be dismissed. (Of course, I think even with one more win, Bennett will probably keep his job. Why? Because there is NO Commitment.)

As Alumni of SMU we need to expect more! We need to want to romote our school, not take crap for wearing our school colors while we are being blasted by the country. There was recently a joke about us in the Chicago Sun Times! The point is I remember hearing about Bennett on a trip once to Kansas City and the people were all hoping that he would do well at SMU! Bottom Line He Has Not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Folks Winning starts and ends at the top! It is all Coaching! That's why ggod coaches are hard to come by, and more important why they are highly coveted. Chris Ault coming back to Coach Neveda, and the season turns around! I have one word UTEP!!!!!!!!
Bennett please step down! You now know you aren't cut out to be a head coach! You have been outcoached by everyone in the WAC, CUSA and Big 12! Your days are numbered, so Hang it up and save our school the further embarassment and humiliation! Bring in Spurrier or Neuheisel next year we would be in a bowl! Stick with Bennett and we will be pathetic 1-10 or at best 3-8! That is not improvement!!!!!!!!!!! Make a commitment and bring in a real Coach with a track record and experience!!! Phil thanks for the effort!

BRStang wrote:But so far, we've looked worse than last year, being BLOWN OUT by teams that stink...it hasn't even been close like last year.

Please tell me which teams we have been blown out by that "stink!"

Texas Tech? OO Thats right they're ranked #24 in the country and we only lost to them by 2 touchdowns!

Oklahoma State? OO Thats right they're ranked #19 in the country!

TCU? Yea we shouldve competed better againist them but they're still 4-3 on the season.

Boise State??!!?!?!? OO Thats right they're ranked #15 in the country and we only lost to them by 16!

Rice?! Yea we shouldve competed better againist them but they're 3-4 on the year and played 6-1 Texas and 6-1 Navy very close games

Louisiana Tech?! They're 4-4 on the year and tied for 2nd in the WAC!

Sorry but the only team that we shouldve even come close to beating of any of these teams is Rice..and we played at their stadium where we havent won for who knows how long. If you wanna talk about LSU? Lets talk about that great game last night that your Tigers almost lost to TROY STATE 20-17...OO That is something to be proud of our "National Champions"

You guys continue to bash Bennett...You think you know so much about these teams you think you know so much about these players why dont you get out there and coach cause Im sure you would do so much better than him You talk about example of UTEP...ok last season you were telling us to take example of Tulsa...They had risen from being 1-10 or 1-11 whichever they were..well look where they are after their glory season...1-6. I dont think I want to take example of any team other than SMU.

Two years ago La Tech was Bartel's coming out party & SMU won w/ 30+ points on the board. Downhill the last two. I tend to lean toward BR Stang, although as always I qualify it w/ I hope Bennett turns it around. I can relate to the stories of being a Pony backer...this AM in a church gathering full of horns & aggies, discussion turned to our plans to be at Homecoming. Happily, one of the ut alum's daughters announced that she had applied to SMU & that her mom told her she could find a prince on the hilltop. Someone made the comment, oh yeah back in the late 80s they didn't have a team for a couple of years, to which one of the aggie folks resonded, "well do they have one now?," somewhat tongue in cheek.

I'd hate to make a trip to College Station next year & have to stomach a blowout.

Mustang35...

Normally, I try not to pay too much attention to your posts, just as I would if my 4-year-old wrote a post on this board. However, I will indulge you on this one...

Mustangs35SMU wrote:

Please tell me which teams we have been blown out by that "stink!"

First, grammatically speaking, you should use a "question mark" at the end of a question...be careful, SMU may not accept you if you make such mistakes on the essay portion of your application.

Second, the teams that blew us out that also stink are: Rice, La Tech and TCU. The teams that blew us out are: Rice, TCU, La Tech, and OSU.
Rice is currently ranked No. 78 and La Tech is ranked No. 67...They are not even in the top 1/2 of Division 1-A. My problem is NOT that we lost, but that we were beaten like a drum.

Mustangs35SMU wrote:

If you wanna talk about LSU? Lets talk about that great game last night that your Tigers almost lost to TROY STATE 20-17...OO That is something to be proud of our "National Champions"

OK..."If you wanna talk about LSU?" is not a sentence. It's called a fragment. They usually start discussing these around the 8th grade. You also need a period after "National Champions."

Additionally, a win is a win, young man...A mark of a good coach is to dig deep and pull out a "W" in a situation like last night. By the way, LSU is 5-2 and is in the SEC.

Mustangs35SMU wrote:

You guys continue to bash Bennett...You think you know so much about these teams you think you know so much about these players why dont you get out there and coach cause Im sure you would do so much better than him You talk about example of UTEP...ok last season you were telling us to take example of Tulsa...They had risen from being 1-10 or 1-11 whichever they were..well look where they are after their glory season...1-6. I dont think I want to take example of any team other than SMU.

Have you ever heard of a period? They are used to separate sentences so that people can understand what you're trying to say. I don't know what that jibberish means. Again, you should work on that if you hope to be admitted to SMU. Also, I don't recall mentioning UTEP, which, by the way, is in its first season with a new head coach and is performing very well.

As I have said before, come back after you've shelled out $100K on an education at SMU or contributed thousands of dollars to the Mustang Club or paid for 4 years of season tickets. Then, I'll respect your opinion about the state of affairs regarding SMU football.

Look, Bennett isn't leaving and he won't be fired this year. No one with any sense will come here if they are only going to get 3 years to right the ship with the recruiting restrictions that we have. No name coach will come here now. So, get off this pie in the sky dream world. If we fire Bennett now, you'll get another Bennett, or another Cavan. That would be our option.

Oh I don't about that, There is an old saying " Money talks, and BS walks" Bottom Line- When sayings become old its usually because there is some truth in them. Go back and read about SMU job opening three years ago. We had a lot of people interested and I think with some $$$$ and a real Commitment we could land a name Coach!

Rick Neuheisel and your new look SMU Mustangs open a new season in their new Confrence against their nemesis TCU!

I for one would fly to Big D for that game and definiely attend the Bowl Game!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wherever Neuheisel ends up next year, and Bennett comes limping in with another 1-10 perfromance (after he ends a few more Careers, Your in my prayers Muse) I don't ever want to hear again about the Great Phil Bennett!

All RGV Pony pointed out is that SMU can't use the "young" team excuse for our poor record. In which case, what else might explain it? As I am fond of saying, others have done more with less.